South Okanagan jump rope team to attend World Championships in U.S.

Unlike the spider they get their name from, the members of the Black Widow Rope Spinners are not shy. These athletes are preparing to step into the spotlight and spin their ropes across the border to represent Team Canada.

The 10 athletes will represent Team Canada at the International Jump Rope Union World Championships, World Junior Championships, and International Open Tournament in Colorado Springs, Colo., from July 16 to July 23.

Thomas Cunningham, athlete and assistant coach, says the number of athletes selected to be part of Team Canada is unprecedented.

4:50 Competitive Rope Jumping

“We have 10 athletes from our club going to the world championships. Our club has 27 athletes in total, so we were lucky enough to have over a third of our athletes qualify for championships this year as part of Team Canada,” Cunningham said.

The Black Widow Spinners was formed in 2004 and has sent multiple athletes to competitions around the world over the years.

“We are a very high calibre team within Canada and we take this sport very seriously,” Cunningham said.

“On our team, we have two-time group national champions. There’s a group of five or six of us. We are back-to-back national champions. That’s Double Dutch events and Synchronized events.”

Head coach Cathy Cunningham has been training her athletes for two years in preparation for the World Championships in hopes of them bringing home even more medals.

4:01 Skip rope fitness

To help send the athletes to the competition in Colorado, Cathy Cunningham and her team have set up a fundraiser. She said it costs about $4,000 per jumper to attend the competition.

“Any donations are welcome and going to help. I think we are up over $2,000 now but our goal is $10,000,” she said.

For more information about how to help the athletes visit the “From Penticton to Jump Rope World Championships” page on gofundme.com.