Speed Stacks e-Stack! Newsletter

May / June 2006

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If it’s spring, it must be time for the WSSAWorld Sport Stacking Championships (April 8th at the Denver Coliseum). In this issue of e-STACK!, our Speed Stacks online newsletter, you’ll find all you need to know about this year’s World Championships, organized and sanctioned by the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA). Speed Stacks, Inc. is the leader in sport stacking around the world and designated as the official supplier of cups (Speed Stacks) and timing device (StackMat) of the WSSA. We’re excited to share with you the inside scoop on this year’s premier sport stacking event.

Hands-on sport stacking display at Guinness World Record museum...

First there was the inclusion of sport stacking World Record Holder Emily Fox on page 46 of the Guinness World Records 2006. Now Guinness World Records (GWR) has put the spotlight on Speed Stacks and sport stacking in a hands-on, interactive display at the GWR Museum in Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. The WSSA is proud to team up with GWR Attractions at this year's World Championships. On your next vacation, visit a GWR Museum in: Copenhagen, Denmark; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Hollywood, California; San Antonio, Texas; and Tokyo, Japan.

World Record Holder Emily Fox has a secret...

The Game Show Network is reviving the old game show “I’ve Got a Secret,” and Emily Fox was invited to stump its celebrity panelists with her secret of being a world record holder in sport stacking. Emily flew to Los Angeles in late March to film the show which is scheduled to air on May 23 rd. ( Check your local listings for the time in your area.) Did the panelists guess her secret? You’ll just have to tune in to find out.

Did you know 43 new world records in different age divisions were set at the 2006 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships? Go to the WSSA web site to see the complete listing.

Speed Stacks Education Team presents at National PE conference... The end of April means it’s time for the largest physical education conference in the country, and Speed Stacks, Inc. was there for the seventh year running. More than 6,000 educators gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah, for the American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) national conference titled “Visions for our Future—Reflections of our Past.” Speed Stacks and sport stacking once again had a strong presence at this national event with daily presentations and workshops by the Speed Stacks Education Team. “The enthusiasm for sport stacking as a credible and beneficial addition to physical education classes continues to grow at an amazing rate,” said Bob Fox, Speed Stacks President and Founder.

Canadian sport stackers shine in competition... The first-ever WSSA Canadian Provincial Sport Stacking Tournament took place on Saturday, April 22nd in Miramichi, New Brunswick. More than 200 stackers from throughout the province of New Brunswick attended the all-day event. Stackers competed in eight different events and many first-time Canadian records were set. All of the new Canadian records established at the New Brunswick Provincial Tournament will be posted on the WSSA website as soon as the video is verified. On a related note, the very first WSSA Canadian record was set at this year’s WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. Eight-year-old Christopher Kimmerer hit 10 seconds flat in the Cycle stack. Christopher is from Hamilton, Ontario and this was the very first Canadian record to be established by the WSSA.

Speed Stacks Solars perfect for summer sun and fun...

If you want to add a little summer fun to your sport stacking, a sure winner is a set of Speed Stacks Solars. It’s like magic when the cups are exposed to sunshine and turn purple, blue and yellow. Combine the power of a sport stacker with the power of nature, and you’ve got lots of summer sport stacking fun. Click here to find out more about Solars.

Click here to find out about all of our Speed Stacks products.

Thanks for taking time to read the latest edition of e-STACK!

Stack Early. Stack Often. Stack Fast!

IN THIS ISSUE

A world of stackers makes 2006 tournament a success

Wrap-up of 2006 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships

Video review process to be improved

Sport stacking featured in Washington Post

Stacking resource to keep you “On the Move”

STACK FLASHES
(Speed Stacks arrive at Guinness World Record museum. . . World Record
Holder Emily Fox has a secret. . . Speed Stacks Education Team travels
to National PEconference. . . Canadian sport stackers shine. . . Speed
Stacks Solars perfect forsummer sun and fun.)

