News & Media - Press Releases

February 23, 2006

SAMPSON’S STALLION STACKERS HOST 2006 INVITATIONAL SPORT STACKING TOURNAMENT

Sampson Elementary will host its fourth annual Invitational Sport Stacking Tournament this Saturday, Feb. 25 at Cypress Springs High School from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and registration for the 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and the Cycle events are still open for the individual, doubles, and team (of four) divisions.

Currently, 375 participants are signed up to compete for individual events, and 37 relay teams will compete in head-to-head competition, representing nine schools in the Houston area.

Sport stacking, a unique sport (formerly known as cup stacking) in which competitors stack and unstack 12 specially designed cups in predetermined sequences at lightning speed, was first implemented in CFISD in 2002 at Sampson Elementary by P.E. coach Charlotte French and coordinator for CFISD’s Sport Stacking tournament.

“I discovered cup stacking through Bob Fox (founder of Speed Stacks, Inc.) at a conference back in 2000. Emily Fox (Fox's daughter) was stacking cups in a fury at a table in the exhibit hall. I'd never seen anything like it. I thought it would be something neat we could give a try—definitely something different,” French said.

The first year, Sampson had 300 kids on the cup stacking team—performing 4-second 3-6-3's and 15-second cycles. The second year, Sampson took a team to compete at a state tournament in Dallas and then the following year a team represented Sampson at the World Sport Stacking Championships in Denver. This year, Sampson—now performing 3-6-3's in the 2-second range and cycle times in the 8-second range—has seven students who hold 13 Texas State records, one of which is a division world record. Those students are Robert Quinilty (world-record holder), Ashley Butterfield, Eric Jew, Jessica Heath, Ben Skipworth, Kaela Butterfield, and Reid Bishop.

“I'm amazed at how far our kids have come and the coolest thing about this sport is we have kids from all walks of life excelling in the same sport,” French said.

According to reports from the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA), sport stacking helps develop hand-eye coordination, ambidexterity, quickness and concentration—important skills that translate to all sports.

“The sport is great for developing motor skills, patterning, sequencing, focus and concentration. It teaches bilateral proficiency and the kids have a blast. Not a day goes by that a parent does not thank me for starting this unit at Sampson,” French said.

French said that even dads that were very skeptical of this “sport” now tell her how sport stacking helps their child with other sports.

“I had a dad tell me, ‘you know I didn't know what to think of this cup stacking business, but I tell ya’ my son’s hands have gotten so fast in his other sports (baseball and basketball)—it doesn't matter where that ball goes, if his feet can get him there he won't miss it’.”

Individuals or teams interested in registering for the competition on the day of the event will need to complete an application (provided at the registration table) and pay $10 per student, plus a $5 late registration fee.

CFISD schools interested in implementing the program can attend a workshop held once a year (usually in the Fall) through the HOPE meetings offered by the district.

For more information regarding the tournament, please call Charlotte French or Debbie Bartholomew at 281-213-1636.

Students at Sampson Elementary prepare for competition at a state sport stacking tournament in Dallas.

Two Sampson students team up for a quick round of doubles stacking.

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