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Sixth-grader wins medals for cup stacking |
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| Written by Kristin Babcock | |||
| Wednesday, 27 May 2009 00:00 | |||
 For his past few birthdays, the top item on Parker Anderson’s wish list has not been video games or an mp3 player. He has asked for plastic cups. The sixth-grader from Benninghoven Elementary School, 6720 Caenen Ave., Shawnee, wants to continue competing in sport stacking. “Sport stacking” or “cup stacking” challenges competitors to create a variety of pyramid structures out of 12 cups, and then collapse them, all in a matter of seconds. “It’s lightning fast,” Parker said. Parker recently racked up four medals at the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver, Colo. In the 12-year-old division, he placed fifth in the Cycle competition, sixth in the 3-6-3 competition and seventh in the 3-3-3 competition. On a relay team with competitors from Japan, Switzerland and the United States, he placed third in the 3-6-3 competition. In the world championship, competitors are constantly working to break a world record, Parker said. This year, about 700 youngsters from 29 states and 12 countries competed. Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115! World record holders at the championships are asked for advice and autographs. One was recently featured in a national commercial for the American Egg Board.  Parker has been working toward a world championship since he first saw sport stackers on Youtube. “I saw it and I said, ‘I want to do that,’” Parker said. “I want to be as good as them. I saw other people stack and I wanted to be part of the community.” Speed stacking began in the 1980s and grew in popularity in after-school and physical education programs. The sport has also attracted new competitors through Youtube, where stackers post video of their best stacking times. Parker learned the sport through watching videos on the Web site. “It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “You just have to get the feel of it. I got better and better every day.” The cups have a hole in the bottom to allow air to pass through and speed the stacking time. Parker owns one set that changes color in sunlight. Another set, used for training, is made of metal. “It’s like putting weights on a baseball bat,” he said. Parker practices at least an hour a day with a stacking mat that is connected to a timer. His best event is the 3-3-3, (three pyramids made of three cups each), he said.  Speed Stacks, which makes the cups, says the sport promotes fitness and requires similar energy expenditure as archery, bowling and walking 2.5 miles an hour, according to the Web site. Their Web site also says students gain self-esteem, hand-eye coordination, and right and left brain activation. “I like the adrenaline rush,” Parker said. “It’s good for hand-eye coordination, it’s good for ambidexterity, but the noise might drive you crazy.” The clapping of the cups on a surface often makes the house sound like “living with a loud woodpecker,” Parker’s mother, Jeni Anderson, said with a smile. “He’s so passionate about it and he does it all of the time,” Jeni said. “He puts so much effort into it. It’s been very cool.” Parker has participated in a few competitions in the Kansas City area, but has his sights set on the World Championships next year. “I hope to go back next year and set a world record,” he said.
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