This week on the blog, we are excited to announce and discuss the events that have been selected and approved for the 2020 IJRU World Championship. In this post, we will list all of the events and provide some additional information behind the decision-making process. There are a few new events and some changes to both the former FISAC-IRSF and WJRF competition events and overall category structure. We feel these changes require some additional explanation, so let’s jump in!

Individual Events and Individual Overall

• Single Rope Speed, 1x30

• Single Rope Speed, 1x180

• Single Rope Triple Unders (no time limit)

• Single Rope Freestyle

Each event listed above can be competed on its own or as part of the Individual Overall competition. All of these individual events were previously competed at FISAC-IRSF and WJRF tournaments, however, the Triple Under event was not included in the overall competition. We feel that the major components of single rope that should be tested in an overall category are: speed, endurance, power, and freestyle. The Triple Under event tests the power and endurance components of single rope in a significantly different way than any of the other events, and so we feel it should be included in the overall category.

It is important to note that these events have only been selected for the 2020 World Championship and will not necessarily apply to the Youth tournament. We have not yet finalized those events, so stay tuned. Triple Unders will likely not be included at the Youth tournament.

Single Rope Team Events and Single Rope Team Overall

• Single Rope Speed Relay, 4x30

• Single Rope Pairs Double Unders, 2x30

• Single Rope Pairs Freestyle

• Single Rope Team Freestyle

All Single Rope team events listed above can be competed individually or as part of the Single Rope Team Overall and/or the All-Around Competition. The Technical Congress wanted to make sure that each overall category evenly tested all components of the sport. As a result, we believe it is important that there are an equal number of speed and freestyle events. Single Rope Speed Relay, 4x30 was competed at both FISAC-IRSF and WJRF competitions and it was decided that this event should remain. We added Single Rope Pairs Double Unders to the overall category in order to make sure we had an equal number of speed and freestyle events. We also feel that it was important to keep double unders in the sport. Many recreational participants know about double unders and it has become an important part of CrossFit and gym culture. By including a double under event, we hope to appeal to a wider audience. Single Rope Pairs Freestyle and Team Freestyle were competed at FISAC-IRSF and WJRF competitions and these events test a team’s ability to perform freestyle skills at a high level and in a synchronized fashion. Therefore, we feel they should remain in the sport.

Double Dutch Team Events and Double Dutch Team Overall

• Double Dutch Speed Relay, 4x30

• Double Dutch Speed, 1x60

• Double Dutch Singles Freestyle

• Double Dutch Pairs Freestyle

All of the events listed above can be competed individually or as part of the Double Dutch Team Overall and/or All-Around Competition. You will notice that both double dutch speed events are new to the sport. There were formerly three double dutch speed events competed at the international level: 2 for WJRF and 1 for FISAC-IRSF. Due to time and space constraints, we were unable to keep all of the events. As such, we needed to limit the number to two in order to create an equal weight of freestyle and speed in the Double Dutch Overall category. We looked at what skills each former speed event (4x45, 3x40, and 2x60) tested and wanted to make sure that the two events we selected adequately tested each of those skills. We feel that a relay-style event that asks each athlete on a team to demonstrate both jumping and turning skills is essential. We also wanted to make sure that we included a double dutch speed event that is competed by four individuals on a team. As a result, we decided to combine elements of the previous 4x45 and 3x40 events to create the new 4x30 event. This new event focuses on creating well-rounded athletes and emphasizes speed, because of the short length of time each athlete is jumping. For the second double dutch speed event, we wanted to test something slightly different. We liked that in the former 2x60 event, athletes were able to specialize slightly (not everyone needed to jump and turn), and there was more of an emphasis on endurance. The new 1x60 event fulfills both of these aims and reduces the overall time necessary to compete the event. We are really excited about both new double dutch speed events and can’t wait to see them on the competition floor in 2020! The two double dutch freestyle events selected, DD Singles Freestyle and DD Pairs Freestyle, were both competed at WJRF and FISAC-IRSF tournaments and we feel that they should continue at IJRU tournaments.

The DDC competition, as it was competed under WJRF, will run under the Japan Double Dutch Association rules alongside the IJRU 2020 Championship.

Additional Events

The Technical Congress also wants to continue to promote innovation and diversity in our sport. As a result, we decided to include Pairs Wheel Freestyle and Double Dutch Triad Freestyle. These are two events that were competed at the WJRF tournament and have become favourites among athletes. We decided that these events would only be competed if the time and space allowed.

Why are there so many overall categories?

We wanted to make sure that our overall categories took into consideration the unique abilities of our global community. As a result, we chose to include separate Single Rope and Double Dutch Team Overall categories. This will allow members to specialize in specific disciplines, which we feel will help to grow the sport and push the level of competition forward.

That being said, we also wanted to give teams an opportunity to focus on developing well-rounded athletes that excel in all disciplines and components of the sport. As a result, we included an All-Around Competition that combines all of the events from the SR Overall and DD Overall categories. Any team that competes at the 2020 World Championship in both the Single Rope Team Overall and Double Dutch Team Overall with the same group of athletes will automatically be entered in the All-Around Competition. Each event will only be competed once by a team, and they will be entered into the individual event category, the SR or DD Overall, and the All-Around.

What will happen to the events that have been removed?

The Technical Congress is in the process of making a list of all the events that have been competed internationally in the sport of jump rope/rope skipping in the past. As we look into the future, we see our sport growing to a point where there may be separate Speed, Freestyle, Single Rope, or Double Dutch competitions. When this happens, we can reintroduce some of these events. The sport of jump rope/rope skipping, like all sports, will continue to evolve and change over time. The events that have been announced today are not permanent and we will continue to assess each event, and work with our community and stakeholders to grow the sport and push the boundaries of athletic ability.

If you have any questions, comments, or feedback that you would like to share with the Technical Congress, please fill out the survey below. Each week, we will read through the feedback and pull out a few common topics to address in our next blog post. We look forward to hearing from you!

See you next Wednesday,
The IJRU Technical Congress

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