Taking the tenth step

There’s a saying I heard from somewhere that has proven to be insightful many times but is still hard to follow and that is “When in doubt, leave it out.” It’s also hard to teach that to my daughter when her friends have wealthy parents who give their kids all the latest gadgets. Alex needs a clear focus and that’s why jump rope sprinting could really benefit her. It takes a little discipline to learn how to jump rope sprint and get good at it. I wish she took an interest but apparently she wants nothing to do with it. I even got her a top of the line jump rope from Buddy Lee.

Parenting is a lot about setting examples, however even more challenges await when examples aren’t enough.

Still swirling,

Eddie

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Taking the 9th step

It’s amazing how when one thing falls into place, another things falls out of place. I just hope an earthquake doesn’t happen on July 10 at Six Flags or August 7 at the JRS Championships. This week, I’m interviewing people at John McCarthy’s Ultimate Fighting Academy. I’m not a fighter myself, though I used to love to box, but there should be some pretty good jump ropers there. Maybe some of them will want to compete in the jump rope sprint 100 meters. My family still thinks I’m weird, even though there’s been momentum. I guess sometimes you can’t count on people close to you to understand everything. The important thing now is to get people registered for the competitions. I’m not a good PR or marketing guy even though I got a million ideas. Maybe the upcoming Six Flags promo video I’m going to post next week on YouTube will help. Otherwise, I’ll have to really go outside the box.

Ebbing and flowing,

Eddie

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Taking the 8th step

Health truly is the most important  thing in our lives, at least to me, so even though my daughter is embarrassed by this project, it’s for a healthy cause and I hope that means something to her. If not, then at least I tried. It’s obvious, however, that getting ready for the Six Flags competition is going to be more than anticipated. I better find someone who knows something about putting on big events.

On the lookout,

Eddie

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Taking the 7th step

There’s a saying that goes “If you’re not on the edge then you’re taking up too much space.” Jump rope sprinting is about staying on the edge while exerting the maximum amount of energy. That’s what makes it so cool but staying on the edge means learning to be calm, which isn’t always easy.

My trip to Colorado Springs fell through so now I just have to help Buddy Lee with the event at Six Flags Magic Mountain and get ready for the big competition on August 7th. There are so many preparations to make, however my wife resents every second I spend on this project. I gotta find a way to make her understand this dream. Maybe I’ll take her bowling.

Until later,

E

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Taking the 6th step

The thing about jump rope sprinting is that even though you may be ahead in a race, you can still get tangled in the jump rope before crossing the finish line  by letting your concentration waver, similar to balancing on one leg. That same principle keeps popping up all over the place as the preparations for the competition at 6 Flags gets underway. So many details to juggle. Sometimes, you realize that even when things are falling into place, you wind up getting more than you bargained for. On the other hand, I could see it as a “good” problem. One way or another, staying in sync is not always as easy as it looks.

I just wish my wife understood the reason for my commitment to the potential of this sport.

Oh well, can’t have everything.

Staying on track,

Eddie

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Taking the 5th step

Well it looks like everything is falling into place for both the promotional event at Six Flags Magic Mountain on July 10th and the Jump Rope Sprint Open Competition at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita on August 7th.  It’s amazing how things can line up.

Today, I met some world class runners at the track, two of them world champions in their disciplines, the other an Olympic hopeful. They took to jump rope sprinting right away and will participate in the meet this summer. I realize more and more that this new sport is going to catch on. Next week, I am going to race these women with a jump rope. However, it could rain so I may have to wait a week, better to have more time to train.

 Kim, my wife, got jealous when she saw the footage of the Olympian sprinters flying down the track twirling the jump ropes. Up till now, she thought it was just a silly whim but since these professional athletes have shown keen interest, her dismissal has turned into something else, something calculating.

 Until later,

 Eddie

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Taking the 4th step

The venue for the JRS Competition has fallen through for the moment, a sobering setback. However, getting turned down and dismissed is part and parcel of launching any kind of new organized event. Excuse me for waxing philosophical but there are always forces and elements pulling the other way just like with jump rope sprinting where gravity slows us down as well a centrifugal force tugging at the jump rope. When we synchronize different energies at top exertion, it trains us to use multiple levels of the brain. Jump rope sprinting requires two things; running and timing, breathing hard and maintaining rhythm. By combining the two together, we develop an inherent confidence in how to “handle” ourselves with numerous things going on at once, a feature of family life and the modern world.

 Opps. Have to go. My daughter just fell and hurt her leg.

 Until later,

 Eddie

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Taking the 3rd step

Good news. I sent Buddy Lee a promo DVD based on footage shot in D. C., and he really liked it. Now we’re back on track and he’s invited me to the U.S. Olympic training center in a few months, where he will be conducting a jump rope training workshop. I may get to see some current Olympic athletes jump rope sprinting. That will be amazing. I want to take my daughter, but my wife still thinks I’m on a wild goose chase, which makes convincing her feel like an exercise in futility.

 However, when I show this dynamic sport to most people, the positive interest is immediate. Sure there are those who discount jump rope sprinting as silly, but when they actually witness it first hand at top speed, they’re really impressed by the dramatic intensity. It’s undeniable!

 That said I realize getting a new event into the Olympics will be easier said than done.

 But so is any worthwhile challenge.

 Until later,

 Eddie

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Taking the 2nd step

The momentum of this project seems to picking up speed. The track and field coach at a prominent junior College might be willing to add a 100 meter jump rope sprint race to his last meet of the summer. This could be a great opportunity to further legitimize the sport. Obviously, once a date has been set you’ll be the first know where and when.

Unfortunately, Buddy Lee was pretty unhappy after my brother drove him from Seattle to Vancouver for the Olympics. Now I have to smooth things over. It only goes to show that you can’t always trust a person to do something that needs to be done yourself. That’s all there is to it. Success, like happiness and health, is not easy.

Personally, I think getting hooked on some kind of exercise is for the most part a good thing.  Running with a jump rope just so happens to be my focus, and maybe that has something to do with recent brain research. The more you concentrate to stay in sync while sprinting and twirling the handles; the more the brain is engaged on different levels. Of course, you can’t do a cat scan on people in the middle of a jump rope sprint, but research data confirmed the unique benefits of proprioceptive exercise, such as resistance training combined with balancing.

In the bigger picture, jump rope sprinting may not seem like a big deal, but it sure is fun, entertaining to watch and healthy. Few things in life are.

Until later,

Eddie

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Taking the 1st step.

Arrgghh.  Things are happening way faster than I thought they would.  It’s good, but it’s stressful. Buddy Lee invited me to join him at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  I can’t go, but I’m sending my brother Brian along with my main camera guy, Steve.  Hopefully, Buddy will understand, especially after my plans to visit him in Washington, D.C. when Steve made it, but I had a later flight, and it was cancelled due to bad weather.

At the Olympics, with Buddy Lee, Brian will be handing out business cards with jumpropesprint.com on them, so this web site has to go “live” sooner than I had anticipated.  I can do it, but not with all of the bells and whistles originally intended.

FYI, I just started this project less than two months ago with absolutely no idea that I would be fortunate enough to get Buddy Lee so interested so fast.  It puts a lot more pressure on me to get my act together, but that’s also a good thing.  I must be on to something promising, or he would not be so supportive of my idea.  Hopefully, my family will get on board, as well.

Yours virtually,

Eddie Ruggle

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