“And everybody [on the All Star team] was just so pumped about it! Talk about just meshing together with people… it was so fun!” — Kelsy Moe Porter

Kelsy Moe Porter is a world champion jumper, coach of the Summerwind Skippers competitive jump rope team, and one of the inaugural All Star team members. We dig into loads of competitive jump rope culture in this episode. Everyone will be able to take away some great wisdom from our chat, and especially current competitive team coaches, as well as athletes. We talk about the “Golden Age” of competition, the very first All Star team, performing on America’s Got Talent, training to win a world championship, keeping athletes engaged during the pandemic, the making of Lee Reisig’s Jumptown, and so much more! You do NOT want to miss the show notes below – they are packed full of videos that we reference during our conversation.

You can listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon,  Stitcher and Overcast.

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Show Notes

01:40 How Kelsy Moe Porter Started Jump Roping

03:10 The Amount Of Teams That Existed When Kelsy Started Jumping

04:41 Kelsy’s Favorite Competitive Season

06:20 Training For A Successful Jump Rope Championship Season

08:03 Successful Speed Step Training

10:07 What It Takes To Be A World Champion Jump Roper

11:49 How To Work With A Double Dutch Team That Isn’t 100% Commited

13:48 Other Sports Kelsy Has Done

16:12 Choosing Between Jump Rope And Athletic Scholarships

17:27 Transitioning From High School To College As A Competitive Jump Roper

19:52 How To Handle Stepping Away From Intense Jump Rope Training

21:41 How Jump Rope Lead To Kelsy’s Career

22:41 When Kelsy Started Coaching The Summerwind Skippers

29:26 How Kelsy And Shane Coached During Their First Year

30:33 Performing On America’s Got Talent

36:25 How Kelsy Handles Nervousness Before Performances

37:13 Unsafe Moments In Jump Rope Routines

40:26 Why Fire Ropes Are Dangerous

41:43 The Technique Behind The Wheel Add-On Exchange

46:26 Practicing For AGT

47:25 How Kelsy Manages The Summerwind Skippers Competitive Jump Rope Team

50:02 PE Jump Rope Club Feeder Program

51:58 Setting Expectations For New Team Members

54:43 Keeping The Team Engaged During The Pandemic

57:43 Competitive Jump Rope Builds Up Intrinsically Motivated, Responsible Youth

1:00:32 Positive Qualities In The Adult Recreational Jump Rope Community

1:02:37 Competing In The 2021 Virtual Jump Rope Tournaments

1:05:00 How To Handle The Retired Competitive Jumper Identity Crisis

1:08:39 Reframing Speed Step Goals And Training

1:10:20 The Biggest Changes In Competitive Jump Rope

1:14:35 What Is Jump Rope To You?

1:16:12 Reflecting On The Inaugural All Star Team

1:18:30 Kelsy’s Experience Being A Part Of Lee Reisig’s “Jumptown”

1:23:43 What Gave The First All Star Team Such A Strong Bond