Feb 22, 2007 - 03:57:20 CST
Results of a snow angel world record attempt will be submitted to Guinness World Records officials for verification by the end of the week, and the record likely will be safe for at least a year.Marilyn Snyder, curator of education for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, said a review of the people who registered at the state Capitol grounds on Saturday showed the total was 8,912, up slightly from the weekend tally.
The Guinness category of most snow angels in one place was created in 2002 when 1,791 people made the angel imprints on the North Dakota Capitol grounds by flopping in the snow and waving their arms and legs. Students at Michigan Technological University eclipsed that mark about a year ago with 3,784 snow angels.
"We kind of smashed that record," Snyder said Wednesday.
She said the registered names will be put in a database and sent to Guinness officials by Friday, along with a video, photographs and verification from the two official observers: Secretary of State Al Jaeger and John Hoganson, paleontologist with the North Dakota Geological Survey.
Amarilis Espinoza, a spokesman in London for Guinness World Records, said officials there typically take about six weeks to verify a record after they get all the evidence.
Michigan students have no immediate plans for another attempt. Organizers of the annual Winterfest celebration in Syracuse, N.Y., had planned a snow angel record attempt Feb. 15, but heavy snow and cold weather prompted a postponement. Winterfest President Bill Cooper said Wednesday that officials have decided to hold off until next year because of scheduling problems.
Cooper said he is not daunted by the nearly 9,000 people who showed up in Bismarck, even though Syracuse has made three previous record attempts that generated no more than 888 people.
"We're going to go for 10,000-plus next year," he said. "We've got the support of all the school districts."
Snyder believes North Dakota's record will stand for a while. She said participants on Saturday ranged from a 1-month-old baby to a 99-year-old woman.
"We spanned almost a century," Snyder said. "It's North Dakota pride."
just checking wrote on Feb 22, 2007 10:33 AM:
Comments are reviewed for taste, tone and language before posting.
Some comments may be used in the Tribune's print edition.
We value and respect your privacy, but The Bismarck Tribune might
disclose certain information to governmental entities if served with subpoena.