RACINE, Wis. — In a display more thrilling than you might imagine speed stackers from all over the country spent Saturday in Racine showing off their skills.
At Olympia Brown Elementary roughly 120 athletes of varying ages and skill levels competed in the Wisconsin Winter Stack Up.
"It really helps kids develop good sportsmanship,” Lisa Berman said. “It helps them build confidence and focus on something that they can immediately see improvement on."
Berman is the director of USA Sport Stacking and she told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin that the sport has grown quite a bit since it began in the 1980s, with some of the best stackers competing on an international stage.
Berman also said the sport also requires a lot more physicality and coordination than people might think.
“it also takes a lot of mental toughness,” she added. “it looks easier than it is.”
Randy Olmstead is a member of the U.S. national team, USA Sport Stackers, and is one of the sport's most elite players.
He's been competing since 2009.
"As a kid, it was definitely the competition but as I’ve grown older the community keeps me around," Olmstead shared. “I love the network of people I’ve met from different countries and the opportunities that it has gave me."
Saturday’s competition in Racine was an opportunity for beginners and young stackers like 12-year-old Iker Castro to not only have some fun but learn from some of the best in the game.
"It inspires me to be better and to one day be like them,” Castro said.
The 12-year-old is already well on his way to achieving that success. Saturday he took home a blue ribbon when his relay team won first place in their competition.
“It feels good,” Castro said, “that you tried you’re best and you achieved your goal.”
Many at the Stack Up event said whether you’re a beginner stacking at home, in P.E. class, or a professional there’s a lot of fun to be had.
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