Most of us remember jumping rope in grade school. We played at home or during recess, creating silly chants and challenging ourselves with a variety of skips and moves.
This summer, two students from the Avon Aerial Orioles jump rope team have qualified for the World Championship competition in Japan, and they’re making our idea of jumping rope look like child’s play.
They’re tested on two different categories: speed and freestyle, or standard tricks.
Think of it like gymnastics with a jump rope.
Anna Koehlinger will be a freshman this fall and has been jumping rope competitively since fourth grade. She saw a team performing in grade school and attended a spring workshop to get involved.
“There’s a lot of flipping and power-type skills with rope manipulation. We have group relays, doubles, and similar to track or swimming there’s a scoring system, but instead of distance, it’s in time,” Koehlinger said.
Norah Halon will be a sophomore this fall and has participated for 10 years. Her older sister was on the team and inspired her to join.
“I was so little when I started, I don’t remember a lot of it, but I remember older teammates that I looked up to. It’s a lot of hard work, but if you put in the effort, it eventually comes naturally,” Halon said.
The team practices three to four days per week together, trying new tricks or working on speed, but most on the team would say they practice every day — simply because it’s what they love to do.
“Some of my best friends are on the jump rope team,” Halon said. “It’s a stress reliever and has been a great experience, so really, if you’re bored, you just go out and jump rope in the driveway.”
In addition to the occasional community performance, there are only two main competitions, along with workshops and a U.S. Nationals event. The two main competitions are considered regional — typically five larger teams from the Midwest and several smaller teams.
The top jumpers of each team are invited to the U.S. Nationals event and eventually, the World Championships. But the way the competitions are designed doesn’t give the teams and individuals much room for error.
“I’m super competitive, and the way the competitions are set up really only gives you one shot to get it right. In some sports, there are 20 games in a season and you win some and lose some, but it really pushes me to prepare and train when there are so few events,” Koehlinger said.
At the most recent U.S. Nationals, Koehlinger and Halon made the team to compete in the World Championship.
From July 27 through Aug. 3, the two will head to the event in Kawasaki, Japan, hosted by the International Jump Rope Union.
For Halon, learning that she made the list was an extra special accomplishment.
“I had a high fever the day of competition. I wasn’t at 100 percent. Trials didn’t go too well, and my wrist was injured,” Halon said. “Anna called me at school and told me I made it, and I thought that was a really mean prank. I couldn’t believe it. Of all the times to be sick, this was the worst — but it turned out okay.”
More than okay. They’re looking forward to competing, and neither has ever stepped foot in Japan.
“Regardless of the competition aspect of it, just getting to go to Japan is crazy,” Koehlinger said. “It’s a new environment, and we get to compete against the best of the best in our sport.”
They even get to make connections with those they’ve befriended over the years but have never met.
“We’re friends with jumpers from across the country and know people in Germany and Japan and elsewhere, so I’m really excited to meet all the jumpers from across the world,” Halon said. “Even though we’re competing against each other, everyone supports everyone. It’s a really positive environment.”
Jump roping is becoming more popular across the globe. Both athletes plan to continue the sport as far as they’re able.
“I see this as part of my life for a long time, and I’m not stopping anytime soon,” Koehlinger said. “We know it won’t be in the Olympics in 2028 because those new sports have already been announced, but we’re hopeful it will be added in 2032. That would be the dream for me, but I’d also love to coach in the future.”
Halon agreed.
“I want to continue jumping in college. I’ve always been interested in coaching. I used to be the little kid who started out at a young age, and I know what it’s like to be them, so I want to be that mentor for the new members of our team and into the future,” Halon said.
Regardless of their placement at the World Championship, their success and this experience is one they’ll never forget.
For more information, visit ijru.sport/2025-world-championships.
