We are so excited to announce that the first event that SheJumps held as a 501c3, (S)heJumps into the Canyon, was not only a success but completely rewarding. SheJumps took Salt Lake City’s Boys & Girls Club kids to Alta Ski Area on Saturday to learn how to ski. It was the first of four day-long camps this month that aim to increase participation of under served girls and boys in outdoor activities. Working with The Billy Poole Ski Foundation, and many supportive sponsors such as Alta and Rossignol, the kids were able to have a fun and safe ski day. Rossi generously outfitted all 15 kids in brand new 2009 outerwear, and the kids couldn’t believe it. “I’m asking for ski gear next Christmas,” they chimed.

SheJumps’ mission is to bring together pro and amateur athletes as the coaches for the program, and the local pros united. Skiers such as Rachael Burks, Hannah Whitney, Jennifer Farde, and Pip Hunt joined our other fabulous volunteers to offer the best instruction for the kids. When the kids heard that their coaches were in ski movies and magazines, they were so excited. “Wow,” they exclaimed. Many of the coaches also donated their older ski gear for the program. When one of the boys, Jesse, heard he was wearing a U.S. Ski Team athlete’s jacket (aerial skier Emily Cook), he started beaming from ear to ear. And that was our goal, to bring the community together in such ways that make the kids feel special, and help them understand that skiing is possible for them: They just need a little help and motivation from the best of the best!

We are so thankful for a great group of kids, who not only ripped, but were appreciative of their “free” ski day and the new gear they got to wear. “Thank you so much,” they said over and over. We thank you, kids!!

By the way, you don’t have to take our word for it. Coach Pip Hunt explains below why she thinks the camp was a success. Read more about Pip on her BLOG. If you want to participate in (S)heJumps into the Canyon, please email claire@shejumps.org. Camps continue on Jan. 10, 17, and 31. Join the fun!!

I joined the ladies of Shejumps, a non-profit organization that aims to increase the participation of women in outdoor activities, and the Boys and Girls Club at Alta on Saturday, teaching some of the older kids how to ski. First off, the event was a huge success, and I’m so grateful that Vanessa and Claire gave me the opportunity to participate in it. I joined Hannah Whitney to teach a group of more advanced skiers, lapping the Sunnyside chairlift. It was so incredible to see how excited the kids were! I have always loved to ski, but to watch somebody else learn and get excited about it is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever witnessed. It reminded me why I love skiing so much, and that maybe straight lining a pow run isn’t the best idea… The Boys and Girls Club will join Shejumps at Alta again next week and I’m so excited to ski with the kids again!

My biggest jump started on February 28, 2007. I was hiking the mogul jump at Deer Valley and training for the Junior Worlds in Switzerland, which I was selected to represent the U.S. I had been training my cork 720s all week, the first one of the day felt so beautiful and perfect my coach was amazed it was better than all my millions and millions of attempts even on the water ramps. As i came down, I went a little too big into a bit of a mogul ditch and my body kept on wanting to twist. Instantly I fell to the snow, screaming in pain. I tore my ACL, MCL, part of my hamstring, both meniscus, and fractured my femur and tibia. I was so bummed that I couldn’t go to Switzerland to compete. I was so upset that i couldn’t even ski! It stunk but i have learned to appreciate and not take skiing and training for granted. I am still trying to make my knee 100 percent and I have so much passion to compete again.

To increase participation of women in outdoor activities through mentorship and coaching from professional and recreational outdoor female athletes.

• Initiate programs that involve getting women into the outdoors (on public lands)
• Develop an awareness in the business community, in local government, and in the general public of the physical and mental benefits of an outdoor education, and especially the need for it in the female population.
• Allocate public and/or private funds as appropriate to organizations, agencies, or individuals who can provide outdoor programs for women that are of high quality and deemed beneficial to the proliferation of the SheJumps mission.
• Seek and apply for state, federal, and private funds available in support of women’s sports initiatives.
• Develop directories of leading women in the outdoors world as resources.
• Collect outdoor gear and create a lending system to provide appropriate outdoor equipment for women
• Promote and encourage responsible outdoor education and environmental awareness for all outdoor enthusiasts.
• Engage in any other activities that will increase women’s outdoor participation.
• Challenge women to get outside of their comfort zones and try something new; encourage them to re-evaluate risks and challenges in their own lives based on what they experience in the mountains.

