WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2007 | NEWS | WWW.KANSAN.COM THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN 11
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PROFILE
'Free runner' takes unique paths Wall climbing, handstands among distinct activities for grad student
By Alaide Vilchis Ibarra avilchis@kansan.com
People recognize Jared Suppasansathorn by the utility belt he wears everywhere he goes.
When asked why he wears it, he calmly answers that he uses it in case he wants to do a handstand.
"Sometimes, I just feel like doing a handstand somewhere. I used to carry the stuff in my pockets but all my change would fall out."
For Suppasansathorn, a graduate student, doing random handstands on the street is not uncommon. He does "freestyle running," a physical art where runners try get through everyday obstacles as smoothly as possible by jumping or climbing walls and doing acrobatics, among other things.
"It's like you make an obstacle course of the world and you just run through it," Suppasansathorn said.
Suppasansathorn remembers a time when he saw a man climbing a wall and jumping off of it to a railing on campus. He said other students looked at him confused and disapprovingly.
"It's something that you are sort of conditioned not to do and that is exactly the reason to do it," Suppasansathorn said.
Suppasansathorn said that he had been climbing walls and jumping over obstacles his whole life. But recently, a friend invited him to go to Topeka on Thursdays with a group of others who "freestyle run."
Ptoldly Brenner, who "freestyle runs" with Suppasansathorn on Thursdays and has asked for his nickname to be used in the story, said "freestyle running" in groups had a lot of advantages.
Jon Goering/KANSAN
"There is a little bit of competition," Brenner said. "But doing it in groups helps us push each other and share tips on how to do things."
Walking downtown, Suppasansathorn suddenly stops and stares at a brick wall that looks "interesting." In the blink of an eye, he is already several feet away from the ground, grabbing onto bricks.
People walking by do not seem to mind the man with a green utility belt and hiking shoes climbing the wall. He touches the top of the wall and lets go, falling with both feet on the ground. He continues walking.
"In day-to-day life you are supposed to just walk down the sidewalk, you are supposed to just take this certain path and, you know, that is sort of annoying," Suppasansathorn said. "I want to cut through the grass, I want to jump over the bush, I want to do a handstand on the trash can."
Brenner said that "freestyle running" gives freedom. "I definitely feel freer than other people," Brenner said. "You do feel like you are video game where you can go whatever you want to go without anyone stopping you."
Jared Suppasansathorn, KU graduate student, demonstrates a "freestyle running" trick on a tree in South Park. Suppasansathron recently joined a group of "freestyle runners" in Topeka.
Suppasansathorn talks with a soft voice. He describes himself as being shy, yet he is not scared to jump from
a building downtown.
"The more I do it, the more I find myself just doing things., Suppasansathorn said. "If I thought more about it maybe I wouldn't have done it because I was too embarrassed or scared."
Suppasansathorn keeps walking down the street with his green utility belt and khaki shorts. He stops in a grassy area and does a handstand. All of his change remains intact in his pockets.
Edited by Joe Caponio
Wa restaurant denied permit for construction
The city of Lawrence has denied Wa Restaurant's permit application to continue construction on the lower level of 742 1/2 Massachusetts St.
In an e-mail, Jeremy Claeys, the owner of a home on the upper level of the building, said that his battle to stop the construction was not over.
"They will likely threaten to sue the city to continue the destruction"he said
Claeys claimed that the construction on the lower level of the building caused upwards of $20,000 to his home.
One of Wa's owners, Jun Kim, said that Clayes was out of legal options and was left fighting a battle he couldn't win.
Emmons' death at Yello Sub ruled an accident
Joe Caponio
The Douglas County Coroner's Office autopsy found drugs and alcohol in Justin A. Emmons'body.
Emmons' body was found July 16 at the Yello Sub near campus.
The Coroner's preliminary report said Emmons' urine tested positive for marijuana, alcohol, and cocaine.
A full toxicology report is being done on Emmons' body. The report will take about 8 weeks to conduct.
The report concluded that Emmons' died from a deep cut to his femoral artery causing him to bleed to death.
The report said Emmons'body also had small cuts on his upper
body including a cut on his left arm.
The Yello Sub shut down its operations on July 14 after the building was sold to owners who are planning a hotel and retail development site at 12th and Oread streets.
The morning of July 16, there was damage and graffiti on the building, including broken windows and plastic chairs thrown into a bush on the property.
Police have closed the death investigation after determining that Emmons death was an accident.
— Susan Schwarz
No charges to be filed in abduction case
A University student has refused to pursue charges after she said she was carjacked from the corner of 98th and Cherry streets in Ovarland Park on July 15.
Michelle M. Bhaskar, Overland park sophomore, was reported by her boyfriend to have been taken in her car by two unidentified males one of them armed with a gun.
Bhaskar's boyfriend said he had been sitting in the car talking with her when the two men approached, forced him out of the car and then took off with Bhaskar leaving him at the scene.
Bhaskar was returned to her family unharmed almost eight hours after the alleged abduction.
Kansas City, Mo., police said that there was little the department could do since the woman refused to press charges and the case is now inactivated.
Ben Smith