To the strains of the Van Halen classic “Jump,” and the encouragement of Olympian Peter Vidmar, Dale Junior High School’s 1,300 students joined 85,000 people across California in an attempt to enter The Guinness Book of World Records for “The Most People Jumping/Skipping Rope at the Same Time.”

 

It won’t be known until March whether Californians managed to break the Australian record for the event, which was set in 2008 with 59,000 participants. Dale was one of the more than 2,000 sites statewide where the simultaneous jump-roping took place. Participants jumped from 9 a.m. to 9:03 a.m. without stopping for more than 10 seconds at any one time. Some 20 judges from the Anaheim community verified students’ participation and performance via log sheets. The logs, a video, and pictures will be sent to two independent organizations for additional verification, before everything is shipped to the Guinness organization for consideration.

 

“The Guinness people are very particular. It’s not easy to break a world record,” said Ms. Edna Munoz-Lash, program director for the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, which will perform the independent verification, along with the American Heart Association.

 

Mr. Vidmar, a three-time Olympic medal-holder in gymnastics and vice-chairman of the governor’s fitness council, was originally slated to act as a judge but changed his mind right before the event, deciding to be a participant instead.

 

“I may be an Olympic medalist, but I don’t hold a world record. I’m going to jump with you so I can be a world record holder, too,” Mr. Vidmar told the students. “We can do this!”

 

Mr. Vidmar, 49, then proceeded to jump with the precision and speed of a boxer in training.

 

The students appeared to enjoy themselves tremendously.

“It was fun, getting to do this as a really big group activity,” said Alexandra Vicario, 13, an eighth grader.

 

“It was exciting to be a part of this with everybody. You don’t get to do something like this very often,” added Ariana Alvarez, also a 13-year-old eighth grader. “It was special.”

 

Mr. Vidmar, whose five, mostly college-age sons and daughters are involved in sports such as wrestling, surfing and gymnastics, said it’s important for parents to encourage their children to be active.

 

“A number of studies have shown that when you increase physical activity, you increase test scores and do better academically. You miss fewer days of school, are more alert, and have more energy.”

 

It’s also important for parents to set a good example for their children. He knows that most parents are unlike him and his wife, Donna, also a former gymnast. The two have climbed mountains together and recently ran their first marathon. However, even if you weren’t a world-class athlete in your youth, it’s never too late to get physically fit, he said. “It doesn’t matter when you start to become physically active--you will dramatically increase your quality of life and your prospects for living longer.”

 

The record-breaking venture coincided with the kick-off of National Heart Month and the 80th anniversary of the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CAHPERD), a nonprofit group of physical education and health professionals. It was the culminating event of the organization’s 2009-2010 Jump Rope for Heart Campaign.

 

CAPHERD encourages children “to move every day, to promote fitness and help ward off childhood obesity.”

 

To see the Orange County Register story on the record-breaking attempt, go to:

http://www.ocregister.com/news/students-231988-rope-record.html