Photo Information

Double time: Jazmine Wright-Chisolm practices with her double dutch team. Jazmine is the daughter of Chief Master Sgt. Karen Chisolm, 315th Mission Support Squadron, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Mark Kleber)

Photo by Tech. Sgt. Mark Kleber, USAFR

Double or nothing: chief's daughter jumps to state, national competitions

21 Jul 2006 | Tech. Sgt. Mark Kleber

Gymnastics training at the Charleston AFB Youth Center is paying off for Jazmine Wright-Chisolm since she began competing in double dutch tournaments.

Double dutch is a rope skipping exercise played when two ropes are turned in eggbeater fashion, while a third or fourth person jumps within the ropes.

Chief Master Sgt. Karen Chisolm, superintendent of the 315th Airlift Wing's military personnel flight, said her daughter mastered the skills for tricks in the rope, such as one-handed cartwheels and leapfrog, due to her gymnastics training.

Mastering those tricks helped Jazmine's team, which is sponsored by the Charleston Parks and Playgrounds, capture second place in the South Carolina state championship and fifth place in the world championships in Sumter, S.C., in June.

Jazmine took up double dutch as a hobby when Coach Laquetta Williams, who goes to church with Chief Chisolm, asked her to tryout at Mitchell Park in downtown Charleston.

"She made it fun and interesting so I decided to stick with it," the teen-ager said.

Jazmine began the sport when she was 7 and says she enjoys traveling all over South Carolina and the challenge of competing.

"You have to listen, work hard, don't be mean to your teammates, know some gymnastics for tricks, and never give up," she said.

Jazmine practices four or five times a week for two hours, which can be grueling for the high school freshman along with keeping up with schoolwork.

Aside from hard work, double dutch has taught Jazmine many valuable lessons, said her mother. It has taught her "it's OK to lose sometimes and in competition you don't always win. It has taught Jazmine to be more aggressive and not to fear crowds.

Chief Chisolm recalled fear getting the best of Jazmine early in her double dutch competitions.

"Today she is definitely in charge of her fear of the crowds and seems to not let that bother her anymore," the reservist said. "That experience has helped to make her an all-round person in her every day encounters."

Coach Williams agrees Jazmine has made big strides since starting in second grade.

"She caught on fast, and I put her on the third-grade team even though she was in second grade," said Coach Williams.

Today Jazmine's strengths include being a good turner, and that's just as important as a jumper, according to Coach Williams.

"She knows how to catch a person in the rope, she counts well and has good awareness of the next move the jumper is going to make," said the coach.