elastic reloaded

my revived obsession with chinese jump rope continues... in fact, a couple of weeks ago we played it a bit at work, and even some of the guys joined in! we all agreed it was about 10 times harder than frizbee. i'd made an elastic out of rubber bands, which was a first for me; i know that's usually how the "rope" is made in the states for instance, but in romania and lots of other places the elastic is actually an elastic band (like what was used for underwear in the olden days, heh). i have to say, rubber bands looped together don't work as well. anyway i've found out that actually almost all my female coworkers (from: italy, bulgaria, brazil, china, great britain, bosnia, and germany and ranging in age from about 20 to about 50) grew up playing. excitement!!

the photo above is from 2002, and in it i'm playing elastic with two other romanians from the u of i, anca and ana maria. that was one good picnic of the romanian student club, for sure.

i found this basic info about the game: "Imagine having a great time playing with just a simple piece of elastic string! Chinese Jump Rope is a jumping game popular around the world! ... The game is funny like that, popping up from generation to generation, verbally passed from one to another like a folk tale. Chinese Jump Rope is a challenging game played by anyone anywhere. The simple rules test the skill and coordination of all players. An elastic rope is the only equipment needed for play. The game is easily learned and always fun! Chinese children first played Chinese Jump Rope in the 7th century. Rediscovered by English children in the 1960's, Chinese Jump Rope remains as popular as ever. Chinese Jump Rope is no ordinary "rope skipping" game. "Enders" hold an elastic rope while a "jumper" jumps the rope in special ways. The challenge? To jump successfully!" more basics in this klutz book (i want it!! i have a cat's cradle one somewhere - by the way, does anyone remember how you say "cat's cradle," the game, in romanian?):

here's a pic of both girls and boys playing the game, in laos!

and for some history of rope skipping and how gender plays into it: "Actually, most evidence suggests that this pastime is 'probably very ancient' and was originally a boys' game. As a matter of fact, upstart little tomboys of the 1850's were warned about 'instances of blood vessels burst by young ladies who, in a silly attempt to jump a certain number of hundred times, have perservered in jumping after their strength was exhausted.' What could possibly be more unladylike than collapsing in a bloody heap right there on the front lawn!" the same site (of the international rope skipping federation) goes on to say that "[Nowadays] Girls are batting clean-up for the local Little League, playing nets in the NHL and jockeying for position in the Preakness while Muhammad Ali teaches Jump Rope as part of his training. Today there is a new emphasis on competition in jump rope. This has all led to a renewed premium on the traditionally male attributes of endurance, stamina, and agility." ha, i didn't actually know that those were supposed to be male attributes, but ok. it amuses me that they try so hard to sell it as a worthy (i.e. not feminine) pastime, to somehow redeem it from its association with the traditionally female. at any rate, this does a good job of still not answering my previous question: "what's so girly about jumping?".

and this doesn't either: "At one time, rope skipping was thought of only as a game for little girls who chanted rhymes while jumping and has from boys' perspective, traditionally been perceived as a girlish sissy game. As mankind has always been susceptible to the norms set by society in their striving for acceptance, originality has been considered dangerous and somewhat tabu. But as with many other activities, in ancient times, rope jumping was a male ritual, and prohibited for women." apparently jump roping was finally lifted from its hellish status as a girly sissy thing when muhammad ali began to use it as part of his training.

ok, so the point is that it's all socially constructed. i agree with that, of course. yet since "there is no other single exercise that rivals the simple jump rope for efficiency when you take into account the complete fitness benefits it offers" my question is why was it viewed as a feminine thing at any time, based on what? moreover, if it has finally been un-genderized why is it still gendered ('cause it is)? i don't get it. the elastic is definitely physically demanding, rigorous, and competitive. someone told me recently that it's probably a girls' game because you don't get a chance to beat up your playmates - but that's not necessarily true! i also read in some sociological study that girls' games tend to be more of the "face to face" kind, while boys' of the "side by side" kind. hm... i don't buy that either, soccer is played face-to-face as well as side-by-side isn't it? (as is the elastic.) then there's always the "girls communicate, boys compete" explanation - but as i said the elastic can get quite competitive, and there's not a whole lot of communication going on while playing, actually. of all the "sociological" points that i've seen, i'd say the only one that makes the least bit of sense to me in this case is that in general girls prefer games where everyone gets to take turns and boys prefer games where it's more of a group activity and leaders can be appointed etc., which is much more subtle than "no competition" vs "competition" (because there can be as much competition in a game where people take turns as in one where they don't, it's just that ranking is not pre-assigned and rigid, but more of a fluid thing based on skill and circumstance). if that makes any sense.

finally some good linkage of the day:

• letting go of [an open letter to] queen latifah by probably the best and funniest blog writer i've ever come across, fecundmellow
  (and perhaps replace with jean grae)
• vegan and vegetarian guide to the world map (add your own places)
• daryl hannah's eco video blog, dh love life (heads up from frank)
• "return of the brainless hussies" vs "i like paris hilton" (i wrote more about this in mixed romanian-english, here); also, "dressing like sluts"
  

btw, i used to have this magnet. i wonder where it is these days. gica, do you have it???