BRUNSWICK — Spanning 42 feet, a few seconds — and all of human history — Bowdoin College freshman Trevor McDonald hopes to set a Guinness World Record, with only a grape in hand.
On Friday, McDonald will attempt to claim the record for the “Longest Self-Tossed Grape Catch.” McDonald said he plans to attempt to break the grape-catch record at 11 a.m. Friday at the college’s Farley Field House and that spectators are welcome.
For McDonald, sorting through all of the Guinness paperwork to set the stage for setting the record posed a greater challenge than corralling the long-tossed fruity orb in his mouth.
“It’s quite complicated,” McDonald said of the process.
To meet Guinness mandates, a few friends will be on hand with cameras poised at various angles, a surveyor will certify that the ground in the Farley Field House is level, and official witnesses will be required to testify to the veracity of the world record claim.
The current record, held by Ashrita Furman, was set at the St. John’s University Track in Queens, N.Y., at 28 feet, two inches.
McDonald said Monday he’s confident he can beat that mark.
“I have done a couple around 42 feet,” McDonald said.
If McDonald could snatch the grape-catch record, his achievement also would chip away at another of Furman’s records — holding the most Guinness World Records. In December of last year, Furman held a record total of 131 records.
See a video from the Bowdoin Orient of McDonald completing a trial toss earlier this year at http://goo.gl/4WiS9.
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