Our Board
Alison Larsen (she/her) — Board President & Director
Travel/Facilities Manager & Corporate Risk Specialist, The Greenbrier Companies, Inc.
Alison’s goal in life is to never grow up. She went to her first parkour open gym in 2018, felt like an awkward kid again, and never wanted to stop. She enjoys being the comic relief in PK classes and likes to challenge her classmates to weightlifting competitions (sometimes she lifts more than the 12-year-olds). Most of all, she is passionate about parkour and its ability to improve the way we move through the world, mentally, emotionally, and physically. She believes parkour is magical because of its ability to weave itself into the existing environments of cities, towns, and natural areas. She hopes to awaken more kids and adults to the joys and possibilities of parkour.
In her career, she has served in diverse roles, including administration, travel management, corporate giving, security, and risk management. She is happiest when she is working with a group to improve the function of the organization.
Alison spent her formative childhood years in the Umpqua National Forest, where she built many secret forts and hung out in the trees, talking to the forest spirits.
Her passions include parkour, conservation, Community and the Built Environment, diversity, equity, female empowerment, food, coffee, snowboarding, hiking, camping, reading, crafting, and playing.
Brian “Ox” Tracey — Board Treasurer & DIRECTOR
Continuing Education Coordinator, Seattle MESA
Brian Tracey, also known as ‘The Flying Ox’, affectionately referred to as ‘Ox’, has been with Parkour Visions since November 2009. At the time, Ox was one of our most dedicated students. Ox’s knack for teaching, combined with a deep study of the discipline, would inevitably lead Ox down the coach’s path. Starting as an apprentice in the summer of 2011, Ox became known for a creative teaching style, and passion for spreading parkour beyond the borders of the affluent. Ox called this mission, ‘The 36 Chambers of Parkour’, named after the classic kung-fu movie with a similar name. From 2011-2018, Ox would organize various community-centered events (e.g. action movie Fridays, bi-monthly free open-gym sessions), and focus Ox’s energy teaching first-time students and beginner to intermediate regulars. With the help of Parkour Visions leadership, Ox has recently made intentional efforts to reach non-white communities south of the Seattle stadiums. Currently, Ox serves as a board member and leads an internationally known outdoor session every Saturday. Exploring the cityscapes, the preferred hashtag, or slogan, is ‘the city is our playground’.
Outside of Parkour Visions, Ox is a marine scientist by trade. Ox has a master’s degree in Ocean Policy, with a concentration in science education outreach. Ox works for a non-profit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) organization, providing STEM resources to predominantly non-white highs schools in the region. Outside of that, Ox is also a Security Professional. Certified in various firearm and life-saving disciplines, Ox has extensive knowledge and experience in the field. Ox also works closely with the Black faculty, staff, and students at the University of Washington, along with the University Police department and upper administration. Ox serves as an advocate, liaison, and covert negotiator.
In Ox’s free time, Ox reads a lot. Ox’s preferences are Black historical pieces and western military science. Ox also loves learning new life-preserving skills and mentoring aspiring young non-white scientists. One day, after or during the destruction of white supremacist systems, Ox hopes to own a sizeable amount of land so Ox can open Ox’s own training facility. Ox also wants to acquire enough of the skills needed to be anti-poaching ranger in the African wildlife preserves.
If that was a lot to read, trust us when we say we have only scratched the surface of the legend, the myth, …the Ox.
David Kraus (he/him) — Director
911 Dispatcher, Portland OR
David Kraus started training parkour in 2014 when he brought his teen to a class and an instructor told him “dads train too.” It immediately clicked as that thing he’d always been looking for. Movement for the sake of movement. Challenge for the sake of challenge. Play for the sake of play. It’s easy now to wax philosophical about the practice, but when it comes to why he’s jumping back and forth between two curbs on a rainy day the most salient answer is that it feels good to jump. Parkour is its own reason for existing.
We work in office boxes, and often think we need to exercise in gym boxes, and the beauty of parkour is it literally takes us out of the box. There’s a saying that all you need for parkour is a pair of shoes and a curb, but even barefoot on a patch of dirt there is opportunity for training. So many activities require equipment and financial investment and David believes parkour should cost next to nothing to learn and practice. David’s main goal in working with Parkour Visions is to spread awareness of the benefits and community parkour has without requiring students to have financial resources to access it. His secondary goal is targeting the adult demographic, specifically people over 40, to show them the health benefits and accessibility of parkour. We intuitively understand the importance of children being able to play outside, but that basic need to play together by moving our bodies through space is ageless and we need to remember that.
David has lived in the Portland area since 1998 and has worked 23 years as a 911 Dispatcher there. Aside from parkour he spends his free time with his family, writing fiction, and playing tabletop games with friends.