My post the other day about Double Dutch  concentrated on style and performance in sports, but the activity's history in New York City is just as interesting.  Though it's just been implemented as a varsity sport in High Schools quite recently, it's been happening on a community level for decades.  In a 2005 article about the sport, Kate Greer interviewed the man  responsible for bringing organized double dutch competitions to New York City.  From the article:  “In 1974, that’s when it started, in Harlem, at Intermediate School 10,” [David] Walker says. Then a New York police detective, Walker and his partner, Detective Ulysses Williams, worked with physical education instructors at I.S. 10 to devise rules and structure that would transform the game into a competitive sport."

Greer also interviewed Betty Cooper, a longtime double dutch coach.  She said “it helped them to come to school more often, and lot of them did pass their grades.” and  the article continues "All four of the eighth-grade girls on last year’s team, Jumpers Unlimited 2, have since gone on to high school. Their squad placed second overall at the World Double Dutch competition in Sumter, South Carolina, an impressive feat for girls who had been jumping for only a year or two.".  In lots of inner-city neighborhoods, drop out rates are through the roof and engaging students is a trying battle, and Double Dutch seems to be something that really appeals to kids.  Double Dutch's appeal has definitely proven itself to be international, but it's also great knowing that after all these years, Double Dutch can still make difference for kids growing up in the same streets where it originated.