Club Obi Wan

Because I hadn't seen this anywhere else around here yet, which really surprised me. So, Chris...It's been you and Dante trading it back and forth for a while, then Adam. Is it your turn again?:


"World's Fastest Whip"
WHIP CRACKER SETS NEW WORLD RECORD

Bullwhip expert Robert Dante has set a new Guinness World Record
for "Most Bullwhip Cracks in One Minute."

Dante, a professional bullwhip artist, cracked his 6-foot bullwhip
254 times in 60 seconds at Sunset Park in St. Louis Park , MN . Dante
has broken this record twice before, in 2003 and 2004.

"Somewhere down the road, we might get to 300 cracks a minute," Dante
says. "That'll be five cracks per second. With this new world record,
I hit 4.23 whip cracks in a second."

Dante was assisted in his quest for gold by his whip-cracking partner
Tina Nagy, who videotaped the Oct. 12 attempt. Chris Wiggins and
Brenda Fogg helped by timing and counting cracks. Official validation
is expected before the end of the year.

The announcement of the record coincides with the release of Dante's
illustrated book, "Let's Get Cracking! The How-To Book of Bullwhip
Skills." The $16.95 book will initially be sold through his website
at www.bullwhip.net. The 158-page book shows how to crack whips
safely from beginner to advanced levels, including tricks and stunts,
single- and two-handed whip cracking, choosing a whip, maintenance,
whips as a hobby, sport or exercise, and the ins and out of pro
performing.

Dante is the 2008 recipient of the Brian Chic Whip Artistry Award,
awarded by the Society of American Whip Artistry. Dante presents
bullwhip shows at Wild West events, nightclubs, and circuses, and he
is founder of The Bullwhip Academy which offers 6-week whip cracking
sessions and lessons in Minneapolis .

Any video of this?

Well, I haven't seen any video. There's nothing on Dante's site about it yet.

I'm pretty sure that there is footage of Adam doing what is essentially the same thing, (though I don't think it's his ACTUALLY record,) out on YouTube somewhere.

Saint Louis Park, MN??? Geez, that's where I live!!!

Hey Dan,

I was informed of Dante's attempt a while ago. I asked Chris Camp about it and Chris confirmed that there was a timing error and that Dante got an extra 4 seconds, doing only 238 in 60 seconds. Chris said that Dante would not be submitting the record for approval.

I was kind of hoping that Dante would submit it, so I would have a good reason to attempt the record again. The bullwhip I used to get 253 was on the heavy side and was too stiff. So I think with a lighter, better cracking whip, I could get into the 260s. Though, given the fact that the whip has to be at least 6 ft long with a 30" fall (per Guinness rules, set originally by Dante) I don't think 300 in a minute is possible as Dante suggests in the article.

Also, I did find it odd that Dante attempted the record this year, considering the shoulder problems that he'd been having.

-Adam

Thanks for the update, Adam.

This came to me down a couple different pipes, so I just wanted to pass it on.

I'm sorry to hear that Dante won't be submitting it either. Raising the bar is always good. And I think many people will agree that 300 in a minute is impossible until somebody does it. The thought of 253 is dizzying as it is!

I was quite surprised that he attempted it as well. I mean, the whips he's using are VERY light, but ANY weight put through that rapid, continuous motion for 60 seconds is going wear you out! I get tired just watching watching you and Chris do this, so I cannot imagine what Dante's experience was like on this considering the condition of his shoulder when last I saw him back in July.

He was recovering then, but it was obvious that the shoulder was STILL giving him lots of mobility and pain issues, (and that was AFTER a cortisone shot a couple days before,) but he was really anxious to work through it and get back to the level he was at before. He CLAIMED he was focusing a lot on using his left arm, and he might have been, but there was barely a time during the weekend that he didn't have a whip in each hand.

Perhaps he'll give it another shot before the book release. Then you'll have your excuse!

Raising the bar just inspires the rest of us, and works to get our hobby, (profession to some,) out there more, and that's ALWAYS a good thing!

All the best and happy cracking,

-D

Hey Dan,

Yes, raising the bar is a good thing. I wish I hadn't heard any doubt with Dante's newest attempt, as I think it'd be great if he could get in the record books again.

When I trained for my record attempts, I trained with both hands, mainly because I didn't want to over-develop one arm. So it's totally possible that he did the attempt with his left hand.

-Adam

I’ll admit I’ve been out of the loop for a few weeks and I haven’t talked to Robert or Chris but according to Robert's press release and even his Myspace page, it sounds like he submitted it, if its pending official validation?

Dante, a professional bullwhip artist, cracked his 6-foot bullwhip 254 times in 60 seconds at Sunset Park in St. Louis Park, MN. Dante has broken this record twice before, in 2003 and 2004.

Dante was assisted in his quest for gold by his whip-cracking partner Tina, who videotaped the Oct. 12 attempt. Volunteers Chris Wiggins and Brenda Fogg helped by timing and counting cracks. Official validation is expected by the end of the year.

Why would it say that if it wasn’t an official attempt if he knew there was a timing error or if he decided not to submit it to Guinness?

Robert's attempt made back in August did indeed have a timing error.
This attempt was not submitted.

He made a successful attempt in October and is the one he has submitted to Guinness.

Chris

Chris, Thanks so much for clearing that up

Thanks for the clarification, Chris. Do you know if Dante still used a Mike Murphy bullwhip?

Yup, I didn't read the article carefully enough to see that it refered to a different attempt.

-Adam