What do a forgotten airstrip and a jump rope team have in common? They’re both soaring in Southern Wake. First, how three entrepreneurs turned a crumbling Fuquay-Varina runway into a high-stakes aviation bet. Then, meet the Super Skippers—38 Cary kids headed to the World Jump Rope Championships in Japan. One said yes on a whim, the other jumped in feet first. Plus, a dad joke that should never be cleared for takeoff.
Transcript
[0:00] Hi, I’m Steve, your friend, your neighbor, and your host here at Good Morning Wake County. Thanks for joining me today, where we skip the noise and start the day off with something good. Now, imagine this. You’re sitting at the airport waiting for a flight, and someone calls and says, Hey, you want to buy an airport? I mean, what would you say? Well, stick around. We’ve got a tale of unexpected ambition, plus a carry team of jump ropers heading to Japan. And they’ll leave you smiling and maybe questioning, what were you doing at 12 years old? Oh, and today’s dad joke is all about air travel and why TSA agents never moonlight as comedians. Let’s get into it.
[0:47] It wasn’t much more than a ghost town runway. Grass six feet high, cracks deep enough to swallow your landing gear. and one old airstrip so forgotten, even the runway couldn’t keep a straight line. But that’s what Mark Saad saw when he said yes, hell yes, to be exact, to a call offering him the chance to buy a rundown airport in Fuquay Verena. Now, here’s the twist. Saad’s not a pilot. He’s a footwear entrepreneur, a real estate guy. He just liked the idea of making something fly. So he and two friends, all construction pros, bought the old Triple W Airport last October for $1.4 million. And since then, they’ve poured in another $3 million and renamed it to Southern Wake Regional Airpark.
[1:43] They widened the runway to 55 feet. They stretched it to 4,000 feet, long enough for turboprops. They dug out old fuel pumps, found an abandoned airplane in the woods, and even salvaged a 30-stall bathroom facility from a construction site in Virginia. They’re not just rebuilding a landing strip. They’re reviving a dream. Now, the airport doesn’t qualify for FAA grant money, but it does qualify, sad believes, for something else.
[2:14] The chance to reshape Southern Wake County’s economic future. Mayor Blake Massengill agrees He sees a future where the airport becomes a launch pad Literally and figuratively For jobs, tourism, and tax revenue, Already there’s a possible flight school in the works And SAD himself plans to take lessons Because as he put it It’s being able to just take off, Nothing’s scarcer Than a new airstrip in Wake County And these guys didn’t just find one They gave it back its wings, He didn’t just buy an airport He bought a second chance for a runway That still had somewhere to go.
[3:05] They go by the name Super Skippers, and trust me, they don’t play jump rope. They compete globally. This carry-based team from the Northwest Carry YMCA is heading to Japan next week to represent the U.S. In the 2025 World Jump Rope Championships. Among the 38 jumpers? 12-year-old Sophia Cherico. Sophia wasn’t even looking to join the team. She was just jump roping at the Y with her dad one day when someone said, Hey, are you on the Super Skippers?
[3:39] She wasn’t, but a week later, she was. Now she’s training three days a week and competing in five events on the world stage. This isn’t just a cute story about kids and jump ropes. No, Super Skippers are national champions, repeat winners of USA Jump Rope titles, and a real community force. They host local tournaments, they run camps, they show up at charity events And most importantly, they show what happens when a tight-knit team sets big goals Sophia says what stands out isn’t just the medals or the speed She says, no, it’s the people, Everybody is so nice, and it’s a really nice chance to meet up with other people In a time when sports can feel divisive and overhyped One carry teen just quietly ropes the world in One jump at a time Hey, they’re not chasing medals They’re skipping straight into global hearts.
[4:39] So here’s your dad joke Why don’t TSA agents ever become stand-up comedians? Because their timing’s always off.
[4:51] If something in this show made you pause or smile Tell someone, or better yet, tell someone who needs to hear it. That’s how good stories travel. And if you enjoyed the podcast today, it’s free to subscribe. Hit the like button, follow it, favorite it, give it a kiss, or tell someone about it. It’ll help me, it’ll help you too, and I love win-win outcomes. And when you hit that like button or follow, it tells the algorithm, hey, this was worth listening to. And that helps more folks find their way here. Always remember, good neighbors are everywhere. Stay awesome. See ya.