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Kirkwood’s Guinness World Record is in the Book

By January 5, 2011January 11th, 2019No Comments

Bubblegum mark to beat is now 304, set in Oct. 2010 volleyball fundraiser

In late October, hundreds of Iowans had a fun night with some bubble gum. Now it’s an official world record.

Kirkwood Community College hosted a Guinness World Record attempt during a volleyball game at Johnson Hall in Cedar Rapids. Local volunteers observed and counted the bubbles for the Guinness organization as more than 300 participants created bubblegum bubbles within a one-minute period.

This week Kirkwood Student Life Director Seth Vander Tuig checked in at the Guinness website–and there was the official verification of the record.

“I logged into the site and got the great news Tuesday morning. This is what they had to say:

“Congratulations! Your record has been approved and a certificate has been sent…. The current record for “Most people blowing a chewing gum bubble simultaneously” is 304 participants and was achieved by Kirkwood Community College (USA), in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, on 27 October 2010.”

Local TV crews were on hand to catch the action. National media attention ensued, including mentions on websites and CNN coverage to boot.

Vander Tuig said it was a “great time and fun for all,” but remembered the fundraising cause that brought it all about.

“We were doing all this for the Dig Pink effort to raise funds for cancer treatment and research. The world record is a nice moment, but the real event was thousands of dollars raised by our athletes and other students encouraging the whole campus community to pitch in,” Vander Tuig said.

Dig Pink activities take place around the U.S., supported by the Side-Out Foundation. The group began with volleyball coaches and teams raising funds and awareness to support cancer patients and their families as they deal with the disease and its treatment. Kirkwood activities have expanded beyond the Eagles Volleyball team to involve other sports teams and campus-wide activities.

“It was great that night, when we got the crowd and even our opponent team from Indian Hills Community College to take part in the world record try,” Vander Tuig added. “It was a real ‘all-for-one’ moment.”

More information on national Dig Pink activities is available at the organization’s website:

www.side-out.org