Canadian Skipper Extraordinaire
March 6, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under Hall of Fame
We’ve met many passionate skippers in the 11+ years we’ve been promoting at iSkip.com…but we’ve never encountered anyone with the vision, passion, and focus of Toronto’s Dawna Marie Wright.
Our skipping paths crossed when iSkip’s Kim Corbin read a post Dawna had left in the Urban Prankster discussion board in order to inspire flash mobbers and performance artists to participate in the first annual SKIPPING UP AND DOWN THE STREET DAY (SUDS) she’s organizing on Sunday July 31, 2011.
We asked Dawna about SUDS, her love for skipping, and more in this recent email interview…
When did you start skipping as an adult? About 4 yrs ago, I was walking with a friend who was feeling blue and I said, “Hey, let’s Skip!” and we did. We felt silly at first as people were looking at us and wondering, “what the??????” That helped us realized we liked feeling silly..and soon we were laughing and the blues began to melt away
What do you most enjoy about skipping? I like how it makes me feel..It puts me back in touch with my little girl self, full of joy and wonder.The added bonus is of course that as an adult it’s a fun way to get the heart rate up! especially if you don’t like to do aerobics or go to the gym.
What advice do you have for anyone who is hesitant to skip for fear of looking silly? Do it with a friend.. Make it a moment you can both laugh about and remember. And remember what it was like when you were a little kid.. Everyone still has a little bit of mischief in them somewhere;)
Where is your favorite place to skip? I really like being barefoot as much as possible and just came back from Costa Rica..so I’d have to say The Beach!
Tell us about SUDS! SUDS is the Acronymn for the “SKipPing Up & Down the Street Day” event I am organizing. I thought giving it an acronymn would make it a little more catchy than the long title. and even lead the way for those who were curious as to what SUDS meant/stood for:)
What inspired you to create a Skipping Up and Down the Street Day? Hmm.. It was a few years ago when I initially thought about this, “What if there was a recognized day that people could skip everywhere and anywhere without onlookers thinking they were ‘crazy’ so to speak?” Because of the advent of social media and Facebook and being able to get the word/idea out more easily I started to seriously put it into motion last summer when I was sitting around wondering what kind of good trouble I could cause. Why? I like to experiment and see what happens.) I want this to be an annual event that is as recognized as World Laughter Day (May 2nd). So far, so good.:)
How can people participate in SUDS? What do they need to do? July 31, 2011 is the inaugural date to celebrate those who already skip whenever they feel like it. It’s also the day or those who are closet skippers and/or shy to do it in public. Even it’s just a few skips on their way to work, school, or the grocery store….this is the day to give yourself permission to skip and to know that you aren’t alone. In fact, there are legions of SkiPpers from every continent!
There are plenty of ways skippers can participate.
*Visit the event’s website and become a member and/or RSVP on the event’s Facebook page.
*Make a skipping video to share your love of skipping with the world. Skipping at night? Skipping in the snow? The possibilities are endless.
*Helps us spread the word by inviting your friends and family to participate.
*Organize a fund raising skip in your home town on July 31, 2011 for the nonprofit of your choice.
We hope you will join us in supporting Dawna in the realization of her SUDS vision! RSVP on Facebook or become a member of the event’s website to show your support… also be sure to check out this fun skipping video she did to spread the word about the event:
Skip on Dawna! Skip on world!
Simon Skips!
March 6, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under Hall of Fame
We discovered Amsterdam based skipper Simon Groen thanks to the wildly popular YouTube skipping video he produced and starred in that has nearly 70K views and counting.
iSkip founder Kim Corbin recently had the opportunity to skip with Simon when he was visiting the San Francisco Bay area, and she asked him the following questions 
about his video and passion for skipping.
What inspired your video? One day I just started skipping spontaneously. A friend of mine laughed at me and as a result I tried some different kinds of skipping. Then I found comedy by skipping very energetically, while at the same moment keeping my facial expression very neutral/serious. It’s a comedian thing to search for the comic in every action.
Are you a regular skipper? Yes Definitely. I skip at least once a week.
