Sport
29 September, 2025
Abbey jumps for Aussie joy
JAMES Cook University’s first-year medical student Abbey George has represented Australia at the 2025 World Jump Rope Championship Series in Kawasaki, Japan, competing, coaching and even judging over eight action-packed days.
The championships drew more than 2500 athletes from 34 countries, with Ms George competing in six events across the World Skipping Championships and the International Open Tournament.
She was also recognised as an official judge by the International Jump Rope Union, a role she said required careful juggling alongside her own competitions.
“I guess I was pretty lucky with my team, everyone was really supportive and worked together to make everything run smoothly,” Ms George said.
“The volunteers helped a lot, too, which made it a really enjoyable experience.”
Ms George competed alongside her brother Sammy, with whom she has trained since childhood, despite the challenge of living in different cities.
“He’s not only my biggest inspiration but sometimes my biggest rival,” she said.
“We push each other and really pull our routines together when we’re competing.”
Family involvement didn’t stop there. Ms George also coached her parents, who had only started skipping five years ago.
Her father won a bronze medal in the 30-plus age group at the International Open Tournament.
“Seeing them compete internationally after starting from scratch is pretty amazing,” she said.
Being part of the official Australian team, the Ropearoos, has been a highlight for Ms George over several years of international competition.
“We’re such a close-knit group, really supportive of each other,” she said.
“The camaraderie helps get us through long days and tough competitions.”
Balancing her sport with first-year medicine studies at JCU hasn’t been easy.
“It’s been a big change moving from Darwin to Cairns, and there’s no skipping club here, so I’ve had to find ways to fit training around study,” Ms George said.
“But I love being busy and giving everything my all.”
Looking ahead, Ms George plans to continue coaching and supporting skippers of all ages and hopes to start a club at JCU to introduce others to the sport.
“Skipping is so much fun and really versatile, you can do it anywhere,” she said. “I’d encourage anyone to give it a go and see where it takes them.”
