Varsity Double Dutch

Beginning in the Spring of 2009, Double Dutch became an officially sanctioned varsity sport in New York City public schools. School officials say adding double dutch to the calendar should get hundreds of students participating in an enjoyable aerobic activity. Ruth Payne, a retired drug-prevention counselor who coaches double dutch, was a major force behind persuading the athletic league to add the sport to its roster.
"It's a great thing," she said. "Thousands of girls jump rope, but they do it as a recreational sport, just for fun. For it to be in the schools, that means it's getting good recognition as a sport."

Double dutch will officially be coed, though the great majority of participants are girls. "Jump In!" a 2007 Disney cable movie, starred Corbin Bleu as a high schooler who defies gender stereotypes by forsaking boxing for double dutch.

School sports officials hope to start with 10 to 15 double dutch teams spread among the five boroughs. Payne, who coaches Brooklyn's Jammin' Jumpers double dutch team, said young people who participate in the sport learn skills that will help them succeed in life.
They learn how to negotiate," she said. "They learn how to talk, they learn discipline. And they learn to work together."

Superwoman!

This past weekend at a "healthy kids fair" Michelle Obama truly inspired us all. She led by example and jumped double dutch (and hula hooped and jumped mini hurdles) at the event on the South Lawn. How can you resist kicking your shoes off and joining in with the First Lady? She shows us that we can have a little fun and get fit at the same time? Lets do it!!!

Seriously???

To promote its new Amp energy drink, Pepsi has released "Amp Up Before You Score," an iPhone app to help guys make advances with 24 "types" of women. Are they serious? What do you think?

F.Y.I. Pepsi pulled the app on October 24th. "We have decided to discontinue the AMP iPhone application," a Pepsi spokesman told AdWeek. "We've listened to a variety of audiences and determined this was the most appropriate course of action."

Shame On You, Polo Man...

From the, "You Can't Be Serious" department comes this story. It turns out that model Filippa Hamilton (5'10", 120lbs.) was fired for being overweight. And, to add insult to injury, her body was photoshopped nearly to the point of a caricature in what has to be one of the oddest looking ads from a well known designer...

Ralph Lauren has since apologized for the image (not for the firing - they're standing behind that decision). Hopefully, the young girls aspiring to this image of thinness and beauty heard the apology.

But, let's not delude ourselves. Even if they did hear the apology, the real message has already been sent...

Where It All Began

It's been 11 years since The Girls Project was first created. The program was developed in response to bullying and name-calling at The Neighborhood School. The school's principal Judith Foster felt that the overall culture of the school had to be addresses where such issues where concerned.

It is quite rewarding to see that after a decade, our program's value is still felt. Topics have since been expanded to cover a wide range of social issues, as well as to accommodate the demands of boys who wanted a similar space. And, schools and CBO's continue to contact us about training their teachers and staff and implementing our curricula into their organizations.

And, it is humbling to see that our pilot site is still running our programs. The teachers there believe in the effects of such an empowerment program on their students; as do we. Thanks to The Neighborhood School!