Parry Sound will be home to the Ontario Rope Skipping Provincial Championships this weekend.
The SOAR Rope Skipping Team, a local non-profit association, is officially hosting the competition at Parry Sound High School.
Meagham McGill, assistant coach of the SOAR Rope Skipping Team, says this Saturday and Sunday will act as qualifier competitions for the Nationals, which is happening in Nova Scotia this year, and the World competition.
“So it’ll be at PSHS in the big gym and really all day. So we’re looking at Saturday and Sunday from about 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Everyone [is welcome to come watch], there’s no admission fee and there will be raffles and fun things to do and also [the chance to] watch our local athletes compete,” she says.
McGill says the provincials happen annually and takes place all around Ontario, with this year being Parry Sound’s turn. She says there are two local teams participating this year, one of which being the SOAR Rope Skipping team which operates out of Parry Sound, and has nine athletes representing the area.
As for who will be competing this weekend; “We have Sydney and Sophie who are athletes in the 16 to 18 category, they placed very well at the provincial championships last year. Then we have a team that is competing in the 13 and under category and they’ve been doing really well. Teagan and Maddison, this is their third year competing and they placed great last year as well as Jordan, Lilly, Sonia and Hannah. Some of them are competing for the first time in a provincial some of them for their second time so we’re all just very very excited. Then myself and Josie, we have been competing in the sport for 20-plus years, so we’re excited to return this year and do some events with the team again,” McGill says.
She says over the past years, the team had many athletes compete all over, qualifying from the provincial championships all the way to the National and World championships. “So we have a few National and World Champions on our team as well,” she says.