Jump Around
Junior Seth Ingram at Britain's Got Talent.
Jump Roping is an activity that is first taught in elementary PE class, but it has no limitations for High School students to participate as well.
Jump roping has no bounds for Madison High school Juniors. You can do anything you put your mind to.
“[For the Jump Roping team, ‘Proform Airborne,’] we do Acrobatics and flips with the ropes. Gymnastics is involved quite a bit,” Junior Seth Ingram said.
Gymnastics is just a small part of what their teams are made of.
“We do all sorts of tricks. We have single rope tricks with just one jump rope. We have double dutch with different types of jump rope styles. [I use gymnastics] quite a bit in my routines,” Junior Porter Ballard said.
Included with gymnastics, flips and jump ropes is traveling abroad and traveling throughout one’s own country.
“Being on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ was fun. It was a cool experience to be part of a TV show. [We were there] with a group of people around the world that we did a show with. [I have been in jump roping] for ten years and have performed in London, Germany, Czech Republic, Portugal, all over the United States, Mexico and Columbia. I want to go to Japan,” Ingram said.
The Proform Airborne team had the opportunity to be face to face with the judges.
“It was a really cool experience for me to go and see the world that is seen on TV. I got called [into Britain’s Got Talent] by some jumpers that wanted to go on. The judges asked them to do it and I was invited to come. I didn’t get to talk to them personally, they spoke to us as a group on stage,” Ballard said.
With jump roping, practice makes perfect.
“Since we are on an international team, we practiced for a week and then performed. [I have been on ‘Proform Airborne’] for eight years and have performed mostly in North America and Europe, but I have been to [all the places previously mentioned], Austria and the Netherlands. I love the places I have been, I’d love to go back, but it is always cool to find new places as well,” Ballard said.
Inspiration comes in many different ways and forms.
“[I got interested when] I saw my older brother go into clinics and bring a rope home. I thought it was cool. [I get inspiration for new tricks] from other jumpers, myself and other teammates,” Ballard said.
Inspiration can come from your past or by just watching what others have to offer.
“I first started liking jump rope when I saw a team that was around here perform at my elementary school when I was in kindergarten. Much of the inspiration for new tricks comes from a lot of other jumpers around the nation that will post videos and just come up with ideas. They will tell each other to try things and share with each other the tricks that they want them to perform,” Ingram said.
