By Andrea Uhde
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Alyssa Mendlein, 12, left, Marcus Taylor, 17, and Caitlin Janes, 13, work on a routine where handstands, flips and other acrobatic moves come into play. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

Eight-year-old Stewart Isaacs is a star.

The athlete from North Avondale Montessori School has signed autographs, earned a standing ovation from a large crowd and racked up a number of medals - one gold - in national competitions.

So performing Friday in front of 6,000 plus people at Riverbend Music Center won't be any big deal. "I've been on national TV," he said, shrugging off any worries.

Stewart is one of 19 members of the Cincinnati Ropin' Rockets, a jump rope group based at North Avondale Montessori. The group, with members ranging in age from 8 to 17, is one of the best in the nation; at the Jump Rope Nationals in Orlando, Fla. in June, the team placed sixth out of 67 teams.

The members, picked by coach Chris Emerson, the physical education teacher at the school, perform at 30 to 40 Cincinnati schools each year to promote health for the American Heart Association. Friday, they will be bouncing and flipping to the tunes of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra during a three-minute set.

The team is better this year than it has ever been, Emerson said.

"Everyone on the team worked harder this year," she said.

Many members have been in the group for more than a year; some, like Marcus Taylor, 17, have continued to participate after graduating from the school.

Taylor, who got a gold medal for jumping 837 times in three minutes, will have a chance to compete the in the worldwide jump rope competition in Australia in 2004. He's been on the team for six years. "Every year, it gets better and better," he said. "It takes a lot of coordination."

Stewart Isaacs, who can do 297 jumps in one minute, has been practicing constantly, working at his goal of being a champion. When his shoe slipped off during a national competition, he didn't even pause. "If I stopped, they wouldn't have been able to judge my routine," he said. "Why come all this way without doing your routine?"

During the school year, the team practices four days a week for several hours, and many members get together on their days off to do more stunts.

Ian Watts, 11, spends his time off teaching his mother and older brother to jump rope.

If you go

What: The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra concert, with an appearance by the Ropin' Rockets.

When: 8 p.m. Friday at Riverbend Music Center.

Tickets: $18 for pavilion and lawn seats. Children 12 and under are admitted free to the lawn with paid adult lawn admission.

For more information, contact the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra sales office at 381-3300 or Riverbend Music Center, 232-6220.

E-mail auhde@enquirer.com