World skipping champion jumps into Hamilton

Two hundred Waikato schoolchildren will attend coaching sessions with Peter Nestler, the world skipping champion, next month as part of a Heart Foundation Jump Rope for Heart initiative.

Skipping world champion Peter Nestler is jumping across the country and due to land in Hamilton soon.

The seven-time world champion will hold a motivational skipping workshop for around 200 Waikato students on June 1 at the Hamilton Gardens.

Whitiora Primary School pupils will attend the skipping workshop
Whitiora Primary School pupils (from left) Johlene Waiti, Ammol Sagar, Mark Eludo and Sia Laulaupeaalu will attend the skipping workshop

The Hamilton stop-off is part of the Heart Foundation’s Jump Rope for Heart with a World Champion Tour.

Nicole Bremner from the Heart Foundation described Peter as a terrific ambassador for the programme.

“Across New Zealand 95,000 students take part in Jump Rope for Heart but we also have the third highest rate of obesity in the world so it is important to get more people involved,” Ms Bremner said.

“He is so inspiring and young people really relate to him, his skipping career has even led him to be a stunt double in an Adam Sandler movie.”

Paul Cooper the Principal of Whitiora Primary School, which will send a group of students to the workshop, said he is very excited the children can participate.

“It is a tremendous opportunity for the students to broaden their horizons and see skipping in a new way.”

Mr Nestler will visit 22 cities in New Zealand in just over one month to share his story of success.

He said the reason he does these workshops is because he wants to introduce students to the idea that anything can become your passion or a life-changing activity.

Originally from Alaska, Mr Nestler now makes a living travelling the world, holding motivational workshops. He visits around 350 schools a year.

Jump Rope for Heart is an in-school initiative started 25 years ago by the Heart Foundation which promotes skipping as an accessible and affordable way to keep New Zealand’s children active.