HALIFAX – An 11-year-old girl from Tantallon, Nova Scotia has said she set a new Guinness Book of World Records Monday for spinning on her ice skates.
Olivia Rybicka-Oliver completed the feat Monday afternoon in Warsaw, Poland, where she was born. She also used the event to raise funds for terminally ill children.
The current record is 308 rotations per minute. Olivia claims she completed 342 rotations per minute. There’s no word yet on when the attempt will be verified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
No one can spin for a full minute, so the number of spins is recorded with some new technology. “They’re going to take a slice of that spin and judge how fast that part is going,” says Olivia’s coach Charleen Cameron.
So if they use five seconds the number of spins within that time is multiplied by 12 to get the number of rotations per minute.
Watch the attempt on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6d7aKyQm80
Olivia has been training hard for a year and a half for this event. She wants to become the fastest spinner on ice skates. “I love spinning,” she tells us telephone from her hotel room in Poland. “It was like the very first thing I ever did when I was on the ice when I was little.”
“We’re very proud of Olivia,” says her father Garry Oliver. “She’s passionate about figure skating. She’s passionate about helping others.”
But for Olivia, it’s not just about breaking records. So far she’s raised 20-thousand dollars for two groups: terminally ill children in Poland and a Halifax-based charity helping youth, called ‘Leave Out Violence’ or ‘LOVE’.
Ten sick children will get their wish granted on the ice prior to the spin. “They’ll meet me,” said Olivia before the event. “I’ll give them a hug or like give them an autograph and get to know me.”
Olivia’s dad adds, “They’re going to be her main supporters on the ice, cheering her on.”
Olivia inherited her desire to help others, from her parents. “My wife and I have a charity in Poland for dying children,” says Garry. “We’ve looked after four thousand children in the last ten years and we have an organization called Coalition for Kids International in Halifax here, where we take youth from Canada to work with their dying children.”
LOVE works to support youth in Halifax affected by violence. Five members will leave for Poland later this month to deliver the wishes of the terminally ill children.
“They will be going overseas just to develop their philanthropic spirit and learn how to give and appreciate what we have,” says Sarah MacLaren, the executive director of LOVE.
Garry Oliver says they “also give them a lot of history, a lot of cultural experience, and they come back as even greater citizens.”
Olivia says she’s feeling confident heading into the spin. “I’m very excited. I just want it to happen, like right now,” she says.
If you’d like to donate to help Olivia’s cause, you can go to her website: oliviaoliver.org
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