Darwin Pumper Jumpers win gold medals at international skipping competition

It’s the everyday sport taking international competition by storm, and the Territory lays claim to some of its best rising stars.

Territory skippers have taken the world stage by storm and are returning home with two gold medals.

A cohort of talented skippers from Darwin’s Pumper Jumpers joined the Australian Ropearoos in Colorado to compete in the International Jump Rope Union’s competitions.

Competitor Emma Rowe said teammates Sammy and Abbey George qualified for the World Championships during the first International Open Tournament “wheel” event.

Ms Rowe said a wheel routine involves two skippers holding one handle of each other’s beaded rope and performing a co-ordinated routine.

“They went into a grand final, they did their performance, they did their work, they competed against the other top five and they did very well.

“They came sixth but that’s in the whole world.”

Abbey and Sammy George received gold medals during an event at the International Jump Rope Union's International Open Tournament in Colorado. Picture: Facebook / Pumper Jumpers, Darwin

The siblings received gold medals for their single rope freestyle event and single rope team freestyle – alongside Ropearoos teammates Beth and Jess – in the IOT.

Ms Rowe said the championship experience left her feeling “inspired and exhausted”.

It was the second time Ms Rowe was invited to compete internationally.

“I qualified for Canada 2020, which we obviously didn’t go to,” she said.

“We all competed virtually in 2020… it was just hard because there was no atmosphere around competing in 2020.

“It was just us filming events at training.”

Ms Rowe said skipping in front of thousands of people – and in front of Olympic administrators scouting to include skipping as a sport – was daunting but exhilarating.

“The atmosphere at this world championship was incredible, because everybody was ready to come back and see each other again,” she said.

Sammy and Abbey George competed in the world championships for their wheel routine. Picture: Facebook / Skipping NT

Pumper Jumpers coach Kim Rowe said the global gathering of skippers was a special moment.

“We had two 12-year-old boys… and every time they weren’t competing, they were up with the Korean boys or the Canadian boys just learning new tricks,” she said.

“The Korean boys, the language they had was the language of jump rope, they really didn’t have much else.

“It was beautiful.”

Ms Rowe said she was incredibly proud of the “little fish in a big pond”.

Ms Rowe said her skippers were not world champions yet but were on the right path.

Both of the team’s gold medals were awarded during the IOT, which is “like the introduction to the big stuff”, she said.

She said the major event of the trip was the World Championship.

“It’s like the Davis Cup versus the Australian Open.”

Originally published as Darwin Pumper Jumpers win gold medals at international skipping competition