Nursery rhymes about Cinderella dressed in yella’ going upstairs to kiss a fella may play themselves through one’s head at the mention of jumping rope, but at the BYU-Idaho jump rope workshop held on Wednesdays from 5:30 to 6:30 one can learn what jumping is really about.  

 Beginning with Power Skills — drills meant to build endurance and strength — this class can range from instruction on how to properly turn single or double Dutch ropes, to speed drills and competitions, to practice of various jumping techniques (i.e. double Dutch) and cat-and-mouse games.

 Stephanie Bowman, a senior majoring in creative writing, is a member of a community jump rope team and has decided to share her talents with the students of BYU-I. On Wednesday, ten students attended the workshop with Bowman and her assistant, Jamie Bullock, a junior studying social work, who is also a member of a competitive team
in Washington. 

Skill levels of those who came varied greatly with each person.

“I feel so uncoordinated,” said Tori Giles, a sophomore studying general education, on her first day of jumping. “They’re doing a great job teaching though. They slow it down and make sure everyone knows what they’re doing. I learned how to jump into a double Dutch rope. I’ve never done that before in my life.” 

Carla Brookey, a sophomore studying math education, started jump roping in elementary school the first year her school offered it as a sport. 

“Jump rope was a really good choice and then I actually didn’t get another chance until here because my hometown is small and we don’t have it anywhere but the elementary school,” Brookey said. “It’s done really well here because they’re giving us things that are good for our skill level.”

The jump rope workshop can be a fun environment for people, and students can get out of it what they wish. 

“What you get out of the workshop really depends on you and how much effort you put into it,” Brookey said. “You can come out of it completely unwinded without any trouble or you can come out sweating like crazy. It just depends
on you.”

The coaches like to make sure that everyone gets what they want from this course. The coaches seem willing to be flexible in teaching. 

“If you want to learn, you can come and learn tricks,” Bowman said. “If you want to just watch, you can. If you just want to come and have fun, if you want to learn how to compete we can teach you. We just kind of cater to them.”

Bowman and Bullock love teaching students who attend their class. 

“My favorite thing about teaching is just seeing people get the tricks because they work so hard,” Bowman said. “When they finally get it and it just clicks it’s the best feeling ever and it’s so cool to see them learn.”

On Wednesday, Trevor Jones, a freshman studying computer science, checked the events calendar for something fun to do and noticed this class on the schedule. He also brought his friend Bryan Alfaro, a freshman majoring in general studies. 

“I thought it was a really nice group,” Alfaro said. “They do a lot of good things here and I think the girls could get really good really fast with the teachers that they have.”

Jones enjoyed the activity because it reminded him of a former pastime. 

“I did jump rope when I was younger,” Jones said. “That’s how I was able to know how to run into a double Dutch and it was cool because it was kind of like bringing me back to my childhood.”

Jump rope can be a great way to stay in shape and meet people. 

“This fitness class is a way to help people be in shape in a more unique way,” Bullock said.

The jump roping workshop meets on the stage of the Hart Auditorium on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m.