The 2020-21 team of the Tsunami Skippers.

The rope jumpers are back and looking to jump some rope later this year, as the Tsunami Skippers begin tryouts for the winter season.

Hopefully the Skippers will be jumping in front of an audience this season, as much of 2020 was wiped out by the coronavirus.

“Tryouts are in December, and the season starts in January,” said Stacey Dundas, the Skippers’ coach. The team is hoping to qualify for nationals in Cincinnati, Ohio, in June.

The Tsunami Skippers’ jump rope team was founded in 2006 by Dundas and Shannon Carey, “to give kids an alternative sport in Clatsop County,” states the team’s website. “A sport that would help young people learn teamwork, the benefits of exercise, self-confidence and respect for others.”

Since then, the Skippers have competed all over the country, taking part in the World Jump Rope championships in Washington, D.C., in 2012 and in Stokke, Norway, in 2019.

They also competed in the USA Jump Rope Nationals in Long Beach, California, in 2014, and the Pan American Championships in Orlando, Florida, in 2016.

In addition, the Skippers are always on call to perform at halftime during basketball season, where the jumpers have performed for the Portland Trail Blazers and the Harlem Globetrotters, while also entertaining crowds by taking part in parades and school assemblies in Oregon and Washington state.

Interested in becoming a Tsunami Skipper, booking the group for a performance or sponsoring the team? Check the Tsunami Skippers’ website,  tsunamiskippers.com, email tsunamiskippers@hotmail.com or call 503-440-0884.