Double Dutch, an exhausting and demanding rope-jumping exercisethat has been popular with inner-city girls for years, has been addedto the 1996 Olympic competition.
Sabrina Steward has been teaching the skill to hundreds of kidsthis summer.
When she was growing up on Chicago's South Side, Steward, 25,took advantage of every opportunity she had during the summer toparticipate in sports and stay out of trouble.
Steward attended the South Shore YMCA on East 71st Street andgot involved in several activities sponsored by the Chicago ParkDistrict. Later, as a student at Curie High School, she participatedin swimming, gymnastics and cheerleading. But she noticed a lot ofclassmates and other kids in her neighborhood weren't as active.
'They'd get bored, and they'd find other things to do,' shesaid.
Steward isn't bored this summer. She is among a cadre ofexperienced, certified coaches and physical education instructorsthat is putting thousands of city kids through their paces in MayorDaley's sum mer sports camps.
In its second year, the camp program has been expandedenormously. Last year, it attracted 6,200 youngsters from ages 10-17to 71 camps at 60 sites throughout the city. This summer, nearly13,000 kids are participating in 12 sports at 365 weeklong camps at165 parks.
'It is an attempt to introduce kids to the proper techniques ofsports and bring about a lifetime participation in recreation,' saidTom Mitchell, the sports camp coordinator.
'It's an attempt to get kids off the streets and get theminvolved in a positive venture. It is gratifying to see kids go fromone camp to another. Some kids travel a long way to attend a camp.
'The emphasis is on kids having fun and learning propertechniques, not just playing games. Hopefully, they will getsomething out of it and continue in sports when they go back toschool in the fall.'
Mitchell, 54, has been working with kids all his life. Hecoached football at Brother Rice High School for 30 years before retiring after the 1993 season.Directing the mayor's summer program helps to keep him young andactive, he said.
The weeklong camps are continuing through Aug. 25. They offerfree instruction in baseball, basketball, football, soccer,volleyball, gymnastics, water polo, track, softball, tennis,wrestling, cheerleading and double dutch.
'The camps are important,' said Rich Bertoni, the mayor'sdirector of citywide recreation, 'because we want to help kids buildtheir self-esteem by participating. We want to give them room tokeep moving up, to keep accomplishing, by integrating with otherkids, by having them learn during the summer.'
Bertoni said the camps are designed to teach youngsters skillsat their entrance level, then bring them along so they canparticipate at any level - park district, school or private clubs.He projects the program could grow to accommodate 20,000 youngstersnext year.
'When I was a kid, I was taught by a physical educationinstructor in the summer, someone who was an expert in football orbasketball,' Bertoni said.
'Now the trend is: To be the best, you have to be taught by thebest. Our instructors are expert in each activity. And they arerole models, too.'
Few fill their role-model responsibilities better than Steward.In September, she will begin work as a physical education teacher forthe park district at Trumbull Park on the Southeast Side. She willteach dance, aerobics, cheerleading and sports for girls. She knowswhat the benefits are.
'This program has given inner-city girls an opportunity to learnnew things and stay safe,' she said. 'Before these summer camps,there wasn't an opportunity for girls to get involved in sports untilthey got into high school.
'Watching them accomplish things they never have done before,like a kid who couldn't jump rope at all, makes me feel good. Itexcites them because they realize they have learned something new.Hopefully, I can pass on my knowledge to other kids.'
