Sport stacking

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Sport stacking
The 1-10-1 transition in the cycle stack en-route.
Sport Sport Stacking
Founded 1985
Claim to Fame The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson[1]
Motto Stack Fast!
No. of competitors {{{competitors}}}
Country USA, UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, Austria, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Ireland, japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey[2]
Current champion Steven Purugganan(2008 and 2009 World Champion, Overall Champion[3])
Official website http://www.worldsportstackingassociation.org and http://www.speedstacks.com

Sport Stacking (also known as cup stacking or speed stacking) is an individual and team sport that involves stacking specialized plastic cups made and designed by the WSSA in specific sequences in as little time as possible. The sport began as an activity at a southern California boys and girls club and received national attention in 1990 on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson.[4] The sport was invented by Wayne Godinet,[5] who introduced the first formations and dubbed the sport, "Karango Cup Stack". Shortly thereafter Godinet formed a group called Cupstack. Physical education teacher Bob Fox later developed the activity into a true sport by formalizing the rules and establishing a governing body, the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA). He also founded a company named Speed Stacks, and along with his partner Larry Goers, created a line of proprietary Sport Stacking products including the patented timing system know as the StackMat which is also used in speedcubing.

Participants of sport stacking stack cups in pre-determined sequences, competing against the clock or another player. Sequences are usually pyramids of three, six, or ten cups. Proponents of the sport say participants learn cooperation, ambidexterity and hand-eye coordination.[6]

Early competitions for the activity were held in 1998 in Oceanside, California and Denver, Colorado.[citation needed] First introduced by Bob Fox[citation needed], the World Sport Stacking Association now manages Tournaments. In 2004, the organization changed the name of cup stacking to sport stacking in what it describes as an attempt to give it "immediate identification as a competitive sport."

Contents

[edit] Cups

Sport stacking is done with specially designed plastic cups, made to prevent sticking to one another and with holes in the bottom to allow air to pass through quickly when stacking. They are designed with ribs reinforcing a ledge inside to keep them slightly apart when nested, so they can be quickly separated.[7]

One can purchase stacking mats, or simply stack mats, which are mats connected to a sensitive timer. They are used for official tournament timing, casual play timing, or practice timing.

Special weighted training cups are also available. These heavier cups are made of metal and are to be used directly before competitions. The added weight is supposed to make the regular cups feel lighter, allowing the stacker to stack faster in competition.[8]

[edit] Competition

Most sport stacking competitions are geared toward children, with divisions by year for ages 12 and under. Age divisions 13-14 and 15-18 have now been separated because of a lot of competition in those ages and to open up new records. 19-24 (Collegiate), 25-34, 35-44, 45-59 (Masters 1-3), 60+ (Senior). There are also divisions for "Special Stackers" (disabled competitors).

The WSSA has set the following protocol for the setting of world records:[citation needed]

  1. Must use WSSA-approved sport stacking cups.
  2. Must use a StackMat and Tournament Display.
  3. Must be video taped for review and verification purposes.
  4. Must use 3 Judges (one designated Head Judge) to judge each try. After each try the 3 Judges confer. The Head Judge will then designate with a color-coded card the outcome of that try. (Green-Clean Run, Yellow-Try in Question (Immediate Video Review) and Red–Scratch).
  5. A finals Judge may not be a family member or the Sport Stacking Instructor of the Stacker.

In team relay, four or 5-person teams compete head-to-head in a best-of-three-race match. In doubles, two stackers stand side-by-side to complete the stack, with one Stacker using only his or her right hand while the other using only his or her left.

[edit] World records

On 25 November 2006, Emily Fox's 4-year world record of 7.43 seconds was beaten by Robin Stangenberg with a time of 7.41 seconds[9]. Then on April 15, 2007, David Wolf of Germany set the new world record of 7.25 seconds, at the 2007 World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. Then the world record was broken by Steven Purugganan with a 7.23 in Attica, New York [1] Just weeks after this, David Wolf got the record back and did a 7.15s in Germany in November 2007.

In February 2008, Timo Ruehl made history by stacking the first ever sub-seven-second cycle at a sanctioned tournament, 6.80. On February 16, Steven Purugganan took all three world records with a 1.96 in the 3-3-3, a 2.38 in the 3-6-3, and a 6.65 in the cycle. Steven, with his brother Andrew also took the doubles world record, 7.84. On April 6, during the 2008 World Championships in Denver, Steven Purugannan broke two of these records. (6.21, 1.86, and 2.34) Then, on January 3 2009, at Baldwin Wallace College in Berea,Ohio, Steven Puruggannan stacked the first 5 on a cycle at a sanctioned tournament with 5.93.

The current world records stand at:

  • Cycle Champion: Steven Purugganan, 11, time 5.93 sec
  • 3-6-3 Champion: Steven Purugganan, 11, time 2.15 sec
  • 3-3-3 Champion: Steven Purugganan, 11, time 1.80 sec [10][11]
  • Doubles Cycle: Luke Myers and Tyler Cole, time 7.47 sec
  • Timed 3-6-3 Relay: 4 It All, Alex Schumann, Steven Purugganan, Joel Brown, Luke Myers, time 12.72 sec

[edit] Sources

  1. ^ Speed Stacks, Inc. : The History of Speed Stacks
  2. ^ WSSA Events: National-level WSSA Sport Stacking Tournament.
  3. ^ 2008 World Sport Stacking Championships Media Wrap Up.
  4. ^ "Cup stacking, street credibility". http://media.barometer.orst.edu/media/storage/paper854/news/2008/11/12/Sports/Cup-Stacking.Street.Credibility-3538480.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
  5. ^ "The stacks of life - Offbeat sport developed in Oceanside teaches lessons and improves dexterity". http://www.todayslocalnews.com/?sect=lifestyles. Retrieved 2008-12-11. 
  6. ^ What is Sport Stacking: "For teachers and parents, we've always touted hand-eye coordination, quickness and ambidexterity. We now can substantiate those claims. A university study by Dr. Brian Udermann, currently at the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse, confirms that stacking improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time by up to 30 percent."
  7. ^ http://www.worldsportstackingassociation.org/pdf/WSSARuleBookv4.0.pdf and http://www.speedstacks.com/content/?p=51
  8. ^ http://www.speedstacks.com/store/us/SuperStacks.php
  9. ^ New World records at the 3rd Weidig Open, Butzbach
  10. ^ wmdt.com, Sports Stacking Champion Performs At DE State Fair
  11. ^ abs-cbnnews.com, 10-yr-old Pinoy world stacking champ back in RP

[edit] External links

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