The buzz and shuffling noise coming from coach Mike Rawlings’ physical education class Thursday at Freedom Elementary School sounded like a record being broken. No, not like an old LP – this was the shattering of a Guinness record.
Students, faculty and staff were part of a bigger picture at Freedom as they teamed up with other students, teachers and staff at other schools around the country to set a new Guinness Book of World Records for the number of people to participate in a Stack Up.
At Freedom, the goal was to get 1,200 people to participate throughout the day. And at about another 200 schools around the country, the goal was the same: Get as many people to participate in the Stack Up.
In 2006, a similar effort netted 81,252 participants. Last year, 143,530 people participated in the event.
“Our goal this year is to get 198,000,” said Rawlings. “And, I think we’re probably going to get there – a new world record.”
A Stack Up is a dexterity drill in which students, using a total of 12 cups, arrange them in configurations of a dozen, tear them down and then rearrange them, three times over. The configurations consist of a 3-6-3, a 6-6, and a 1-10-1. Students are timed and their accomplishments vary widely.
At Freedom, students in grades third through sixth competed.
“Joshua Green is the Freedom Elementary record holder at 11.2 seconds,” Rawlings said. “The world record is 6.2 seconds, which is pretty fast.”
Rawlings said the low-impact exercise helps youngster develop various skills.
“It helps children develop hand-eye coordination, and it increases hand speed. I like it because it’s something – an activity – everyone can participate in,” said Rawlings, who has been doing the event for two years now.
Green, a fifth-grader, likes to compete against himself for speed.
“I like to go against the time, try to beat my best time,” Green said. “Yeah, it’s fun. I’ve been doing it for two years.”
At Freedom, students during their physical education classes began at 9 a.m. and continued through 2:30 p.m. with a break for lunch.
There gym was set up with about 20 tables for stacking and students would move from table to table, assembling the configuration of 12 brightly colored cups as mandated on each table.
“We won’t know for sure whether we broke the record for a couple of days,” Rawlings said. “But, I’m pretty sure we did. There were enough schools competing that we should have blown way past the old record.”