Jumping Rope Pays Off

Box of jump ropes
Originally uploaded by momboleum

Recently, I've been thinking about picking up a jump rope and adding a bit of jumping to my work out routine. Jumping rope appeals to me since a rope seems nearly as cheap and portable as walking. I've been finding a lot of time to walk, just by fitting it in where I'd normally be sitting idle -- usually while waiting for my wife. In my web search for more information on jumping rope, I found that a boxing club in New York recently had a jump rope competition.

Jump roping is a basic training of boxing and it's something that's easy and fun to do.

Pearl Kim, the Korean-American owner of the 10-month-old K2 Boxing Club, held the contest to promote his club and boxing in general. Nearly three dozen competitors were given ten minutes to show off their stamina and speed to a panel of judges. Just three mistakes meant that they were disqualified.

In the end Gill Soo Choi, age 47, jumped ahead of the competition and took home the prize of $1,000. Peter Samolis, age 18, dazzled the judges and audience with his fancy footwork to win the $300 "coolest jumper" prize.