Seeing gyms throughout the world full of jump ropes, flips and fast-paced music is an everyday occurrence for freshman Katie Simpson and her team, the Comet Skippers.
After joining the USA jump-rope team and moving from her Texas home to Mason, Ohio, Katie slowly walked into a gym full of people after her family publicized tryouts for their new jump-rope team. With low expectations, she and her family were amazed when more than 100 Mason-area public-school students attended the tryout, eagerly awaiting an opportunity to jump around the world.
“We missed jump rope, and we wanted to make a team,” she said. “We all were just shocked at the turnout. I guess we needed some more ropes.”
It all began when Katie, the youngest of three, was in second grade and decided to follow in the footsteps of her older brother Stephan, who was on the elementary school’s Jump Rope for Heart team.
“I used to think about not doing jump rope anymore. I mean, I’ve had peers, instructors and others call me gay and other names because of what I do,” Stephan said. “But I’ve learned to ignore it because I just love it.”
When the Jump Rope for Heart coach quit soon after the team’s unexpected success, the Simpsons’ mother, Carmen, stepped up to lead the team to victory as the full-time head coach.
“Sitting in that room full of kids, I had to do something,” Carmen said. “They had worked so hard. Even though we really didn’t know a lot about jump rope, we learned a lot at the competitions and ended up at Nationals in Disney World.”
A year later, the family joined USA Jump Rope and The Hot Steppers. Their participation in jump rope continued to evolve into a family affair, including Katie, Stephan, Carmen and her older sister Alex, who has cerebral palsy.
“Jump rope has become my life,” Alex said. “After I started jumping, my parents noticed a big change in everything I did. Without jump rope, I wouldn’t be who I am today; I would probably be in a wheelchair. Honestly, jump rope saved my life.”
After establishing the Comet Skippers, Michael Simpson, Katie’s father, now a co-coach and pilot, joined the lineup, allowing the family to travel across the globe to more than seven workshops and competitions year-round, including one of the predominant stops on the family’s travel agenda: Germany.
The crew also has traveled together to places including London, Africa and Greece and is ranked No. 1 in the world after its most recent competition in Africa this past December.
After the family decided to leave the USA team, they created one of largest teams in the country, the Comet Skippers, which has approximately 70 members. The team has continued to stay at the top of the world rankings and hosts yearly fundraisers and tryouts during the weekend and breaks while practicing every day for two hours.
While participating in some of the largest jump-rope gatherings in the world, the family has also created some once-in-a-lifetime experiences for themselves, including participation as movie extras and being personally ranked on the international jump-rope charts.
“Stephan was actually a stunt-double for Adam Sandler in (Jack and Jill), and Alex was actually in the Disney movie Jump!,” Michael said.
As the Comet Skippers hold their position as the
No. 1 team in the world, petitioning for jump rope to become an Olympic competition, Katie said she plans to stay with the sport with the hopes of becoming an Olympic coach and continuing her passion for jumping.
“I don’t know what I would do without jump rope or where I would be. It has always been my favorite thing to do.” Katie said. “If I could, I would do jump rope for the rest of my life. I would. It’s honestly my dream job.”
lf328610@ohiou.edu
