Lincoln Leapers heading to world championships

By Joanne McDonald
NewsNow

The dynamic Lincoln Leapers have earned their place at the world championship competitions this fall and they will be taking a power house of local talent to the virtual world stage.

Originally slated for 2020 in Ottawa, it was to have been the newly merged International Jump Rope Union’s (IJRU) first global championship event.

COVID cancelled the date but not the dream as the Leapers, through sheer tenacity and ingenuity, pushed through every pandemic challenge to prepare video performances that landed the national nominations to represent Team Canada at the upcoming First IJRU Virtual World Championship Series.

Pivoting to virtual mode, teams across Canada worked through the fall and spring to send prequalifying videos to their national governing body Rope Skipping Canada (RSC). The Leapers went straight to the national qualifier and will represent Team Canada.

Competing in both individual and team events in a variety of speed and freestyle events, the Lincoln Leapers lineup includes:

Sydney McLennan – World Championship: Individual Masters.
Sydney Nicholls – Junior World Championship: Individual Masters.
Team World Championship – Eve Genovese, Sydney Nicholls, Abby Rorison and Maddy Boychuk.
Team Junior World Championship – Hannah Miller, Genny Slavin, Lily Genovese, Paige Baker.
The championship will be followed by two open tournaments:
Masters International Open Tournament – Hannah Miller, Genny Slavin, Lily Genovese, Paige Baker, Tia Pawzcuk, Maddy Boychuk, Eve Genovese.
Team International Open Tournament – Eve Genovese, Maddy Boychuk.

VIRTUAL STAGE

COVID hit, schools and gyms were closed and everything was cancelled.

“We were in kitchens, barns, basements, cold garages, driving sheds, anywhere they could find a flat smooth surface to work on,” said Tim Nicholls, team manager and conditioning coach for the Lincoln Leapers. When provincial orders allowed, they practiced under the huge chandelier at Bled Hall in Beamsville with extensive safety protocols in place.

“They were wonderful, so accommodating and helpful,” Nicholls said of the banquet hall management.

It was a journey none of them ever expected.

“All the kids had to carve it down to match the requirements of the camera and their space,” said Nicholls.

No moving, panning or zooming the lens allowed – every step inside the frame – all the while defying gravity with their routines. It’s just the athlete and the camera.

“They’ve been test running videos, over and over, reaching for the best performances to submit,” Nicholls said. They will be judged on speed, power, endurance, creativity and strength skills.

They are now working towards an August 25 deadline to submit videos that will be judged against the world’s best jump rope athletes. The Series broadcast is scheduled for October. The event will showcase the best in the sport and crown the new virtual world champions.

SYDNEY MCLENNAN

A previous world champion, Sydney McLennan specializes in triple unders. “We are privileged to have her submit a video and qualify for the IJRU championship and we are thrilled she has taken on the role of head coach for the Leapers,” Nicholls said. “Sydney is one of our most passionate and enthusiastic Leapers. She is an extremely elite athlete.”

SYDNEY NICHOLLS

Canadian national jump rope champion, Sydney Nicholls earned 3rd overall internationally at the 2019 World Jump Rope Championship in China. Since COVID hit, most of her practicing and videoing has been done right in the family kitchen.

“When everything shut down in March 2020, Sydney kept going. She continued with the IJRU championship in her sight and she has never stopped,” said Nicholls (who is also her dad) and her mom Deb. This Leaper is intrinsically motivated and laser focused on what she wants to achieve.

“Nothing stops her. It’s a passion.”

Coaches running both zoom and in person practices, “have kept the team moving forward and focused,” Nicholls said, crediting Becca Simpson, Carly Simpson, Kourtni Eckstein, Abbey Salari, Meaghan Brown, Sofia Stadler, Emma Giannini and Hannah Kot.

“President Peter Genovese was very supportive and put together a safety protocol that was adopted by teams across Canada,” Nicholls said, adding those measures helped make it possible for the virtual version of the global event to become a reality.

OLYMPICS IN SIGHT

As jump rope moves towards inclusion as an Olympic sport, there is much emphasis on these championship events and developing the highest calibre of athletes.

For years local audiences have enjoyed the Leapers’ jaw-dropping performances and watched them grow to elite status.

“It’s evolving towards an Olympic sport so we in essence have to let people know we are here,” Nicholls said.

The Lincoln Leapers jump rope team is a non-profit association that was established in 1982, the first competitive jump rope team in Canada. It has grown into one of the largest and most decorated teams, holding provincial, national, and world titles.

For more information visit the website: www.lincolnleapers.com