Hailey DeGroff | The Chronicle
True leadership does not need a coach’s whistle. Instead, it grows from the people willing to take charge.
The Mason High School (MHS) Comet Skippers jumped into the 2025-2026 season with a focus on management within. The team operates under a student-led structure, allowing students to take initiative and lead the team throughout the season.
For the past 22 years, the Comet Skippers have thrived under full student leadership, with members taking charge of managing schedules, organizing events, and mentoring younger teammates. Despite their small size, the team stands out with their unique combinations of performance, speed, and endurance.
Outside of the numerous Mason events they perform at each year, including the Freshman Spirit Party, pep rallies in the fall and winter, and Taste of Mason in the spring, the team competes at the national level and performs at other local events throughout the year. Senior captains Olivia Close and Kyle Yan, as well as sophomore Lindsey Crissman, know the value of their leadership and recognize how being student-led has affected the team.
Senior captain Olivia Close has been a part of the Comet Skippers for eight years and has won a national title in 2023, where they placed first in the team show. Close describes the relationships formed on their team as being as tight as the ropes they jump with.
Senior captain Kyle Yan stretches with his group of younger Skippers before their practice.
“As a jump roper on the Comet Skippers, you are immediately a part of a family that does such cool things from the moment you join the team,” Close said.
Close captures the essence of what makes the Comet Skippers more than just a sports team. The emphasis on lasting connections resonates deeply among members, creating a supportive environment where athletes encourage one another both on and off the rope.
A difficult aspect of jump rope is making sure performance is cohesive. By recognizing that each jumper works differently, senior captain Kyle Yan and the other captains developed a system to support individual growth.
“We’ve realized that not every jumper learns in the same way, so we have to split them up into families,” Yan said.
These “families” are small groups, each led by an upperclassman and containing about eight younger jumpers. This approach enables captains to offer more personalized coaching and cultivate closer relationships, while also supporting new members as they develop their skills.
Lindsey Crissman, a member of the Comet Skippers for four years, has realized that the most challenging part of being on the team is not learning the routines or not tripping over your rope; it is the physical demands that come with it.
“You can’t just do squats or calf raises and be ready to go,” Crissman said. “You [have to] use all of your muscles, and I think that’s the most difficult because you are not going to go far if you only have biceps, and you are not going to go far if you only have calves.”
The MHS Comet Skippers continue their season with an end goal of competing in the 2026 World Jump Rope Team Show Championships, located in Norway. Their work ethic and talent continue to shine as they show dedication, passion and what it means to be truly student-led at Mason High School.
“We are known to be hype, and we are known to be excited,” Crissman said. “[That is] something we know we can continue doing, and I think [our mentorship] will really help us with the technical aspect.”
