​Last week, students from 11 elementary schools put their fine motor skills to the test in the annual St. James-Assiniboia Early Years Speed Stacking Tournament.

The event took place at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate on April 20 in front of a packed crowd hungry to witness the fastest stackers in SJASD.

Cup staking, also known as speed stacking, is a sport practiced around the world that involves stacking 9 or 12 cups in a specific sequence as quickly as possible.

J.J. Ross, SJASD's Physical Education and Health Education Coordinator, says the sport is a fun way for kids to develop their fine motor skills, which can form the basis of many other skills, tasks, and talents they will develop over their lifetimes.

“The secret sauce of cup stacking is practice. If you don't practice, you won't get better. So, it's a great way for kids to set goals, practice, and see the results of their efforts," he said.

 While many parents associate fine motor skills with things like learning to use scissors or manipulating clay, it's also essential for learning to write, type, tie shoes, use tools, and for developing hand-eye coordination.

Most of the kids that participate in the annual cup stacking competition are in grades 4 and 5, but J.J. has seen children as young as grade 1 make their school teams. Students practice all year for the finals.

“Cup stacking takes commitment, concentration, agility, and speed. It's also a lot of fun and I want to congratulate all the stackers for their hard work and thank all the volunteers for helping to make this happen," he said.

Teachers from across SJASD coordinated the practices, managed the final tournament (including judging, running, set-up, and take down), and encouraged students throughout the entire process. Collège Sturgeon Heights hosted the event. A big thanks to Mr. Vosper from Brooklands School. He played the very important role of Speed Stacking Convenor, and as always, made sure the event was engaging and ran smoothly.

RESULTS
2023 Annual St. James-Assiniboia Early Years Speed Stacking Tournament

Girls 3-6-3

1^st Place         Eleanor Hennessey             Bannatyne    4.43 secs
2^nd Place        Yeshian Beunaventura       Brooklands    4.58 secs
3^rd Place        Seleina Saul                          Brooklands    4.61 secs
4^th Place         Olive Bagacki                        Sansome        4.86 secs
5^th Place         Isla Legge                              Bannatyne     4.90 secs

Boys 3-6-3

1^st Place         Van Moodie                          Bannatyne    4.05  secs
2^nd Place        Allan Liu                                 Sansome        4.21 secs
3^rd Place        Angelo Saul                           Brooklands    4.56 secs
4^th Place         Yuan Abel                              Crestview      4.63 secs
5^th Place         Rensel Obtera                      Browning       4.83 secs

Girls Cycle

1^st Place         Joanna DeLeon                    Brooklands    10.94 secs
2^nd Place        Braelyn Lengyel                   Sansome        12.91 secs
3^rd Place        Caillie Perralta                      Brooklands    13.68 secs
4^th Place         Alexa Shumka                       Sansome        15.68 secs
5^th Place         Alexa Burton                         Athlone          15.72 secs

Boys Cycle

1^st Place         Aezriel Patalot                      Brooklands    11.91 secs
2^nd Place        Brandon Williment              Browning       13.65 secs
3^rd Place        Daniel Palmieri                    Brooklands    13.81 secs
4^th Place         Tyler Welligan                      Sansome        14.41 secs
5^th Place         Braeden Gaces                     Stevenson     15.86 secs

SJAEYAA Speed Stacking Divisional Record Holders​

GIRLS 3-6-3 STACK – Brianne P. (4.06 sec.) Sansome School (2011)
BOYS 3-6-3 STACK – Kevin F. (3.75 sec.)  Robert Browning School (2013)
GIRLS CYCLE STACK – Naomi B. (10.34 sec.)  Sansome School (2011)
BOYS CYCLE STACK – Owen P. (8.06 sec.)  Robert Browning School (2013)

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