Double the Fun
By Beth Hering

Why are kids in New York who love Double Dutch jumping for joy? The popular street pastime is becoming an official sport in New York City high schools in the spring of 2009!

Double Dutch is easy to practice on the playground or on sidewalks because all it requires is two long jump ropes and at least three people. Two turners twirl the ropes in egg-beater (crisscross) style while one or more jumpers move between the ropes.

Anybody who has tried this type of jump roping, however, knows that it is far from simple. Double Dutch takes a great deal of endurance and practice. School officials hope that by making it a competitive sport that more kids will reap the health benefits of a great aerobic workout as well as learn the value of teamwork.

Matches will be scored on a point system. Judges will be looking for things such as speed, fancy footwork, tricks, and cheers. While organizers believe most of the participants will be girls, the sport will be open to boys too. (To see just how amazing both boys and girls can be at Double Dutch, check out the Disney Channel Original Movie “Jump In!” starring Corbin Bleu.)

With New York City high schools being the first to field Double-Dutch teams, they will be limited at the moment to competing against one another. But who knows in the future? As students and administrators from other areas see how fun and challenging the sport can be, Double Dutch may become a regular extracurricular activity throughout the nation.

Did You Know?

It is believed that children of Dutch settlers in the Hudson River trading town of New Amsterdam were the first to play the two-jump-rope game in America , giving rise to the name Double Dutch.

In the 1800s, Double Dutch was played mostly by boys. When girls started getting into it, they added more of the tricky movements and rhythmic chants that are part of Double-Dutch culture today.

During World War II when money was tight, many kids twirled two clotheslines instead of real jump ropes.

The pastime of Double Dutch was first organized into a competitive team sport by David A. Walker in the early 1970s. Mr. Walker was a New York City Police Community Affairs Detective who often saw neighborhood kids enjoying this type of jump roping. The first tournament he held drew around 600 participants!

Double Dutch is an official event at the Amateur Athletic Union’s Junior Olympics.

American kids aren’t the only ones who enjoy Double Dutch. The pastime is especially popular in Japan and England .