Ki Chapman was searching for a way to get active and found her way back to a favorite childhood pastime — jumping double Dutch. It wasn’t nostalgia alone that motivated Chapman to pick up the jump rope. While many adults are embracing what the New York Times calls “kidulting” — participating in nostalgic or seemingly childlike hobbies — she approached it with dedication.
That’s when Chapman discovered the 40+ Double Dutch Club while perusing social media. “I saw a post from a friend complimenting one of his friends on how well she had lost weight jumping double Dutch,” she told St. Louis on the Air. “So I inquired about it. He told me, ‘She's a part of a double Dutch group. You have to be at least 40. I searched the club on Facebook and found that there was a sub club here in St. Louis.”
Now the captain of the St. Louis sub club, Chapman has found more than just workout buddies — she’s found sisterhood. She said: “I'd like to kind of describe it as a sorority of sorts. We actually do different things than just jump rope. [Like] a community baby shower for young [mothers] with children that need help.”
Chapman said that along with meeting new people across the country and giving back to the community, she’s proud of what she can still accomplish. “My knees are still doing OK,” Chapman said and laughed. “And as long as I'm physically able to do it, I'm going to be in the rope.”
For more with Ki Chapman, including the various places she and her club have jumped double Dutch, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcast, Spotify or Google Podcast, or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Ulaa Kuziez is our production intern. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr. Send questions and comments about this story to talk@stlpr.org.
