Her name is Melanie Jump, so it’s fitting that the Bellevue Christian School student is involved in CrossFit.

At age 14, she was the youngest female competing in the age 13-17 division at The Cascade Classic event on Sept. 22 at Magnuson Park in Seattle. She finished 11th in her division and gained heaps of motivation along the way while tackling the events and interacting with her fellow athletes.

The four events are the Christine (500 meters on a rowing machine, 12 deadlifts at 105 pounds and 21 box jumps at 20 inches, all done three times); Clean and Climb (sand bag cleans at 85 pounds and rope climbs, both done numerous times); Running and Stuff (60 dumbbell squats at 35 pounds and 1,000 meter run, both done twice); and Jump and Pull (jumping while whipping a rope underfoot twice and pull ups).

“I was pretty nervous going into it because I didn’t know how I was gonna do. Once I got going, I got more confidence,” said Jump, noting that The Cascade Classic began with the first heats at 8 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. Athletes took breaks of about 1 1/2 to two hours in between events.

“I was a good feeling to be done. All the girls were cheering for each other and that was fun,” she noted about the friendly competition.

Jump, a Bellevue Christian School freshman, earned a sponsorship from 911 Driving School when CEO Joe Giammona noticed her passion for the sport and all the effort she puts into CrossFit, the athlete said.

“Her dedication and drive embody a spirit that we hope the community can look up to. We’re proud to support her as she pursues her goal of competing in the CrossFit games,” Giamonna said in a press release. As part of the sponsorship, 911 Driving School covered expenses for all of Jump’s registration and participation fees at The Cascade Classic.

The Redmond resident took up CrossFit about two years ago when she wondered what her dad was doing in the gym when he started in the sport four years ago, she said with a laugh. She first attended a kids night at CrossFit PTV in Redmond and then signed up for classes.

“I really fell in love with it and wanted to keep doing it,” said Jump, who took part in her first competition a year ago in Bellingham. “The working out is a lot of fun and having friends next to me when we compete is really awesome. The community is really friendly and we all encourage each other in our CrossFit goals.”

Jump can usually be found at the gym four to five days a week, advancing her CrossFit skills and preparing for her next competition. She’s learned a lot about diligence and how to interact with others through her sport.

“I have a lot of commitment, and it’s showed me how commitment is really important and how all (the hard work) will pay off,” she said.