Gymnasts kick up their feet to break record

Handstands are a normal occurrence at World Class Gymnastics Too, but on Saturday, 42 pairs of feet flew into the air at the same time in search of a bigger goal.

Gymnasts of all ages turned themselves upside down all at once as part of an attempt to break a world record for the number of people completing a handstand at the same time.

“I thought it would be a cool thing for the gym to do,” World Class manager Nici Marshall said.

World Class participated in a national attempt, headed by USA Gymnastics, to celebrate National Gymnastics Day on Saturday and create awareness for the sport.

“I thought it would be a really fun way to promote gymnastics,” Marshall said.

At 1 p.m., the crowd of gymnasts all kicked their legs up, and Marshall snapped a photo of the mass handstand.

At the same time, gyms across the country were doing the same thing, so USA Gymnastics can collect the photos and find out if they broke the record.

The current record for the most people doing a handstand at the same time is 399, according to the Guinness Book of World Records online.

“The kids are excited about participating in a world record attempt,” Marshall said.

Andrea Sellers, 16, who was one of the many gymnasts who participated in the handstand event, wanted to break the record, but she said she was just happy to try it.

“I think it’s great for people to get together,” she said. “It’s a good way to get the girls in here.”

Another participant, Bethany McCuthen, 13, was so committed to breaking the record she completed her handstand with an injured wrist.

She said it hurt, but she wanted to be a part of it.

“I think its good for everyone to come together and have fun,” she said.

World Class Gymnastics will not know if it was part of a world record until USA Gymnastics collects all the photos and counts the number of official handstands, which require both feet to be off of the ground.

Caroline Davis, 12, said she was a little jittery before 1 p.m. because she was so eager to break the record.

“If we got the world record, I’d be excited,” she said.