Four Richmonders Turn Love of the Jump into Jump Because
Paula, one of the four Richmond women behind the website Jump Because paraphrases Sylvia Plath's claim about hot baths to sum up her philosophy: "There must be quite a few things that jumping won't cure, but I don't know many of them."
If you ask any of the four original Jumpers, they'll tell you that their website was born on a cold weekend in February when a group of friends decided to take a day-trip to Virginia Beach. I interviewed them by email earlier this month.
IN THE BEGINNING, THERE WAS THE JUMP
"Paula, Sarah, and I went on an impromptu trip to Virginia Beach one Saturday and started taking silly pictures of us dancing and jumping," writes Lily. "The pictures turned out so great, and we had so much fun doing them, that Paula, Sarah, Erin, and I started jumping a lot back in Richmond."
"I don't know if we started jumping because it was so cold, but somehow - the jumping began," Paula writes.
But one road trip does not a website dedicated to the joys of jumping make. No, it takes two road trips to launch a good idea.
"Well, it all started after we continued to enjoy taking pictures of ourselves jumping, which gradually developed into more of a cause," Erin writes. "We realized we should have reasons we jump, things that inspire us."
"The idea for the website started on a spring break trip, where we decided that since we had been jumping so many places, we should find some way to display them," Lily continues. "Eventually the idea for the website came into being -- one evening, sitting at Ellwood Thompson's after dinner, the name popped into one of our heads and we thought, 'Jump Because! Let's have people submit stories with their jumps.'"
Welcome, world, to Jump Because. It's one of the few websites completely dedicated to the joys of jumping, the people who embrace the power of jumping, and the stories behind their jumps.
It is, simply enough, the sort of community the Internet should have been designed to build. But all it really took was a leap of faith.
WHAT EXACTLY IS JUMP BECAUSE?
It's easier to see and understand than to explain, but Jump Because is essentially a weblog filled with photos of people jumping. People all over the world jumping. Alone and with their best friend, in small groups and large, in snowy fields and on cobbled streets. Jump Because shares their images, and their stories.
When you ask the Jump Because team about their favorite jumps, they immediately go personal. Their favorites are the jumps that touch them emotionally -- jumps that scratch at memories, bubble with joy or celebrate life.
Paula, for instance, appears to value a series of jumps made by a guy out West for a couple of reasons. "Over the summer, we received some amazing jumps from Donald," she writes. "He must have sent us 10 photos, of jumps he and his friends have done over the past few years. Along with the photos, which were awesome in and of themselves, he also wrote us the nicest message about how happy he was to have found our site."
You get the sense that what touched Paula most is that Jump Because made Donald happy. (Here are three of Donald's jumps that Paula liked best: Jump One, Jump Two, Jump Three)
And it is one of Paula's jumps that touches Lily deeply.
"I was extremely touched by this one; and love it because I thought it was such a beautiful way to remember Bob Johnson, the father of one of her best friends," Lily writes. It's a photo of five young woman jumping on a sunlit lawn; the caption reads, "We jump for Bob Johnson. We jump because life is too short to stand still."
Yes, the Jump Becausers still jump. They jump for the same reasons their contributors seem to jump.
"I jump because it its really hilarious and always makes me laugh," writes Sarah. "It also makes me remember that I am still very young, both at heart and in body. I also have found that jumps bring people together and create an organic shared experience."
"Because its fun, it feels good, it’s a nice stretch" agrees Erin. "I feel the most relaxed, most happy, most stress-free when I jump!"
WHAT A DIFFERENCE 8 MONTHS MAKES
The first jumps happened during that weekend at the beach this past February; they were posted on May 3. A few hundred jumps later...
The original Jumpers sound simultaneously enthused about where the site has gone in a few short months, and utterly attached to its original mission.
"The original idea was to spread the joy of the jump," Sarah writes about the original purpose of the Jump Because site.
"Our hope was that our site would give people a way of sharing with others their own jumping experiences and stories," Paula writes. "It has definitely done that; we are really proud of this project and are thrilled that so many people are enjoying the joy of the jump along with us!"
