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Whippersnappers

Whippersnappers:  The ropes move so fast that you cannot see them, though you can hear the whooshing noise they make.

Frenetic freestyle

Frenetic freestyle:  Performers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills choreographed to music.

Senior stuntsmen

Senior stuntsmen:  This group of seasoned skippers expects this world-class competition to be the last they will take part in as they make way for newcomers – so they are aiming for a perfect send-off.

On the ropes

On the ropes:  Kelvin Man will participate in the Demo Cup competition, and helps his team arrange the moves, also.

Keen contortionists

Keen contortionists:  Kelvin Man believes the Hong Kong team could win the championship this year.

Jump up and comers

Jump up and comers:  Twelve-year-old Nicole Tsui and 13-year-old Bryan Chu are joining the World Youth Tournament for the first time.

HK jumps for joy – and victory

July 27, 2014

An unlikely contender has evolved into a global, organised competitive sport: rope skipping, or jump rope. Some Hong Kongers are incredibly adept at it, too. The World Rope Skipping Championships 2014 will take place in the city for the first time later this month – and 159 local athletes will compete with 1,000 others from around the world.

 

This is the largest delegation Hong Kong has ever sent to the championships, and it includes world record holders such as 20-year-old Hui King-ching.

 

“To me, the rope is like a cheerleader. I can feel its intensity, a steady speed, or when it becomes faster. It gives me confidence and pushes me to a higher limit,” Hui says.

 

He and his three other team members hold the current world record for a team speed relay, managing to do a combined total of 364 jumps in two minutes.



Practice makes perfect

To prepare for the World Rope Skipping Championships this year, the athletes practice for three to four hours a day. The ropes move so fast that you cannot see them, though you can hear the whooshing noise they make. Many participants have scars on their arms.

 

“We use cable jump ropes, which come in the form of tightly wound steel cables, that offer a high-speed option because of their lightweight materials,” 24-year-old Chu Tsz-kin explained. A small misstep and that wire rope becomes a whip.

 

Apart from the challenging speed competitions, they also join the freestyle competitions. Jumpers have a set time limit to demonstrate a combination of skills in four categories - footwork, strength, multiple unders and rope manipulations – all choreographed to music.

 

“When I jump, the rope will move along with my body, in fact it becomes part of my body. I can control where it goes, wherever I go,” Chu said.

 

Ropes master

Kelvin Man, aged 29, is a driving force in organising the competition, as chairman of the Hong Kong Rope Skipping Association, China. He is also a member of the delegation, and was a member of the Hong Kong team when the city first entered the world championships a decade ago.

 

Mr Man started rope skipping when he was 14. His school offered a training course which aimed to help overweight students to get in shape. He was not fat himself, but was fascinated with the wonderful stunts and joined the course with a chubby classmate. His classmate quit skipping long ago, but Mr Man is still going strong and turned his zeal for the sport into his career.

 

“Rope skipping has changed my life. From a student to a trainer, I had never thought that it could become my full-time job. Now, if there was no rope skipping, there would be no me,” he said.

 

He is passionate about the sport, and wants more Hong Kong people to know how strong the Hong Kong team is, adding he believes the Hong Kong team could win the championships this year.

 

As so many athletes do, Mr Man experienced a downturn but was able to skip his way back. When he hit a virtual wall and found he could not improve further on his performance, he started to participate in Demo Cup events which rekindled his passion.

 

The Demo Cup competition is the star turn of the World Rope Skipping Championships. Each country or region can send only one team to compete. A group of a maximum 16 athletes must put on their best show within eight minutes. They perform tricks with dance moves choreographed to music. Mr Man will participate in the competition, and helps his team arrange the moves, also.

 

In 2010, Hong Kong won the Demo Cup World Championship when it was held in the UK, and Kiko Cheung was on the winning team.

 

“We can create our own tricks and stunts. Other teams may emphasise technical difficulty, but we, using a Hong Kong style, will focus more on creating amusement and entertainment,” she said.

 

Mr Man said the team will include many “Hong Kong elements” in their performance this year, using popular Canto-pop songs as their background music.

 

Jump up and comers

The competition is not just a chance for the potential medallists to perform, but also a learning platform for the new players.

 

Twelve-year-old Nicole Tsui and 13-year-old Bryan Chu are joining the World Youth Tournament for the first time.

 

“Although I have very little chance of winning, I can gain valuable experience,” Nicole said, adding she hopes to achieve a personal best in the speed challenge and have a flawless performance in the freestyle competition.

 

Bryan is confident he can get a place in the top three.

 

The World Rope Skipping Championships 2014 will take place from July 28 to August 3 in Hong Kong. To give rope skipping a go, you can also join the Leisure & Cultural Services Department’s Sport for All Day which has rope skipping as its theme this year. Rope-skipping demonstrations and play-ins will be held to encourage people to take up the heart-healthy sport. Click here for details.



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