A professional speed skipper and double world-record holder from Bedford has been given a boost by Lucozade Sport in lockdown.
Skip Beatz’s Pete Thompson is passionate about the power of skipping and also runs educational behavioural programmes for schools and organisations.
Since lockdown began, Lucozade Sport asked fitness trainers and sports coaches to send in videos of their lockdown training sessions, with a lucky few being selected and shared on the brand’s social media channels and given £1,000.
Pete’s training session ‘Skip for Joy’ was screened on 13 May, reaching Lucozade’s 38,000+ Instagram followers.
“Like most people, I’m now restricted to where I can do exercise,” said Pete, who would usually be working with challenging students in schools, or training for his next world-record attempt.
“I recorded the session in my living room, submitted it to Lucozade Sport and hoped for the best.
“It’s great to think that now people are skipping along to the Lucozade Sport workout with me.”
The session, called Skip for Joy, encapsulates the power of skipping as a fitness tool and also to help your mental health.
Pete overcame some very low periods in his life by turning to exercise, and he’s hoping that he can share the love of skipping with others to help them cope too.
Read: Pete Thompson: a world record holder who’s changing behaviour
“During lockdown, days can go by the same and you can begin to feel flat,” explained Pete. “When I deliver an assembly in schools, my adrenalin spikes, so my challenge during lockdown is to try and recreate that feeling.
“It might be that I just go for a walk; anything to change the monotony.”
Since lockdown began, Skipbeatz have sold lots of skipping ropes online, and the more they sell, the more they can help disadvantaged youngsters.
“For every ten ropes that are sold, I send ten ropes to a school to give to kids that can’t afford them,” said Pete.
To support young people struggling with their behaviour during lockdown, Pete has adapted his Exercise Behaviour programme for individual referrals and has been trialling the remote sessions with a small group of children.
Pete is also planning another world-record attempt, but this time from his living room. He’s aiming to set the record for the most continuous crossovers in a row.
He’s also set himself another challenge…
“As there’s no professional sport out there at the moment, I’ve been trying to contact Anthony Joshua to challenge him to a skipping head-to-head,” said Pete.
“Watch this space…”
