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Record set on a string
and a prayer
http://www.janesvillegazette.com/guinessfloss080101.html (Published Wednesday, August 01, 2001 11:40:36 AM CDT) By Chris Schultz/Gazette Staff
LAKE
GENEVA--Nearly 300-strong, they stood ready in the midday heat, determined to
set a world's record and become a part of history.
Mounted on a makeshift platform, Chris Boncimino eyed his unwavering line of volunteers as a continuous spool of filament was unraveled by the surgically-gloved hands of orthodontist John Napolitano and two dental assistants. Resplendent in white Glide dental floss T-shirts and steely-eyed under equally white Crest toothpaste sun visors, the impatient would-be record holders began their chant: "Floss, floss, floss." Seldom has oral hygiene seen such intensity. For a brief shining moment Tuesday afternoon near the shores of Geneva Lake, an eclectic band of teens gripped their lengths of floss and prepared for immortality in the Guinness Book of World Records, under the heading: "Most People Flossing Simultaneously." "If you feel weak and feel you can't make it, signal us and we will hydrate you," Boncimino told the assembled flossers. "We recommend you breathe out of your nose." With "The Eye of the Tiger" blaring tinnily from a boom box, the flossers dug in for 45 seconds of intense, interdental cleansing. After counting down the 45 seconds, Boncimino, program director at Lake Geneva Youth Camp, yelled out the news: "That's it, you've done it! You have the record of the most people flossing simultaneously!" A mighty cheer went up. In the war on gum disease, gingivitis got its butt kicked. For today, anyway. All that was left was a group picture, wrapping up the used dental floss and counting the participants for the Guinness entry. Unofficially, 295 campers flossed, if not in unison, then at least vigorously, for at least 30 seconds. And while records are made to be broken, one thing never can be taken away from these intrepid flossers: They were the first. The idea was broached among camp staff six months ago, Boncimino said. "We thought let's do something cool," he said. "Let's break a world's record." To do that, however, they had to get someone official to recognize the world's record. Either convinced it was a legitimate enterprise or just tired of being badgered, Guinness created the category of "Most People Flossing Simultaneously." The 50-year-old youth summer Bible camp has a lot of connections in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. And the call went out for help. It was soon answered. Crest donated 350 toothbrushes and as many tubes of toothpaste for the event. Glide Floss produced not one, but two, 1,500-foot spools of floss. Among the observers were Napolitano of Palatine, Ill.; oral hygienist Donna Grzegorek, also of Palatine; and Dawn Vogle of Huntley, Ill. with Proctor & Gamble, the makers of Crest. But it was campers who made it work. Some were eager to participate. "I always, always, always wanted to be part of world's record," said Mo Cheeks, 16, of Mattesson, Ill. "And I'm excited about brushing and flossing with this guy," he said, poking his friend Mike Starrick, 18, of Maywood, Ill. "I think it's very much fun," Starrick added. "I think it's awesome being part of a world's record," said Glenna Johnson, 17, of Tinley Park, Ill. Alex Kozlov, 15, who hails from Kazan, Russia, but is living in Des Plaines, Ill., right now, said he wasn't sure if this whole thing was serious. Still, "I'd like to be in the record book," he said. Not everyone was an eager volunteer. "It's going to take too long, and it's stupid," complained Kinice Miller, 14, of Burnham, Ill. But after some cajoling by staff and friends, she selflessly signed her name, bravely grabbed a toothbrush and took her place in line. "I'm doing it just to help them out," she said. And what happens to the floss that was used in this record-breaking event? Will it be bronzed? Or retired to a dental museum? Not exactly. Under U.S. regulations, used floss is considered a hazardous waste, Napolitano said. It was stuffed into a biohazard bag to be taken back to Palatine for disposal. -----------------------------------------------
Regards, Peter E Luke ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mere Meaningless Diversions? Or what's really happening? Visit or Sign Up Today & Find Out! Website: http://www.geocities.com/peatluke/Diversionz.html To Get on the Bus: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Diversionz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -----------------------------------------------
Regards, Peter E Luke ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mere Meaningless Diversions? Or what's really happening? Visit or Sign Up Today & Find Out! Website: http://www.geocities.com/peatluke/Diversionz.html To Get on the Bus: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Diversionz ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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