By Anna Michael and Michael D. Clark
The Cincinnati Enquirer

PHOTO GALLERY

The Kings Firecrackers perform at Rupp Arena in Lexington.

LEXINGTON - Deep within the bowels of massive Rupp Arena, two dozen girls warm up in a chilly, colorless receiving area, largely ignoring the muffled applause and cheers above them.

This team of grade school and junior high girls has traveled more than 100 miles from their Warren County homes in the Kings Local School District to the 23,000-seat college basketball mecca at the University of Kentucky. They are here to do once more what they have done in dozens of high school, college and professional basketball arenas, as well as in two Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parades and on The Late Show with David Letterman.

They will jump rope.

These girls are the Kings Firecrackers, and they jump as few others have. Team jump-roping is growing in popularity, supported by organizations such as USA Jump Rope and AAU jump rope, with hundreds of competitive teams, some in the Tristate.

But the Firecrackers don't compete, they perform.

This isn't even their only performance of the day. Some seven hours later, they will take the floor at Mason High School at halftime of a boys basketball game, before going home after a 13-hour day.

Taking the court

On cue, they sprint onto the Rupp Arena court amid cheers and applause. At center court, these petite girls stay focused.

Salsa music blares from the speakers, and the girls find their rhythm. Ropes are twirling, and girls are tumbling. Music switches to rock 'n' roll, then techno, finally to big band.

Basic moves come first: double under, pretzel, rump-jump.

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

The Firecrackers usually perform during the high school basketball season. Their remaining events are: Tonight at Lakota East High School at halftime of 7:30 p.m. boys game with Princeton. Saturday at Waynesville High School at halftime of 7:30 p.m. boys game with Oakwood. Wednesday at Wilmington College at halftime of 7:30 p.m. game with Otterbein. Feb. 20 at Kings High School at halftime of 7:30 p.m. game with Ross. The Firecrackers' Web site.

The ropes slap loudly against the basketball court and make whip-like whistles when cutting through the air. Errors have been known to bring welts on the girls' skin, but mistakes are rare on this team.

The jumps speed up as the music swells. Abruptly, the music ends; the girls freeze in unison. Within seconds, the crowd is on its feet for a standing ovation for the seven-minute performance.

"They were awesome. I could not believe it," said UK fan Judy Casper of Louisville. "I didn't jump rope like that when I was a kid. Their little legs work so fast. That's a true talent."

It's typical of the kudos this group seems to earn everywhere, from Mason to Manhattan.

Macy's East spokeswoman Deanna Williams said the Firecrackers have twice been invited to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, most recently in November, because "They are extremely popular."

"The reasons are simple," said Williams. "In addition to being extremely cute, they are also extremely talented. We get a lot of musical and entertainment groups but not a lot of jump rope teams and they fit well into our theme of family entertainment."

But developing into such a crowd-roaring pleaser has been an intense process, one that began eight years ago.

Began in gym class

A background in synchronized swimming propelled Kings schools physical education teacher Lynn Kelley to form the team, initially as a gym class project to give more girls a chance to participate on a team. Practices were held during lunchtime for fourth- and fifth-graders, and there was one performance at the end of the year for parents.

In 1997, the Kings School Board recognized the jump-rope team as an official school extracurricular activity with supplemental pay for Kelley. The district pays for bus transportation but the Firecrackers are not a money-making group; they use a combination of performance fees - ranging from free to $300 depending on negotiations, availability and venue - to cover most expenses. Families pay for uniforms. Kelley has dug into her pocket plenty, and donations, which can be made through Kings Schools, are always welcome.

The team began performing in 1998.

The Firecrackers' first gig was during halftime at a Kings girls reserve basketball game, and the second was during halftime at a boys reserve basketball game, Kelley said. Later in the year, Miami University and University of Dayton men's basketball games were the team's first big-time performances.

"It grew from there. It just snowballed," Kelley said. "It took some years but everywhere we went someone else would want them."

Now, the little girls are big in their schools and home communities.

"They are ambassadors. They have to be of good character and integrity," Kelley said.

Kelley requires all of the girls to complete an etiquette class.

"They are in the public eye, and they need to know make eye contact, how to accept a compliment, and how to shake hands," Kelley said. "It is something that will go with them forever."

And team members, although young, understand the responsibility that comes with being a Firecracker.

"The reputation makes us have a good attitude that we carry on with what we do," said fifth-year Firecracker Allie Cory, 14.

Randy Kuvin, president of the Deerfield Township Board of Trustees, also calls the Firecrackers "ambassadors."

"You can't help but come away with positive feelings about the youth in our community after watching them," he said.

Dave Query, who retired as Kings Schools superintendent in August, was so impressed with the troupe that he became its volunteer business manager.

"They are like All-American girls, and people associate those very positive qualities with the school district."

Girls want to have fun

Yet these well-mannered, high-profile girls still know how to be just that - girls. Forty-five minutes into the school bus ride to Rupp Arena, many pierced ears are covered with headphones.

Several girls have applied a thin line of eyeliner and a dusting of sparkles. Laughter erupts from the back of bus and a few of the younger girls turn. Minutes later, coach Kelley starts passing out the "Grin Pins."

"You get Grin Pins for a perfect show. You keep track yourself," third-year Firecracker Andrea Pucke, 11, said. "Sometimes she doesn't count it if you are not sparkling. She says sparkling is smiling and having a good time."

Kelley expects sparkle because that's what firecrackers do.

"Firecrackers explode with color and sparkle," Kelley said. "If you put your whole heart into it, that sparkle comes out."

And the group's unique chemistry lasts long after girls leave the Firecrackers, according to former members.

"I feel very proud when I watch them," said Kristen Hall, now a senior at Kings High School and a former Firecracker of four years. "It really helped me grow and it made me more comfortable about my self-esteem after performing in front of thousands of people."

Former Firecracker and Kings junior Bethany Dauner said the experiences will remain with her: "I used to be really shy when I was little but being a Firecracker really brought me out."

Being a Firecracker means hours of work and dedication. After tryouts in the spring, the team practices five days a week for two hours. When a big performance is approaching, like the Macy's Parade or a Chicago Bulls game, they practice six days.

Kelley said in her eight years of coaching, she has never heard a Firecracker say she didn't want to come to practice. There have been no major discipline problems; no dismissals.

The Firecrackers say that has a lot to do with her.

"Most coaches are real hard on you, but she makes it fun. She puts a lot of time into it," Cory said.

E-mail amichael@enquirer.com and mclark@enquirer.com