Double dutch is a game in which two long jump ropes turning in opposite directions are jumped by one or more players jumping simultaneously.
While Double Dutch began in the inner cities of America, it is growing in popularity throughout the US and the world.[1] Competitions in Double Dutch range from block parties to the world level.
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History
It is debated whether Double Dutch came over with the first Dutch settlers or appeared in the first half of the 1900s.[1]
Beginning spring of 2009, Double Dutch will become a varsity sport in New York City public high schools.[2]
Technique
Playing Double Dutch involves at least three people total: one or more jumping and two turning the ropes. The people holding the ropes are called the turners. A person jumping usually does tricks that may involve gymnastics or break dancing and can also incorporate fancy foot movements.
Double Dutch is often accompanied by singing to help the players stay in rhythm.
Double Dutch in the Media
The 2007 Disney Channel original movie Jump In! features Double Dutch as the central element of its plot. Jump In! features the Dutch Dragons, based on a real Double Dutch team from 1997 in Harlem. JUMP![3], an award-winning documentary following five teams from around the United States who push their physical and psychological limits in pursuit of winning the World Rope Skipping Championship, also premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2007
On January 15, 2007, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Google homepage featured a Double Dutch logo with black children playing with white children, emblematic of the realization of Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech in 1963.[4]
Competitive Double Dutch
The National Double Dutch League holds yearly camps and a Holiday Classic, in which teams from all over the world compete.
Double Dutch competitions are categorized as compulsory, free style and speed rope.
References
- ^ a b http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119448972267686072.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
- ^ Hu, Winnie. Double Dutch Gets Status in the Schools, New York Times, July 31, 2008
- ^ [1]
- ^ Google MLK Day logo
- Veronica Chambers, Double Dutch, ISBN 978-0786805129, Jump At The Sun; 1 edition (October 14, 2002)
- Kyra D. Gaunt, The Games Black Girls Play: Learning the Ropes from Double-Dutch to Hip-hop, ISBN 0814731201, Published 2006 NYU Press
External links
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