- Double Dutch (jump rope)
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Children playing Double Dutch in Buenos Aires
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.
Contents
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 became a varsity sport in New York City public high schools.[2]
Technique
US sailors and marines participate in a double dutch contest on the deck of the USS Saipan during a ship celebration.Playing double dutch involves at least three people: one or more jumping, and two turning the ropes. The ones holding the ropes are called the turners. A jumper usually performs tricks that may involve gymnastics or breakdance, and may also incorporate fancy foot movements.
Double dutch is often accompanied by singing to help the players stay in rhythm.
Double Dutch in the Media
Doubletime, the documentary from Discovery FIlms, tells the story of the historic meet-up of rope skipping and double dutch. The film follows two top teams; the Bouncing Bulldogs and the Double Dutch Forces, as they train to compete against each other for the very first time. The competition takes place at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
In 2005, Elizabeth Verity, aka Double Dutch Girl, is jumping her way around the U.S. raising money for the troops. Double Dutch Girl has already jumped rope in St. Louis, Chicago, Washington and several small towns throughout the Midwest. Ultimately, her goal is to jump rope in all 50 states. [3]
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![4], 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.[5]
The Dutch Girl character from Wee Sing's Grandpa's Magical Toys partially gets her name from double dutch.
The music video to the 2010 track by DJ Fresh, Gold Dust, centres around double dutch skipping.In the music video of Yves Larock hit 2007 track Rise Up , double dutch is the theme used.
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 is also an integral part of USA Jump Rope Tournaments as well as AAU and the Junior Olympic Games.
Double dutch competitions are categorized as compulsory, freestyle, 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]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Google MLK Day logo
- Veronica Chambers, Double Dutch, ISBN 978-0-7868-0512-9, 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 0-8147-3120-1, Published 2006 NYU Press
External links
Categories:- Children's games
- Games of physical skill
- Aerobic exercise
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