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Jump Out with SheJumps.Org
By: Ben Trentelman
BDKT0@yahoo.com
“We strive to motivate and
inspire women to form
a healthy relationship
with the sports.” Claire
Smallwood, SheJumps’
Executive Director, says
about the company’s
activities. “We don’t want
to take 100 women and
throw skis on them just to
make them ski. We would
rather take 30 and help
them build a long term
relationship with what they
are trying.” SheJumps.org
is a nonprofit organization,
funded by grants and
donations, which started
out as a blog in 2005
written by Lynsey Dyer
and Vanessa Pierce.
The idea behind the blog
was to create a forum
for women to celebrate
and bond over their
relationships with the
sports and wilderness
they loved. At the time,
there wasn’t really
anything like it for women
who were interested
in winter sports. Over
time the blog evolved
into the organization it is
today. As stated on their website, “SheJumps
creates a supportive community of females of
all backgrounds and ages, inspiring them to
reach their highest potential through increasing
participation in outdoor activities.” SheJumps
runs activities such as ski groups, hikes and
other activities geared towards helping women
of all ages and abilities become comfortable
with healthy physical fitness. The community
includes women like Junior Olympic Downhill
Champion Lynsey Dyer, Freeride World Tour
Overall Winner, Crystal Wright, and Women’s
Ski Jumping World Champion, Lindsey Van.
Despite their impressive résumés, these ladies
present nothing intimidating. They know what
it takes to set and achieve spectacular goals,
and they just want to help everyday women do
the same thing, even if you aren’t striving to win
medals.
Women who participate in SheJumps
are referred to as “Jumpers,” because in
SheJumps, you Jump In, Jump Up, or Jump
Out. This refers to what Smallwood described
as more of a life philosophy. “You can jump
in and try something new, jump up and share
it with somebody, or jump out by taking it to
the next level and being the best you can be
at what ever it is you are doing.” This is how
SheJumps approaches everything, on and off
of the mountain. Smallwood’s best example of
jumping in is SheJumps’ youth ski program, (S)
heJumps into the Canyon. Shortly after joining
the SheJumps crew, Smallwood had heard
about a group of kids who had been taken
telemark skiing with an after school program. “I
felt like we could give back and I knew that we
could do it.” She convinced Dyer and Pierce
that they could create their own program geared
towards getting youth on the mountain to learn
to ski with top athletes, free of charge. Tweaking
the mission slightly, they allowed teen boys to
participate alongside the girls because they felt
that they were still exposing kids to skiing who
would not have had the opportunity to do it at
all (this accounts for the (S)heJumps). After
partnering with Boys & Girls Clubs in Salt Lake
and Murray, they found a number of kids who,
due to cultural differences or financial woes,
would never see a mountain from the top of
a lift. The program, now in its third year, has
grown a great deal and will be serving more
youth than ever this season with the help of the
Billy Poole Memorial Fund and sponsors like
North Face.
Despite being an organization that primarily
serves women, they still get a great deal of
support from the men in the outdoor sports
community.
According to
Smallwood, “We had
one guy who was
so thankful because
his girlfriend enjoyed
skiing so much more
now because she
found out that there
are other women
out there doing it.”
SheJumps is about
finding your happy
place in what you
are trying to do, not
outdoing everyone
else. Smallwood
says, “It’s not about
women competing
with men, it’s about
showing women
that this is their
only life, so they’ve
got to live it up!”
When attending a
SheJumps event,
you can expect what
Smallwood describes
as “a comfortable
environment where
women can push
themselves as much
as they want. Where
they can do anything
they’ve ever seen a guy do. It’s not about
breaking a sweat, but more about having fun.”
For one event, the SheJumps crew hiked the
Grand Teton where they hula hooped when they
reached the top. SheJumps is there, Smallwood
says, to ask, “What else do you want to do
besides hit that mountain? What is it that you
want to do to change the world?”
If you want to join the fun, SheJumps.org will
be hosting events such as premiering women’s
ski videos, hosting avalanche clinics, and other
outdoor adventuring. For all updates of these
events check out the website SheJumps.org.
They encourage any women who have even the
slightest of interests in seeing what they can
achieve outdoors to join in. If you are interested
in checking them out, you can find them at
SheJumps.org to see events such as meet and
ride days, check out photo galleries of past
events, or to contribute to and read stories of
other jumpers and their exploits. As a non-profit,
SheJumps can also use your donations, which
can be made online. SheJumps hosts an online
networking site at SheJumps.ning.com where
you will be able to share your stories and talk
with likeminded people. Gentlemen: don’t feel
left out, SheJumps welcomes your feedback,
donations, and girlfriends.
Photo: Courtesy of SheJumps.org
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