Contortionist Tori Kubick Secures Another SUP Record
The new Jersey native turns paddling on its head with her latest world record
Because holding just one world record wasn’t enough, contortionist Tori Kubick set out in early March of this year to set another—longest handstand on a paddle board.
“I had looked up the other Guinness World Records thinking there has to be other paddle boarding records because paddle boarding is all about movement and really cool,” she says. And while there were a few out there already including largest paddle board yoga class (305 participants!) and most burpees on a paddle board (yes, burpees!), there was no record currently held for longest handstand on a paddle board.
After contacting Guinness with her idea, the experts at the famed organization got back to her with a proposal of 30 seconds. “I felt it was a good bar to set. It was doable but a challenge,” says Tori.
Well, she blew it out of the water, holding a handstand for 1 minute and 43 seconds on her hot pink BLACKFIN MODEL XL board, customized of course with a bit of sparkle and her performer name, CON-TORI-TION. “That’s the board I primarily use, it’s stable and there’s lots of room so I can do a lot of things on it, I like it for what I do, all my acrobatics and stuff,” she says.
In prepping for her feat at the 14-acre Crystal Lagoon in St Johns, Florida, Tori had gotten in plenty of practice while aboard the Virgin Cruise Ship where she just finished up her latest stint as a performer. “It was awesome, I brought my paddle board, we kind of went all over the Caribbean and I was able to practice.” And while the water was a bit chilly and wind added to the difficulty, Tori was able to hold her hand stand for about a minute and a half during practice runs.
Floating atop crystal clear water with her time keeper and other team members watching on, Tori easily passed the 30 second mark set by Guinness, and then the minute mark, and the minute and a half mark…finally coming out of her position at 1:43. For comparison, she can hold a handstand on land for nearly 5 minutes, which goes to show just how much difficulty the SUP adds.
”I was a little shaky, but I just wanted to push it a little further,” she says, adding “My dad is the ultimate planker, he can out-plank me and every fitness fanatic I know. So, channeling his ability to turn within, shut out the outside world, and go further than imagined is definitely inspired by him.”
For her next trick, Tori will travel to Egypt and Alaska, taking her mind- and body-bending showcase to new audiences. “I try to sync my travel up with what performances I have,” she says, adding, “I have a bunch of props to bring but if there’s any way I can bring my board and paddle board out there, I would be thrilled.”
If anyone can contort their paddle board into an even smaller space for compact travel, it’s Tori. Our fingers are crossed.
From the entire iROCKER team, congratulations on your latest record, Tori!
