Team | Parkour and Play Camp

Our Camp Story…

12 years ago, after meeting at a local park, Dmitri began to train Kirsten’s son, Josh (then 11-years-old.) Amazed at what he began to be able to do, and impressed by Dmitri’s teaching abilities, the idea of partnering up to create a summer camp came about. Shortly after that, PARKOUR AND PLAY CAMP became a reality in a tiny little splash pad park in Clarksville (Austin , Texas). After a year we moved to the East Communities YMCA, which added the nice feature of swimming. As we’ve grown we have added new games every year, more skilled parkour instructors/counselors, and occasional “special guests.” We’ve had juggling, acro yoga, slackline, and other “Surprise Events.” Fun Friday is always a treat. It could include whipped cream fights, colored powder, or water fights, and we provide a healthy lunch for all the campers. We look forward to meeting new campers every summer and to having our old faithfuls come back year after year. Sadly, this year Dmitri will not be able to join us, as his work and other pursuits have taken a bigger role in his life. We will, however, have some of our long time staff back as counselors and Parkour Instructors.

Kirsten Nottleson – Co-Owner/ Director

In her work as a parent educator/ consultant since 1993, Kirsten Nottleson has facilitated over 1,000 classes and workshops on everything from child development, to family meetings, to play and wrestling. She is the proud mom of 23-year-old, Josh, and 17-year-old, Jack. She sees Parkour as a fabulous way for people young and old to experience their bodies in a playful powerful way, and camp as a great way for kids to be outside, moving and meeting new friends and hanging out with old ones. See her info at www.handinhandworkshops.com

Dmitri Gonzalez – Honorary Director

Dmitri was introduced to gymnastics when he was 10-years-old because he kept climbing and jumping off everything in sight. Dmitri ran track & field throughout middle and high school, but it wasn’t until he discovered Parkour in 2004 that he realized there was a name and methodology to what he was so drawn to do.
He has practiced Parkour for over a decade and has been teaching Parkour and running kids’ summer camps for 9 years. The gaps he jumped were getting wider and his jumps were getting higher. Five years ago, he discovered ‘partner acrobatics’ and AcroYoga through the Austin Acro Community. In Acroyoga you need to coordinate movement with another individual, so he found that he had to slow down and work on trust. “Trusting yourself to support someone else is totally different than trusting yourself to do a jump,” he explains.

Three years ago, Dmitri made one of his dreams come true by opening his gym, Lache Movement, Co. in North Austin. Stop by and see him sometime!

Dmitri will be taking a break from camp this Summer. Hopefully we’ll see him back in 2024.

Josh Ashmore – Counselor

Josh Ashmore became Dmitri’s first Parkour student when he was 11 years old, and has been a Parkour and Play Counselor for 6 years. He is currently a student at Texas State University, is a certified lifeguard, and currently working as a rec coordinator at a job core facility with youth and young adults. He hopes to train PK athletes in a gym and is particularly good at working with the younger campers.