While many kids get sucked into the video gaming world, around 50 students at Catharine Blaine K-8 are exercising their brains and bodies in a different way after school - jump roping or riding unicycles.
The Unicycle Club, operated by Blaine, started in 2001, just a few years after Rope Works Jump Rope Club began. Currently, there are about 25 students signed up in each club, according to physical education teacher Trina Pickens.
"I think it's an extension of a comprehensive physical education program," Pickens said, "for students to learn more advanced skills, get a chance to exercise and have performance opportunities. And it is unique."
The clubs are also accessible to multiple grades, which Pickens said is good because it gives older students a chance to help younger students learn skills. In the Jump Rope Club, which is coordinated by Ropeworks - a Seattle-based organization dedicated to 'jump rope for fun and fitness', kids aged 6-12 can participate.
Class activities for Jump Rope club range from single rope skills, partner routines and double Dutch jumping to long rope skills and group games. At the end of the year, a student performance concludes the program.
Students in the Unicycle Club, which is open for first graders to eighth graders, have the opportunity to perform at home basketball games and prep rallies, which is the most exciting part for sixth grader Rose Breckow who started riding a unicycle three years ago.
"I love that [performing]. I like when people say 'Oh, that's so cool that you can unicycle,'" Breckow said. "I like unicycling because I think it's a unique sport that not everyone can do so that makes it special."
And she's looking forward to riding the giraffe - the tall unicycles typically seen in parades and shows. Seventh grader, Freyja Markee said she looks forward to riding the giraffe too but last Thursday she was busy helping a first grader with her first-time unicycling.
"I was scared in the beginning but after lots of practice I was able to do it and now I can help the younger students," Markee said. "I like unicycling because it's another form of freedom. You can go as fast as you want. It helps you with balance and it's lots of fun."
Students in the Unicycle Club also get to practice walking on stilts and riding waveboards.
"Everybody's doing something and it's just a really cool skills to learn at a young age because once you learn you never forget," Pickens said. "And I like that it's multi-age. They all get a chance to show off. They love that big tradition of performing and it's just a great lifetime skill."
Registration for both clubs is still open. The Jump Rope Club meets 2:40 to 3:30 p.m., Wednesdays in the gym. The last session is Dec. 16. The cost for one child is $72 and $135 for two students in one family. Unicycle Club meets from 2:35 to 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays and costs $150 for one child or $275 for two children in a family. Unicycle Club runs until May 27. Some partial or full scholarships may be available. Contact Pickens for more information.[[In-content Ad]]
