WKU’s campus is now home to one of the first university competitive jump rope teams in the state of Kentucky, thanks to sophomore Murray Huber.

Huber, a lifetime fan of jump rope, recently commissioned a university jump rope club dedicated to raising awareness of the sport through fitness, fun and outreach.

Ever since a young age, Huber has found herself entranced by the sport and has worked tirelessly to perfect her craft. She began in her elementary school’s Jump Rope for Heart team and got so attached that she never stopped. She even competes on the Bowling Green Jumping Jaguars, a local competitive jump rope team and one of just three competitive teams in the state of Kentucky.

It may not seem like a wide community, but jump ropers definitely have their niche. As a child, Huber attended many workshops and recalled the profound impact many older jumpers had on her experience trying to make it professionally.

“All these people I looked up to were extremely talented, friendly, hard-working and amazing teachers who motivated me to try new things and encouraged me to be perseverant,” she said. “Now that I am a collegiate jumper, and thereby a leader in the sport, I know that in order to advance the sport, I have to take on their roles and share the sport with others through performances and act as an ambassador for the sport.”

Inspired by her past mentors, Huber has taken initiative to do campus outreach for jump rope through the WKU Jump Rope Club. The club is open to all students, and members can become involved in any way they desire. They can simply attend practice and learn tricks or get more serious and perform and compete.

“Our goals are to share the uncommon sport of jump rope with others, provide a unique physical fitness opportunity to students, help advance the sport on its way to the Olympics and give back to the community with performances and workshops,” she said.

Last semester, Huber registered the club as an RSO, or registered student organization, and it has since become more structured and community-based. The club plans to put on club performances at campus events, including basketball game half-times, orientation events and other campus activities including Dance Big Red.

They also plan to host workshops on campus and in Bowling Green where students will be able to learn jump rope skills from team members and try out the sport for themselves.

“Expanding jump rope at the collegiate level through the community is such an important step in advancing the sport overall and eventually getting it into the Olympics, so I am very excited that WKU and the city of Bowling Green can take part in this transition as one of the early college jump rope teams to exist,” Huber said.

This past weekend, the club attended the second ever National Collegiate Jump Rope Summit at Ohio State University where they met with elite college jumpers across the nation and got to compete against them in a tournament.

As the club continues to expand and become more prominent throughout campus, Huber will use her experience in the sport to cultivate a culture of positivity, health and fun.

“There is nothing more rewarding than a child’s face lighting up after they learn a new trick or seeing a college student jump rope for the first time and helping them learn something that they have never tried before,” Huber said. “Jump rope has given me a unique way to connect with new people and provided me with a community of hard-working, fun, motivated individuals.”

Freshman and Preston Center supervisor Spencer Cassady said the WKU Jump Rope Club offers a unique experience and he encourages students to look into it.

“At WKU, we offer a wide variety of sports clubs to anyone who desires to play,” he said. “The Jump Rope Club is just one of those and is among the most unique we offer, so students should definitely look into it.”

For more information, contact the WKU Jump Rope Club’s Facebook page.

Features reporter Noah Moore can be reached at 270-745-6291 and [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @noah_moore18.