Joey Ramone once sang “It’s Not My Place in the 9 to 5 World.” Tim Haft couldn’t agree more. So in July of 2006 he left his full-time position as an academic advisor at the CUNY Honors program at Hunter College and redirected all his energy into Punk Rope, the punk rock fitness class he had launched in late 2004. Not bad for a guy who had severe back problems in his 20s and now has run 3 marathons. And yes Tim is a little north of forty.
Tim is extremely driven by his values and tries hard to remain true to them. ”I made the shift because a) it’s difficult for me to work for others and b) I feel very passionate about sharing the joy of physical activity, play, and rock and roll with people of all ages.” Tim values the ability to create a workday which is directly suited to him.
What’s Punk Rope?
Tim describes Punk Rope as a combination of “recess and bootcamp”. There are now Punk Rope classes being taught in 14 states besides Tim’s own classes in NYC. Tim also does a lot of outreach targeting people who have sedentary lifestyles. I don’t think he will be content until he sees a jump rope in everyone’s hands.
As the president of Punk Rope Tim wears a variety of hats, some that fit well and some that look ridiculous, but he still loves it and has no regrets, save the lack of income. Tim teaches 3 Punk Rope classes a week in New York City and trains and certifies all the Punk Rope instructors around the country. He does all the marketing and PR himself, which has had some good results including a spot on the Martha Stewart show (how un-punk is that!). He also fills the jump rope orders, writes the lesson plans, maintain the website, publishes a weekly e-letter, handles the accounting, and on and on. “Although I’m biased, most people would say that Punk Rope is the most unique fitness class in the world and probably the most fun as well.”
You can learn more about it at www.punkrope.com and www.facebook.com/punkrope .
Punk Rope on the Practical Guide to Healthier Living from TimHaft on Vimeo.
