BONNYVILLE – At just 16 years old, Kelly Fersovich has represented both Canada and Bonnyville on the world stage in the sport of jump rope.
Yes, you read that right – jump rope. Back flips, barrel rolls, handstands and push-ups are just some of the tricks Fersovich can do as she moves in and out of passing skipping ropes while competing in team jump rope competitions.
Fersovich has been competing in the sport of jump rope on provincial, national and now international stages for the last six years.
The Bonnyville skipper, who is fittingly a member of the Bonnyville Skipperoos, took part in the International Jump Rope Union (IJRU) 2023 competition held in Colorado Springs, U.S., from July 16-20.
Walking into the gymnasium on the first day of competition was inspiring, said Fersovich, speaking with Lakeland This Week.
Over 1,200 athletes from all over the world attended the week of competitions to represent their home countries. Fersovich and her teammates were just four of about 200 Canadians competing at the international event.
“Standing in that big group with all of them, at first, I didn't realize that there were that many of us until people showed us the photos. It was insane,” described the Bonnyville teen. “We walked out one at a time and it was the longest high-five chain ever. It made your arm sore.”
Despite the language barriers between some of the IJRU participants, it didn’t stop the athletes, including Fersovich, from trying to learn and teach each other new tricks.
“Most of my time went to trying to learn tricks instead of practicing my own freestyle routine and I was always really, really sore when I had to do mine. So, usually it’s a rough go but I'm slowly learning how to not learn tricks until after the competition,” Fersovich laughed. “I have a lot of new tricks I'm going to learn this coming year.”
In order to qualify for the international event, Fersovich joined up with other skippers of similar ages and abilities from Redwater, Leduc and Calgary to form a team for competitions.
“Within the province we all are friends anyway, so last year when they announced Worlds would be in Colorado, some of the parents and coaches talked about forming a team,” explained Renée Marchildon, the Bonnyville Skipperoos coach.
Once a month, Fersovich and her team would come together to practice their routines over a four-hour stretch in different gymnasiums throughout central Alberta.
The team was able to qualify for the international event by submitting recorded videos from provincial competitions, which were then scored and compared against other Canadian teams seeking a spot at the 2023 IJRU.
Fersovich’s team competed in Double Dutch 4x30 Speed, Double Dutch 1x60 Speed, Single Rope 4x30 Speed, Single Rope 4-Man Freestyle, and Double Dutch 3-man Freestyle.
When it comes to Double Dutch 4x30, it means that there are four athletes in the routine, and each must jump for 30 seconds before seamlessly switching with one of their teammates who is turning the ropes. All four athletes must take a turn jumping and turning the rope.
“For the worlds competitions we didn’t do amazing, but I had fun with it, which is important,” said Fersovich.
Marchildon added, “It's one of those things, you can do it perfect in the practice gym and you go on the competition floor, and you make mistakes.”
The team’s finish at Worlds didn’t dampen Fersovich spirit or discourage in any way. Jumping has become part of her identity and isn’t likely to change anytime soon.
“My plan is as I get older, I'm going to keep doing flips and stuff while skipping because I really want to be like that 60-year-old grandma who is still doing it... There's no age limit. So, I want to be able to do it at that age, but at a much more intense level. So, I don't plan on dropping in anytime soon,” said Fersovich.
While at the IJRU competitions, participants were given a handbook that included the history of jump rope, as well as all the current world records.
“Some of them, I think I could do with the right amount of training. I think I could get there,” Fersovich said with a sly smile. “I don't think anyone from Canada holds a record right now. A lot of them are from the USA, China, Japan and maybe one from Germany.”
For a period, Fersovich held the Alberta record for skipping speed and endurance. Those records have since been broken.
The Bonnyville youth has contemplated moving south of the border to get more training when she’s older but for now she is focusing on earning her high school diploma and mastering the “Moneymaker.”
“It’s the hardest trick I'm planning on right now. I can't do it yet, but I really want to. You go onto your hands like starting in a handstand. You jump off of your hand and whip your rope around you and land back on your hands, so your feet don't touch the ground. It's like you jump in a handstand. Then you whip it over your feet,” she explained. “I don't know how many people can do it, but there’s probably not 10 people who can. I know there's not 10 in Canada, for sure.”
Bonnyville Skipperoos
The Bonnyville Skipperoos were initially formed in the 1980s and then stopped around the early 2000s. About 10 years ago the group was reformed by skipper Skye Christians.
Prior to COVID, the Skipperoos had one of the biggest rec teams in the province, according to Marchildon. The Bonnyville Skipperoos are looking to build up membership up once again.
Marchildon will be at the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre’s Community Registration Night happening on Sept. 7 from 4-6 p.m. to sign up any interested skippers.
For more information Marchildon can also be reached at [email protected].
