Beaumont Bouncers share their skipping skills – and a heart healthy message

When Bob Dawson began incorporating jump rope lessons into his gym classes more than 30 years ago, he likely didn't realize it would lead to three decades of the Beaumont Bouncers.

"The kids are so awesome!" Blue Jay Bridge, the Physical Education Specialist at Beaumont school, says proudly of his current students. "Our team gets fitness, team building, increased physical literacy, perseverance and confidence out of training and performing."

Once a week from November to March and twice a week in April and May, the group meets at 8:00 a.m. to practice their skipping skills. Then they take their talent on a traveling tour of other schools to promote a message of health and fitness in partnership with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba.

The Beaumont Bouncers presented their demonstration to five schools this year, including École St. Norbert Immersion and École Riviere Rouge in the Seven Oaks School Division.

The grade 5/6 Beaumont Bouncers Skip Rope Demo Team has helped kicked off the Jump Rope For Heart fundraiser program in three schools.

"Certainly there are the health benefits to learning and performing jump rope tricks," Mr. Bridge says. But it's also so much more. "Along with those benefits comes the opportunity to improve your growth mindset. You are going to make a million mistakes learning a new trick. But, you understand that the only way to learn the trick is to try again and appreciate the learning that the mistakes brought you."