Sport Stacking

I recently discovered the talent of Steven Purugganan, a fifteen year old boy who holds a world record for the fastest cup stacking. Upon further investigation, I found that cup stacking, or 'Sport Stacking' as it’s more often referred to in the business, is actually an international sport - complete with international tournaments, strict rules and their own governing body, the World Sport Stacking Association (The WSSA).

My first reaction, upon watching Purugganan stack his Dixie cups over and over was, “Wow, this kid is really fast!” My second reaction was, after a few seconds of consideration, “Is this kid really spending the better part of his life stacking cups?” My instinct was to declare this practice an utter waste of time, nothing more interesting than a party gimmick or weird talent that gets you featured on page four of a local newspaper. Simply because it was new and unusual, I wanted to dismiss sport stacking...