World's Fastest Poi Spinning - David Rush for STEM

Five and a half years after one of the most painful experiences of my life, I was finally invited back on the TODAY Show. Last time I was supposed to break the Guinness World Record’s title for the fastest blindfolded juggling. I got so nervous I kept dropping the balls and didn’t break the record. I never knew if I’d have another chance to reach that audience. This week I finally did.

I was invited to the TODAY Show to talk about my mission to break 52 Guinness World Records titles in 2021 to promote STEM education. I talked about how a growth mindset helped me and can help kids develop the confidence they need to get over their struggles with math or science and become an engineer.

It was a much lower pressure situation than last time since I didn’t actually need to break a record. The big surprise came when they invited the Guinness adjudicator, Michael Embry, onto the set to virtually present me with 2 certificates for newly adjudicated records including the most 3-beat poi weaves in one minute.

I broke the record last year while on vacation with my family. My first attempt was in front of the leaning tower of Pisa in Italy. I was on pace to break the record but at 56 seconds in the strings got tangled up and I just barely missed the record mark. The police who were watching came up to me right after and said “you are done?” It wasn’t a question.

I made another attempt when we got to Le Cornglia in Cinco Terra. The hardest part of this record after getting the poi up to speed is maintaining the stamina to complete the full minute. The poi are moving at over 60 miles per hour and the torque exerted on my arms is intense. The exhaustion is real.