Woirds by: Jamie Driver
As I sat on the edge of my bed dazed this morning at 6:15am, 15minutes after I first hit the snooze button, I thought of all the reasons that I should lie down again and get some more sleep rather than get up and go for the dreaded run I am forcing myself to do at the moment. I had my thumb on the snooze button once more, but then something happened, the image of a man flashed into my mind. And that man was Buddy Lee. The question that got me to open my eyes and get up off the edge of my bed was simple. What would Buddy do?
Buddy would have been up an hour ago, well that's what I would have liked to think about the man I just woke up in Rita, Latvia at 8am local time. What follows is the conversation that transpired between Lifelounge and the world famous Buddy Lee.
JD: Do you ever feel like you were put on this earth to Jump Rope?
BL: That's a good question because in one article that was done on me in a magazine about a year and a half ago I said that this is what I would be doing and this is my mission and this is pretty much what I would be doing until the day I die. So this is what I will be doing until I die, Jump Rope, Jump Rope training, educating people about it is really my mission.
JD: Do you like the terminology Jump Rope or Skipping, and is there a technical difference between the two?
BL: What I have done is kind of re-define it. I define Jump Rope as a term that is neutral and in different countries they call it Skipping, in Canada they call it Skipper. I was just talking to some people in the UK and they call it Skipping some people call it Rope Jumping so I define it as Jump Rope. The reason why is because the term Skipping is too feminine and when you use the term Jump Rope it becomes more of a neutral term and gender friendly. So as a Marine and a world class athlete and a warrior I don't really take to someone calling me a Skipper... 'oh you Skip', that's too feminine for me...
JD: If someone called you and your team a bunch of Skipping girls would it come to blows...?
BL: Basically it would come to me re-educating them in the way that I have done it. For the whole country of Canada I have basically cornered their market and re-defining Jump Rope as Jump Rope training, and now they don't call it Skipping anymore.
JD: Just following on from that last question, have you ever had to use Jump Rope in self defence?
BL: Um... most people that see me jump say 'man, that thing's like a weapon'. I have never had to use it, the way I turn the rope I could very easily use it as a weapon because my kind of performance is moving the rope at five or six revolutions per second. So when you hear my rope it makes a noise like a whipping noise that is very, very impressive and I guess intimidating, because it is like Numchucks... it moves like Numchucks.
JD: Shit... Um, do you have any dreams?
BL: The dream is, and I am going to accomplish this dream, is to have Jump Rope to be the type of activity that people wake up and they do it. Like 500 jumps a day will keep the doctor away.
JD: I like that, 500 jumps a day keeps the doctor away... Has Jump Rope ever been like break dancing, where jumpers battle to music while people watch and cheer?
BL: Nope, not yet but it will. When you get these dancers, they are going to take Jump Rope to a whole new level
JD: I am also curious about the term Hyperformance and if you invented that word yourself? What does it technically mean?
BL: Hyperformance is a type of jumping that involves quick hands, light and quick feet. Performed in short bursts and rope speeds of three to five revolutions per minute. That is the type of jumping that gives you the greatest benefit in the least amount of times because it opens up the Neuro system to work the fast twitch muscle response. Fast twitch reflexes. It challenges the anaerobic energy system the system that is used to go from 85 to 100% of the maximum heart rate.. That kind of response the reflexes, mental alertness, quickness, speed and conditioning and still making it low impact it's the kind of fitness that saves lives. One of the reasons why old people fall is because as they get older they don't train those reflexes anymore. So you either use them or you lose them. And that's why when you see me jump, I can make the rope disappear in front of your eyes. I still have the same kind of quickness as I had when I competed as a world-class athlete.
JD: If you were to measure out how many times you have jumped in your life, do you think it would measure out around the world?
BL: Yeah, I think I would have made it around the world. You know, 4000 is an understatement of how many shows I have done around the world. 40 countries, and like you say, its been a part of my life.
