Seconds will be important to the students at Cater Elementary, who are preparing this week for the Temple ISD Speed Stacking Tournament, scheduled to take place Saturday at Kennedy-Powell Elementary School.
Speed stacking, or sport stacking, is an individual and team activity played using plastic cups to stack into pyramid formations.
By the time you’ve finished reading this sentence, Krupa Desai, 8, a third-grader at Cater Elementary, more than likely is done with her individual stack routine.
Krupa is really fast, Cater physical education teacher Gina Prentiss said Wednesday, while third-grade students were in the gymnasium practicing for the tournament. “I remember one time she fumbled her stack a little, and she still finished in under 16 seconds.”
Speed stacking is broken down into different competitions, which can include doubles and relay teams, and participants’ times are recorded.
A participant can do an individual stack cycle - the most complicated stack - during which cups are placed in a sequence, in order: a 3-6-3 stack, a 6-6 and a 1-10-1, finishing in a 3-6-3. The numbers correlate to the number of cups a participant must stack.
If it sounds complicated, it is. Things can get a little blurry when watching speed stacking. Because of its blink-and-you’ll-miss-it pace, you may be best advised to search the Internet for a stacking video.
Krupa’s fastest recorded time is 14 seconds for her cycle stacking routine. The world record for a cycle, set by a 10-year-old, is slightly more than six seconds.
“It’s really amazing how into stacking (the students) get,” said Ms. Prentiss, who brought the sport to the district eight years ago. “I think it helps them with their hand-eye coordination, and ambidexterity - I also thinks it helps their brain develop, because they’re using both of their hands in the individual competitions, which means they’re using both sides of their brain.”
Ms. Prentiss said that after attending a PE seminar and seeing a young lady who held a world record for speed stacking present the sport, she became hooked. She immediately bought cups and began having students participate in the activity in class.
Soon after, the sport began popping up at other schools in the Temple district. Most of the third-graders participating in gym class on Wednesday at Cater have been participating in the sport since kindergarten and first grade.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said Krupa, who is shy about her stacking skills. “I like to practice a lot, and see my times.”
Some students enjoy stacking for the competition, while others enjoy it for the individual challenges.
“I enjoy competing - you get to meet new friends at the tournaments,” said Callie Ortega, 8, a third-grader. “It’s cool to go up against the other schools.”
Third-grader Deja Garza, 8, also likes competing.
“But I also think in this sport it’s not all about winning, it’s about improving your own time and challenging yourself,” Garza said.
Students have been practicing at Cater the last three weeks for the tournament, where awards will be handed out.
“It’s good to see them challenging themselves,” Ms. Prentiss said. “I think more than a lot of other sports, in this one you can immediately begin to see how practice and hard work pay off. In that respect, I also think the kids can gain confidence faster.”
Speed stacking has become so popular at Cater students often buy their own cups and practice at home. The school bought special stacking mats, which feature timers on them so students can practice.
This fall, Mrs. Prentiss said she plans to have students participate in “Stack Up,” a worldwide event to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records, which aims to have the most people in the world participate in speed stacking at the same time. Cater participated in the event last year, receiving a certificate for its part.
Speed stacking isn’t limited to students at Cater. During the fall, the school has student assemblies during which teachers participate against each other. “To be honest with you, we’ve got teachers now practicing at home,” Ms. Prentiss said.
This Saturday’s tournament kicks off at 8:30 a.m., when students from Cater, Kennedy-Powell, Scott, Meridith-Dunbar and Thornton elementary schools will participate against each other. The event is open to the public.
dfearson@temple-telegram.com
