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Stack'em Up: Local Group Helping World RecordBy Tammy Daniels - November 07, 2007
NORTH ADAMS - A local group wants the city to become part of a worldwide event to break the Guinness World Record for "sport stacking."
Special Forces, a video-recording group that volunteers with Northern Berkshire Community Television Corp., is organizing a stacking event at Northern Berkshire YMCA on Thursday beginning at 6 p.m.
Stackers will, yes, stack and unstack 12 brightly colored cups in predetermined sequences. The game originated in Southern California in the 1980s and has grown in popularity over the last decade as tournaments testing speed and precision have popped up around the world.
The sport is mostly geared for children, although adults also compete in age categories. Tournaments include team relays and doubles. Wikipedia lists 11-year-old David Wolf of Germany as the record holder for the 3-6-3 configuration with a time of 2.65 seconds.
Speed stacking
Doug Greenlaw of Special Forces said Thursday's event isn't a tournament and participants won't be measured for speed. The idea is to try to have as many people as possible stacking for a total of 30 minutes each - with the goal of 200,000 participants worldwide.
Guinness describes the second annual gathering as the "World's Largest Sport Stacking Event." According to the World Sport Stacking Association, some 164,416 stackers, representing 996 schools and organizations from 10 countries, had registered by last week.
Greenlaw said residents of all ages are welcome to join the Special Forces group, which will take registration at the door. The group will submit the verification numbers to Guinness after the event.
"I got a set [of cups] as a present for Christmas," said Greenlaw. "I thought, 'This is awesome.'"
He said people can bring their own equipment and that Special Forces will videotape the event.
It's the latest effort of the group that is made up of primarily special-needs residents and their families. The group, which started as a video-recording unit for the local cable-access station, has become very involved in promoting community events, said Greenlaw.
Experienced stackers, novices and people wondering about the sport are encouraged to come and try it. Game packs that include cups, mat with timer, instructional DVD and cup holder are available at the Wal-Mart in Pittsfield and Target in the Berkshire Mall. |
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