Jump Falmouth

I find myself sitting atop a tall building, my feet hanging precariously off the edge like the leaves on an autumnal great oak. On either side sit two unidentified men, it feels like I’ve stumbled into a bad seventies Kung Fu movie but although the unidentified men are dressed as ninjas, today the lip-sync is spot on.
After I’ve overcome my sickening feeling of vertigo, realised that I haven’t slipped into a B-Movie, and received a sharp nudge from the ninja on my right, I remember why I’m here. I’m meant to be doing an interview with the two ringleaders of an underground craze sweeping the entirety of this quiet town; Jump Falmouth. This is what construed:

So, for all the people that have never heard of Jump, what is it?

Ninja 1; There are many ways of describing Jump but the easiest way to think of it is that it is getting from A to B in a straight line, regardless of what is in your way.
Ninja 2; And there is the other form, often preferred by beginners and sometimes considered to be practising, which entails purely finding things to scale, jump or climb.

It’s nothing illegal, so why are you hiding your identities?

Ninja 1; We don’t want to be recognised when we are not performing, we consider it to be a sport and an art-form. It ruins the impact.

How did this group start up then?

Ninja 2; Well we heard about a group in London and, being bored with all the other extreme sports, thought we’d give it a go. And it just took off from there.

Where do you usually practice?

Ninja 2; Often the best places to practice are the one’s that you wouldn’t consider, but to be honest you can do it anywhere. We particularly enjoy using man-made environments because they are often more challenging, although, there is a great sense of pride when you conquer mother earth.

It is quite extreme so do you ever get injured?

Ninja 2; Sometimes you can miscalculate a jump and end up missing the landing but that doesn’t happen very often.

You must be incredibly brave to carry out some of these tricks?

Ninja 1; Not particularly, when you are experienced and well practised, it comes as second nature. Being scared of heights, however, is a bit of a problem.

And so they carry on. With no respect for their own well being, the team can be seen from time to tme scaling ladders, and running up steps at break neck speeds. Those noises of bins falling outside over aren’t just cats or drunks.
Take comfort knowing it’s just the Jump Falmouth team out training.

Chris Tagg

© Substance Magazine 2005