“Like most people, I started jump roping when I was a kid,” says Meghna. “I joined a jump rope team in the 5th grade and never looked back.”

Competitive jump rope involves more than just skipping down the sidewalk. Meghna had to learn a variety of moves: swinging the rope under her legs, crossing and uncrossing her arms, jumping high enough to swing the rope underneath multiple times in one go — even tumbling skills like cartwheels and handstands.

And do it all to music.

In freestyle jump rope, Meghna Iyer combines a dazzling array of rope tricks with aspects of dance and gymnastics.

“My personal strength is in freestyle and rope manipulation,” she says, “Freestyle is all about creativity and building routines that flow from one trick to another. I love twirling the rope around, tossing it up and catching it again. I choreograph a base of tricks I’m comfortable with, but I also still try to push myself and experiment with tricks that are just a little bit out of my comfort zone.”

“Experimenting” seems like an understatement, when you see Meghna stand on her hands from a donkey kick, and then swing the rope backwards under her head while landing back on two feet — on a hard tile floor or sidewalk. Meghna’s Instagram is filled with videos of these impressive tricks.

“There is a bit of pressure,” she says with a smile. “But I’ve done a lot of performances in my career. I’ve competed around the world, taught workshops, and was a member of the US national team.  I had a lot of role models growing up, so it’s been great to progress and become a role model to others.”

Part of that progression is bringing the joys of jump rope to Purdue’s campus. Meghna started Boiler Jump Rope a year ago, and is thrilled to share her expertise with all comers.

“There’s no club fees or anything; we just get together every week and have fun,” Meghna explains. “People come from all different skill levels. You don’t even have to know how to jump rope whatsoever! Just show up, and we will literally ‘show you the ropes.’”

Boiler Jump Rope welcomes everyone to come and learn, from absolute beginners to more advanced jumpers.

In addition to the social aspects of bonding over double-dutch and other fun activities, there’s no denying the cardiovascular benefits of jump rope. “It’s an incredible physical activity,” Meghna says. “Cardio can get boring sometimes, but a lot of cardio haters love jump rope practice because it distracts you from the pain. It definitely makes your fitness journey a lot more fun!”

And for Meghna, jump roping actually has benefits in the classroom as well. “At this level, jump rope requires a lot of precision,” she says. “Growing up with that mindset really helped me when I came to Purdue for engineering. Every time I’m in the classroom or at office hours, I’m always trying to drill down to the details so I can tackle every problem. And exam time is kind of like competition time for me; the pressure is on, and I love the challenge!”

Meghna Iyer says that competitive jump rope gave her a foundational mindset to prepare her for the rigors of a Purdue engineering education.

Instagram: @purduejumprope

Writer: Jared Pike, [email protected], 765-496-0374