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."