Imagine a wire rope whose rotations cut through the air so quickly that the jumper’s pulsating feet blur with the floor almost too fast to count. Picture the synchronized grace of perfectly choreographed athletes jumping in time to routines that meld complex rope maneuvers and gymnastics into a mastery of sport, sometimes defying what seems humanly possible. This is competitive jump rope.
For 25 years, volunteer coach E.J. Boillot has tirelessly and generously dedicated his time and energy, and often his personal finances, to growing the sport into what it is today – a network of hundreds of teams across the state, country and world made up of all ages and genders – competing at the regional, national, and world level in exciting events that incorporate speed, strength, gymnastics, and rope tricks.
Jumping Eagles 2015-2016 Team
This year marks the 25th anniversary of E.J. and his competitive jump rope team, The Jumping Eagles, located in Littleton, Colorado. A PE teacher with a Masters in Education, E.J. started the team in 1990 and is considered one of the founding fathers of competitive jump rope, helping to facilitate it into a world-recognized sports genre.
In addition to running his jump rope team, E.J. has sat on three boards, influenced rules and scoring procedures for the sport, trained coaches, judges, and judges’ trainers, served as the Tournament Director for the annual USA Nationals competition for 10 years, conducted workshops both locally and abroad, served on the Rules Committee for the World Championship for two years, and even coached Team USA for the World Tournament in London in 2010.
E.J. started the Jumping Eagles after he was inspired by another team’s performance as part of an American Heart Association’s Jump Rope for Heart demonstration. The team began with four elementary age school children and has grown as large as 50 jumpers, aged five to 50. Because the team is a collaborative one comprised of all ages both male and female possessing different skill sets but working together – it promotes a mentoring, family-oriented, camaraderie and this is one of the reasons that E.J. finds the sport so appealing.
The team ranked 2nd best in speed in the nation this year and has taken home the honor of 3rd best team overall at USA Nationals for three years running. The Jumping Eagles also produced prodigy jumper L.J. LaVecchia who was featured on America’s Got Talent and is currently touring with the Cirque Dreams Holidaze show. In addition to competitions, the team also performs demos at community events and half-time shows throughout the Denver area, including Nuggets’ games.
An athlete himself, E.J. competed personally and was a National placeholder for several years, making him an excellent technical coach and trainer. But even more important than winning, E.J. tries to instill the value of good character, sportsmanship, and positive behavior in his jumpers. He loves the sport and the kids, and it is the drive to see each jumper make it through graduation to the next level of competition that keeps him moving forward. Having built the sport from the ground up, E.J. hopes to some day see competitive jump rope move to the Olympic arena, along with some of his jumpers. For more information about jump rope or to find a jump rope team in your area, please contact info@jumpingeagles.org.