Norwood Recreation Campers Practice for Guinness World Record Surfboard Attempt at Annual Field Day-August 20, 2005

To shatter the existing Guinness World Record—set on September 7, 1998, by 1,000 students from the University of Guelph in Ontario—Norwood must successfully pass a full-sized surfboard down a human chain of at least 1,001 people. “I think we’ve got our work cut out for us, but if we get the right people involved… we might be able to make a go at it,” said Recreation Department Program Director Michael Cawley. “Some people might think it’s a silly thing to attempt, but it shows the town’s camaraderie. It’s good for the community.”

During the practice session, youngsters struggled to pass the heavy board down the line as Miller barked instructions and encouragement through a megaphone. “It was kind of heavy and hard to pass. Everybody was squishing into me,” remarked Jen Dowling, 9, an upcoming fourth grader at Oldham Elementary School. Other campers expressed excitement at the prospect of etching their names into history. “To think that I’m going to be in the record books is, like, wow,” said Alex Higgins, 10.

The field day marked the festive culmination of the recreation department’s summer programming. Alongside the world record practice, traditional camp favorites returned, including free swim, a cookout, sibling mud-wrestling matches in the park’s pit—featuring participants like Kenny Stevens, 11, and his sister Krissy, 8—and a massive foam spray courtesy of the Norwood Fire Department. “This is a regular rite of passage. It’s very much a part of summer in Norwood,” spectator Gerri Slater observed. For alumnus Kelly Grenham, who attended the park as both a camper and counselor, experiencing the tradition with her own young children made it all the more special: “It’s awesome, now as a parent, being able to take my kids down here… It’s just another thing that makes us proud to be from Norwood.” (Reporting by Stephanie Peters, The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger