Photo of the Week: One of the Highest Handstands in the World
Wednesday April 22, 2009
 Photo © 2009 Jon Parker |
Above, Jon Parker, 72, does a handstand on the Inca Trail at 13,800 feet. Parker started gymnastics in 1949, and did all-around (including a rope climb) for Georgia Tech. He sometimes competed on a hardwood or even concrete floor, "which sounds awful," he says, "[but] the skills done were not up to the level of today." Parker took the all-around gold in the Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League in 1957, and became the first gymnast to be inducted into the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame.
Though Parker retired from competition after college, he continued to work out, and now goes to the Houston Gymnastics Academy. His goal? To do giants, "in spite of somewhat painful shoulders."
Parker has hiked coast to coast across England, the Milford Track in New Zealand, the Grand Canyon, the Teton and Wind River Mountains, and many other trails. He jokes, "Don’t be too hard on the big arch [in my handstand]. My arms will not go straight over my head, and the straight body handstand was not critical in my era."
- Got a cool handstand photo? Send it to me.
- Perfect your handstand
- Photo of the Week: Elevator Handstands
Comments
What a great story! And photo! Jon is an inspiration to all of us “older” gymnasts.
I really liked reading this profile. Parker is the man!
This is my wife’s father and he is about thirty year’s older and twice as fit as I am. Good job Sir.
Wow! I recently visited the Inca trail and ANY athletic endeavor is an accomplishment there! Most people are content to merely stand on two feet and breathe. I am impressed!!
I used to watch Jon practice in the gym at Tech in the 1950s. He was an outstanding performer and set an example for me; I was a novice at the rope climb event (sad that it’s never come back in America)