The Brampton Guardian – Friday, Sept 9, 2011
Acro Ropers bring home the gold
The Brampton Acro Ropers (BAR) had an impressive showing at the recent Canadian National Skipping Championships held at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in Alberta. The Brampton club brought home gold medals in multiple events and in the overall standings. The only two boys on the BAR team both become national champions. Armaan Walani in the boys 12 to 14 category took the overall gold after placing first in both the Masters Speed and Double Under events as well as placing second in the Singles Speed event. Jake Whyte won the national crown for boys aged 10 and 11, placing first in those same events for his category and the Freestyle Singles.
The BAR women also held their own. In the 18 to 29 age female category Brittany Gillies took silver while Megan Jarchow and Olivia Bruce took fourth and fifth place respectively out of 17 competitors. Of the 21 entrants in the 15 to 17 female age category Laura Featherstone wound up sixth overall while Krystal Veldhoen placed seventh. In the same category BAR’s Jenna Watson placed 11th while Ellory Bruce was 14th. BAR also fared well in the team category. In the 12 to 14 mixed category the team of Whyte, Erin Postman, Sarah Polstra and Sydney van Engelen took the overall silver. The five-member team of Jenna Watson, Bruce, Featherstone, Krystal Veldhoen and Taylor Page won the bronze for females aged 15 to 17. The BAR team of Gillies, Bruce, Jarchow and Kylie Matheson secured the gold in female 18 to 29 division.
Nearly 300 skippers from clubs across Canada competed in both team and individual speed, endurance and freestyle events over the three days of competition, ending with the large group routines and the awards ceremonies. Jump rope has evolved over the past few years so that freestyle events are a unique combination of skipping, gymnastics and dance.
Established in 1987 the Brampton Acro Ropers are a non-profit community organization dedicated to the promotion of personal development, health, fitness and fun through friendly competition. The team is composed of energetic and enthusiastic athletes from age eight and older who love the challenge and fun of this competitive sport. The club practices six hours a week from the beginning of September until the end of June. In a typical season, the team attends several jump rope workshops, performs numerous demos and competes at regional, provincial and national competitions. Some of the BAR athletes have competed at past Summer Junior Olympics in the United States and the very best athletes will represent Canada at the 2012 World Championships. Besides its competitive team, BAR also has a recreational program aimed at ages 6 to 13. The next eight-week session begins Sept. 28.
For more information about the Brampton Acro Ropers visit bramptonacroropers.com.