Tori Boggs, the world champion of jump rope, soars high up in the air to show off her skill.
Credit: Courtesy of Jonay Miezal
Jumping to new heights, reigning Grand World Jump Rope Champion Tori Boggs is bringing jump rope education around the world.
Boggs, a 2017 Ohio State alumna, is a 30-time world champion and has been competing since the age of 5. Now, she gives back to the community by educating people on the benefits of the sport.
Along the path to achieving the title of reigning Grand World Jump Rope Champion, Boggs said she picked up a multitude of titles, including 32-time U.S. Grand National Champion, 20-time National Record Holder and two-time captain of Team USA.
Boggs said she competed for and won the U.S. Grand National Champion title — a category open to all ages — at the age of 8.
“The best top numbers go to finals, which are like the grand national championships, or grand world championship, and this is really cool because that means a 7-year-old could compete against a 27-year-old because it’s just the best of everybody,” Boggs said.
Boggs won the world championship at the age of 13 and was the youngest person ever to do so. She said she holds the world record in triple unders, which consists of a jumper doing three rope revolutions in one jump, at 412.
The judging of professional jump rope does not revolve around time; rather, it is focused on the number of jumps that a person can do, Boggs said.
Boggs said she is working toward educating people about jump rope by visiting countries around the world to spread her message, emphasizing the importance of the sport.
“It is one of the healthiest activities that you can possibly do, and it has so many good physical benefits,” Boggs said.
Jumping rope burns calories, improves coordination and heart health, reduces injury risk and strengthens bone density, according to Insider.
Boggs said a trip that stuck with her was one to Kibera, Kenya, in 2012. They established a jump rope team and discussed the power of incorporating jump rope into one’s life.
“These kids had just so much love for the rope and wanted to soak in anything they could learn, and they were able to nail the skills taught,” Boggs said.
The road to becoming a champion was not always easy for Boggs. She said she faced some challenges in the beginning stages of jumping rope but never gave up.
“I was an uncoordinated child, and it took me forever just to be able to jump, but I would come home after practice and keep jumping,” Boggs said.
Boggs said she made winning the world championship possible for herself by remaining consistently determined and ensuring that she was in the right, motivated mindset.
“She had stickers put up everywhere that had her goals listed,” Rochelle Boggs, Tori’s mother, said.
Tori Boggs is a native of Parkersburg, West Virginia, and practiced jump rope with a team at Jump Company and Jefferson Elementary. She said there are few programs for jumping rope around the country and that she was lucky to have options in her city.
When Boggs came to Ohio State, she continued the sport, but she had to do it individually, as there wasn’t an established group she could work with. Boggs said the lack of a jump rope community led her to create a program of her own.
“I was alone, and so that was a part of what I wanted to do at Ohio State, which was to start a jump rope club,” Boggs said.
Boggs founded the Jump Rope Club, which she said is still operating through COVID-19 and is open to people of all skill levels, whether they are seasoned jump ropers or beginners.
Boggs said she finds inspiration to travel the world by seeing people find happiness, joy and health in jump rope.
“To be able to help someone find that or bring it to them, it is personally rewarding,” Boggs said.
Boggs works with Cirque du Soleil and has made appearances on programs such as The Ellen DeGeneres Show and America’s Got Talent, according to her website.
