At age 75, Annie Judis made history as the Guinness World Record’s oldest competitive rope skipper by jumping continuously for one minute. Now, one year later, she beat her own record by jumping for twice the time.
During a competition in San Diego on Feb. 23, the 76-year-old Judis startled the judges by entering the stage dressed as a gray-haired, bent-over woman on a walker. But, once she stood before the panel, Judis ditched the disguise and emerged fit, trim and looking decades younger.
Donning her rope, she commenced to jump for two-minutes-and-20 seconds, which resulted in her setting a new record in that category. Naturally the arena erupted in applause witnessing her presentation.
“I shocked myself,” said Judis. “This is the longest that I have ever jumped. I can’t believe it. I am the oldest person in the world jumping!”
Her performance has garnered more than 21,000 views on YouTube. Also, scores of comments were shared such as “Amazing work, Annie” from the Jump Rope Dudes and “So fun seeing you in action” from Jump Rope Mom. The responses just inspire Judis to continue incorporating the activity into her daily routine.
In a Jan. 2020 interview with the Sentinel, Judis cited the many benefits of jumping rope including burning calories, maintaining a youthful appearance and feeling good mentally, physically and spiritually.
“I just want people to think about their health because it is so important. If you don’t have your health, nothing else is good. I am grateful to be living now at 76 and I have no pain or problems yet,” she said at the time.
Judis still abides by that philosophy and encourages others to adopt a more active lifestyle. “If you can jump five-minutes-a-day, it will keep you in good health. It’s good for both young kids and older people. A lot of people can’t afford to go to a gym, but you can jump at home and you can lose a lot of weight,” she insisted.
In addition to jumping, Judis is an active member of the Walkie Talkies, a group of 25-to-28 people who travel about three miles every Monday in the Santa Monica area. She makes regular visits to the gym as well.
Painting is another outlet that Judis pursues. She has created several works of art that hang throughout her home and designed illustrations for books, “The Fish That Lives in a Tree” and “Me and Turtle,” written by acclaimed children’s author Cal Wilson. If there’s any additional spare time, Judis devotes it to expanding her gourmet cooking skills.
With her husband, Gary, along with four children and other family members, Judis’ life is full and she admits, “I’m really blessed and happy.” Still, she’s looking forward to the 2021 Guinness competition.
“I will compete next year if I can still jump,” declared Judis. “Actually, I will keep jumping until I can’t jump anymore. I need some kind of challenge, so I figure I’ll just challenge myself.
“A lot of people do not jump at my age. They don’t even jump in their 60s. So, I figure this is an easy way for me to keep going!”
