The Chicago-based 40+ Double Dutch Club has more than a hundred chapters across the country and two internationally. Founder Pamela Robinson says it's about more than just jumping rope.

Transcript

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

All right. Recognize this sound?

(SOUNDBITE OF JUMP ROPING)

MARTINEZ: It's Double Dutch jump roping. And for many, it brings back some vivid childhood memories.

PAMELA ROBINSON: I learned to jump rope when I was probably 7 or 8. When I was growing up in the 1970s, everybody jumped rope. And that's all we did all summer long.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Pamela Robinson is still jumping rope. She is the founder of the 40+ Double Dutch Club based in Chicago

ROBINSON: In 2016, I was going through a lot of issues in my personal life, and I needed to find a happy place. And I remembered how freeing it is to jump Double Dutch and how it takes us back to a time before stress, before husbands, kids, bills took over.

MARTINEZ: Now, at first, she didn't know if anyone would even join in, but jump ahead five years, and there are hundreds of chapters across the U.S. and abroad.

ROBINSON: It has turned into somewhat of a ministry for all of the women who are involved. There are women who have battled depression, chemotherapy, grief and loss. And we're not only jumping rope, having fun. We're building relationships with each other.

INSKEEP: As the name implies, everybody in the club is at least 40. And one is 80.

(SOUNDBITE OF MALCOLM MCLAREN'S "DOUBLE DUTCH") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.