Taking jumping rope to a whole new place

Published 11:17 am Wednesday, July 13, 2011

This is not traditional jump roping – the kind where school children loop the rope around their head and under their feet in a school gym. Jumpers have taken it to a whole different place – dance moves, music, choreography.

“The sport has evolved so much,” said Colleen McCary, a 17 year member of the Kirkland based Hot Dog USA jump rope team. McCary said when she first started jumping, after attending a summer camp before the third grade, the focus was more on speed and endurance. Today she’s part of the six person team which just finished performing their fusion routine at the World Competition in Washington D.C.

Hot Dog USA started in the 1980s as an after school event at Helen Keller Elementary in Kirkland. The team had 100 competitive jumpers at its height under coach Bob Nelson, a physical education teacher at the school.

The team, which for a while dipped in participation, has started growing again with 60 competitive jumpers and 20 members on the junior team.

“It’s growing again,” said coach Allison Lord, a long time member and former national and world champion. “We’re predicting to have 80 jumpers next year.”

The year round sport starts for kids on the junior team, fourth grade and under, working one day a week and “getting the taste of it” said Lord.

“If they like it they can get invited to the elite team,” said Lord. “They practice three days a week in the beginning with another day for gymnastics. The closer they get to a competition, the more they practice. Jumpers travel the world and the main goal is just to get it out there.”

Hot Dog USA is known throughout the world for the showcases it performs, but also in the competition realm like fusion, a new event this year. Because of their reputation, people from around the country have moved to the area to work with the team. Nick Woodard moved from Houston, Texas this spring to coach. He is also a member of the fusion team with McCary.

“They are stopping their lives, putting everything on pause to focus on jumping,” said Lord.

The fusion team put the finishing touches on their routine earlier in the year and tried it out at a competition in Belgium where they took second. Woodard describe it as part hip hop, double dutch and break dancing, set to music. The teams have three minutes to work in required elements, set to music, while adding their own personal flair to the mix. The result is high powered dance with continual movement by each person all while navigating the swinging ropes.

The chance to work with this team also inspired a move for Chris Brown, originally from Akron, Ohio. Brown decided to hold off on medical school for a year to come train with the team, and ended up on the fusion team. A jumper for years after his sister got involved in a team back in Ohio, he wanted to see how the best did it.

“It’s so much fun,” said Brown of the fusion event. “I’m definitely not from a dance background, but it’s fun. I’d love to stick around for longer. They have the best facility in the world and the coaching staff is all national and world champions.”

In fact, the team recently moved into a brand new gym space in the Bridle Trails neighborhood. Lord said the team has the only facility in the world that includes both space for jumping, as well as gymnastics, which is becoming a vital part for team members.

“We were struggling to find gym space,” said Lord of the team prior to the move. With practices for various events spread across the city, it was tricky to coordinate everyone. Now with a dedicated space, the team is free to practice whenever they choose.

“It’s been very nice,” said Lord. “The kids have keys so they can come in whenever they need to practice.”

For Farris Rae, a recent graduate from Juanita High School and jumper of eight years, it was an easy transition in the beginning from gymnastics to jumping rope.

“I used to be a competitive gymnast and I did an after school (jump rope) camp and they asked me to be on the team. I’ve gotten to travel the world,” said Rae. Her background suited her perfectly for the fusion team.

“There’s not just one thing going on inside the rope, people are always moving and changing,” she said. The hard work pays off whenever the team gets to show off their routine, showing just how much the sport has changed from the days of speed jumping.

“It’s the most I’ve enjoyed the sport,” she said of working on the fusion routine. She will attend Western Washington University this fall, but plans to come home every week to train. The long time soccer player knows her schedule is tight, but has made the commitment to make jumping a part of her life.

“I’m very busy, but you just have to make jumping your life and you’ll never leave,” said Rae.

McCary said even though the fusion event is so different than anything she’s ever done, it’s been an exciting process.

“I love the whole choreography to music, which is something we only got to do every once in a while before. We’re always moving and interacting,” she said.

The team finished first in the senior open jump rope showcase event, which featured the fusion team, at the world competition in Washington D.C. over the Fourth of July.

For those interested in learning more about Hot Dog USA and giving it a try, the group has partnered with Evergreen Athletics and Eastside Gymnastics Academy for a jump rope and gymnastic camp, at the Eastside Gymnastics Academy in Woodinville. The camp, which will be held July 18 through July 22 will feature instructors from around the country, as well as local teachers. To learn more contact Eastside Gymnastics and talk to Julia at julia@evergreenathletics.com or call 425-486-7429.

To learn more about the Hot Dog USA team, visit their Web site at www.hotdogusa.org.