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Pogo Stick Extreme - He jumps for an hour |
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An Université de Sherbrooke mechanical engineering student set a new world record for the highest pogo stick jump on Thursday. David Barabé told reporters he had completed the eight-foot jump in training, but was not sure he would be able to repeat the performance with a crowd watching.
But in front of about 100 curious onlookers, Barabé jumped over an eight-foot high jump bar and landed on the other side in full control on his pogo stick at the university’s Centre Sportif.
That’s enough for a new entry in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The previous record, established at six feet, was held by Brian Spencer, inventor of the Vurtego pogo stick, a variation of the traditional pogo stick that trades the traditional spring design for a patented air spring system.
Barabé got both a Vurtego stick and advice from Spencer for his record breaking feat.
Barabé, who has been working with two other engineering students and a communications student, created Groupe Altitude and the group has been working on the Pogo Stick Extrême project for months.
The key to success, they say, was the air injection system. It was also a challenge as physical as it was technological because it required concentration, balance and optimum strength to master the high-tech pogo stick.
In the end, it took Barabé a little more than an hour and five attempts to beat the record. Evidence of his jump, including photos and testimonials from witnesses, will be sent to Guinness. It will take about a month before Barabé’s new record becomes official.
April 25, 2008 |
Montreal Canadiens
