Cup Stacking: The Next Big Sport

Speed stacking plastic cups might not seem like a sport, but just ask any kid who's doing it and they will most likely tell you differently. So what is speed stacking? Speed stacking is when you take plastic cups and stack them in pyramids and then unstack them as fast as you possibly can. What you're trying to do is beat the others who are stacking and unstacking their cups while also beating the clock. The stacking is usually done is pyramids of three, six, or ten upside down cups. But in order to be really fast most kids use special cups, called Speed Stacks. For a set of 12 cups with a bag to hold them in, mat/timer and instructional DVD, it's $29.99.

This sport may seem to new to most of us but it has actually been around since the 1980's and originated in Southern California. In 2004 the World Sport Stacking Association changed the name from Cup Stacking to Sport Stacking so it would seem like more of a sport and not just a cup stacking game.

All of the pyramids can be made from right to left or from left to right, but the same direction must be maintained for stacking up the pyramids as well as unstacking them.

Speed stacking helps with hand eye coordination as well as giving kids more self esteem and learning what team work is. This sport is mostly gearned towards kids, but recently everyone is playing. Some schools are even getting in on Speed Stacking by using it in their Physical Education programs. The kids don't seem to mind, in fact they say once they do it they are hooked. Even students who some times have a hard time paying attention seem to be completely focused while stacking and unstacking the cups. It's no wonder this sport has taken off and so many people are now doing it.

Some teachers have reports from parents that the television never gets turned on and the kid's have left behind the video games in order to have more time for Sport Stacking. When was the last time you heard that?

The first time I saw the competitions was on the national news and once I saw what these kids were doing and how fast they were doing it, I knew I had to learn more. The fastest timed stacker can complete the entire pyramid sequence in 7.43 seconds. To see a child's hands moving that fast is really amazing.