Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
WC East grad sets record on a pogo stick
West Chester East grad McQuiston turns his up and down hobby into a Guiness World Record
WEST WHITELAND » When Drew McQuiston told his family and close friends that he intended to break a world record on a pogo stick, nobody was the least bit surprised.
That’s because the 20-yearold from West Whiteland has always had a quirky, adventurous personality. He is the type that won’t back down from a challenge, but rather tackle the task with uncommon gusto and determination.
“They told me that it was exactly the kind of thing that I would do,” said McQuiston, who graduated from West Chester East in 2015. “They all know I’m I little goofy. That I go out and do things that a normal person wouldn’t do.
“I guess I’m not afraid to be myself. I really don’t care much for what other people think.”
And when McQuiston went out and shattered the Guinness World Record for the fastest mile on a pogo stick in late June, the reaction was the same from everybody who knows him.
“They all loved it and said they weren’t surprised,” McQuiston said.
Following six months of training, McQuiston and a few friends drove four hours west to Plum
High School, just east of Pittsburgh, to make the attempt. Late in the morning of June 24th — with a small but boisterous crowd on hand to see it — McQuiston pogoed his way into the record books by covering the distance in just seven minutes, 40 seconds. He bettered the previous mark by more than a minute and a half.
“It’s kind of crazy that six months ago, I was just sitting around thinking of doing it,” he said. “I decided to go for it and now I can’t believe all that’s happened since then.”
A junior at the University of Delaware majoring in mechanical engineering, McQuiston’s feat was documented by Xpogo, a western Pennsylvania organization that plans extreme pogoing events across the country and recognizes 13 world records.
“The fastest mile on a pogo stick was on their list,” McQuiston recalled. “I first saw it a couple years ago and at that time the record was 9:56. I remember thinking: ‘I can beat that.’ So it’s been in the back of my mind since then.”
At age 8, McQuiston discovered pogoing at a birthday party, and his parents bought him a stick the next day. He had a knack for it right from the start, and a few years later he was showing off his skills at a several talent shows while attending Exton Elementary and later Fugett Middle School.
During his senior year in high school, McQuiston competed for ‘Mr. East,’ a tonguein-cheek contest, and he spent the talent portion on his pogo stick.
“I did some tricks, but the thing that people really liked was jumping rope on a pogo stick,” said McQuiston, who wound up winning the title.
At West Chester East, McQuiston ran cross country and distance track events, and was a four-year member of the East swim team. He began training in earnest for the world record attempt last January by running, which improved his cardio strength. And, on occasion, he got on his pogo stick and covered a mile on paved trails like the Pomeroy and Newark Rail Trail while in college, as well as the Chester Valley Trail near his home.
“It’s exhausting the second you start bouncing, so I had to be in shape for it more than anything,” McQuiston explained.
“I was practicing trying to move quickly on the stick. It’s a challenge to go as fast as you can while still maintaining control.”
Last May McQuiston contacted Nick Ryan, the CEO of Xpogo, and he suggested that the best place to stage the attempt was somewhere in the Pittsburgh area. That way Xpogo could process the potential record free of charge.
“So I contacted a bunch of high schools in that area, and Plum High School was the only one that got back to me,” McQuiston said.
Athletic Director Bob Alpino gave him the OK to use Plum’s track as the venue. The task became more challenging, however, when the world record was reestablished twice this spring. Michigan’s John Regis ultimately set the mark at 9:16 in April.
“In my training, on occasion I would do a mile as fast as I could to see where I was at,” McQuiston said. “A couple weeks earlier I did it in 8:35, so I knew I had a chance to break the record.”
On June 23, he made a stormy, rain-soaked trek to Pittsburgh along with four friends. But after a good night’s sleep, McQuiston awoke to sunny skies, and low humidity with a slight breeze.
“I couldn’t have asked for better weather,” he said. “It was planned a month earlier and there is nothing you can do about weather except hope that it’s good. “I felt really lucky.” With family and friends on the infield and about 50 curious local spectators in the stands, McQuiston began the attempt at 11 a.m. He got a big assist from former high school track teammate Tyler Ronayne, who was streaming video right next to McQuiston.
“Tyler ran with me the whole time and was shouting out times to me,” McQuiston reported. “My goal going in was eight minutes, so I had him pace me for two minutes per lap.”
A mile is four times around the track, plus nine meters, and McQuiston covered the first lap-plus in 1:45.
“I drove four hours out there, my friends were there plus some people I didn’t even know, which was kind of surreal,” he said. “I had all sorts of nervous energy and that carried me through the first lap.
“I was actually afraid I went out too fast, but I just wanted to keep it up. I obviously slowed some as I got tired.”
Well ahead of the worldrecord pace through two laps, McQuiston began to fatigue in lap three. Down the stretch he was focused on going as fast as he could without risking a fall, which would cost him 10-15 seconds.
“In my training, I would do a quarter mile and push it, trying to go as fast as I could to the point where I was almost falling off,” he explained. “So I knew what my limit was and where I would risk losing it.
“On the last lap, I knew I was well under my goal pace. I felt like I could have pushed it a little more and shaved a few more seconds, but I didn’t want to fall off. I went as fast as I could without going into the danger zone.”
When Ronayne told him his time heading into the final lap, McQuiston was in disbelief.
“That’s when I starting thinking, ‘Oh my God, I am going to do this,’” he said.
With the iconic song “The Final Countdown” by Europe blaring on the speakers, he crossed the finish line a full 96 seconds under the previous record.
“I certainly surprised myself,” McQuiston said. “My goal was eight minutes but I wasn’t sure I’d do it. I was hoping to get under eight minutes because it felt like a barrier to break.”
After getting mobbed by his supporters, McQuiston posed for some photos by Xpogo. He then went out for pizza, and spent the rest of the day exploring Pittsburgh and celebrating with his friends.
“It was a pretty good feeling,” he said.
The feat will eventually be logged into the Guinness database and McQuiston will receive an official certificate by mail. He has no immediate plans for tackling any additional world records, and is hoping his new mark will last at least a year.
“For now at least, I am content,” McQuiston said. “I just thought it would be cool to be the best in the world at something. But who knows? Tomorrow I may find some other record I want to go for.
“I do know for sure that whenever somebody breaks this record, it’s not going to go over well with me. There is a very good chance I will have to go and try to take it back.”