Four-year-old Pinoy is stacking champ in US

By CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMA News

Published September 3, 2012 3:30pm

Four-year-old Filipino Nathan Robles isn't in school yet but he's already an expert.

A video of Robles shot in 2011 shows how he quickly stacks and unstacks cups - his speed makes you wonder if the video is on fast-forward even though the people behind are walking at normal speed. Stacking may not be one of the usual types of sport but the competition is pretty intense.

Robles is currently at the top of his division in the World Sport Stacking Association (WSSA) with record scores in New York in all three competitive stacks. "He's currently the New York state record holder for four-year-olds and under division (for 3-3-3, 3-6-3 and cycle); recently was invited to the AAU 2012 Jr Olympics in Houston, Texas in July 2012 and was the overall champion for six and under division, broke the current world and US record for cycle (4U division)," Robles' parents told GMA News Online.

"Playing most musical instruments will train a person's fine motor skills but hardly any sport can claim that," Robles' parents said. With the need to feel the cups with your fingertips when you up-stack and down-stack at F1 speed, Sport Stacking certainly tests and builds your fine motor skills," they added.

Robles isn't in school yet, but his parents say he loves to write all the numbers and letters of the alphabet. Since he began stacking at around two and a half years old, he's "practiced" the sport almost everyday. According to his parents, stacking is a part of his playtime. His first competition was in December 2011 when he was three years old.

The benefits of stacking include improved reflexes, Robles' parents said. "Besides the need to stack as fast as possible, stackers also need to react to falling cups, or to situations when they don't lift the number of cups they intend to while up-stacking," they said.

It also trains you to concentrate. "Sport Stacking is about speed and precision. The stacker has to be fully focused on brain and hands coordination, especially when there is a loud crowd of spectators cheering you on," they said.

Apart from that, it promotes team building, encourages sportsmanship, and builds confidence, they said. "Sport-Stacking is easy to pick up, and with practice, vast personal improvement can easily be achieved over a short period of time," they added.

Amazing dexterity

With amazing dexterity, Robles's record for 3-3-3 stacks is 3.38 at the WSSA 2012 US National Sport Stacking Championships/Colorado Open. The 3-3-3 stack is done with cups "up stacked" and "down stacked" from left to right or right to left, depending on individual preference, in three stacks made up of three cups in each stack, as defined by the WSSA.

For 3-6-3 stacks, Robles' record is 4.46, also at the Colorado Open. This Stack is done in the same way as the 3-3-3-, except there are six cups in the center instead of 3.

For Cycle stacks, his record is 11.16 at the WSSA Southeastern Pennsylvania Sport Stacking Championship. The Cycle Stack is a sequence of stacks combining the 3-6-3 stack, a 6-6 stack, and a 1-10-1 stack, in that order. Stackers conclude the Cycle stack with cups in a 3-6-3 "down stacked" position. Sport stacking

Sport stacking began in the early 1980's in southern California, according to the Speed Stacks website. After elementary teacher Bob Fox saw it on the "Tonight Show," he founded Speed Stacks to promote sport stacking and be a resource to physical education teachers. Hand-eye coordination, quickness and ambidexterity are some of the benefits of stacking, according to Speed Stacks. Citing a University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse study by Dr. Brian Udermann, they said sport stacking "improves hand-eye coordination and reaction time by up to 30 percent."

According to the Speed Stacks website, stacking helps train the brain for sports and other activities where the use of both hands is important, such as playing a musical instrument or using the computer. Sequencing and patterning are elements of sport stacking, which can help with reading and math skills, the website also said. - VVP, GMA News

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