A pair of B.C. softball players have shattered the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive catches and throws in an hour.
Larissa Franklin is a member of Canada’s Women’s National Softball team and Katelyn Ross is the head coach for the Garibaldi High School’s softball academy.
The previous record? 1,200 throws in an hour. To beat it, they had to make 20 catches per minute, or one every three seconds, for the full hour.
The pair were positioned about 33 feet apart, and while they were allowed to drop or miss a ball, doing so would risk derailing their attempt by wasting precious seconds.
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Both women hail from Maple Ridge, and both are deeply involved with KidSport, a national non-profit that provides funding and equipment so kids in need can play sports.
“I see the value in sports for kids because I’ve come through playing sports myself, and looking back there’s a ton I’ve received from it,” Franklin said.
Ross also works as an addictions counsellor, something she says has motivated her work with kids.
“In the addictions field I see a high correlation between boredom, lack of connection and low self-esteem being connected to using at a young age,” she said.
“We can’t control every child’s home life, but we can provide a space to be safe and feel connected.”
In the end, the duo made short work of the record. In front of a cheering crowd in the gym at Garibaldi High School, the pair nearly doubled the record, laying down 2,278 clean passes in an hour.
Nearly doubling the record gives Ross and Franklin’s effort a good chance of standing the test of time. But even better, they met their other goal: helping kids. The initiative pulled in about $8,000 for KidSport.
-With files from Jordan Armstrong and Jill Bennett