04-13-2023 Howard Magazine - Flipbook - Page 39
Jasmine Wright, 15, of Ellicott City, is also on the
competition and travel teams and has been involved
in the program for about seven years.
She said being a part of the team has brought a
sense of camaraderie.
“The big thing that stands out to me is the sense of
community in the team and how everybody is super,
super close,” she said. “There’s maybe like 40 kids on
the team and we’re all super duper close.”
Meek said when it came to encouraging her children to stay with the sport, it didn’t take much.
“I didn’t have to [encourage them],” she said. “It’s
their passion, they love it.”
Meek’s involvement in the organization began as a
volunteer helping at performances. She later moved
on to serving as secretary of the board of directors,
then started coaching classes and performances as her
children advanced through the program.
She said she wanted to be a part of the organization
because she believes in the sport.
“This organization has meant a lot to all of us. ... My
older son has gone on to become a professional jump
roper,” she said. “The jump rope community is the
nicest people you’ll ever meet, so it was very important for me to keep Kangaroo Kids at the level where
it needed to be.”
Brian Meek said he wanted to be a part of the organization to help the program progress.
“[The previous head coach] who had been a coach
for like 35 years, was getting ready to leave and he
came to me and said, ‘Hey, we really need some help,
we need somebody to be able to keep this program
moving forward,’” he said. “I was elected onto the
board as president and I’ve been serving there ever
since.”
Eliza Kim, right,
practices her
individual skills.
Foster Sariscak, a member of Kangaroo Kids precision
jump rope team, practices his individual skills.
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