"Now we get jumps from around the world, and from many many people we don't know," Lily adds. "I love this. I love that people love to jump elsewhere. Jumping in different locations is definitely not a new concept and not our idea -- we were fortunate to think of tying the pictures to everyone's individual stories."
"We’ve inspired people to jump, have fun, enjoy the simple things" Erin points out.
It's the stories that make Jump Because a daily destination for many people.
"I also think that visiting the site and seeing the jumps for the day has become a ritual of sorts for many friends and family," Sarah writes. "It's very cool to think about Jump Because as a morning coffee break or some other daily routine for visitors."
"Jump Because has remained a grassroots, word-of-mouth project," Lily writes. "This is part of what I love about it."
What comes after Jump?
"Oh wow, I have no idea, FLYING! HUMAN FLYING!" Erin exclaims. "Just kidding, I think we would like to become more of an organization, possibly a non-profit."
In the meantime, you can get your jump on at Jump Because. Go ahead, and jump!
MOST POPULAR JUMP PHOTO
A photo of a kayak going off a launch point on the Lehigh River (below) in tandem with someone doing a backflip from the rock wall has received the most hits. " It's up there for a reason - this is a really amazing jump, and the story behind it makes it even more special," Paula writes. The caption reads: We jump because gravity is God's gift to mankind. Live, Fly, Love! -- Alex (in the kayak; recently returned from Iraq and is using kayaking to bring joy back into his life) and Doug (back flip). Shannon captured the image.
JUMPS THE JUMPERS WOULD LOVE TO SEE
Paula: I have a friend from college, Brian W., who refuses to jump. He thinks it's all a little strange, but I think he'd really benefit from -- and enjoy -- the jumping. I would love to see my Grandma Rose jump. Aside from not feeling well over the last several months, she is also very bored ... and jumping is a good cure for that. My third jumping nomination would go to Hilary Clinton; she was originally my first choice for the democratic nominee, and there's no doubt that she came off as a little rigid to the public. I am not suggesting that jumping would have helped her candidacy...but now that she's out of the running, I think she should take a deep breath...and Jump!
Lily: Clarissa Pinkola Estes (author). Michelle Obama. Oprah.
Sarah: Barack Obama and his family. Bruce Springsteen, because I am in love with him and I think that his jump would pretty much exemplify what we are going for. My brother because he refuses to jump.
Erin: Man, I’m not sure. I would invite Ellen Degeneres because she’s hilarious and would probably love to jump. Obama, I mean he’s running for president. Michael Phelps, because he’s a swimming legend.
MEET THE JUMP BECAUSERS
Erin: I moved to Richmond two years ago and currently work at Target as an executive for human resources. Past the boring stuff, I love to white water kayak and mountain bike, I'd say its two of my favorite outdoor activities. I also love playing basketball. Oh yeah, I'm in grad school right now too. I have a dog and a cat that are family. Currently I'm getting into gardening, growing tons of tomatoes and peppers.
Lily: In my other life when I am not jumping, I am a doctoral student in child clinical and developmental psychology, an avid craft-pursuer and wanna-be painter, a kayaker, and a music lover. I love my friends and family and I love working with kids. I love my cat, who's named Thelonious (after Monk) James (after our wonderful RVA river), and my roommate's irish setter, Dublin. I love jumping and laughing. And I especially love eating mangos.
Paula: I am originally from Michigan and moved to Richmond last year after living in Connecticut for a few years. I have a background in art, and am in my second year of graduate school in the department of psychology (developmental program) at VCU. When I'm not busy with school or jump because, I like riding my bike around Richmond, doing yoga, hanging out by the river, playing my flute, eating really good food, and spending time with friends.
Sarah: I work in the Department of Art Education at VCU teaching one class each semester and the rest of the time I am an administrator. I have many hobbies but lately I spend my time kayaking, playing guitar, making art, quilting and traveling.
