Doubletime

Terrific Documentary on a little know competitive sport - with a killer soundtrack!
In the tradition of such documentaries as "Hoop Dreams" (basketball), "Drumline" (marching band competition), and even "Mariachi High" (a wonderful PBS DVD on Mariachi Band competitions which I reviewed last month), comes this 89-minute documentary about - of all things - competitive rope skipping/jumping. In the 1970s two different organizations were formed for two slightly different "sports". There was "rope skipping" in which a single person skipped over a rope as many times as they could in an allotted time. This attracted mostly white high school students. Another organization set up international competitions for "double dutch", where two members of the team turn TWO ropes - in opposite directions - which other members (sometimes as many as three) perform "tricks" (somersaults, head spins) between the turning ropes. The competitors in the latter were primarily black high schools. The competitions because international when the Japanese kids incorporated kung-fu moves into the...

best jump rope documentary i've seen
This jump rope documentary is a gem! My daughter is on a competitive jump rope team, and we cannot get enough jump rope in our house! Having scoured the internet for jump rope videos of any type - whether it's a documentary, fiction, or educational (i.e. tricks), this one is my favorite. It is a real life documentary of two very different competitive teams making their way to square off at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The jumpers that are featured are varied and interesting, and the maker does a great job of highlighting the fundamental differences between the two teams (i.e. socio-economic differences) without it becoming overkill. The jump rope content is excellent, and although it features primarily double dutch, I think it has no trouble appealing to those who compete in individual events. For anybody who is "into" jumping rope, or for anybody interested in the historical or cultural aspects of this sport, I would recommend this whole-heartedly!

Enligthening Docu About the World of Competitive Jumping!!
Before watching this documentary, I knew there was competitive double dutch jumping competition but I never knew of the the split between double dutch and jump rope groups! It was very enlightening and very enjoyable to see these kids truly enjoy this little known competitive sport. My heart went out to every child and coach in the documentary watching their passion and efforts! This documentary is really a must see for everyone and especially for teachers to inspire determination in their students to be leaders and individuals!

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