Great Outdoors Colorado Generation Wild will try to set a new hopscotch record
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) is hoping to use some of those lottery funds to come up with fun ways to get families outside- it's part of a campaign called "99 Days Outdoors," and one of the latest ideas? The world's longest hopscotch course.
"We are so excited to be attempting the Guinness World Record for longest hopscotch as part of our Generation Wild initiative," said Jackie Miller, Executive Director of Great Outdoors Colorado. "The mission is aimed at getting youth and families outside in unstructured play."
GOCO hit the nail on the head with hopscotch and if you want to hop the world record, you'll need to be prepared to hop 4.5 miles.
Once complete, the course will wrap along the sidewalk within Chatfield State Park; it will take more than 21 thousand squares to make up the 4.5 miles. The current hopscotch course record is held by students at Georgia Tech, who built a course that's 4.2 miles long.
A Guinness World Records "adjudicator" will fly in on Sunday to inspect the course, to finalize the record, two people dubbed "tribute hoppers", must hop the entire course.
"I think our tribute hopper will be able to complete it in four hours," said Miller.
Volunteers weren't shy about how much work had been done. By Friday afternoon, they were halfway to their goal- just over 10 thousand hopscotch squares.
"It rained a little bit the other day and washed out a good portion of our course but it's not gonna stop us, we're gonna keep on going."
Miller said there were a few tears but they are determined to claim the record. They could use more hands.
On Friday, the Bigman family added some much-needed energy. The couple drove three hours from West Cliff to help.
"It was my idea… I saw it in Out There Colorado, an article said, yeah, 'you can be part of a world record!' I'm like, I'm in," exclaimed Beth Bigman.
Bigman said while it's been hard work laying the course, hopping it was on another level.
"I was hopping a little bit and I'll tell you, it's hard," she said.
Miller hopes to have more volunteers to help finish the course before Sunday. Anyone willing to help can enter Chatfield State Park for free. Volunteers will be working Saturday from 8-12, Miller says to look for the pink shirts.
The official event kicks off the morning of Sunday, Sept. 18 at 10:00 am. The first 500 people in attendance will receive free entry into the park. Wilder, Generation Wild's "spokescreature", will be onsite as well.
ABOUT GENERATION WILD
Generation Wild was created by Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) to reconnect kids with nature by increasing the amount of time they spend outside in unstructured play – the kind of play that used to be way more common. The program is an integrated, statewide effort supported by a statewide network of non-profit, public and private partner organizations. In 12 Colorado communities, diverse, locally based Generation Wild coalitions are creating equitable access to the outdoors with new places to play, outdoor programs, and pathways to leadership opportunities and jobs in the outdoors. Follow Generation Wild on Facebook and Instagram, and learn more at GenerationWild.com.
ABOUT GREAT OUTDOORS COLORADO
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state's parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO's independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,500 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.
