Jumping jack record may have been broken by Boys & Girls Club

Records are made to be broken and a Guinness World Record was likely shattered thanks to the help of kids in South Lake Tahoe.

On March 22, more than 120 members of the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe joined their peers from more than 1,000 Boys & Girls Clubs across the country to break the Guinness World Record for the most people doing “jumping jacks” – or “star jumps.”

Mercadies Gentry, foreground, and Paula Peterson help set a jumping jacks record. Photo/Provided

As part of National Boys & Girls Club Week (March 20-26), Boys & Girls Clubs of America embarked on this initiative with its clubs across the country through the organization’s Triple Play program. This program, supported by founding sponsor, Coca-Cola, and the WellPoint Foundation, encourages kids to eat healthier, become more physically active and increase their ability to engage in healthy relationships.

“Young people living healthy, active lifestyles puts them on a pathway to a great future,” said Kelly Garrity, program coordinator at the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, said in a press release. “By jumping their way into history, they proved that you don’t have to have fancy equipment or a gym membership to get active and be healthy. Fitness can start with something as simple as a jumping jack.”

To break the current record, more than 278 kids needed to complete the attempt. While the official verdict will come from Guinness in a couple of weeks, all indications are that the record has been broken.

Nearly one-third of children and teens in the U.S. are obese or overweight, according to multiple studies. Children and adults can avoid these devastating diseases by adopting and maintaining healthy habits early on.

Jumping jacks are called star jumps in some countries, because the arms, legs and head form a five-pointed star. The record is defined as, “the most people star jumping simultaneously at multiple venues for two consecutive minutes,” according to Guinness World Records.