TOBY SEGAR

BIRTHDAY: 21ST JULY 1994

How did you get into parkour and meet the rest of the team?

In 2005 I watched Jump Britain on TV, and started the following day at school, aged 11. During my first couple of years I met the Powell brothers. Can’t recall how we ended up visiting Horsham but we trained there loads so got to know Max, Benj and Drew pretty quickly!

What do you most appreciate about being part of STORROR and about your team mates?

Well firstly, it’s the mates! And having an outlet for my skill set that generates income, meaning I can keep doing what I love and help others do the same.

So, what I appreciate most about the chaps:

Callum – raw commitment to parkour, unmatched training intensity, and a passion for the real bare bones of physical progression.

Drew – bright as hell, most forward-thinking member, has the most intricate vision of the future of STORROR as a team and a company, which drives him to work even harder as his knowledge and experience grows.

Sacha – a mysterious, creative genius. Put a camera in this man’s hands and be amazed. We’ll see him with BAFTAs aplenty by the time we’re all crippled in a care home!

Benj – knits the team together more than any other member, positive and driven, first one up and last one scouting the rooftops, pure water flow when it comes to training the streets.

Max – a street demon on a different level, with a fetish for the fattest roof gaps. Movement is number one for Max, and his drive and focus rubs off on everyone during a day’s training. Has a brutal sense of humour.

Josh – a wild character with an intriguing interest in the mechanics of our bodies and broader topics of society, trends, fashion, film and music. Moves like a slinky in the best way possible and has the craziest strength to weight ratio in parkour.

What do you think makes STORROR unique among parkour teams?

Having the audacity to complete a task or project regardless of what the norm or current trend may be, regardless of authority, effort, or potentially controversial implications. Also important is that we grew from, and remain as, a very tight unit of friends.

What are your best parkour skills and what are your other talents or interests?

I’ve always loved fast efficient movements. Training with Teige Matthews-Palmer and other athletes from Surrey heavily influenced this style. Teige was also a keen film-maker so taught me the ropes, and I’d say these two elements of my skill set are the strongest.

For the first five years or so of my involvement in parkour, I was obsessive, staying up most school nights on the sly to learn the ins and outs of Premiere Pro. Making videos felt like a compulsory skill set for me, and it’s paid off. I have an overflowing list of projects that I feel I can actually achieve; film-making is a huge part of my life and partners perfectly with the STORROR lifestyle. There are stories I want to tell, places and people I want to showcase, and after 10+ years of practice I can finally move into these projects with clear vision and confidence, especially working with fellow all-nighter Sacha.

As for other interests, I just love building stuff, whether that’s a film edit, learning a skill or enhancing an existing one, building a chair, a rope-swing, a new friendship, anything really. Other pastimes include bouldering, cycling, riding motorbikes, and chilling with my girlfriend and the STORROR boys.

What’s your diet like and what training or exercise do you do to improve fitness?

My diet is up and down. Once or twice a week I ruin my clean-eating routine, especially when away on team trips! I’m trying to cut stodgy breads and processed foods from my life. For fitness, it’s mostly parkour but also high intensity interval training, strength training, cycling and climbing.

What’s your taste in books, films, music?

I’m not a big reader; I tend to scroll through Vimeo for stimuli. Avatar has been my favourite film since it was released. Recently I worked alongside a camera man from that – incredible experience! Other favourites are The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, and Sherlock Holmes (mainly for cinematic and action scene design).

As for music, I listen to everything! When I started sourcing tracks for videos the sky became the limit; it all depends on which emotion and vibe is needed for a scene or story. My playlists are a mess of all genres.

At school, what subjects were you best at and worst at?

My best were PE, biology, design tech/woodwork, and media studies, and the worst were religious education and maths.

If you weren’t a professional parkour athlete, what would you be doing for a living?

Apart from film-making, which I’m not sure I’d have discovered without parkour, I might be an engineer, a tree surgeon, or an outdoor adventure sports coach.

What places would you like to visit that you haven’t yet and which are your favourites so far?

I’d particularly like to see more of South America, as well as visiting Canada and Nepal. My favourites so far are Brazil, India, Norway and New Zealand.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I can’t even imagine. Our lives and mind-sets are evolving in unpredictable directions. I hope I’m happy and healthy, with a stable income, living close to my friends, and it would be so sick to still be training parkour.

What advice would you give someone starting out in parkour?

Try new skills the moment they come to your attention, even if you don’t think they’re your strength. I didn’t do this in the early years and wish I had. All round movers are the best.