Wednesday, Jun. 23, 2010

Jumpers reach the end of their rope

Four Bouncing Bulldogs might be in their early 20s and nearing the end of their college days at N.C. State University, but they are senior citizens in the world of competitive rope skipping. Before retiring, this group will test its skills one more time at the USA Jump Rope National Championships on Thursday through Sunday in Galveston, Texas.

For Joe Edney, 24, of Raleigh these championships mark 16 years of jumping. He started when he was 8.

"The first time I attended a weeklong jump rope camp, I hated it. I cried and ran out of the gym," he said.

By the end of camp, he had stopped crying and won a bounce contest for jumping the longest without stopping.

Edney graduated from N.C. State last May with a degree in business administration and marketing. He's on the hunt for a full-time job, and once he launches his career, he won't have time for competitive jumping.

His roommate and fellow jumper, Ted Lehman, 25, has lined up a job as a manufacturing engineer for Tyco Electronics in Greensboro. He's winding up his 15^th year of competitive jumping, and like Edney, Lehman got started in the sport at a Bouncing Bulldog summer camp.

"My mom signed me up for one week, and I got hooked when my coach asked me to try out for the competition team," he said.

Life in a military family took Lehman to Germany, where he honed his jump-rope skills in high school and joined a German jump-rope team. In that sport, language was not a barrier, although he did become fluent in German.

"Jump rope is universal," Lehman said.

International travel is one of the team's perks.

Timothy Martin, 21, of Raleigh was 11 when he visited Israel, and to this day, it remains his favorite country.

"It was my first international trip and a wonderful experience. It is a beautiful country, and I enjoyed the culture," he said.

Martin, who is pursuing a degree in bioprocessing sciences at NCSU, sets records and wins medals in an event called "Triple Unders." Normally, jumpers turn the rope and jump each time the rope comes around to their feet. In triple unders, the jumpers turn the rope at lightning speed so it passes under the feet three times per jump.

The Bouncing Bulldogs, headquartered in Chapel Hill, celebrated their 20^th anniversary in 2009. The club boasts a demonstration team made up of 110 Triangle-area boys and girls, 5 to 25 years old, according to the team's website. The Bulldogs have performed in 14 countries, including China, where they showcased their skills in and around Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. Nearly 50 members of the team will be competing in Galveston, Lehman said.

Competition consists of dozens of events, including synchronized tricks, maneuvers and dances using a combination of single and double ropes. Individual elements include fancy footwork, flips and other acrobatic skills. Last year at the National Championships, the team won the best All-Around Freestyle team trophy.

Anna Holding, 22, is in her 13^th year with the Bulldogs and cherishes time spent in South Africa, where she demonstrated her jumping skills and taught underprivileged youngsters who had never played with a jump rope before.

"Through jump rope we are able to communicate with people of other cultures, Holding said. "If you have a smile on your face and a jump rope in your hand, all you have to do is jump for them and hand them the rope, and they get it."

Holding will graduate from NCSU in December with a degree in fashion and textile management. She's not figuring competitive jump rope into her postgraduate plans but hopes to stay active in the sport through coaching and judging. Jumping rope has been great, but it has put a strain on her body, Holding said. She's young, but she can feel that the constant pounding for more than a decade is taking its toll.

For Edney, the beauty of the sport lies in its versatility. Anyone can jump to stay in shape, but kids who enjoy a challenge take it to new dimensions.

"Today, second-graders are doing tricks I didn't learn until the 11^th or 12^th grade," Edney said. "Every time I compete or take part in a workshop, I see a new trick, a new feat, or a new record broken."

This team likely will not be breaking records or performing new feats in the future, but all four of them plan to pass along their skills to the next generation.

Lehman knows that part will be easy.

"I've yet to meet a child who doesn't enjoy jumping," he said.