Bodhi Keith and his father Robert practice and land their gymnastic skills on the beach in Santa Monica. It’s a thrill Bodhi can’t get enough of.
- Bodhi Keith discovered freerunning after becoming disillusioned with gymnastics
- Sport has been a way for him to better bond with his father
- He is preparing to test to ascend to the sport's next level
“I never want to be stagnant. I always want to be moving,” he said.
Bodhi’s taking after his father who used to be involved in several extreme sports as a kid.
“Being able to be with him and still be able to move around and, you know, just watching him just brings me so much joy,” Robert Keith said.
Bodhi said he loves to push his body to new heights, that’s why he practices on mats before trying anything out in the sand.
“I’ve always liked the feeling of flying. I started walking at nine months then my mom put me in gymnastics. But I got a really bad coach, so it kind of made the spark die for me a little bit,” Bodhi said.
Bodhi’s passion was reignited when he discovered freerunning.
It's a sport similar to parkour, where people try to find the fastest way from point a to point b by jumping and climbing. Each move comes with a risk that Bodhi has endured first-hand. Bodhi has broken his collarbone and wrist in the past performing similar stunts.
But, after a few years of training with the Tempest Freerunning Academy in Hawthorne, Bodhi has climbed to 5 out of 8 ranks and is well on his way to the next level.
“To take somebody from having zero knowledge about parkour and taking that all the way up to the professional level. So he’s exactly that kind of kid who has that drive and motivation to stay with, so we want to feed that fire,” said Tempest Freerunning Academy Manager, Brian Orosco.
In March, Bodhi will have to prove his skills in a one-minute performance test to reach the next level. It’s a goal Bodhi said he’s determined to reach.
“It’s a big toll on the body…this is an extreme sport. It’s not easy the next day, you know what I mean, so I just want to be able to keep jumping off stuff as long as I can before it catches up to me,” Bodhi said.
Until then Bodhi and his father will continue to train, push their limits, and seek new heights together in a sport they both love.