Colorado Springs-based rope-jumping team prepares for World Championships
May 7—When the 2023 World Jump Rope Championships kick off at Ed Robson Arena on July 16, four athletes from Colorado Springs will be among the 3,000 participants from 30 countries vying for a place among the best athletes in the sport. Alycia Kibby, Connor Parker, Sierra Sargent and Lindsey Sneij, of One Jump Ahead, will compete in the international event, which will be held in Colorado ... Four athletes from Colorado Springs, One Jump Ahead, will compete in the 2023 World Jump Rope Championships on July 16. The international event will be held in Colorado Springs for the first time and will feature 3,000 participants from 30 countries vying for a place among the best athletes in the sport. On Sunday, the team gave a preview of what's to come during its annual lunch and performance fundraiser. The demonstration was accompanied by upbeat music as the coaches encouraged the crowd to clap along. Sierra Sargent, one of the team's longest-tenured members, will likely be her last performance with One Jump ahead. Her departure is bittersweet, as she and her teammates make final preparations for the global competition.
Được phát hành : 2 năm trước qua O'Dell Isaac, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.) trong
May 7—When the 2023 World Jump Rope Championships kick off at Ed Robson Arena on July 16, four athletes from Colorado Springs will be among the 3,000 participants from 30 countries vying for a place among the best athletes in the sport.
Alycia Kibby, Connor Parker, Sierra Sargent and Lindsey Sneij, of One Jump Ahead, will compete in the international event, which will be held in Colorado Springs for the first time.
"It's exciting," said Kibby, a Colorado native who has been involved in the sport for more than 20 years. "But I'm also a little nervous. It's a really big event."
On Sunday, at the gym on Woodmen Valley Chapel's Rockrimmon Campus, One Jump Ahead gave a preview of what's to come during its annual lunch and performance fundraiser.
The hourlong exhibition was a dizzying display of speed, coordination, endurance, rhythm, timing and teamwork. The team practices for about five hours a week at the Woodmen Valley gym, and the members collaborate on the intricate routines. According to Kameel Sneij, who coaches the team with his wife, Lindsey, the jumpers are virtually fearless when trying out new moves.
"Sometimes (the moves) are chaotic, sometimes they're catastrophic," Kameel said. "But we're willing to try almost anything."
"We'll use some of today's (routines) at the World Championships," said Lindsey Sneij, who founded the team in 2008. "But we'll probably add some new things as well."
The demonstration was a festive affair, accompanied by upbeat music as the coaches encouraged the crowd to clap along. But it was also bittersweet, as the team used the event to bid farewell to one of its longest-tenured members.
Sierra Sargent, 21, has been with One Jump Ahead since she was 9 years old. Her performance in the Worlds will likely be her last with One Jump Ahead, as she is getting married later this month.
"I keep threatening to chain her up and make her stay," Lindsey said of Sargent, who will move to Arizona. "She has given so much to this team, and it won't be the same without her."
Parker, who joined the team a year after Sargent, said he is "devastated" she is leaving, but wishes her the best.
"We've grown up side-by-side," Parker said. "We don't just jump together; we've done life together. She's my best friend."
Sargent struggled, overcome with emotion, as she addressed her coaches and teammates.
"I'd like to thank Lindsey, Kameel and Connor, and this whole team," she said. "You have honestly changed my life. I just love, honor and respect you guys immensely."
In the coming weeks, Sargent will travel back and forth from Arizona as she and her teammates make final preparations for the global competition.
"Of course, I hate that she's leaving," Parker said. "But change is a part of life, and if she has to go, I'm glad that we'll at least be able to do this one last competition together."
Chủ đề: Colorado, Colorado Springs