Ramapo College will soon be in the Guinness Book of World Records as the location where more than 250 Mahwah youth program students set a new world record for the longest distance traveled on a slip-and-slide in less than an hour, beating the previous record held by Shelby Farm Park Conservancy in Memphis, Tenn., according to the World Record Academy.
The students were a part of the Mahwah Police Department’s eighth annual Youth Leadership Academy, which was held at Ramapo College. A 74.5-foot slide was set up across the street from the Bradley Center. The eighth to 12th graders participating managed to break the previous record of longest distance traveled on a slip-and-slide.
“The event helps foster cooperation and forces the students to work together as a team. It’s a challenge and we teach them to be leaders. We all come together; we do it as a group,” Mahwah police patrolman Klaus Stewen told NorthJersey.com.
This also is not the first time the Youth Leadership Academy broke a Guinness World Record either. In 2011, the camp created the largest human smiley face ever, according to Patch.com.
The Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled on a slip-and-slide in one hour was 135,841 feet. It was shattered by the Mahwah students who slid down the slide almost 1,400 times, according to the World Record Academy.
Additionally, the Guinness World Records also recognized the students for breaking the world record for the most people down a water slide in one hour, as reported by the World Record Academy. The previous record for most people down a waterslide in one hour was 289 and was set by the Sandcastle Waterpark in Blackpool, U.K., in 2014.
Many students on campus were unaware of this achievement.
“Ramapo College reinforces its evergrowing legacy by crushing two Guinness World Record records,” said sophomore Danielle Rodgers.
“I didn’t even know it was a thing,” said sophomore Chris Cortez, who was shocked when he was told about Ramapo College being the venue where two Guinness World Record titles were achieved. “It’s amazing that’s what we’re known for.”
jsanzar1@ramapo.edu
