Around California at 9 a.m. on Monday, the sound of more than 80,000 jump ropes swinging at once will be heard.
The California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, in association with the American Heart Association and the Governor’s Challenge, is hosting 84,000 people across California to break the Guinness World Record for most people jump roping at the same time on Feb. 1.
“[CAHPERD] is turning 80 years old this year, so we’re turning it up this year” said CAHPERD Executive Director Drisha Leggitt, who initiated the project.
About a year ago, Leggitt began looking for a way to make a statement for exercise in California and found the Guinness Book of World Records’ official record for most people to jump rope at one time was 59,000, set by Australia in May, 2008.
“We started talking with CAHPERD in December, looking how we could be part of this great event,” Pittman said. “Kathy Weninger, a member of the PTSA, and the physical education department head, Debi Hayos have been working together to make sure all of our first period PE classes can participate.”
“I got an e-mail last fall from CAHPERD and they sent it out to all the jump rope teams in the area,” said Weninger, who’s also the coordinator for one of the local competitive jump rope teams, the Foothill Force.
Weninger then spoke about it at a PTSA meeting and the rest is history.
In addition to the school’s supply of jump ropes, the PTSA donated more than 70 to the cause, Pittman added. Teachers with first period open have been encouraged to participate and Pittman plans on doing some rope skipping herself.
“I’m very excited for this,” Pittman said. “I’m bringing my own jump rope. We sent e-mails to the PTSA parents asking them if they would like to join.”
The coordination efforts have been difficult, Leggitt said, but that the majority of the work has been in getting the agreed upon judges and meeting the standards of the Guinness Record keepers.
“They really make you jump through some hoops,” Leggitt said. “They receive about 3,000 requests a day and so now it’s very difficult to get a recognized attempt.”
The rules state that in order for the attempt to be recognized, two independent witnesses per jump rope site—volunteers who can’t be employed by the school or whatever company is hosting the competition at a given site.
Each site will have a log sheet. Participants will sign in and the judge will verify that each person who signs in is who they say they are.
Then the Guinness Book agency needs two letters from each site—one per judge—explaining what took place during the record-breaking event.
Source: lacanadaonline