Do you think that skipping makes the world a better place? If so, how?Skipping represents the light, happy and bright side of life. Life should be effortless in a way and skipping refers to that. Therefore I believe it makes the world a better place.
How has your video been received? Our skipping video is one of our best reviewed videos! Also some people say it reminds them of Monty Pythons ‘Ministry of Silly Walks’. I also think the success of this video can be explained by a deep human desire for skipping.
Here’s Simon’s amazing video. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Ice Skipping
January 17, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under New Jersey
On December 26th we were due for a major snowstorm here in the Northeast. I live on a lake. The lake was frozen. I went out before the snow began to fly and walked across the lake, the water was crystal clear. I wished I knew how to skate at that point because it was like a mirror, you could see right down to the bottom and the ice was like glass, not a bump or indentation. Perfect for skating. ALSO, perfect for skipping.
I don’t know what came over me and I quite frankly did NOT care what my neighbors thought. I started skipping back to the shore and across my yard. I was picking up branches that fell from the high winds the night before. I was truly enjoying the most wonderful time acting like the child, you know, the one that is in each of us and yet rarely comes out to play. Mine did that day and she had a great time. Albeit too short, but really fun. I thought to myself, I should do this more often. I am so thrilled to see your site. What a very cool thing to do – I shall think of you whenever I skip and I have indeed been skipping a lot lately.
My skipping reminded me of Phoebe on “Friends” in an episode where she was jogging – just running and swinging her arms. Such a free spirit. I was like that a whole lot more when I was younger – I think I’d like to revert back to that stage of not a care in the world. Living in the moment is great, but really enjoying it and BEING in the moment – PRICELESS!!!! -T.L. in New Jersey
Prison Skipping
January 10, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under North Carolina
After healing from an injury that caused me to leave my last job, I landed up working in a woman’s prison. I work in the Mental Health Dept. as a Rehabilitation Therapy Assistant. On Thursdays, we go to the gym. We often walk around the gym to warm up before other exercise. I had been skipping some of the distance which the women though was silly. But, eventually, one copied me and found it refreshing and then one more and one more. I wish I could send you a picture of this maximum security facility and the women with felony crimes skipping around the gym. It brings me joy just thinking of how they float along. -NC Skipper, PJ.
Woman’s World Magazine
January 5, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under Media Coverage, the latest
The Jan ’11 issue of Woman’s World Magazine encourages skipping in an article called “Start 2011 Happier than Ever”. Check out number 2..
Side Step Stress by Skipping
It may sound silly, but spending just a few minutes engaged in activity that triggers happy childhood memories can rev the release of mood-lifting brain chemicals and lower levels of angst-inducing cortisol.
So true! So true! As anyone who skips will attest. Skip on!
Solstice Skip Report
January 4, 2011 by kimskips
Filed under the latest
Chicago, IL – Chris Marshall braved snow and freezing cold to skip (and fiddle) on the Solstice! Here’s his first hand account…
The first annual Solstice Skip was a success. There was only me and my fiddle in attendance, but that was enough. There was 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground and it was about 30 degrees. Luckily, I had just found some thin gloves that I could fiddle in. I started with some fiddle-skipping around the inside of the gazebo, then went around the outside of the gazebo a few times. From there I went through the fresh snow in a big field in the park. Skipping in the snow was slow going, but it was still skipping. The tracks made from skipping in the snow were different than tracks made by walking. From the field I skipped on the shoveled sidewalk back to the gazebo for another few times around the outside of it, and then finished with a few times around the inside of it. Followed that up with a few more tunes, playing inside the gazebo. Tunes for the day were Arkansas Traveler, Blackberry Blossom, and Jack of Diamonds. Skip On, -Chris
Chris is planning future skips for the equinoxes and summer and winter solstices. He’d love to have some company. Subscribe to our mailing list or check back here for details.
Here’s an interview we did with Chris a couple of summers ago in downtown Chicago where he demonstrates his mad fiddle skipping skills…
Skip on Spokane!
