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Putting Studley On The Map ™/ Text / The Cut / Photography / Courtesy of UK Rope Skipping Team 13th August 2008 When a group of US athletes came to Studley Junior School almost 20 years ago, no one would have guessed the legacy they would leave on the small Warrickshire town. The athletes came to promote skipping, introduce the school to Double Dutch - skipping as a sport, as opposed to just a playground activity. Today there are over 60 members of The Blue and White Rope Skippers’ association, which was formed officially in 1990 to give young people an opportunity to continue to develop their skipping having been sold on the idea from their transatlantic cousins. Their members now range in age from 6 to 60 plus, though the focus is on under 20s. Although rope skipping is not yet an official Olympic sport, the UK Team are the one of the official UK Olympic Mascots for 2012. ‘Skipping is enjoying a revival, not only a playground game, but as an organised activity to improve concentration and behaviour.’ So says BRSA club manager and trainer, Sue Dale. Dale’s daughters Beci and Rachael are among the stars of the UK skipping team, with Rachael having recently set a new UK record of 94 jumps in 30 seconds. This summer the BWRS and BRSA will be in South Africa showing off their skills in the annual World Championships. Other achievements to date include performing in music videos for Madonna and James Morrison and getting up there on BBC’s finest, Blue Peter. Double Dutch has its home in the sidewalks of New York after Dutch settlers bought it over to what was then New Amsterdam in the 1800’s. The game is best known for the urban renaissance in the mid 1970s when unlikely detective duo David Walker and Ulysess Williams went on a mission to develop the sport in NYC state schools. The origins of the sport are said to be traceable to ancient Phoenecian, Egyptian and Chinese ropemakers. So, from ancient Egypt to contemporary Britain, the UK’s young skipping talent are putting both Studley and skipping back on the map. British Rope Skipping Association: www.brsa.org.uk Blue and White Rope Skippers		Issue Two Aug 2008 Reggie Yates Interview Road To 2012 : Olympics Special Road To Carnival Fashion Freedom At A Price Red Hot Interview Nash Money Sneakers Micachu Interview Natty Interview Life In The Marine Corps Parents Meet The Teenagers Young Londoners Meet The Cast Of Adulthood Cyko Logic Interview Fred Butler : Prop Stylist Interview Immortal Technique Review Made In Queens Victor Timofeev : Artist Interview Ricky Powell Interview Twizzle Interview Flywear Feature Top Girl Film Feature Queen Of Nations Not Without My Sister Sky's The Limit Career's Advice Issue One March 2008 Bashy Interview The Cool Kids Lady Lykes Grimes New School Rowdy Superstar Interview The Sound Of Reason Slash Interview Hoxton Vs Hampstead Fashion Young Designers Lucinda Chua Interview Will Kay Interview The Brothers Size Chris Lambert Duane Henry Drug Trafficking Feature Does My Bum Look Big in This Life After Prison Whats Upsetting Our Children MP Julia Goldsworthy Autechre Live In London Hardcore Is More Than Music Media Box Paddington Development Trust The Cut On Myspace