On a December weekend, a group of Bouncing Bulldogs members traveled to the state of Oklahoma to teach a jump rope workshop for American Indian youth. The youth attending the workshop represented more than 100 Indian tribes from all over the United States. The youth were representative of the following tribes:

 Absentee- Shawnee | Acoma | Ak Chin | Alabama- Coushatta | Alaska Natives | Apache of OK

Arapahoe | Assiniboine and Sioux | Blackfeet | Burns Paiute | Caddo | Cherokee 

Cheyenne Arapaho | Cheyenne River Sioux | Chickasaw | Chippewa -Cree | Choctaw

Citizen Potawatomi | Coeur D’ Alene | Colorado River | Colville | Comanche

Coushatta of  Louisiana | Crow | Delaware | Eastern Shawnee | Eastern Shoshone 

Fort Belknap| Fort McDowell | Fort Mojave | Fort Sill Apache | Gila River | Goshute

Hav Asupai | Ho-Chunk | Hoh | Hopi | Hualapai | Iowa of Oklahoma | Jemez | Jicarilla Apache

Kialegee | Kickapoo of Kansas | Kickapoo of Oklahoma | Kiowa | Klamath | Lac Du Flambeau

Laguna | Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara (MDA) | Menominee | Mecalero Apache | Miami

Minnesota Chippewa | Moapa Paiute | Mohawk of NY | Muscogee (Creek) | Navajo | Nez Perce

Nisqually | Nooksack | Northern Cheyenne | Oglala Sioux | Omaha | Oneida of NY 

Oneida of Wisconsin| Osage | Otoe-Missouria | Ottawa | Passamaquoddy | Pawnee

Ponca of Nebraska | Ponca of OK | Prairie Band Potawatomi | Put Allup | Pyramid Lake Paiute

Red Lake Chippewa | Rosebud Sioux | Sac & Fox of Ka and NB | Sac & Fox of OK

Saginaw Chippewa | Salish and Kootenai  | San Carlos Apache | San Felipe | San Ildefonso

San Juab Southern Paiute | Santa Clara | Santa Ysabel | Santo Domingo | Seminole of Florida

Seminole of Oklahoma | Seneca | Shoshone | Shoshone-Bannock | Sisseton-Wahpeton

Skull Valley Goshute | Sokaogon Chippewa | Southern Ute | Spirit Lake | St.Croix Chippewa

Standing Rock Sioux | Table Mountain | Taos | Te-Moak Shoshone | Tohono o’Odham

Torres--Martinez | Tulalip | United Keetoowah | Upper Sioux | UTE  | Ute Mountain

Warm Springs | White Mountain Apache | Wichita | Winnebago | Yakama | Yankton Sioux

Yavapai-Apache | Zia | Zuni

The Bouncing Bulldogs members taught over 60 youth different styles of jump rope including: Single Rope, Traveler, Two People One Rope, Chinese Wheel, Double Dutch, and Long Ropes.  Many lessons and life skills were exchanged between workshop participants and instructors. Many of the youth were hesitant to jump at the beginning of the workshop, but once they were given a rope, an energetic atmosphere filled the gym as many of them began to take a liking to the sport.  The lesson learned was, “Never say you cannot do something until you try.” From a teaching perspective, we learned how to better adjust our teaching styles in order to successfully engage many different attitudes and personalities.

Our trip to Oklahoma was a great act of community outreach for the Bouncing Bulldogs program because we taught American Indian youth a whole new way to stay physically fit while having fun.  The Bouncing Bulldogs would like to thank the individuals and groups who organized such a special event in Oklahoma, and for showing us hospitality and love.  The trip was fantastic from beginning to end and will never be forgotten.

Anna R. 

As the Bouncing Bulldogs kick off our 28th season, we are beyond excited to see new faces walk into the gym!

The beginning of the year is all about developing new skills and relationships. Our goal is to inspire younger jumpers to improve their skill level, be creative in stringing together sequences of skills, and discover the hope and joy that is generated through jump rope. Building relationships also plays an essential role in our curriculum. The Bouncing Bulldogs welcome individuals from a variety of backgrounds, and our classes and practices are designed to promote teamwork, healthy communication, diversity, and unity. Specifically, group activities such as Double Dutch and Chinese Wheel allow jumpers to improve their coordination, make friends as they work with different people, and have fun!

Not only are practices designed to initiate new ideas and connections, they also emphasize the importance of teaching and peer leadership. Younger jumpers are empowered by middle and high schoolers where both groups are benefiting from one another. As relationships form, it is amazing to see how jumpers build on their foundation and pass on what they have learned to the next generation of jumpers. Developing teaching skills is a significant part of the Bouncing Bulldogs program as it is important to give back to the community, be able to adapt to different abilities and personalities, and spread enthusiasm for jumping rope.

Our 25th annual workshop is approaching, and it is exciting for us as jumpers to help plan and prepare for such a fun event that has been effective in spreading the sport of jump rope on an international scale. The workshop encompasses all of the qualities that we implement into our classes, camps, and practices: building relationships with people from all over the world, teaching, learning, improving jump rope skills, and much more. We encourage anyone and everyone (no previous experience required) to attend our workshop on Saturday, November 1 at East Chapel Hill High School!