December 20, 2010 by kimskips
Filed under Video Library, Washington
We recently caught up with Spokane skipper Patty Sanders after she gave this excellent talk about skipping at Ignite Spokane…and we asked her about the inspiration behind it. Here’s what she had to say…
When did you start skipping as an adult? When my kids were little and we would skip together and I realized how happy it made all of us.
What do you love most about skipping? What I love about skipping is that you can not be anything but HAPPY when you are doing it. It is real live fairy dust. Skipping produces happy thoughts and gives you the thrill of flying.
Do you skip for fitness or for fun? Skip for fun!!! If you skip FOR fitness then you have expectations and then you set yourself up to being let down if the expectations aren’t met to your satisfaction and then you will quit skipping. You skip for FUN you will never stop skipping and you will become fit.
What inspired you to create the skipping talk you gave at Ignite? I wanted to do something FUN and different. Since it isn’t an every day occurrence that you see skippers I figured there wouldn’t be a lot of us competing for that subject matter…and skipping is the most fun you can have…Just thinking about it makes you happy.
My Passion is HAPPY…my motto in life has been “when the fun runs out run with it” but I might have to revise it to “when the fun skips town skip with it”. The reaction to it was wonderful. I was happy to hear how receptive everyone was to it. Many people said they are skippers already.
What would you say to someone who is hesitant/too embarrassed to skip in public? To the hesitant and embarrassed skipper I tell them GRAB a kid and skip with them. I also remind them how happy it makes them to see other people skip…you are doing that for people when you skip…it literally is the greatest public service you can do for your community. It just makes everyone happier!!!
Skipping on Water?
The Crawfordsville (Indiana) High School Swim Team and the Sugar Creek Swim Club both do skipping as dryland work nearly every day, using it to build coordination, rhythm, and harmonic flow. We skip forward, backward, with swimming arms, without, basically any combination we can find. We also skip in the water, doing all of the above and more, including skipping into swimming, which is very cool. We skip for meet warmups, even for this year’s Indiana State Swimming Championship. No one has a clue what we are doing, ha ha, but we just skip away and then swim fast.
Keep skipping! Kent Menzel, Crawfordsville High School Swimming
Safeway Skippers
August 4, 2010 by kimskips
Filed under California (Northern)
“I work at a Safeway In Northern California. At work when a customer asks where something is we are required to ask them if they would like to be shown where the item is. Sometimes when they say yes, I start walking a few feet then I will turn to them and ask “Would you like to hold hands and skip? ” ( I must admit I only ask women) Sometimes they say “Yes!” So… off we go, and usually they start laughing and I’ve got a pretty big smile on my face too!! I think it’s fun !! Just thought you might like to know this story. Skip On!”
A Perfect Day in Mesquite, Texas
I have an unusual, but simple story. Doesn’t happen every day.
Last year, I’d started a new job and had to take the bus for a couple of hours to get there. I noticed I was feeling down before I got off the bus and said to myself…”This can be a bad day, or a really great one. It’s my choice!” So I started singing quietly to myself the theme from Legally Blonde, “It’s a Perfect Day,” and skipped across the street as I got off the bus. 
I’m 39, so this must have been amusing to the people in the 3 lanes of traffic it took to get to the median. I had to stop there to wait for the other 3 lanes of traffic to get the rest of the way across. I looked to my left and saw a piece of paper on the grass. I assumed I’d dropped a receipt and then looked again and noticed it was money….I thought I’d dropped a dollar as I’m always digging in my purse and bent down to look.
I’m never completely awake until 10 or so, so I thought my eyes were just kinda fuzzy. I unfolded the paper and saw a $10, but continued to unfold it and it was a $100 bill. I really needed the money, as I had just started working and hadn’t got my first paycheck yet. I saved it ’til the end of the day, just in case some one were to come into the office and claim it. No one did, so I ended up with the new shoes and a dress I needed to look presentable for my new job. Talk about Divine intervention! Whoo!
It might seem a little shallow to some, but that is my skipping story. I also encourage friends to skip with me. They all think I’m crazy, which is not far from the truth, but I find that every time I skip, something really great happens! It’s true! -Dawn in Mesquite, Texas
