The global event, promoted by National Geographic Kids Magazine, needed 20,000 people to participate in the 1-minute event.
Lauren Crossman, front, of Lancaster, joins Westfield State University students and staff on campus Wednesday in an effort to break the record for most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period.
Diana L. Schwartz, a movement science faculty member at Westfield State University, gets her son Charles S. Bertini to join the fun as university students and staff on campus Wednesday participate in an effort to break the jumping jacks record.WESTFIELD - It was a short 60 seconds with a long-lasting legacy.
That is how Westfield State University professor Holly A. Noun described Westfield’s contribution toward establishing a Guinness World Record for jumping jacks.
“This is a pretty exciting activity,” she told faculty, staff and students assembled on the university’s Alumni Field for the 11:30 a.m. event Wednesday.
In all, 202 representatives of the university’s students, staff and faculty did one minute of jumping jacks while students at three neighboring elementary schools joined in the effort.
In all 786 people in Westfield participated in the global campaign initiated by first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign that encourages health and fitness for children and families.
Westfield school officials reported that 419 students and staff at Highland Elementary School, 100 at Abner Gibbs School and 65 at Juniper Park School participated in the event.
In Chicopee 440 students and teachers participated at the Sgt. Robert R. Litwin School.
“It was a fantastic event and everyone had a great time,” Litwin principal Jordana Harper said.
The global event was planned for 24 hours from 3 p.m. Oct. 11 until 3 p.m. Oct. 12. Promoting the effort was National Geographic Kids Magazine. To break the jumping jack record, more than 20,000 people worldwide needed to participate in the one-minute event.
“Jumping” in the WSU group was 3-month-old Charles S. Bertini with assistance from his mother Diana L. Schwartz, a movement science faculty member at the university.
Caitlin M. Ryan, 19, of Hanson, a sophomore sports medicine student, admitted “this is our normal class period.” But, she said the attempt to set a new world record is “worthwhile. Jumping jacks is a form of physical activity and it is an easy exercise to introduce to people at a very young age.”
Sean R. Vanzant, 19, of Springfield, a WSU movement and exercise science major, said, “this is a good introduction and promotion of physical fitness. This should be an important part of youth physical fitness and jumping jacks is a warm-up exercise for many athletes in many sports.”