Birney kids jump start American Heart Month
Students from Birney Elementary School jumped rope in an effort to break a Guinness World Record. Photo
Cheered on by faculty and parents, students at Birney Elementary School in Redondo Beach were gasping for breath, asking themselves “How much longer?” as they attempted to jump into the Guinness Book of World Records.
At 9 a.m. Monday, Birney was one of over 2,000 sites throughout California where an estimated 83,000 people began jumping rope for 10 minutes straight in an attempt to break the Guinness record for “Most People Jumping/Skipping Rope at the Same Time.” The record of 59,000 was set on May 10, 2008, in Australia.
Sponsored by the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) and Jamba Juice, Inc., the “Jumping Over the Record from Down Under” event kicked off American Heart Month.
Birney Principal Jackie O’Sullivan estimated 150 second through fifth grade students participated. “Guinness has an explicit protocol for its records so we had a number of volunteers helping,” O’Sullivan said. “The kids were allowed to stop and catch their breath for 10 seconds before having to jump again.”
Guinness requires two independent judges at each site, verifying the number of participants and that they skipped rope accurately. CAHPERD worked with the American Heart Association (in partnership with the “Jump Rope for Heart” program), and the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (in partnership with its “Governor’s Challenge”), to provide additional verification of numbers and accurate participation. Guinness will receive all of the information in addition to being able to watch a live webcast in their offices in London.
While the older kids were jumping and skipping, the kindergartners and first graders enjoyed games of their own. All activities were overseen by Mike Morlock, of Beach Cities Health District, who comes to the Birney campus once a week to lead a morning exercise session.
Redondo Beach Unified School District (RBUSD) Superintendent Dr. Steven Keller supported the jumpers, along with other schools in the district that loaned their jump ropes to Birney, and Trader Joe’s in Redondo Beach which donated 400 bottles of water.
“It’s great to see the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Keller said while overlooking the crowded playground. “I hope they break the record.”
Laurie Mack, who coordinated the event at Birney, said the official results should be made public by March 1.
Celebrating its 80th year, CAHPERD has been implementing the “Jump Rope for Heart” and “Hoops for Heart” programs with the American Heart Association for more than 20 years.
One of the smallest schools in the RBUSD, Birney is celebrating its 50th anniversary this school year and has participated in the “Jump Rope for Heart” for many years.
“We have a great community,” said O’Sullivan, who is serving her fifth year as principal at Birney. “Even though we’re one of the smaller schools, we’re among the leaders in fundraising.”
Among the celebrities participating in the event were Gina Ravera (actress and Healthy Kids advocate), Jake (Body by Jake) Steinfeld (Chairman, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports), Laila Ali, Kevin Johnson (Sacramento mayor and former NBA star), Peter Vidmar (Olympic Gold Medal gymnast) and Buddy Lee (Olympian and 10-time world medalist). ER