Oct. 28, 2024

This paid piece is sponsored by Experience Sioux Falls.

Get ready to welcome the nation’s top jump-roping competitors to Sioux Falls.

The American Jump Rope Federation, or AMJRF, recently announced that it has chosen Sioux Falls as the host city for its 2025 National Championship. The championship is scheduled next year for June 30 through July 3 at Augustana University’s Elmen Center.

Event organizers expect the event to draw almost 300 jumpers from across the country.

So what did it take to land this first-time event to South Dakota? As it turns out, just a little bit of luck and some educating.

Experience Sioux Falls sales manager Brandon Vant Hul always has sports on his mind, whether he’s in the office connecting with sports organizations looking to hold an event in the city or at home catching up on the latest news in the professional sports world.

While Sioux Falls has become a go-to destination for softball, soccer, basketball, volleyball and hockey, for example, Vant Hul also likes to look beyond those to see what other sports events could be a fit for the city.

“I happened to come across a post about the American Jump Rope Federation National Championship one day and became intrigued wondering if the event coming to Sioux Falls was even a realistic possibility,” Vant Hul said.

An introductory email was sent to AMJRF in February to gauge interest in the idea of bringing its National Championship here, and while the event organizers for AMJRF were not too familiar with Sioux Falls, they were open to it.

“After we spent some time educating them on what Sioux Falls is about and what we have to offer, we learned in May that we had advanced to the next phase of the bid process, at which point they expressed interest in a site visit to see our city and venues firsthand,” Vant Hul said.

In August, event organizers visited Sioux Falls to tour the city and meet with the ESF team. While there were a few venues in the city considered early in the bid process, the AMJRF team had their sights set on the Elmen Center at Augustana University by the end of their visit.

“After meeting with the event organizers, we knew it would be a perfect match to offer our facility for this high-level competition while bringing awareness to Augustana University,” said Sandy Pohlmann, manager of conferences and scheduling for the university.

ESF was informed in late August that AMJRF had chosen Sioux Falls for its 2025 National Championship, and the official announcement was made just a few weeks later during a news conference at Augustana University alongside several AMJRF representatives and athletes.

“We could not be more excited to host the 2025 National Championship and the opportunity to showcase Sioux Falls to the many jumpers, families and fans from around the country,” ESF CEO Teri Schmidt said. “Approximately 1,000 people are expected to travel to Sioux Falls for the championship.”

With jump rope under Olympic consideration, hosting this event could not have come at a better time for this growing sport that includes people of all ages.

AMJRF is seeking local volunteers to help at the 2025 National Championship.

AMJRF is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the recognized national governing body for the sport of jump rope in the United States by the International Jump Rope Union.