As a Black woman growing up in New York City in the late 90s and early 2000s, double Dutch has always been near and dear to my heart.
In the summer, the warm streets of the Bronx would fill with kids hanging out in their neighborhoods with limited time and resources. We’d make a double XL dutch rope out of landline telephone wires and spend hours taking turns, inviting anyone who happened to be passing by, usually aunts from the neighborhood, including my Aunt Thelma, who would join us for a spin or two on her way home from work.
I am now the aunt and I have felt called to jump again.
Many people like myself have returned to our beloved childhood activities as a way to reconnect with our inner child, and perhaps to cope with the fact that adulthood is nothing like we had imagined.
There are groups in Los Angeles you can join to play the games you loved as a kid and connect with like-minded people (and maybe spark some physical skills that have been dormant since high school gym class). Here are six organizations you can join for “grown-up recess”-style activities.
Relive your high school glory days with WeHo Dodgeball
What makes us think more of physical education and school gymnasiums than dodgeball? This game is the stuff of nightmares for countless nerds across the country. In case you don't remember, the game is exactly what it sounds like: a mad dash to dodge a rubber ball thrown at you by a member of the opposing team. If you get hit, you're out and the game continues until there's only one person left standing.
WeHo Dodgeball players celebrate.
(Grant Terzakis)
For adults with a taste for nostalgia, WeHo Dodgeball offers league games on Tuesday and Thursday nights at the West Hollywood Aquatic and Recreation Center, followed by a celebration at the nearby Gym Bar WeHo. The league uses soft rubber “no-bounce” balls and welcomes everyone “from prom queens to drag queens” who might be looking for something different in the WeHo social scene.
The co-ed league has begun accepting new people for its rotating membership. Registration costs $80 for a 12-week series.
Master the two-string rhythm with 40 Plus Double Dutch Club in Inglewood
40 Plus Double Dutch Club is a national organization created for women of a certain age who love to jump rope. The group, whose oldest member is 90, takes its age restriction seriously. “You have to be 40 years old [plus]“said Pamela Brown, 63. “We told them [younger people] “Come back when you’re 40.”
The Inglewood branch (or “subclub,” as they call it) meets for 90 minutes on Saturdays, starting at 9 a.m., in Rogers Park, and then there are after-parties. Since the first meeting, when only a few showed up, weekly attendance has grown to more than 50. “It’s been fun,” said Brown, who described it as “a brotherhood, a camaraderie.” “I may have some braces on my knees, but I’m here.”
The group is known for its line dances, such as hopscotch, hula hoop, skipping and patty-tapping, among others. Melinda Jackson, 50, is the group's unofficial choreographer for the line dances.
“It all started when women came together because of the [shared] “We love the passion and hobby of making double dutch,” she said. “But once we get together, we find that we have a lot more in common than that. And it has provided us with a place of socialization where we can support each other through our ups and downs in life. We are mothers, grandmothers, but we can see each other as individuals when we are here.”
Find your next love on the kickball field with Zog Sports
A near-death experience led Robert Herzog to found ZogSports, a social sports community that serves thousands of gamers each year in the United States.
On September 11, 2001, Herzog started his day unusually late, arriving five minutes late to his job at Marsh & McLennan on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center in New York City. He got off the subway just in time to see the first tower hit by a terrorist.
Three months later, as he reflected on his life and tried to chart a course forward, he decided to create a well-organized sports league that could help people forge connections outside of the office, to “create community and help people heal,” said ZogSports chief of staff Jody Zellman. “Today, we help thousands of athletes across the country build community and connections through the sports they love.”
Today, more than 1,000 teams play each year in six regions across the U.S., and there are 37 programs in Los Angeles. Coed kickball games are scheduled for late October, with matches taking place in Hollywood, West Hollywood and Venice. Other offerings include volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball, bowling, flag football and pickleball, which has been seeing a resurgence of late.
Herzog, who met his wife at a coed softball game before starting his company, credits the organization with “a ton of off-field romances,” according to the website. Prices for eight regular-season games plus playoffs range from $95 for one person to $625 for a team of up to seven people.
Become a team player with Club Waka
Soccer in Glendale. Bowling in Torrance. Volleyball in Santa Monica. Kickball in Venice, Hollywood, Pasadena and Long Beach. These are just a few of the offerings and areas served by Club Waka, a national organization that offers social sports for players of all levels.
Players meet weekly for eight weeks to play games lasting between 45 minutes and an hour. Newcomers can join individually, in a small group that will later integrate into a larger group, or as a fully formed team. After the game, there is a party at a local bar.
Entry fees vary and include weekly games (plus playoffs), a team jersey, and special offers at the sponsor's bar.
You don't have to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community to join a team at OutLoud Sports, an organization dedicated to creating inclusive spaces for members and allies of the queer community.
“Our players are extremely diverse and focused on the queer+ community, but are inclusive of everyone, including our straight allies,” said founder Will Hackner. “Our policy from day one has been that everyone is welcome.”
Founded in 2007 (originally under the name Varsity Gay League) with a game of capture the flag at Pan Pacific Park, OutLoud is now the largest LGBTQ+ recreational sports organization in the country with more than 70,000 registered players. There are leagues in Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Each eight-week season offers regular season games as well as playoff games for sports such as beach and indoor volleyball, bowling, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, tennis, pickleball and soccer. Prices range from $20 for bowling to $72 for beach volleyball.
“We want everyone to understand that no matter what age, size, gender, shape or ability they have, it should not be a barrier to participating in a sport,” Hackner said. “Many adults, both gay and straight, harbor fears and anxieties that come from toxic locker room culture. No That space. It's about playing, being silly and trying something new, whether successful or not. This space is for everyone to have fun.”
