Students at Evergreen Heights Elementary School on Auburn’s West Hill, took part in the third annual World Sport Stacking Association STACK UP! Thursday.

During the course of the day, each student up-stacked and down-stacked various pyramids in patterns as fast as they could for at least 30 minutes. For the third year in a row Guinness World Records billed the day as the “World’s Largest Sport Stacking Event.” Sights were set on more than 175,000 stackers participating in a 24-hour period.

The event at Evergreen Heights was organized by Federal Way resident John Ansotigue, who is a physical education teacher at the school. Ansotigue has been heavily involved in the sport of speed stacking for years and had over 200 students taking part in the STACK UP! event Thursday.

Sport stacking has been termed a “track meet for your hands at warp speed.” It is a sport where students up-stack and down-stack 12 specially-designed cups in predetermined sequences as fast as they can. Stackers race against the clock and compete in relays.

Last year, an official count of 143,530 stackers participated to break the first STACK UP! record set in 2006. This year, stackers were expected to contribute their sport stacking skills in the United States and countries like Germany, Japan, Australia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

According to Mark Lingle, WSSA Director, the Guinness event is a great platform to bring together sport stackers from across the globe.

“Sport stacking is an activity enjoyed by all ages and cultures,” he said. “It promotes hand-eye coordination, action, teamwork, speed and lots of fun. This is the third year we’ve teamed up with Guinness World Records.”

Sport stacking is in more than 25,000 schools and youth organizations worldwide. Benefits include improved reaction time, hand-eye coordination, concentration and focus. The WSSA World Sport Stacking Championships take place every year in Denver, Colorado. Last year, more than 1,100 stackers competed, including several students from Evergreen Heights.

To take part in the record-setting STACK UP!, schools and organizations around the world were required to register with the WSSA. Once they complete their 30 minutes of stacking for each participant, they are required to send in written verification of numbers to the WSSA, who will pass on the total count to Guinness for official recognition.

Sports editor Casey Olson: 925-5565, sports@fedwaymirror.com