Jumper Erin Bragg has been working to get fit for the ski season. She has a secret weapon, CrossFit, and wanted to share her getting-in-shape story with you.

My arms are burning, but I still have five more OHS (over head squats) left to do. I contemplate re-racking the weight and taking a break but then think, do I get a break in my comp run, do I get a break when filming a line for a movie segment: NO. I push through the last five, rack my weight then immediately pick up the 35 pound kettle bell and start swinging. After 20, I literally drop it and walk to the pull up bar, I walk to catch my breath but I should be running, grab the bar and bust out 25 pull ups. Again I walk, but to the rowing machine and begin rowing 500 meters; after 400 meters goes by I give everything my body has left. Push! Push! Row! Stroke! Stroke! I hit 500 and lay down. I’m out of breath, my arms and my legs feel like dead weight. I get up, get some water, and write my time down on the board, 17:40. Nice, I think to myself. I beat some of the men. The WOD (Workout Of the Day) today is called “The Ramstein” and it consists of:
500 meter row
25 pull ups
20 kb swings 53lbs for men/35lbs for women
15 overhead squats 65lbs for men/45lbs for women
10 burpees
Run 400 meters
10 burpees
15 overhead squats 65/45
20 kb swings 53/35
25 pull ups
500 meter row
All for time

I have been doing workouts like this 4-5 times a week since I was introduced to Crossfit at a conference in the end of September. Crossfit, to me, is about power and the power you generate from your body’s movements and the want to be generating power for a longer period of time. This translates well to my sport of choice: skiing. I can go make four solid runs, but what if I start getting tired after that? So I’m tired, and I’m skiing down—instead of charging I sit back and enter a bumped out section on my run. What happens? Injury for sure. With Crossfit, and The Ramstein WOD, I just exerted my entire body at maximum power for 17 minutes. I’ve never skied a 17 min run but if I ever encounter one I know I’ll be ready to charge it the whole time. I enjoy the basic moves of the workouts; sit ups, pull ups, squats, run/sprints, ball throwing and burpees. I even get to show off my jump roping skills that I honed in elementary school! The gym is a very accepting place too. It’s not full of super muscle men grunting all the time, although there are some grimacing yells. Typically I see a middle school aged kid, his brother and dad, an ultimate Frisbee player, a petite woman and a few well dressed young adults who come straight from work. Everyone encourages each other and extends high fives after the WOD. For example, as I get ready to leave, my friend comes in to do her workout. No one else has come in during her warm up, and so she gets ready to start the WOD alone. She asks if I will do the first 500-meter row with her. I’m spent but say, sure let’s do it!

I encourage everyone no matter your age or how in shape you think you may be to find a Crossfit near you and just try a workout. Maybe you usually run on the treadmill for an hour; you will probably be surprised how hard you’ll be breathing after a 400 meter run, 20 burpees, and 20 wall balls, and you are only half way done with your workout.

Crossfit Official site: http://www.crossfit.com/
My gym’s site: http://www.slccrossfit.com

Here’s a cool way to support SheJumps: Olympic silver medalist Shannon Bahrke started a “joe” company this year, Silver Bean Coffee, and just released the “athlete blends.” For anyone who buys the Jessica Jerome and Lindsey Van blend, Shannon will donate a portion of the sale to the athletes and SheJumps. Here’s the reason Jessica picked SheJumps as her charity:

I chose SheJumps because it is committed to the empowerment of all women through outdoor activity, and I think it is so important for young women to experience the thrill of sport, whether it’s on snow, in the air, or on the ground. The focus of SheJumps is to network amateur and professional female outdoor athletes with community service opportunities in order to increase female outdoor education in economically under-served communities.

