by Corinna Craddock

Created on: June 11, 2009

How many of us are familiar with the children's rope jumping game, Double Dutch? Do we all remember playing with other children who turned two long jump-ropes in opposite directions while one child jumped inside both jump-ropes? Did you ever imagine that Double Dutch would become a national sport? How about the sport of tournaments all over the world?

Game turned Sport

Double Dutch was made into a sport by a man named David A. Walker. In 1973, Mr. Walker was a Community Affairs Detective with the New York City Police Department. Walker teamed up with physical education instructors and a man named Ulysses Williams to develop the game into a competitive team sport. Not only did Walker turn the game into a sport, he saved it from extinction.

During World War II, children could be seen jumping rope everywhere in what is now New York City. It was the music and television explosion of the 1950s that caused jumping rope and other sidewalk games to be forgotten. Plus, crowded cities were lacking space for outside recreation.

History of Double Dutch

It was ancient rope makers that invented the game that is called Double Dutch today. Phoenician, Egyptian, and Chinese workers used to make rope during a process called the rope-walk. Rope-walks were done in a space long enough for 900 feet or more of rope. The workers tied a bunch of hemp around their waste and also tied two strands to a wheel. The workers then walked backward while they twisted the strands into a perfect rope.

Runners were men who supplied the workers with hemp for the ropes they were spinning. To deliver the hemp to the workers, the runners had to run and jump over the strands of rope many times. The game they invented from this job was shared with their families and passed down the generations.

The Dutch settlers brought the game to the banks of the Hudson River where there was a trading town at what is now New York City. When the English settlers came, and saw children playing their game, they renamed it Double Dutch. The game grew in popularity, until the time of World War II, when it could be seen played on side walks everywhere.

Modern Day Tournaments

In 1974 the first Double Dutch tournament was help and included 600 jumpers. Walker formed the American Double Dutch League (ADDL). The ADDL was the first national governing board of the sport. Walker later formed the first international governing board and also a world class team of champions. Today the Double Dutch is the style of jumping used at the international event, the Double Dutch Holiday Classic and many other tournaments across the world.

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