Try doing a handstand.

Now, try doing a handstand as double-Dutch ropes twirl around you.

And try doing that without getting tangled.

Competitive rope-skipping has been around in Canada for three decades, but it鈥檚 more often thought of as a children鈥檚 playground game than a bona fide sport.

Members of a newly formed team called the Calgary Skip Squad want to change that.

鈥淧eople say it鈥檚 not a sport and stuff, but they don鈥檛 know actually how hard it is until they actually try it,鈥� says Brooke Cornett, 13, who has been skipping for seven years.

鈥淪o I encourage them to go and join a team and try it. Then they鈥檒l know actually how hard it is. We鈥檙e going to try to get it into the Olympics.鈥�

Brooke鈥檚 teammate, 13-year-old Halle Borden adds: 鈥淚f skipping was easy it would be in the Olympics, but it鈥檚 not.鈥�

British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia have official rope-skipping associations. Solo and team competitions are held provincially, nationally and even internationally.

In some events, skippers must show they can turn the rope two or three times in one jump 鈥� a skill some athletes on the Calgary Skip Squad say was the hardest to master. Other events feature double-Dutch team relays and freestyle routines.

Brooke鈥檚 mom Amy Cornett, the president of the Calgary Skip Squad and a board member of Rope Skipping Alberta, says she wants the sport to be better known.

鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 word of mouth. We鈥檙e trying to do as many demos as we can at various sporting events, city events,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to get our name out there or at least the recognition of the sport out there.鈥�

The Skip Squad participated in the Calgary Stampede parade last month. It and other teams are often enlisted to provide entertainment at community events.

There has been a push to get the sport officially recognized by provincial and federal government agencies, which would open up funding sources.

Rope Skipping Canada chair Erin Gillespie says to that end, the organization has been working on getting a coach certification program in place, a requirement for official recognition. But it鈥檚 been slow-going for the volunteer-run organization.

鈥淩ope Skipping Canada lacks the fundamental resources to promote the sport across the country, and so we鈥檙e really relying on clubs,鈥� said Gillespie, who also coaches the Connectivity Skippers team in Leduc, Alta.

鈥淏ut the clubs also don鈥檛 really have the resources to market and promote.鈥�

On the international level, the two main rope-skipping organizations are planning to merge and concentrate their efforts on getting the sport into the Olympics, said Gillespie. The earliest she realistically sees skippers taking part in the Summer Games is 2028.

The Calgary Skip Squad has 15 competitive athletes, starting as young as 7 or 8. Head coach Carla Hill, who has been jumping rope for more than two decades, is in charge of leading the team through practices, choreographing routines and training.

鈥淲e work really hard as athletes and we train really hard and I think a lot of people who try rope skipping for the first time don鈥檛 realize how challenging it is and how much of a workout it is,鈥� says Hill.

The club is open to anyone who wants to learn. Lessons start in September.

Many of the kids on the team were enticed to join when they saw older siblings take part.

鈥淚 saw my sister do it and was really interested and fascinated how much you can do with just a rope,鈥� says Lily Beaudreau, 9.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a unique sport and once you get into it, you find it very interesting and fun.鈥�

Lauren Krugel, The Canadian Press

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