Clack-clack-clack-clack. Like the hoof beats of a thousand baby Clydesdales. This is cup stacking, the deceptively simple task of building and taking down pyramids of plastic cups. Fast. How fast? All around the Boys & Girls Club of Porter County, pint-sized dervishes are in Olympian states of agony and ecstasy. Just as one fallen cup can blow a record run, two calm hands and a steely gaze can conquer the digital clocks that loom over each stacking mat. But when there is triumph, children explode.

Speed or cup stacking is an exciting individual and team sport in which participants stack and unstack 12 plastic cups in particular sequences. Stackers race individually against the clock and/or compete in a relay format racing against other teams. Speed Stacking allows each person to work at his/her own level so that all are appropriately challenged.

The sport began in Oceanview, California in the early 1980's under the name at a Boys and Girls Club under the direction of Wayne Godinet. Recently, stackers from five foreign countries and 21 states participated in the World Speed Stacking Championships held at the Denver Coliseum. With practice, a person can stack at lightning speed! 10-year-old Speed Stacker Steven Purugganan, from Denver is the World Champion, with amazing world record of 6.21seconds.

No, it's not a joke and yes, it's for real. More than 14,000 schools in the US have implemented speed stacking. There are local, citywide, regional, and world tournaments that go on where kids (and adults) see how they stack up against others. Speed stacking has been popular in certain areas for over 20 years and has finally made its way to the Porter County community thanks to the Boys & Girls Club!

Recently, the South Haven, Portage and Duneland clubs hosted their own Speed Stacking tournaments in their gamesrooms where over 80 members stacked for the title "Speed Stacking Champion". Speed Stacking develops fine motor skills and boosts children's confidence by giving them an outlet other than an athletic field to master a task. "Not everything has to be physical to be physical education," Joe Juraz, Director of the Duneland Club. "And if anything, they're going to leave here with the better hand-eye coordination."

The gamesroom is typically the first stop for young people going to the Boys & Girls Club and remains a hub for programs. It is a place where the club members are able to take part in a wide variety of games and activities and can socialize with their friends. Although the gamesroom appears to be chaotic-because of the noise level and the number of different activates happening at the same time, it is actually a rich environment in which formal guidance, mentoring and character development are occurring.

Understanding the unique role of the gamesroom to the overall club environment allows us to explore and define ways to have a more lasting and beneficial impact on the youth we serve, it is critical that we focus our efforts on one of our enduring principles, providing fun, diverse and interesting experiences for the youth we serve. Speed Stacking is just one of many tools we use to program for our youth. For more information call (219) 464-7282.

The opinions expressed solely are those of the writer. Jennifer Wright is the director of resource development for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Porter County.