RACINE, Wis. — Some of the best speed stackers in the country will be coming to Racine to compete in a qualifying tournament for the Junior Olympics in 2024.
It's the Wisconsin Winter Stackup at Olympia Brown Elementary School in Racine on Saturday. Competitors range from kindergartners to members of Team USA speed stacking team. So far 102 people from ages 5 to 62 have signed up, according to tournament organizers.
"Really excited. We've been prepping for this since last spring. It's going to be fun. It's a lot of work, but I'm really happy to show students and the area schools what speed stacking can do," Lucy Frembgen, the P.E. teacher at Olympia Brown and organizer of the tournament, said.
Speed stacking or cup stacking is a sport where competitors stack a designated number of cups, then break down the stack, and re-stack the cups, and break them down again as fast as possible. Competitors have to form different kinds of stacks each time.
Speed stacking was introduced as a P.E. unit in 2022 at Olympia Brown. Frembgen said that it was a huge hit among the students which inspired her to organize this tournament.
"I wanted to grow the sport in the area because, again, our students had to go all the way to Illinois (last year). I want more schools in Wisconsin to host," she said.
There will be a strong showing of students from Olympia Brown since many of them are excited to compete.
"I don’t like really like soccer or kicking things, but I like using my hands to move things, and that’s why I like it," 5th grader Averi Lohr said.
Given that those students have home court advantage, don't be surprised if a few of them qualify for the national tournament.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