When I was in 2nd grade, the local ski club came to my school and did a presentation on ski jumping, and I immediately signed up, which is how I got involved at such a young age. I believe that personally, sport has helped me tremendously in the growing up process. Today, I see fewer and fewer young women involved in sport, and SheJumps is trying to expand the involvement of all women in outdoor activities such as skiing, hiking, and climbing by holding clinics and encouraging healthy lifestyles. It is so disheartening to see so many young women never have the opportunity to engage in healthy, fun, confidence building activities, and SheJumps is dedicated to providing that opportunity for girls who would otherwise never have the chance to experience that.

To purchase the athlete blends and support SheJumps, CLICK HERE!

Last week in Seattle, SheJumps Co-Founder Lynsey Dyer and Executive Director Claire Smallwood sat down with 107.7 The End radio personality Jordin Silver to discuss “jumps,” girl fun, and the Spice Girls.

CHECK IT OUT!!!!

CLICK HERE: shejumps1

Then it just gets random … CLICK HERE: ldhighschool

Thanks to Ki Kopkau at Vholdr, here are few more pics from the JUMP benenfit party in Seattle.

For the second year, SheJumps teamed up with Boeing’s NexGen ski club to raise money for SJ’s programming that includes teaching kids how to ski at Alta. Again, it was a hit: 300 some people, pogo sticking, push-up and handstand contests, and of course, a special showing of Rage Production’s “Down Days” documentary film about big-mountain skiing. Thanks to our many sponsors: Rage, Rossignol, Stevens Pass, Vholdr headcams, Cascade Powder Cats, Skiing and The Ski Journal magazines, EVO, Snowboard Connection, ULU boots, and many more! (Photos by Molly Hawkins)

Let me just tell you that I often say: “Life began at 30.” it was at this time that I took a huge leap onto a path of healing, both for my body and my soul. First, I left a marriage in which I felt stuck (as was the pain in my body). I didn’t want to wake up in 10 years wishing I had made a change when I had the chance. I knew that the pain was stuck in my body because I was stuck. I had chosen a life that was not an expression of my true essence, but one that was chosen by dogma and old belief systems. This was monumental, in and of itself, because I became the “black sheep” in my devout religious family that would not acknowledge that divorce was an option for any reason.

Second, I cashed in my IRA account and bought a brand new 4WD truck in order to drive safely across the country from California to Massachusetts—by myself! Someone told me to name my truck before I left, and so I did; his name was Geronimo. When I was a kid,  we would jump off of things and say… Geronimo-oooooooh…………  And I was definitely tomboy-shejumping into the wild blue yonder on a big adventure and a path of healing. This path would end up taking me across the country nearly four times, living in six states.

My dream was to find a place to call home and to heal the chronic pain in my body so that I could be dynamic and vital enough to help others do the same. And on this journey I did heal. I went from Wyoming to California, Cal to Arizona, Arizona back to Cal, Cal to Massachusetts, Mass back to Cal, Cal to New Mexico, New Mexico to North Carolina, and North Carolina in a full and complete circle, back to Wyoming! As soon as I landed back in the mountains of my origin, from my Jackson Hole conception to my Green River birth, I knew within seconds, that I was home. When I arrived, I began a full-time practice in massage; something my body could not do until this time.

And now, at 44 years old, I’m still here in Jackson Hole, living my dream. I have been practicing a total of 15 years (8 years full time); the average length of a massage career is 2 years! I feel privileged to be allowed to touch people through the healing arts and massage. And I have embraced this as a lifestyle, not simply a profession. I am grateful for the challenges I have faced in order to find my way here. I have learned so much from the pain and the pleasures along the way. I acknowledge the courage that it took to jump into the new currents of change—and I want to honor my teachers and my guides. They are human; they are spirits; and they are the nature that surrounds us.

As I embrace my feminine self and continue to leave the old belief systems behind, I know that this is the true essence of me, and I know, in this life, this is my soul’s journey. I know in my heart, that I can take “her” with me to that new place that my dreams will take us, and my new road trippin’ mama car has a license plate the says, “GAIA.” Blessings and Yeeeehaww from Wyoming to all the courageous Jumpers!