Shayla Nunez
Jayden Rodriguez
Senior Double Dutch Captain Jayden Roderigez competes against other high school teams. He shares his experience about the season so far.
Q: What makes the team special?
A: We are champions from the 2023-2024 Double dutch season for PSAL.
Q: What strategies do you and the team use that no team would suspect?
A: We use me and Kyheem’s athleticism to the greatest lengths we can because we play multiple sports so we make sure that everytime we come we go strong and try to be counted as possible.
Q: Do these Strategies help other team members try new things as well?
A: Yeah once they see athletic things they want to get in the rope and try new things and the combination is already there because we have practice with each other.
Q: What is the team Dynamic?
A:Double Dutch is a very highly communicative sport. You have to make sure everyone knows what everyone is doing and make sure that everyone is on the same page and we try to take in count on peoples moods and the aspects of the game and take in people’’s feelings.
Q: What do you see yourself accomplishing in five to 10 years?
A: Yes of course I see myself doing this in college and anybody can come and jump and be able to show their talent on a team and people from highschool taught that they didn;t think that they can do any sport and they started Double Dutch.
Q: Are there any short term goals you’d like to accomplish in the next few months to a couple of years?
A: Yes I want to go back to back to be two time Double Dutch Champion, Yes I want everyone to know how to jump, turn and be comfortable inside the rope and be confident in themselves and their teammates, I just want everyone to learn how to do everything.
Q: Which strengths do you believe you have that make you a great athlete?
A: Yes So, like I was saying earlier I am Athletic, I use that in the rope and stay consistent and stay on my grid.
Q: As Team Captain, what are some strengths that you would like to see in your team?
A: I see their ability to communicate and work with each other that is the biggest strength in Double Dutch. If no one is Communicating it doesn’t matter how athletic you are and how good you are because you are never going to win.
Q: Why are you so passionate about playing sports?
A: The reason I joined Double Dutch to get out of the head space that I was in. I was really doing nothing with my life and I joined DD to find a community. They made me feel heard and they made me realize that it is okay to mess up. and Wwe go on long trips and we get to learn more about each other and we can help each other out with personal situations.
Q: Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?
A: Yeah so I definitely look up to my coach and I’m inspired by my teammates, My coach specifically. If it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have a team. I respect her because of that and she has a busy schedule and she sacrifices time and money for us and you know it’s hard to repay everything that she does for us. For my teammates, that young inexperienced but hungry feeling I really like . It inspires me to get better at my craft but teaches people to get better because at a certain point they would be at the same level as you but I just want to keep improving, especially in Double Dutch.
Q: How have the past teams you’ve been n made you a better player?
A: Two seasons ago we got last place in city championships for Double Dutch in we were projects to get third place and we were really ashamed of ourselves, we could have done some much better that day that circumstances weren’t in our favor, the next season we don’t want to let that happen again, the next upcoming season we got people that were reliable, consistent, hardworking not just in the rope but also, in the classroom, so we just foster a great team just picking and scouting.
Q: Have you ever picked up on any skills from previous team captains or will help the team for a new team Captain?
A: I have learned a lot from my two previous team cCaptains. Tanaisha . She taught me how to do the different categories. She taught me how to do speed, compulsory and freestyle. For Ne-Ashia she taught me how to turn better and she just kept giving me feedback on the three styles that the previous captain taught me. As Captain, yes I do want to send a message to my Co-Capatin and teammates to keep on improving because there’s a lot that I don’t know. and It’s good because they can bring something new to the table, or they have a specific skill that I might not have done yet, which I appreciate and everyone that finds their own roles on the team. you don’t have to do anything by yourself.
Q: Any last words?
A: I take academics very seriously. I would probably just coach and be on the sidelines with just the help that they need therefore give them the motivation. I want to make people understand that they can do things that they thought were impossible.