Team Germany waved their flags and carried home serious sport stacking hardware as they were tracked by two German film crews. The Australian Stack-a-Roos jumped happily into the stacking action. Kimi Juds, Tsuyoshi Seo and Hikaru Ueno documented every adventure to share back home in Japan. (Take a look at their awesome journal) And Great Britain’s fastest stacker Kate Parker renewed old friendships and made new ones in her fourth championship event. The worldwide flavor of the 2006 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships continues to expand, and this year included more international stackers than ever before representing Canada, England, Japan, Australia and the highly competitive Team Germany. They were joined by stackers from across the U.S. with 21 states represented. All told, 1,066 competitors gathered for the April 8 th day-long World Championships held at the Denver Coliseum in Colorado, which was overwhelmingly the most successful world sport stacking event to date. (Click to view a photo album of this year’s banner event.)

With nearly 1,100 stackers competing from all parts of the world, there was indeed a lot of energy at the Denver Coliseum in Colorado. Held on April 8th, the 2006 WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships was the largest sport stacking tournament on record. Competitive events included Individual, Doubles and 4-Person Team Relays in a variety of divisions, which included all ages. Stackers competed in the 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and Cycle stacks. Film crews and photographers from the United States and Europe documented the event, which drew international interest. ESPN was on hand the entire day, which included capturing the Finals on a specially designed stage. A one-hour ESPN special on the World Championships is slated to air later this summer. We will keep you posted on date and time.

The premier event of the day was the Cycle Stack, which involves a complex set of sequences and 40 separate moves. With a time of 7.58 seconds, the overall Cycle championship was won by Shane Grinnell, 14, from Morrison, Colorado. The Doubles overall trophy was awarded to Chase Demelio and Andy Retting from Colorado Springs for the second year in a row. Their time was 10.11 seconds. Lexi Rindone, from Prescott, Arizona won the top Individual All-Around trophy for the best combined time of 13.48 seconds for the 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and Cycle.

The story of the day, however, was the tremendous success of Team Germany, which was 29 stackers strong. Eleven-year-old Colin Stangenberg won overall honors in the 3-3-3 with a time of 2.40 seconds. His teammate Timo Reuhl, also 11, won the overall trophy for the 3-6-3 with a time of 2.78 seconds. In addition to these overall awards, Team Germany had 91 medals and 23 trophies to pack in their suitcases for the flight home.

“It was an awesome day,” said Overall Cycle winner Shane Grinnell. “The adrenaline was flowing, and I was pumped.”

According to Pola Metz, Executive Director of the WSSA, video review of title winners for the World Sport Stacking Championships can truly be a heart-breaker. It happened to World Record Holder Emily Fox in 2003. Her overall title for the Cycle Stack was taken away a day after the Championships when the video review revealed her last stack of cups had tipped after she stopped the timer. It happened again this year when 10-year-old David Wolf from Germany was disqualified in the 3-3-3 and the 3-6-3 for an improper technique in down stacking. At stake were a world record and overall title in the 3-3-3 and the overall title and world divisional record for the 3-6-3. In the process of down stacking, Wolf had both hands on separate stacks of cups. It was a clear rule violation that wasn’t caught at the time, because of the lightning quickness of his stacking.

Video review by the WSSA typically takes place in the days after the World Championships because of the volume of stackers and an already packed schedule of events on tournament day. This is something Metz is lobbying to change. The WSSA is working toward having the video review take place immediately before any overall world titles are awarded. “Ideally, we want the video verification to occur right on site and promptly after the top stackers in each event are identified.” Though logistically this presents a challenge, Metz is optimistic the process can be refined. “There’s nothing tougher than having to break the news to a stacker they’ve been disqualified. No question we have to uphold the rules to maintain the integrity of the sport, but we think there are better ways to go about it. It might not be an ‘instant’ replay, but we’re going to try and come close.”

“Amazing to watch - and addictive once you try it.” That’s how the Washington Post described sport stacking in its April 26th edition. Sport stacking with Speed Stacks was highlighted in the kids’ section of the Post and featured stackers from Maryland preparing to compete in the WSSA Maryland State Sport Stacking Championships on May 6th. More than 200 stackers are expected to compete. For the complete Washington Post story, click here.

The “On the Move with Speed Stacks” Activity Guide is $14.95 and available online in the Speed Stacks Store. (The Activity Guide is $10 for instructors placing an order through their school or organization.).

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