Kids jump at chance for state title

"Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around,

Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground,

Teddy bear, teddy bear, play some tricks,

Teddy bear, teddy bear, don't use sticks!"

It's a catchy rhyme. Now try singing that while jumping between two ropes and doing what the rhyme says.

Many of the young people competing in the American Double Dutch League's state championships Saturday sang rhymes or counted out loud to keep a steady rhythm.

Concentration, agility and teamwork are key in this sport. The teams are judged in speed, compulsory and freestyle contests.

The speed contests were especially difficult because they called for the turners and jumpers to be in sync at a fast pace.

Brianna Brown, 12, of The Mitchell Park team, one of three teams competing from the Charleston area, counted as she rapidly turned a set of jump ropes like handles of egg-beaters. Jumpers are judged on the number of jumps they make in two minutes.

"Pick it up," Brianna told her jumping team member, Tyesie Lesane, also 12. Both girls are sixth-graders at Sanders-Clyde Elementary/Middle School. Tyesie faced Charleston Progressive Academy's fifth-grader Desianay Johnson, 11, who turned from the other end of the jump ropes.

"Slow down," Tyesie said, just before her feet got tangled in the ropes. She stepped aside, breathing heavily.

Arthur W. Christopher city gym on Hagood Avenue was bustling with teams from across South Carolina and Georgia, all vying for spots at the World Invitational Double Dutch Championships in Sumter next month.

"We've got teams from as far as Atlanta," said Brenda Shokes, manager and recruiter for the Charleston's teams.

While double Dutch jump roping is by far not a new sport, it is becoming more significant in the community as a way to keep kids occupied with a positive activity.

The extracurricular sport not only helps young people keep their bodies in shape, but the sport also helps stimulate their minds.

"It's really helping keep her out of trouble and keep her mind focused," said Nyeela Williams of downtown Charleston, mother of Fantasia Williams, a 12-year-old Mitchell Park team member.

Rose Ford of the Sumter County Parks and Recreation Department, who also is a state representative for the nonprofit league, said jump roping builds character and sportsmanship, too.

"Everybody's a winner, because you're out there doing your best," she said. "That's all we ask."

Reach Tenisha Waldo at 937-5744 or twaldo@postandcourier.com.