Astonishing jump-rope team skipping their way into my heart

In this remarkable performance at the US naval academy, the Kings Firecrackers jump-rope team conduct a high-intensity, skip-rope-fuelled close-order drill that seriously agogified me.

Kings Firecrackers (via Reddit)

JumpSnap: the ropeless jump rope revolution! - Boing Boing

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Entertainment

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devophill

Goddammit. I read a great post here on BB about how awesome Reddit is, so I go check it out. Turns out, it’s awesome! Downside is, I now run into cool shit like this over at reddit first. Still, this is awesome.
marksgelter

Dear Mr. (or Ms.) Anon,

(No, not the first Anon. Um, nor you, Anon Deux. Yep, you, Anon the Third.)

Lighten up.

Get real.

Grow a sense of humor. And wonderment, while you’re at it.

Obtain, by any means necessary, a life.

That is all.
Ant

Is it me or is this video not playing? :(
sapere_aude

I couldn’t get the video embedded above to work for some reason; though the one at Reddit works fine. (May I assume that they’re one and the same video?)

Very impressive skills, indeed. However, the videography leaves much to be desired. This is really a pet peeve of mine. When something interesting is happening, and is being shot on video, it’s really annoying when the videographer keeps cutting away from the interesting action to show the reaction of spectators. This happens far to often, especially in TV coverage of sporting events; but it was particularly annoying in this video.
- Astragali
  
  That bugged me somewhat, too. Maybe it would have been better if, say, a second camera was filming the reactions, and then had that merged with the first as picture-in-picture.
echochamber

Please watch JeffinMontreal’s video and this one ( http://bit.ly/feoepn ) after reading my comment.

Their performance is awesome, jumping rope in time as they are to funk and soul music. But it reminds me of something. Another culture…something that came out of cities, of ghettos, out of black culture. Oh yeah, shit, jumping rope is a cultural thing. Seeing it at this US Naval academy, puts it into the realm of figure skating and synchronized swimming. It transforms one cultural activity into another, and something is lost. To put it mildly it makes me uneasy.

Cultural assimilation is great. It’s so fun to watch; America’s great ol’ melting pot. But seriously, taking something over like this, in a space like this, feels like smelling plastic flowers. Sure they’re pretty but they just ain’t got that ‘real’ smell.

Sorry to be a downer.
BlueSong

Amazing!! The practice which must go into doing that with such precision is astonishing, the bit with the girl laying on her front skipping was great, have linked this to soo many people already :D
Kyle H

Nope, first thing that came to mind was the weird North Korean show they put on for all foreign visitors.

Great job, automatons!
Anonymous

Really incredible. Problem is whoever was shooting this kept cutting away when they do amazing things so you can watch total strangers ooh and aah at what you are NOT seeing. Sigh.

I can’t in good conscience pass this link along as it is just too damn frustrating missing some of the incredible rope work.
mistersquid

Like echochamber I find myself slightly disturbed by the videos highlighting the extraordinary work of the Firecrackers.

For me, I look at the adulation heaped upon these young white Ohio girls, the chances they are afforded to travel to different universities and perform in front of audiences to huzzahs and calls-for-more. Great, fantastic.

But why is every last one of these girls (apparently) white? Why are there no girls of (any obvious) color among their ranks? Why do they all look like clones from the wildest dreams of early twentieth century eugenicists?

You don’t need me or anyone to tell you the answers to these questions, because you already know the answer to these questions.

Don’t you?
Anonymous

O M G. lol i didn’t know you could jump a rope in soo many ways, way to go girls, It takes a lot of practice and dedication to perform liek that, PROPS!
Astragali

Well, damn… I am in awe!
Anonymous

North America is Best America.
JIMWICh

Nice!

Made me think of Malcolm McLaren’s great “Double Dutch” from 1983.
Anonymous

Not only was that awesome, but there was a bear holding a shark giving a standing ovation!!
- Anonymous
  
  that was a salmon….
chgoliz

When I was in school, jump rope was one of the only aerobic activities we girls had in gym class (pre-Title IX). Turns out, it’s a good one. The teamwork and athleticism exhibited here proves that.

Watching that video, the line that came to me was: “it is Margaret you mourn for.” (Hopkins, Spring and Fall)

Very evocative, at least for me.
Anonymous

I dunno, I reckon Team Bluejuice would give them a run for their money…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAX_I6eKlnU
JeffinMontreal

even better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPAN5dGbmc
Anonymous

I’m reminded, somewhat unsettlingly, of similar sorts of demonstrations carried out by military forces throughout recent history, most obviously those of such major powers in the 20th century as China, Russia, Germany, and Japan. This event is an example of very skillful performing, surely, but I have always questioned the reasoning behind such endeavors being undertaken by segments of larger military organizations.

The point of a military is to make war. It is not to defend, as that is the task of a national guard. It is not to educate, as that is the task of a school system. It is not to maintain infrastructure, as that is the task of an engineering corps. It is not to entertain, as that is the task of the media.

The role of a military is that of performing sanctioned murder and destruction of property. Everything else falls under civilian jurisdiction. I am as disturbed to see disciples of war strive to produce entertainment as I would be to see media workers go out and make war.

~D. Walker
- princessalex
  
  “The role of a military is that of performing sanctioned murder and destruction of property. Everything else falls under civilian jurisdiction. I am as disturbed to see disciples of war strive to produce entertainment as I would be to see media workers go out and make war.
  
  ~D. Walker”
  
  Look closer — these is not “disciples of war” jumping rope. If you click the link, you’ll find out that these are 4th-8th-grade girls from Ohio. And, even with your argument of the appropriate use of a military, surely you will concede them some form of entertainment? Alas, they are still humans.
  
  These girls are astounding!
  - jjsaul
    
    Sure, this may look like a joyous display of innocent exuberance and astonishing talent, but really they’re a kick-murder squad, and in the dark of night these pixies exchange the beaded ropes for piano wire and bring in huddles of condemned prisoners.
- Chris Tucker
  
  Concern troll is concerned.
  
  No, wait, that other thing.
  
  Pathetic.
  
  Pathetic troll is pathetic.
  - imag
    
    How do posts like this not violate the moderation guidelines? Why is calling someone a pathetic troll an accepted form of abuse on this site?
    
    Anon’s post was at least heartfelt. And, to me, way less trollsome than the nasty responses.
    
    The performance was astonishingly cool. I do see how it could bring to mind some of the displays I have seen from creepy totalitarian states. I’m not sure we’re quite at the point of selecting children and locking them up until they perform, but I see the resemblance.
- Anonymous
  
  lmao… i didn’t know they let little girls ( grades 4 through 8 ) in the military…..
  perhaps this ISN’T a military endeavor as you suggest?
Varekai

For those bothered by the amateur camera work, may I recommend watching the girls in the MDA Telethon? http://blip.tv/file/2581658/