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No record, but event still the best, official says

Posted July 13, 2007 11:00 pm

CATHY BAYER

Of the 305 participants in the rock, paper, scissors tournament Friday, 11-year-old champion Adam Gray didn't even expect to play.

Adam of Peoria was selling beverages as a fundraiser with about 15 other scouts of Boy Scout Troop 28, St. Thomas Parish, on the back lawn at Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences when the boys were asked to play.

The museum hosted the tournament in an attempt to beat the standing world record of 500 people playing in one tournament. The pending record is 765.

The lawn was lined with 42 posts, ready to accommodate 32 people each. That adds up to 1,344 possible participants, since museum personnel didn't know what kind of turnout to plan for.

"Since you only do things like this once, you don't know what to expect," said Sheldon Schafer, Lakeview's vice president for education.

Posts were narrowed, 32 people were cut down to 16, then eight, and the group was down to an odd-numbered three.

Adam was awarded the bye, and used his time wisely by watching his potential opponents.

Runner-up Steve Volmer of Washington consistently threw rock, a trait Adam picked up on.

"Paper was probably going to let me win," Adam said after the match.

Sure enough, Volmer threw rock each toss, while Adam threw paper.

"Rock always wins," said Volmer, who came with his wife and two young sons. "It got me pretty far."

Adam won a $100 gift certificate to the museum's gift shop and a trophy like no other. The gold cup is lined with paper and has a mineral rock and actual scissors.

Several families brought their kids, took pictures and taught them the score-settling game.

Chris Whittaker of Boulder, Colo., conducted what his family called "rock, paper, scissors camp" to prepare for the tournament.

"Did you stretch?" he asked his nephew, Morgan Katnik, 9, also of Colorado, who started stretching his arms and bending his wrists in preparation.

Rebecca and Lorin Whittaker of Peoria had their kids and six grandkids visiting from Colorado and stopped by before heading to the Heart of Illinois Fair or Balloons on the Prairie.

Abhishek Nigam of India moved to Peoria in March and had never even heard of the age-old game until Friday. Co-worker Rachel Rusinski of Metamora taught him the basics.

"I just know that she always goes rock, so I'll go paper," Nigam said.

He came out for the chance to make the Guinness Book of World Records.

"I want my name to be there," he said.

While they didn't make the record cut, spirits were high.

"Even if we don't break the world record, at least they can say they participated in a Guinness Book of World Records event," said event coordinator Maegan Gilliland.

The turnout might have been because of the fair's opening and Balloons on the Prairie, Gilliland said.

"It may not be the world's largest, but it's the world's best," said Dave Grebner, museum educator and tournament official judge. "The primary goal is to have fun, and that's what we're doing."

Cathy Bayer can be reached at (309) 686-3196 or cbayer@pjstar.com.

Game basics, according to the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Society:

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The game is played where players substitute the three elements - rock, paper and scissors - with representative hand signals.

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Player must deliver these hand signals simultaneously.

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Here's a breakdown of the actions, according to the World Rock, Paper, Scissors Society:

The prime - Better known as the pump done when the forearm goes from the torso and extends to a 90-degree angle - must be done simultaneously with the opponent. Having throws at the same time is critical for a fair match.

The approach - It's the transition phase between the final prime and the delivery. A player's throw must be delivered before reaching the 90-degree mark. Any throw delivered past the 90-degree mark is considered a "forced rock," since that's the position the hand would have been in upon crossing the 90-degree mark.

The delivery - During delivery, the rock must be made into another position or stay as a rock. Timing here is crucial. Releasing the delivery too soon causes the opponent to prematurely see a throw, while releasing too late is a foul, resulting in a forced rock.

Source: www.worldrps.com

The outcome of each throw is determined by the following: Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper and paper beats rock.

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