Just Jumpin’ their way into hearts
Going to a Utah State basketball game is a great experience. Whether it’s a men’s or women’s game, there is something for everybody.
Halftime is for the crowd to sit down and relax to get ready for the second half, but this isn’t always the case. Halftime entertainment has become a big part of basketball games.
The USU cheerleaders and dance team have great performances during the break, but only one group puts the crowd on its feet and gets it cheering as if the game was still being played. That group is Cache Valley’s own Just Jumpin’ jump rope team.
Founded in 2003 in River Heights, the team performs all over Utah and has been competing nationally since 2006.
The team has performed many times at USU basketball games and are always well-received anywhere they go.
“Especially Utah State, they are phenomenal and we love it there,” said Just Jumpin’ head coach Patrice Winn. “We go to Weber State and all the other ones and they love us. We usually get a standing ovation and the students just love us.”
Just Jumpin’ came to be when Winn, the P.E. teacher in River Heights, was approached by Kathryn Mickelson, a student of hers, in 2003 about starting a jump roping team. The idea gained interest from other students and community members and became what it is today.
“I had just moved to River Heights where the team was started and I was trying to make new friends,” Kathryn said. “My mom said I had to go out and do something, so I was like, ‘OK, I’ll just give it a try.’ They had the jump rope program here and I just fell in love with it after I jumped for a couple weeks and I started bringing my siblings into it.”
Kathryn and her brother Eric Mickelson are two of the longest-tenured members of Just Jumpin, having been there since the beginning. Being one of the oldest members of the group doesn’t faze 18-year-old Eric, who said it’s good to pass along the skills you have learned to the younger jumpers to keep the sport going.
“It’s fun to show people what I have practiced and learned,” Eric said. “It’s also fun to showcase a kind of different and unique sport.”
Eric will step away from the sport this summer when he trades in his ropes for a suit and tie to serve his mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The team consists of kids of all ages. The youngest members of Just Jumpin’ are in second grade while the oldest are college students. With so many young kids on the team, Winn and the older members try to teach more than just jump roping.
“It has become more of a teaching skills for life rather than just jump rope,” Winn said. “We teach jump rope, but in addition to that, these kids that are in third or fourth grade are learning to teach kids that are their same age or younger.They are learning leadership skills, teamwork skills and all those types of things. I love that it’s progressed from just an after school activity to a team-building exercise.”
When the team isn’t performing locally, they are getting ready for competitions across the country. Just Jumpin’s highest finish at a competition was a bronze medal on a couple of occasions.
There are 11 events at each competition, including speed and freestyle events. Regional competitions are held in Idaho, and national competitions range from California to Florida.
Winn says the team has been able to survive for so long because the members are so invested in the team. The team has evolved from going to different camps, regionals, nationals, and having new members joining, Winn said.
The team hosts a series of workshops across Utah where people can go to learn how to jump rope and have fun.
Information on Just Jumpin’ workshops and performances can be found on their website at www.justjumpin.org.
– jborba@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: JBorba15