How to Set a World Record
Whilst I did have
some success, my National Titles and Ranking were never going to get me into
the record books as a World Record Holder. I imagine this is a similar experience
to a lot of other people. Unless you are the very best, ever, that World Record
status will forever remain elusive.
The key to setting a World Record is to pick an event that nobody has ever attempted. Alternatively, choose one that nobody has bothered to officially verify. That way, no matter how poorly you perform at it, you will hold the World Record, at least for a time. If you want to hold your World Record for as long as possible, make it difficult to break. This can be achieved through superior physical skill or through such a specific and detailed event that it is rare anybody will have the motivation to challenge your record. My first officially endorsed World Record was in an event I had never seen contested before. My submission was, ‘Most Jumps through a Suspended Hoop Riding an Inflatable Kids Toy whilst Dressed in a Three Piece Flared, Pin-Stripe Suit in 121 Seconds’. The officials later accepted this World Record under a slightly revised name of, ‘Most Hoop Jumps in Two Minutes While Riding an Inflatable Toy Donkey and Dressed in a Flared Three-Piece Suit’. Semantics aside, the main thing was I now held a New World Record! In order for your World Record to become official, you have a couple of different options. You can contact Guinness World Records at www.guinnessworldrecords.com and follow their directions. Guinness tends to have a slightly narrow outlook in terms of what they accept as a World Record and in my option have held a monopoly on record setting for too long. In order to place the control back into the hands of the people you might like to subscribe to the philosophy of Record Setter which can be found at www.recordsetter.com . The submission process is simpler and whilst the highest standards are applied to the verification process, the review process is much quicker. A third path for Official World Record status would be to start your own governing body and publish World Records independently. The drawback of this method is that the time invested in the organisation would be time lost to the pursuit of additional World Records. Giving the right amount of application, creativity and drive, anyone can become a World Record holder. Remember, “You can't fail, if you never quit”. |
