Jazzy Jumpers make jumping fun
Staff writer
When you think of jumping rope do visions of a sweaty Rocky Balboa preparing for the big prize fight pop into your head?
If so, you've never seen a performance by the Jazzy Jumpers, a group of Marion Elementary School students who elevate the mundane art of jumping rope into an art form.
The Jazzy Jumpers, composed of 16 elementary students in grades second through sixth and several high school students, are a demonstration team for "Jump Rope for Heart," an annual fund-raiser sponsored by the American Heart Association.
The team is under the direction of Charlotte Waner, MES physical education teacher. She has served as the jumpers' coach for three years.
"Our former counselor, Kerry Dees was involved with the program for quite a few years before I took over after her," Waner said.
The demonstration group has been a staple at MES for 15 years, Waner said.
The purpose of the jumping team is to get students interested in physical fitness and encourage them to participate in the Jump Rope for Heart program, Waner explained.
Jump Rope for Heart promotes physical activity to elementary school children by showing them they can contribute to their community's welfare.
"When our kids go to other schools to perform it's neat to hear those kids say, 'Wow!' or 'That's neat!'" Waner related.
The team starts out the year by performing in Marion. They then hit the road. This year, they performed in McPherson, Lindsborg, Andover, Rose Hill, and Newton — all bigger schools.
The jumpers perform a variety of trick jumping maneuvers during the demonstrations. And most of these tricks aren't so much "tricks" as they are feats of physical grace and balance.
"We have 25 basic routines and 25 intense ones," Waner said.
The tricks have unique names that sound more like dinner specials than rope tricks — things like egg beater, double dutch, two man stack, and four man stack.
The egg beater, for instance, involves two ropes and four turners. Each turner stands in the corner of an imaginary square. The two ropes cross in the center of the square. The turners start the top rope turning, then turn the bottom rope at the same speed and jumpers use a double bounce.
Sound confusing? And that's one of the easier tricks.
Waner said the Jazzy Jumpers are all very dedicated. Students have to tryout for a spot in the troupe. Tryouts take place in front of classmates during the first of October.
"These kids put in a lot of effort," Waner said. "They practice every morning from 7:45 to 8:20 a.m."
Breaking old stereotypes that jumping rope is only for girls, the Jazzy Jumpers have more male members than female members.
"All our sixth graders are boys," Waner said. "All our jumpers are really excited about participating."
And the jumping experience doesn't have to end once kids leave MES. Waner allows jumpers to continue to participate once they get into middle and high school, although time conflicts are usually more of an issue for the older kids. Besides the MES students there currently are three high school students involved.
"They accompany us on trips when they have time," Waner said.
While the Jazzy Jumpers' main purpose is to promote Jump Rope for Heart to other schools, they also participate in the local fund-raiser.
Waner said all MES students can participate in Jump Rope for Heart. They get pledges from the community and then jump during physical education classes during the first part of February. This year, the students raised more than $4,000.
