Jump rope team trains for nationals

Qualifying tournament moved from Shabbos to Sunday

By Yaffi Spodek

Issue of March 27, 2009 / 4 Nissan 5769

Suri Fineberg of Cedarhurst, a speech therapist and mother of two, also holds the distinction of being a nationally ranked, award-winning jump-roper.

Last year, she won a silver medal in the regional USA Jump Rope (USAJR) competition for jumping the most times in a span of three minutes, and she is ranked 15th on the national level for the sport.

As part of the Woodmere-based Rock It Ropers, Long Island’s only competitive single rope speed team, Fineberg is one of 32 jumpers in the award-winning group. The team is comprised of a few adults, with the majority made up of girls from local yeshivas including Bnot Shulamith, HALB, SKA and TAG, and ranging in age from six to 14 years old.

“I do it for everything — for exercise and to decompress,” Fineberg says of her unusual hobby. “Both of my kids have special needs and I still make the time to do jump rope — that’s how much fun it is. After I tuck my kids into bed at night, I go jump out my stress.”

Led by coaches Lucie Buissereth and Dion Tulloch — fondly known as Lucie B and Dion T — the Rock It Ropers are hoping to qualify for the second consecutive year for USAJR Nationals competition held in Galveston, Texas in June.

“They have a great energy and are a great pair,” Fineberg said, praising the coaching duo.

This past Sunday marked the first time that the team hosted a sub-regional tournament in New York City. Although regional qualifying tournaments are usually held on Saturdays, Lucie B petitioned USAJR officials on behalf of the Rock It Ropers to arrange a Sunday competition to accomodate the religious observances of her jumpers, 99 percent of whom are Orthodox Jews.

“The girls started off with me in a jumping program and in 2007 I created a team, but they couldn’t compete on Saturdays,” Lucie B. explained. “I petitioned with USA Jump Rope, and it took a year and a half for them to say yes to a different day. When we finally competed last year, they scored so high.”

According to Lucie B., last year was the first time that Orthodox girls competed, which she considered a true milestone.

“My partner and I want to encourage diversity,” she said. “I love the togetherness of the team and how they embrace everyone. I really want to promote togetherness, diversity and working together for the team and the good of all.”

Lucie B. had high hopes for this year’s competition as well.

“Suri [Fineberg] is amazing and she is one of the fastest in the region,” she said. “She just lives jump rope and her dedication to the sport is unparalleled.”

Tamara Weinberg, 14, a freshman at SKA, “is one of the top girls on the team,” noted Lucie B. “She is competing in all five events, jumping single rope and double dutch as well.”

Another top jumper is Gabriella Dubin, who attends B’not Shulamith and just celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. In last year’s competition, she broke a record by jumping 250 times in one minute, and, in another category, 650 times in three minutes.

“She is phenomenal,” said Lucie B, who is a three-time national champion in her own right. “I have never seen anything like this.”

Lucie B. believes that there are other benefits to jump-roping, besides the exercise component, which she considers to be “structured but fun.”

“Not only are our kids fantastic jumpers, but they are also excellent students too,” she told The Jewish Star. “We have very interesting people on our team, who are high achievers not only in jump rope, but also in school. I’ve spoken to many principals who say their grades have shot through the roof. Jumping actually helps the brain and strengthens neurons for memory.”

“It has been documented,” she maintains, “that the better you are at jumprope, you are usually a little brighter.”

Academic progress notwithstanding, jump rope still ranks relatively low on the totem pole of sports popularity, and so the Rock It Ropers even had to compete for the space in which the Sunday tournament was held, at The Hudson Guild on W. 26th St. in Manhattan. The scores from there will be put into the regional database, to be included with the results from the other groups — more than 20 teams from 7 states — who are competing on Saturday, April 4. The top scorers from each regional team will be invited to the finals in Texas for a four day competition running from Thursday through Sunday.

“Our team was the first to compete on a Sunday in 17 years in the history of USA Jump Rope,” said Lucie B. “We did so well last year — we ranked in the top five and 10 nationally — that they decided to open this up for us so we can participate in more events.”

Officials from the USAJR, who attended Sunday’s event, also voiced their support for the Rock It Ropers’ participation.

“We want to make this opportunity available to as many children as possible,” said Marian Fletcher, USAJR’s executive director. “Nationally ranked officials and jumpers are coming to support this effort. We hope it encourages others across the New York tri-state area to create new teams within their local schools and become part of the USA Jump Rope family.”

Though the regionals were held in Connecticut last year, this year’s New York venue attracted a larger crowd of hundreds of spectators.

“It gets nerve-wracking when so many people are around you and you have to keep up the speed,” said Fineberg. “You have to work very hard at it, but now I am a better athlete than I was when I first started.”

While the final standings won't be in until early April, Sunday’s tournament yielded promising results so far. In the three minute jumping category, Tamara Weinberg came in first, while Gabriella Dubin placed second, and Tamar Eisenberg, 12, of B’not Shulamith, came in third. All three girls were also on winning teams for the single rope relay.

On Monday morning the team received some regional exposure with an appearance on the Channel 11 morning program. Nearly a dozen modestly dressed team members demonstrated jump rope prowess on live television.