June 6, 2008

Jumping for joy

Team has won international honors

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Editor

Sarah Medalen loves to jump rope. And this love of the game has capitulated her team, Jumping for Joy, into one of the top three competitive jump rope teams in the world.

Double double Dutch performed by Jumping for Joy team members Kanai Suzuki and Katie Johnson with grace and ease at the showing of the documentary “Jump” at the Santa Cruz Film Festival recently. Photo courtesy of the Medalen family

Jumping for Joy consists of Medalen and Katie Johnson, both 18 from Westmont High School, Kanae Suziki, 17, Emily Anthony 16, Heidi Hagenlocher,16, and Zev Troxler, 13, all experts at single rope, double-Dutch, scissoring, handstands and moves you’ve never seen before. The team is headed to the International Rope Skipping Federation World Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa on July 25.

“This is the last year we’ll compete together,” said Medalen who will attend Chico University next year with plans of starting a jump rope team while she studies kinesiology, the study of human movement. “Not only are you competing, you’re representing a team. And I’ve met friends all over the world.”

In Johannesburg, Jumping for Joy will compete with athletes from around the world in the sport of rope skipping. But traveling is nothing new for the team. They competed in Belgium in 2002, Australia in 2004, and Canada in 2006 - bringing home either gold or silver medals each time.

“The girls are so excited to go to South Africa,” said mom Francis Medalen. “There will be some of the best jumpers in the world there. Sarah is so confident. She has been around the world and met so many people. She can speak and perform whether for 10 people or 1,000.”

Even Hollywood has come knocking for Medalen with TV appearances on the Wayne Brady Show and Life with Bonnie and appearing in the film “Anger Management” with Adam Sandler where she hopped, skipped and leaped her stuff.

Jumping for Joy team members Kanai Suzuki, Mariah Fountain, Heidi Hagenlocher, Emily Anthony, Sarah Medalen and Katie Johnson recently presented a jump rope workshop at Westmont High School. Photo by Jeanne C. Carbone

The Jumping for Joy team attended and performed at the Santa Cruz Film Festival where the documentary “Jump” was shown. It is the first film that explores the competitive arena of jump roping as five teams train and battle in local and regional competitions, all leading up to the National Finals. The Jumping for Joy team appears in the film.

Performing, competing, and winning are nothing new for Jumping for Joy teammates. In fact, to raise the $4,000 each needed for expenses to the South Africa world championship, the resourceful girls have performed at Marshall Lane Elementary with other schools scheduled for jump rope assemblies. They organized a workshop at Westmont to teach kids single rope tricks, double Dutch skills and other skills where 50 jump ropers attended. They’ve had performances, a letter writing campaign and are selling t-shirts [email kmjohnson24@gmail.com for more info] to finance their trip. Medalen, Johnson and Suzuki will all be attending college next year and will no longer be competing together after the world championship this summer but each desire starting teams as they proceed with their higher education.

But there are eager, talented youngsters willing to work hard to compete like team member 12-year-old Mariah Fountain who quit gymnastics in third grade to join Jumping for Joy and now states, “I’m in love with it.”

“It’s a wonderful sport,” said Medalen’s father, John, who has joined the adult team six years ago. “It builds teamwork, camaraderie, leadership skills and confidence. And it’s great exercise.”

If you would like to donate funds for team Jumping for Joy to compete at the International Rope Skipping Federation World Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa, send a check to Jumping for Joy, P.O. Box 3512, Saratoga, Ca. 95070.