During yesterday’s National Night Out event in Petersburg, investigative reporter Parker Slaybaugh of WRIC-TV 8 got a chance to show off his fearless jump-rope skills.

Style asked him how he got so good at Double Dutch, and he said he wasn’t sure — but that he enjoyed the experience, which he posted to his Facebook page.

“So often lately, I am in Petersburg for stories that may be negative in nature so it was fun to hang out with the families there and have fun with them and show even the news comes around for fun times and not just the bad,” Slaybaugh wrote in an e-mail. “Being a Tri-Cities native … I love Colonial Heights and Petersburg and was glad I could spend some time with these great folks.”

Consider us impressed, Parker. You’ve set a new high bar — er, rope? — for Richmond television reporters. If VCU’s mass communications school isn’t at least teaching its students to play dodge ball, we consider it falling down on the job.