Feature article

Cup stacking leaves no idle hands

Article and pictures by Tammy Lane
March 26, 2008

  The kids at Squires Elementary School stack up well. Literally.
  That’s because they practice the sport of cup stacking, deftly arranging 12 specially designed plastic cups in pre-determined sequences.
  Cup stacking enhances hand-eye coordination and reaction time, said Debbie Rose, who has used it in her P.E. program at Squires for about five years.
  Students learn cycles and combinations of 3s, 6s and 10s to stack the ridged, hard plastic cups into pyramids.
  “The 3-stack probably is the easiest because you’re using only three cups,” said fifth-grader Griffin Brixey. The 1-10-1 is another matter. “When you down-stack, you have to end in a 3-6-3,” he explained in a language known only to stackers.
  As kids use both hands to stack, they’re using both sides of their brain and promoting right-brain development, which enhances things like awareness, focus, creativity and rhythm. It’s sort of like using both hands to play a musical instrument or type on a computer.
  “It’s all about their brain and how their brain is functioning and how they’re getting messages to their hands,” said Rose, who noted that some children with special needs might not be able to bounce a ball but they can stack cups.
  Rose, who first saw cup stacking at a P.E. conference, has found links with reading and comprehension, writing and math skills. “Usually by watching them stack cups, I can tell which (kindergarten) kids are already reading,” she said.
  But cup stacking is not just a mental exercise. Rose’s students often do relays, moving from table to table to get the most out of a P.E. drill. And occasionally the older kids use a timer, which encourages speed along with precision.
  “If you keep practicing and you learn, you can get a lot better,” said fifth-grader Jenna Mattingly.
  While Rose schedules cup stacking for only a two-week unit in class, the children can pull out the cups year-round. “They have a lot of fun with it,” she said.
  Rose compared cup stacking to kids’ riding a bicycle.
  “They’re so engrossed in what they’re doing,” she said. “Once they learn it and train their brain how to do it, it’s there.”

DID YOU KNOW?
• Six students from Squires Elementary came to the March 24 school board meeting to demonstrate cup stacking and challenge FCPS leaders to test their skills.
• You can watch how-to videos online at www.speedstacks.com/.
• There’s actually a World Sport Stacking Association (www.worldsportstackingassociation.org/). Its championship competition is set for April 5-6 in Denver.
• On Guinness World Records Day last November, the World Sports Stacking Association aimed to have the most people stacking cups at the same time nationwide. At Squires Elementary, more than 500 people participated as gym classes stacked in 30-minute sessions all day. What was the final, world-record tally? 143,530 stackers.

TIPS FOR FAST STACKING:
1. If you are a beginner, start on the floor with your Speed Stacks directly in front of you.
2. Always keep the stacks close together to create a solid base for your pyramid.
3. Use a light touch, and don’t squeeze the cups.
4. If you lead with your right hand, that hand should pick up the top cup.
5. Practice leading with one hand and then the other. Switch to increase ambidexterity.
6. When handling the cups, your hands should be positioned on the sides – never over the tops.
7. Separate the cups from one another using your fingers, resting the last (or bottom) cup on your pinky.
8. Stack in a circle – that is, use a circular motion with your hands and arms instead of back and forth.
9. Never pass a cup from one hand to the other. Use both hands at the same time.

SOURCE: www.speedstacks.com/

View a video of FCPS students at a recent board meeting.

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