Canberran rope skippers prepare to represent their country and show off their tricks on the world stage
Most people know rope skipping as nothing more than a playground activity.
But for some school children — and adults — it's a highly competitive and technical sport they're taking to the world stage.
At 12 years old, Canberra student Ella Pratley has qualified to represent her country, but she's met with surprise when she tells people about the sport.
"When I tell people that I do skipping as a sport, they normally say, 'I used to do it at school when I was little'," she said.
"
They're normally asking a lot of questions.
"
Competitive skip rope routines include tricks like backflips, cartwheels, and handstands.
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ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
Ella is one of 143 athletes in the Ropearoos, the Australian skipping team who will compete at the 2025 World Jump Rope Championships in Kawasaki, Japan this July.
Competitive rope jumpers perform routines using a skipping rope that incorporate tricks including backflips, handstands, cartwheels and aerials.
Drawing in 2,500 skippers from 32 countries, athletes at the championships will compete in speed, freestyle, double dutch and team events.
"I'm really excited and also there are nerves,"
Ella said.
"I'm really excited to represent my country and meet new people."
Twelve-year-old Ella Pratley says she trains three days a week and works on routines in her free time.
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ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
Like any international athletes, the Ropearoos train for hours, several days per week, for many months.
And on top of her three scheduled training sessions each week, athletes like Ella will often work on routines in their spare time.
"[My freestyle pair and I] train on Thursdays at each others' house, and we rotate," she said.
"My house is the fitness house and [at] hers we do the routines."
Self-taught champions
Senior Jazzy Jumper Phoebe Bruhn is preparing to represent Australia at the World Jump Rope Championships for the third time.
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ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
Though many of the tricks are common in gymnastics routines, a majority of competitors have no background in gymnastics.
Phoebe Bruhn has been skipping since she was 10 years old.
The now 18-year-old has taught herself to perfect difficult tricks through copying videos of international athletes.
"You look at them and try to sort of figure it out,"
Ms Bruhn said.
"It's not dangerous to try anything, but we do have mats that we bring out if we need to try something intense."
Phoebe Bruhn says sometimes skippers will include their own tricks within their routines.
(
ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
The upcoming championships will be Ms Bruhn's third time representing Australia, and she's using it as an opportunity to show off some of her own tricks and routines.
"It is super nerve wracking, but it's also really exciting,"
she said.
"You get to go on with your teammates that you've obviously been training with for ages.
"Sometimes we put in our own little touches to our routines … add our own little tricks."
A hop, skip and jump
This year 26 Canberran rope jumpers have qualified for the national skipping team.
(
ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
Jump rope has grown in popularity in Australia since the 1990s through school programs including the Heart Foundation's Jump Rope For Heart.
In 2024, the International Jump Rope Union created an international task force with the sole purpose of getting the sport to the Olympics.
The sport is growing in the nation's capital, with 26 ACT athletes qualifying for the national skipping team in 2025.
It's the largest group coach Lisa Buchanan has ever taken to an international competition since she started the territory's first jump rope club, Jazzy Jumpers, in 2010.
"The kids just love it and they encourage their friends to come along," Ms Buchanan said.
"We do fetes and performances at other schools, and people see it and want to try it."
In 2010 skipping coach Lisa Buchanan started the ACT's first jump rope club, Jazzy Jumpers.
(
ABC News: Emily Anderson
)
This year's championship marks a rule change — removing jumps in between tricks, making routines more challenging.
But Ms Buchanan believes her skippers are well prepared for the change.
"The judges are looking for clean routines, they're making sure each routine has got its required elements," she said.
"
The higher the difficulty, the less mistakes, the better your routine is going to score.
"
Competition organisers expect the 2025 championship to be one of the largest in the sport's history.
It will run from July 27 to August 3.
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