College Student Vies to Break World
Record While Raising Money and Awareness for Scleroderma
A college senior has devised a unique way to raise
awareness and raise funds for scleroderma.
James Roumeliotis, who attends Worcester Polytechnic
Institute in Massachusetts, will attempt to break the
Guinness Book of World Records mark for consecutive
pogo stick jumps over a 24-hour period Sept. 22–23
at the college. The current mark is 177,737, held by
a German man.
A fraternity brother at Sigma Pi, Roumeliotis will
be jumping on behalf of Debbie Magnuson, who has scleroderma.
Her son Eric is in the same fraternity with Roumeliotis.
“He’s a very caring kid who is always thinking
of others,” said his mother, Gina Gustafson. “When
he told me what he was planning on doing, I told him
it was awesome.”
Sigma Pi has a long history of performing community
service projects, and Roumeliotis combined his interest
in jumping with his compassion for his friend in creating
the idea. He has a Web site www.bouncetoacure.com
that explains more about the event and has a donation
button. He is hoping to raise $5,000 in donations.
Roumeliotis first took up jumping on a pogo stick as
a little child while vacationing at his grandfather’s
cottage. He took some time off from jumping, but while
his high school friends were performing skateboarding
and rollerblading stunts, Roumeliotis got back on his
stick.
“I continued during college and started doing
some tricks whereby people started recognizing me,”
said Roumeliotis, a computer science major.
Passionate about fitness, Roumeliotis began preparing
for the event last June. During the summer, he would
pogo around Worcester, about 10 miles or so. Recently,
he has participated in endurance runs, “pogoing”
five consecutive hours. He planned a 10-hour endurance
bounce this weekend.
Roumeliotis said that record officials permit him to
rest five minutes per hour, or he can store that time
off if he so chooses. For example, if he pogos for four
consecutive hours, then he can take 20 minutes off before
re-starting. If he pogos for six consecutive hours,
he can take 30 minutes off.
The event will be videotaped so there is an accurate
accounting of his total number of jumps. The event will
include refreshments, and entertainment as five local
bands have agreed to play. |
