Thursday, May 04, 2000
Jump ropes take girls to New York
Madisonville team's won 2nd place twice
By Allen Howard
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Second place in the World Double Dutch competition isn't good enough for Chynna Williams, 11. She wants first place.
And so do the other 15 girls who make up eight teams at the Madisonville YMCA who will compete for the world title June 16-18 at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
“We have won second place for two years,” said Chynna, of Madisonville. “We want to be first and we think we have the team to do it.”
Coaches Gregory Moore, Kendra Lewis and Stephanie Wiggins have intensified the practice sessions to prepare the teams for the world competition.
They will be competing with 400 teams involving 1,600 double-dutchers from the Virgin Islands, France, Japan, Canada, and New York, South Carolina, Flori da, Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maine and Illinois.
They have won in the citywide, state and regional matches to go to the world competition.
“I think we have the stuff to take us to the top,” said Ms. Lewis. “They have been working hard since September. They look sharp.”
Last week, the teams spread out over the gym at the Y and rehearsed theirroutines.
“Let's look alive,” yelled Mr. Moore. “Stop dragging your feet when you come out of the jump. You have to keep the rhythm and the timing synchronized.”
Fitness counts
Double dutching is all about precision, rhythm, speed, timing, agility and physical conditioning, Mr. Moore said.
The group is divided into jump teams of threes. Two girls are turners, twirling two ropes; one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise.
The jumper has to time the rope cycle and then jump in between the two ropes, not letting the rope touch any part of the body.
“For two minutes they go as fast as they can,” said Ms. Lewis.
In a corner of the gym floor, Amida Wiggins, 8, daughter of Ms. Wiggins, is working up a sweat as she races to make the two minutes.
Turners Brittany Jamison, 9, and Latess Sims, 10, help her keep the pace with a rhythmic rap count: “One, two, three, four. You have 30 seconds more.”
“The count starts when the left foot touches the floor,” Ms. Lewis said.
Teamwork is as essential as the talent to jump or twirl the ropes, Ms. Wiggins said.
“There has to be a rhythm going between the turners and the jumper. The turners kind of become coaches, helping the jumper to keep the speed and the rhythm,” she said.
Mr. Moore said the team will have several fund-raisers; the trip will cost $5,000. A car wash will take place Saturday in the parking lot of the YMCA at 6100 Desmond St., from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $4 for cars and $6 for vans.
They also will have a double dutch festival at the YMCA from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 20.
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