July 13, 2009

 

ITHACA – Elizabeth Butterfield has been jumping rope for 18 years and now at 22 she has a number of titles, including Grand National Champion for Women’s Freestyle single rope in 2009.  “There are so many reasons that I like to jump,” said Butterfield, “the opportunities that I’ve gotten through jump roping have been incredible, seeing that I’m still pretty young.  I’ve been able to travel all over the place, I’ve seen a lot of the world, I’ve gone all over the nation competing and performing.”
    Not only does Butterfield like the physical benefits of jump roping, she’s graduating spring 2010 from Ithaca College with a degree in clinical exercise science, but it’s the camaraderie between fellow jumpers that has kept her in the sport for so long.  “Everybody’s friends when we go to competition,” said Butterfield, “we’re not enemies we’re not rivals we’re all cheering for each other.  Behind the scenes we’re teaching each other tricks, we go hangout with each other.  It’s great it makes competition so much more fun.”  And it helps the young sport grow.  Butterfield explained the way the sport evolves is jumpers learning new tricks from each other and add to them and change the tricks to make them their own.
    But jump roping competitively is not for the faint of heart.  Practices are usually three to five days a week and run two to five hours at a time.