HI, MY NAME IS JESSIE, AND I’M A COMPETITIVE JUMP ROPER
This is how I’ve introduced myself for the past 14 years. I’ve been jump roping since first grade, when I discovered that my school offered an extracurricular jump rope program. After participating in the program after school and in the summer, I eventually became good enough to become a Junior Instructor. This means that I received the opportunity to teach the classes alongside a Senior Instructor. I had been teaching the programs for about a year when I decided to join the team. It took a lot of relentless begging and endless practicing, but I finally convinced my parents to do the one hour commute to and from practice, twice a week. In 2012, I went to my first Regional and National level competitions. Regionals was near San Francisco, and Nationals was in Long Beach, but regardless, I enjoyed being part of a traveling sports team for the first time ever. I brought home many ribbons, and was very excited to continue progressing in the sport. I continued going to Regionals and Nationals every year, and even started competing at Pan-American and World competitions. I also had the honor of staffing the 2017 World Jump Rope Camp, where I enjoyed teaching jump rope to people of all ages, from all over the world. Today, I have a Pan-American title, numerous ribbons, and a few medals. My last year jumping with my team, the Coronado Speed Spinners, I was appointed Team Captain, and assumed a more active coaching role.
I’ve also experienced the performance side of jump rope. I’ve been featured on the Canadian Discovery Channel, in an unreleased music video (that I unfortunately couldn’t find online), in numerous half time shows (San Diego State University, The Globetrotters, Roller Derbys), and most recently competed alongside my teammates on the Gong Show.
This is how I’ve introduced myself for the past 14 years. I’ve been jump roping since first grade, when I discovered that my school offered an extracurricular jump rope program. After participating in the program after school and in the summer, I eventually became good enough to become a Junior Instructor. This means that I received the opportunity to teach the classes alongside a Senior Instructor. I had been teaching the programs for about a year when I decided to join the team. It took a lot of relentless begging and endless practicing, but I finally convinced my parents to do the one hour commute to and from practice, twice a week. In 2012, I went to my first Regional and National level competitions. Regionals was near San Francisco, and Nationals was in Long Beach, but regardless, I enjoyed being part of a traveling sports team for the first time ever. I brought home many ribbons, and was very excited to continue progressing in the sport. I continued going to Regionals and Nationals every year, and even started competing at Pan-American and World competitions. I also had the honor of staffing the 2017 World Jump Rope Camp, where I enjoyed teaching jump rope to people of all ages, from all over the world. Today, I have a Pan-American title, numerous ribbons, and a few medals. My last year jumping with my team, the Coronado Speed Spinners, I was appointed Team Captain, and assumed a more active coaching role.
I’ve also experienced the performance side of jump rope. I’ve been featured on the Canadian Discovery Channel, in an unreleased music video (that I unfortunately couldn’t find online), in numerous half time shows (San Diego State University, The Globetrotters, Roller Derbys), and most recently competed alongside my teammates on the Gong Show.
When you think about jump rope, you probably think about “Jump In”
You know, the movie featuring the incredible Corbin Bleu and Keke Palmer, the one where the boxer turns into a jump roper and suddenly takes over the world of competitive jump rope? Just in case you couldn’t tell, I’m a huge fan of the movie. If you’ve somehow forgotten about this Disney Channel masterpiece, here’s a scene that should jog your memory.
What do you do at jump rope competitions?
At a jump rope competition, every jumper has the opportunity to compete in quite a few events, ranging from individual to team events. First, there are three main categories of events: speed, power, and freestyle. We’re going to go through each one individually.
Speed: Every competitor competes in speed events. Speed is basically jogging in place as fast as you can for different time increments, and the judges only count your right foot as it hits the ground. Speed events consist of individual and team groupings. Individually, a jumper competes in 30 second speed, one minute speed, and three minute speed. The idea is to go as fast as you can without missing on the rope (the rope stops moving). In a group of four, jumpers compete in a speed relay. This is when every jumper does speed for a certain amount of time, and the added scores of everyone in the group equal the group total. However, there is also double dutch speed. In groups of three and four, jumpers will also participate in double dutch speed events, where they jump for a certain amount of time, and again, the individual scores contribute to the group’s total.
Power: Depending on the competition, the power events vary. At some, the jumper jumps individually to see how many double unders (where the rope goes under your feet two times in one jump) they can get in 30 seconds. Other competitions also have pairs double unders, which is the same concept but with two people. In addition, jumpers participate in an untimed triple under event (where the rope goes under your feet three times in one jump) to see how many consecutive triples they can do.
Freestyle: These are my favorite events to compete. Jumpers compete a single rope routine, where they jump between a minute and a minute 15 seconds, incorporating gymnastics, power, and crossing elements to their routine. This is done with an individual rope. Then, competitors jump a single rope pairs freestyle, which is the same concept as the single rope routine, except that it’s two people doing the same tricks at the same time with their individual ropes. Now, we get into double dutch routines. Jumpers compete in a three person double dutch, where everyone takes a turn jumping and spinning the ropes. We also compete in a four person double dutch routine, where two jumpers are doing the same tricks in double dutch, usually at the same time.
Jump Rope at UCLA
I am also the proud Founder and President of UCLA’s first jump rope club, Jump Rope at UCLA. Going into college, I wanted to ensure that I helped further the sport, and challenge athletes to push themselves through the sport of jump rope. During the school year, I organize weekly practices, and even in summers, I lead virtual practices through Zoom, which are even open to members of other jump rope teams and clubs. I also connect with other collegiate level teams throughout the academic year, and we jump together virtually. It’s been a lot of fun to reconnect with jump rope friends- thank goodness for Zoom!
The community
Jump rope is truly a community. At competitions, you have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, and share tricks while bonding over the act of jumping over a rope. Often, there’s a language or communication barrier, but that doesn’t stop jump ropers from teaching each other. I can’t even begin to express how much I love the communal aspect of the sport, and how every jump roper is part of a huge, international family. Sometimes, this family collaborates. Below, see a video my friend Carly created. It includes 50 jumpers, all filmed in different parts of the world, who collaborated on one long single rope routine. I was humbled to be included, and I’m featured in the second clip.