Jump rope, hop-scotch and freeze tag bring back fun memories of childhood for most people. Last month, I had the opportunity to teach some new kids about jumping rope through the Way to Win for Life program, a sport fitness program for children.
I went to each of the four YMCA after-school sites and showed groups of kindergarteners and first graders how to skip a rope. Just about all of the older children (up through 6th grade) already knew how to jump rope, so they were also helping to teach their younger counterparts. Thanks to my funder, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, each child was able to take their own rope home to continue jumping for fun and practice.
Last week, I returned to the schools to run a competition among these students to see how well they learned how to jump rope. Children in grades kindergarten through 2nd grade competed in one category, and those in 3rd through 6th grade were in the other category. Each child had one full minute to skip rope while we counted how many consecutive jumps they made without missing.
While each child deserves kudos for their fantastic efforts, here are the winners of the competition at each school site:
First District:
Category One: Kyle Buttray, first grade (82 jumps)
Category Two: Gabrielle Limano, fourth grade (84 jumps)
West End at Second District:
Category One: Kaitlyn Crawford, second grade (57 jumps)
Category Two: Landon Beck, fourth grade (102 jumps)
Neason Hill:
Category One: Breanna Albright, second grade (56 jumps)
Category Two: Jadyn Bowling, fourth grade (70 jumps)
East End:
Category One: Melanie Cosdon, second grade (30 jumps)
Category Two: Jordan Graham, fourth grade (94 jumps)
Watching the enjoyment on the faces of each child was the whole point of the competition. These children were exercising but they thought they were playing.
According to the Jump Rope Institute, jumping rope for a minimum of five minutes a day can improve physical fitness. Research has found that jumping rope nonstop for 10 minutes provides the same benefits as 30 minutes of jogging, 720 yards of swimming, 18 holes of golf, or two sets of tennis singles. Furthermore, the Institute notes that jumping helps to develop the left and right hemispheres of the brain, improves special awareness and reading skills, and increases memory and mental alertness. As might be expected, jumping also improves balance and coordination, reflexes, bone density and muscular endurance.
The Institute also reports that “jump rope has been rated as a perfect building block to fitness and categorized as a healthy exercise that can produce positive changes in the body and brain.” Even the American Heart Association encourages millions of children to “jump their way into cardiovascular health.”
Jumping rope may have roots as far back as medieval times, where painting had been made of children jumping rope down cobblestone streets in Europe. The Institute claims that Western versions of jumping rope most likely originated from 1600 A.D. Egypt. Eventually, the activity spread across the Atlantic to America.
Jumping rope doesn’t require a large space, unlike football, baseball or similar sports. Also, the sport is downright cheap. Just a plain rope will do, you don’t really need anything special to jump rope. Even if you purchase a jump rope, they will only run a couple bucks. Jumping rope is an activity nearly everyone can do…so what are you waiting for?
References
The Jump Rope Institute. (2012). The benefits of jumping rope. Retrieved March 16, 2012 from http://www.jumpropeinstitute.com/benefits.htm.
The Jump Rope Institute. (2012). Jump rope history. Retrieved March 16, 2012 from http://www.jumpropeinstitute.com/history.htm.
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