By Justin Vick
[email protected]
Cannon School students hope their efforts Thursday will contribute to what Guinness World Records will deem the “World’s Largest Sports Stacking Event.”
Sports stacking, dubbed a “track meet for your hands at warp speed,” involves arranging 12 cups in various sequences against a clock or in a team relay.
The world record attempt was part of the World Sports Stacking Association’s third annual Stack Up!, in which participants up and down stack pyramids for at least 30 minutes.
Cannon students participated Thursday during physical education classes.
Sports stacking was introduced to Cannon’s Lower School and Middle School PE curriculum last year, because it promotes hand-eye coordination, concentration, focus and teamwork.
“At first glance, you may think what does that have to do with PE, but it incorporates different activities most of the kids like,” said Russell Marks, chair of Cannon’s PE department. “Some kids, who may not be as athletic but process better, are more successful at this.”
The World Sport Stacking Association says the sport is in more than 25,000 schools and youth organizations worldwide. It hoped for more than 175,000 stackers to participate in Thursday’s record attempt.
Participating organizations will send the association totals on how many people were involved in the attempt, which will then be sent to Guinness.
Thursday also marked Guinness World Records Day, which was established to celebrate the hundredth million copy of the book sold. Records broken Thursday include the largest gathering of people wearing underpants/knickers and the longest pizza line, according to the Guinness World Records Web site.
This isn’t the first time Cannon School students have sought a world record.
Seniors planned to organize the largest ensemble of car horns playing a musical tune, but school officials said the idea was not attempted.
• Contact reporter Justin Vick: 704-789-9138.