University Star

Dillan and Colton Windham, who go by the aliases Achilles and Odysseus, practice a lifestyle of fight or flight. Their active childhood inclination toward thrill-seeking has stuck with them into adulthood.

Their interest in martial arts, gymnastics, sword sparring and parkour led the brothers to form an organization a few months ago, which they dubbed “Pyro Brothers Superhero Training.”

Dillan and Colton Windham, The Pyro Brothers, educate interested students on skills relating to parkour and martial arts.

The brothers said they want people of all levels of experience to come out and have fun.

“Teaching people how to do what we’ve already accomplished is the next step of learning more for ourselves,” Dillan Windham said.

During their Tuesday and Thursday meetings, the group focuses on giving free lessons to anyone who would like to join outside on a grassy stretch below the Alkek Library’s steps.

The two instructors are usually accompanied by a group of people who are interested in their ideas about self-defense, while others simply watch from a distance.

One spectator, Jerry Hook, mathematics sophomore, said that it doesn’t look much like a self-defense class. 

“I saw the flier, and it kind of piqued my interest, you could say,” said Hook. “But I’m really just trying to figure out the overall goal.”

Colton Windham said that he would like to bring back what he calls “real fun.”

“Some of the things we do: other people don’t have that. A lot of kids these days consider sitting in front of the computer and playing video games as a sense of fun, or going out and drinking,” he said. “But I’d like to bring the population to actually love having that adrenaline rush we get when doing our stunts.”

While earning his merit as an eagle scout in the Boy Scouts of America, Colton Windham encountered miles of intense hiking in Utah. He said the experience made him think about how he could use his talents to tackle extreme environments.

The duo hopes to work their way into their very own dojo in the future.

“In the future, I’d like to open a school. We can take the crazy stunts you see on YouTube and bring them to life,” said Colton Windham. “With enough practice, there isn’t much that you can’t do.”