TEAM

The Comet Skippers are a competitive jump rope team in Mason, OH. Team members range from second grade through high school and our college-age jumpers still often compete with the team in US and international competition.

COACHING STAFF

Vikki Robinson – Head Coach
Yvonne Hill – Assistant Coach
Harry Wang – Assistant Coach
Joe Schroeder – Assistant Coach
Kal Patel – Assistant Coach
Lori Robson – Assistant Coach

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The Comet Skippers are a 501.c3 corporation managed by a board of directors consisting of team leadership, parents, business leaders and community stakeholders.

SEASON

Practice (September to June/July):

Our season begins with practice and new jumper orientation. We practice three nights a week: Mondays and Tuesdays at our Mason City Schools practice gym and one night of tumbling instruction at Gymnation on Thursdays. During the fall we focus on condition and skill development. During the winter that transitions to routine development and improving speed scores. In the spring we are finalizing routines and targeting peak performance at competition.

Workshops (October to January):

Workshops are single day or multiple day focused sessions with premier staff and time to focus on key areas. These are the best opportunities for our jumpers to build new skills and break through on performance goals. We attend several out of town workshops through the fall and winter. We are host to the highly acclaimed Jump With the Stars Workshop in the fall every year as well as a smaller, more intimate Winter Camp in January.

Regional Competitions (February to May):

Our regional competitions give our athletes an opportunity to showcase their talent and rate themselves against the best jumpers in our area. They provide a chance to fine tune routines and speed performance. Winning results lead to qualifying for a National or International season end championship. The largest regional competition in our area is our own Ohio Open Tournament which draws hundreds of competitors from Ohio the surrounding states.

Continental and World Competition (July):

This is what we build for all season! Our younger team faces off with US and Pan-American competition  (usually in the US) while our oldest team members compete with the best in the world, often going overseas for competition.

Demonstrations and Shows (year-round):

Over the course of 14 years, …. We enjoy performing for a wide range of audiences, from local school assemblies and sporting events to NCAA Basketball half-time shows and NFL Football half-time shows. The Comet Skippers love promoting our sport through demonstrations and shows which often include fun audience participation.  They also provide another way to showcase our jumpers’ talents while creating a fund raising opportunity to support many of our team goals. If you are interested in finding out more about having the Comet Skippers jump for your event, we would love to hear from you.

HISTORY

Mike and Carmen Simpson first became involved in competitive jump rope when their oldest child took an interest in jump roping in the mid 1990s. They started like everyone else – as spectators and parents, then volunteers. Eventually they grew to help coach the Hot Steppers of Grapevine, Texas. When they were transferred to Cincinnati in 2003, they promised their children, 3 of whom were now jumping, that they would start up a new team in Cincinnati. With the backing of the Mason City School district, the Comet Skippers of Mason Ohio were started, and the rest is history! Mike and Carmen retired from their coaching roles in 2015 passing the reigns on to new head coach Yvonne Hill whose son was a Comet Skipper. Yvonne served as head coach through 2021 and continues to remain a huge part of the team as an assistant coach and president of our board of our directors. 

(FAQ)

All information listed here can change from season to season.

What nights do the team practice?
Our younger jumpers currently practice on Tues and Thurs evenings from 6-8/8:30pm. Older jumpers practice Mon and Wed from 6-9pm and at GymNation for tumbling training on Thursdays from 6-8pm.
When is the team season?

The older team members start practicing early September with the school season. Younger jumpers and rookies start 1-2 weeks after the older jumpers. Practices run through the year except for school holidays. Rookies end their season early May. 2nd year and up practice through June and compete sometime in July for the last event of the season.

Can team members compete in other sports?

It is difficult to mix another sport with team membership since most events are team-based and need all members present to practice. Some of our team members are able to balance another sport’s commitments. Decisions are made in collaboration with coaches on a case-by-case basis. Sports that consistently require missing team practices, especially in the spring are unlikely to combine well with group event team-member commitments. Since most of our events are team-based, if a single team member regularly misses practices, their team members are unable to practice as well. This usually leads to disappointed teammates.

SPONSORS

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