“What are you doing?” Melissa asks.
“This is how almost everyone learns how to turn rope,” I say as I try to explain nicely. “The ropes should sound like tic-tic, tic-tic, and not tic—toc, tic—toc.” I demonstrate. “If it sounds like this, you get called double-handed, which means you can’t turn.”
“Give me that.” Melissa grabs the ends and starts to turn. “Tic-tic, tic-tic,” she begins. It’s awkward, but she keeps trying to catch the rhythm.
“Keep turning!” I say. “Loosen your arms. You’ll get it!”
“All right already!” Melissa yells, irritated. “Let me concentrate.”
Melissa doesn’t seem like the kind of girl who is easily bossed around, so I leave her alone quickly. She’s really getting the rhythm of the ropes now. Tina, on the other hand…Her dancing skills are turning out to be really helpful, but we’ll have to get her to jump without earbuds so she can hear us. We can’t have those earbuds getting in the way of the ropes. That’s going to be a challenge.
Although we spend all day together getting the basics down, we haven’t even come close to putting together a routine. We still have work ahead of us if we’re going to compete like a real team, or even possibly be able to beat those Belles. Melissa trips and falls. Ugh! Looks like tomorrow is going to be another full day of double Dutch.
—
Now that Tina and Melissa know how to get in the ropes and jump for a few beats, Sally and I spend Sunday teaching them the first test in double Dutch: compulsory, where our teammates turn the ropes like a slow-speed eggbeater while the other two jumpers lift the left leg over the right and then right over left, careful not to catch or stop the ropes. No biggie, right? Well…Sally and I turn really slow and count them in: “Ready? One-two-three-four-go!” we call. First Tina gets in, then Melissa. Good! But they soon mess up. No!
“I’m sorry!” Melissa apologizes. “One more time, one more time!”
If they don’t get this, we’ll never qualify. I don’t want us to fail. I try not to worry and we start all over again…and again, and again. We keep going until the sprinklers and the house lights come on. Finally they get the compulsory down pat. And we haven’t even begun to think of a routine. I guess we’ll have to do that at camp…in front of everybody.
—
It took us all weekend long, but I’m glad Sally and I were able to teach Melissa and Tina the basics of double Dutch. Thank goodness! Hmm, I never thought my cousin and I would work together on anything. Now, at camp, as the teams are called, we’ll have to show the coaches what we can do. There are two younger teams, ten-year-olds who are so cute with their game faces on. They’re pretty good with their leapfrog and push-up routines. Even though it’s baby stuff, Tina’s and Melissa’s mouths are open in awe. The other older team is the Belles. They try to show off some of their freestyle with a few double-handed flips and cartwheels, a more toned-down version of what Sally and I saw a few days ago, but it’s good. Okay, really good. It’s our turn. The Belles snicker as we take the floor.
“Let’s not try anything fancy,” I tell my team. They’re obviously nervous.
“We can’t,” Melissa blurts out. “I don’t know half the things those little kids did.”
“We’ll just do what we learned,” I say reassuringly. “Compulsory.”
“This is not cool.” Sally ducks her head. I know it’s not crushing the Belles, but we have to show them we can at least jump.
Very carefully and slowly, Melissa and Sally jump in…and lift one foot…and out. All I keep thinking is Don’t mess up! Get it right! One down. Then Tina and I do the same. Yes, we did it! We hear a little snicker, probably from the Belles, but hey, no one said we had to do a whole routine, so we leave it at that.
“Uh, okay. Good, you guys,” says Coach Kirsten. “So are you planning on competing in speed and freestyle as well, or…?”
“Yes.” “No.” “Freestyle?” “What’s that?” The four of us speak at once. I shoot my team a look, then step up as if I am captain.
“Yes, we’ll be competing in speed and freestyle,” I say matter-of-factly. I’m faking it, but I can’t bring myself to chicken out.
“Oh, come on! They’re not ready for speed,” Ivy heckles. “They can barely jump.”
I give her a hard stare. She just had to push me.
“Can you turn?” I ask the blond coach, which catches her off guard.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” she says as she grabs the ropes from my hands. I hand the other end to Sally.
“Just keep your eye on my left foot like your life depends on it,” I say, looking directly into Sally’s eyes.
“Left foot. Right. Okay.” Sally doesn’t flinch. As the ropes begin to spin, a silence comes over the gym. All eyes are on me. I get in the ropes and…my foot gets caught! Ugh! There’s laughter, and I can imagine from who.
“Give her a chance.” The coach quiets the group. I quickly think about why I’m here and how my cousin is looking at me like a big sister now. I must get this right. I glide through the ropes and find a groove.
“One-two, one-two! Faster!” I yell as I focus on Sally’s hands. They turn faster and the ropes sound like wind in a storm as they spin around my head. I keep jumping through the oohs and aahs! I stay focused until I feel like I’ve given them enough. The jumpers applaud as I slow down and jump out with ease. Everyone’s impressed except for the Belles. They smirk as if to say, So what? Who cares? That wasn’t even my best.
“That’s my teammate. Whoop-whoop!” Melissa and Tina cheer.
“Wow! That was great!” Coach Kirsten says, impressed. “I think we have
