Spring is in the air and the playground beckons—you may be tempted to take advantage of the warmer weather and play jump rope outside. For junior Jessica Starr, though, jump rope is not merely a spring treat but an integral part of her life throughout the year.

Having launched its first major national competition in the mid-1990s, competitive jump rope is still a developing amateur sport. According to Starr, however, work is underway to make it part of the Olympics.

A serious jumper who started at age five thanks to a friend’s sister, Starr qualified for the team Jumping for Joy when she was seven years old and has been competing nationally and internationally ever since. For instance, she and her team placed first at the 2002 World Championships in Belgium in the 12- to 14-year-old division. This summer, Starr and her co-ed team, ranging in age from elementary school to college, will compete in Canada.

Although it includes some individual elements, jump rope is traditionally a team sport with various events including speed, double dutch and freestyle. As a result, Starr emphasized the importance of communication. “I’m really close to my teammates,” Starr said. “We really have to communicate with each other, especially since some of the jumping is done with two people turning the rope [in double dutch]. It’s difficult being in sync with the people you’re jumping with.”

Another aspect of teamwork is helping each other. “Those of us who have been around for a while and who have been to several competitions try to help the younger jumpers because that’s the only way to learn,” Starr said. “We get better at recognizing what’s wrong and what can be fixed to make things better.”

On the team, Starr is known for her perseverance. Jumping for Joy teammate Katie Johnson, a sophomore at Westmont High School, has been working closely with Starr for the past two years. “Without Jessica on the team, I probably wouldn’t be the jumper I am today,” Johnson said. “Jessica has that competitive drive that pushes the whole team. She always goes the extra mile even if the rest of the team makes fun of her for doing it, but in return, we normally get guilt-tripped into going the extra mile with her.”

An athlete of myriad talents, Starr used to play soccer and also runs track and cross-country for Gunn, although jump roping is her top priority. Practicing jump rope three to four days a week for up to two-and-a-half hours at a time, she said that jumping and other sports allow her to cross-train.

Junior Mary Kathryn Hannan, a friend of Starr’s since the sixth grade, considers jump rope one of Starr’s defining characteristics. “Sure, she’s stressed out at times because of it, but I can’t imagine her not [jumping],” Hannan said.

Likewise, in Starr’s mind, jump roping has played an influential role in shaping her character. “There’s definitely a lot of discipline involved—if you don’t go, the team can’t practice,” Starr said. “You have to be reliable, and you have to be willing to work and take criticism.”

Starr also noted the pressure of competing. “Unlike a basketball or soccer game, in jump rope, you have one chance to show all of your hard work,” Starr said. “You don’t get a ‘do-over’ even if the routine was a disaster. It’s completely devastating when you don’t do your best—everyone is watching you and can see how upset you are afterwards. And it’s hard to stay mentally focused and composed throughout an entire competition, when you might be competing over 10 events and it can last from one to three days.”

Nonetheless, Starr welcomes the challenge. “The risk of making mistakes during competition is part of the thrill of the sport,” she said. “The most important thing is to channel your determination to do better into your next event and stay focused. After every competition, we always come back to practice inspired with new goals and new ideas for our routines.”

Since jump roping is a relative newcomer to the sports community, Starr feels that more can be done to spread awareness. To that end, Jumping for Joy reaches out by performing and conducting workshops for schools. “It’s really rewarding to teach others what I’m passionate about, and it’s great to see how happy they get when they learn how to do a trick they thought they couldn’t do,” Starr said. The team also performs at other functions, such as Stanford and Santa Clara sports games.

In addition, Starr hopes to continue jumping throughout college and become a part of the United States Amateur Jump Rope Board in order to increase the sport’s popularity. “All the benefits a sport can give you are compiled in jump roping—it’s good for your health, it teaches you teamwork, you get to travel and perform for others and you learn how to compete on the spot,” Starr said. “And jump ropers are nice people—they share ideas and help each other.”