The Troy Pop Rocks were formed in 2009 by Troy City Schools physical education teacher Josh Oakes.
But the Pop Rocks were truly the idea of students. During a unit on jump rope in gym class, Mr. Oakes showed a video clip showing advanced jump rope routines. The children in his class were inspired by what they saw and asked if they could form a jump rope team at the school.
After making this request several times, their persistence paid off and Mr. Oakes did create a team that offered students the chance to jump for fitness and fun after school.
But it wasn’t long before these kids wanted to take it to the next level and perform.
The evolution from a fitness/social activity to a performance team took place over the course of several years.
The demands of a performance team are extremely high. It requires a high level of skill, a routine of hundreds of steps choreographed to music and a LOT of practice to get it down.
Fast forward to today. The team, which includes students from Troy in grades 3-8, is a traveling performance team. Performance locations include local high school games and colleges and other special venues across the Midwest.
Key venues have included Duke University, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue University, the University of Louisville, the University of Wisconsin, the Harlem Globetrotters, the University of Dayton, Butler University, University of Illinois, the University of Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, West Virginia University, Penn State, and the NCAA basketball tournament in addition to colleges throughout our home state of Ohio and out of state.
To request a performance, please contact Coach Josh Oakes at troypoprocks@gmail.com.
The Pop Rocks at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. |
The Pop Rocks at the KFC YUM! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. |
The Pop Rocks at Mackey Arena at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. |