Grandview jump rope team makes big leap to Apollo Theater stage

The Grandview ZZ Skippers, a competitive jump rope team, will be taking their show on the road Dec. 1. It’s a big leap from the school district’s elementary school gym to the stage at the Apollo Theater, where the team will participate in the Double Dutch Holiday Classic.

The event draws teams from around the world to New York to participate in the specialized jump roping competition. The team members found out just a month ago that they made the cut for the competition. It will be their first time to participate.

“This is a dream come true for the team,” competition coach Shelley Beaumont said.

The team was founded 25 years ago by Treena Griffith, the longtime elementary school gym teacher and a well-known figure in the jump rope world. The performance team is made up of about 45 to 50 participants ages 6 to 19. Fifteen of the students jump rope competitvely. Only five of those are making the trek to New York for the competition because of the expense.

The older kids mentor and coach the elementary-age jumpers who haven’t learned the ropes yet.

The older team members were invited to compete in the Double Dutch Holiday Classic, hosted by the National Double Dutch League, after placing in the USA Jump Rope Championship last year.

They will respresent Grandview, the small town of less than 2,000 people in Johnson County, south of Alvarado, as they face 11 other teams from around the world in a freestyle-type double dutch competition. They’ll skip with cloth ropes — instead of the wire or beaded ropes the team usually opts for — during a brief routine put together by the students themselves.

The team is working two hours a day, three to four days a week, preparing for the competition, even meeting during the Thanksgiving break each day to practice.

“My goal for my kids is that they all have a really good time and try their hardest,” Beaumont said.

The team has several fundraisers going to help cover the expenses of making the trip to New York. For one fundraiser, the team took 50 pink lawn flamingos, painted with black stripes reminiscent of the elementary school’s zebra mascot, and charged donors to “stripe” a neighbor’s yard. The victim of the striping could then turn around and pay the team to prank another person’s yard the next night.

“It gets moved all over town, and it’s cool cause as the kids are driving to school, they see these striped pink flamingos all through town,” Beaumont said.

With the support of local businesses and fundraising efforts, the team hopes to cover all $9,000 in trip expenses, Beaumont said.

Although the students will arrive Dec. 1 in New York City, they won’t be on the theater’s stage until Dec. 3, the day of the competition. In the meantime, they’ll practice at the hotel.

“The kids are just so excited to get to New York City,” Beaumont said.

Those interested in supporting the team may contact Beaumont at 817-202-5124 or by mail c/o ZZ Skippers, 301 Zebra Pkwy., Grandview, TX 76050.

This story was originally published November 27, 2017 at 8:42 AM with the headline "Grandview jump rope team makes big leap to Apollo Theater stage."