JD: Do you follow a holistic approach to life Buddy, like to you eat well, sleep well and help old ladies across the road? Or is there a part of Buddy Lee that likes to kick back after a show, crack open a beer, eat some fries and watch the game?
BL:. I don't drink, I don't like to sit back and watch a game, but I do like the history channel and the Discovery channel.
JD: Wow..... what exactly do you do with your spare time now?
BL: In my spare time I create my dreams.
JD: Have you met someone who simply wasn't capable of Skipping?
BL: Excuse me?
JD: I mean Jumping Rope...
BL: I have met many people who were not capable of Jumping Rope until I got a hold of them. I have a system that makes it easy, fun and effortless. I trained the para Olympic teams, I've trained people with one leg, one arm, amputees. They jump with the Buddy Lee rope. If they can walk, I can get them to jump.
JD: You've had the opportunity to meet some amazing people in your life like Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Colin Powell... who's the most interesting character you think you've met?
BL: Well you see the picture with Colin Powell, he awarded me twice for being Marine athlete of the year. President Bill Clinton was there, they had the Buddy Lee Jump Rope show before they introduced Bonnie Blaire. After Bonnie Blaire introduced me, I introduced the President. I got a standing ovation and the President came over and gave me a big hug and said whoever arranged these programs so that he could follow Buddy Lee. After that speech I was asked to be the official Jump Rope conditioning expert to all the Olympic teams. Bill Clinton is everything that people say he is. He is a people's person and he basically was a very, very cool president.
JD: So he would be your stand out number one?
BL: Yeah because I got to sit right next to Bill Clinton and he was the most down to earth person you ever want to meet and basically made you relax. He said 'Buddy, so when is this thing going to become famous around the world' I said that really depends on you guys! Just really, really down to earth. Him and Al Gore were so excited that when we had the big dinner afterwards for all the athletes and they came across and shook their hands. Bill Clinton said 'honey, that's the one I was talking about, Buddy Lee, the one who jumps off his butt!' Hillary came over and said 'hey Buddy can you teach me to jump like that?'
JD: What about Ice T?...
BL: No, I would say after that it would be between Bill Clinton and Mohammed Ali. Mohammed Ali is everything they say he is. I performed through USA Boxing and performed for him. I was the guest Jump Rope expert and I brought the house down. The security guards came out of the ring and they came to escort me personally to Mohammed Ali because he wanted to meet me and he reached over even though he had the disease and he say 'man you the greatest jumper I have ever seen' and we did a great picture together. That was a great experience.
JD: Do you have a sticker on the back of your car that says 'Go Jump'?
BL: No, but I'll be getting one... A sticker and I will be converting a beautiful car.
JD: So 'Go Jump' is a good marketing term for you...?
BL: Excuse me?
JD: (a wave of panic washes over me)...'Go Jump' is a good marketing term for you...
BL: Go Jump?
JD: (tread carefully Jamie, tread carefully...) ...Yeah,... 'Go Jump' is a good marketing term for you, it related well to your sport right..?!??
BL: Yeah, I wouldn't use 'Go Jump' I would say 'Jump to it', 'Jump into fitness' or how about 'Rope to success'...
JD:.. Rope to success, I love it. (heart rate returning to normal.)
JD: The final question I have Buddy is because it is Lifelounge Magazine's Sweet Edition, I have to ask you, what is your definition of sweet?
BL: So what would be my definition of sweet..? hmmm.... My definition of sweet coming in from my community, the black community would be like, man that's sweet... Sweet would mean to me... I made my dreams come true.
JD: That's beautiful...
BL: It means man that's sweet. It's all over. I did it.
JD: That's a good definition. Really nice to meet you. thanks so much for your time Buddy.
BL: I appreciate you guys finding me. I will make sure I get you one of my ropes OK.
JD: Sweet!
For more on Buddy Lee or to buy the best Jump Ropes on the planet go to:
www.buddyleejumpropes.com Tell 'em Lifelounge sent you.
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