Seniors set out to break world record before graduation

The senior class is on a quest for glory — to get the class into the "Guinness Book of World Records."

This quest began last April during the Class of 2008 presidential race, when then-candidate Tom Haine promised that he would work with his classmates to break a world record.

"It would be great to have this as part of our history when we graduate," Haine, now senior class president, said in an interview. "If we have a hilarious time all at once, it creates a sense of unity that I think would be really cool."

Door-to-door campaigning was the original source of Haine's world record promise. When he knocked on Ryan Truchelut '08's door, Truchelut said he wanted to see his class break a world record.

Haine thought it was a great idea and received Truchelut's permission to incorporate the concept as part of his platform.

Two weeks into the new school year, Haine is living up to his word. He formed "The '08 World Record Wrecking Crew of Destiny," a planning committee that consists of eight seniors. Truchelut, who is also The Daily Princetonian's "weather guy," is the self-proclaimed "de facto leader" of the planning committee.

As president of his high school senior class, Truchelut led his peers in a failed attempt to break the record for longest paperclip chain made in a day.

In order to break a Guinness World Record, the committee must first submit an application to the Guinness Record Management Team stating what record they want to break and the conditions under which the attempt will take place.

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Application processing typically takes four to six weeks. If approved, the committee can then proceed with planning the record-breaking event.

Haine is well aware of the skepticism that exists surrounding the Wrecking Crew's ability to actually accomplish its goal. However, he is confident that the completion of this feat can indeed occur.

"People distrust campaign promises, but I am optimistic that this will work out. We have a large group of people ready to work on it," Haine said.

The record-breaking attempt is tentatively slated for April or May 2008. The committee will settle on a record to break at their next meeting in early October and begin the application process with Guinness.

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The original suggestion by Truchelut was to hold the world's largest pillow fight. That idea has been shelved as improbable, however,since the current record is held by 3,648 participants from the State University of New York at Albany.

They still aim to break an existing record of a "largest" or "longest" feat. One potential idea is to hold the world's largest game of Uno.

"I hope that the class will take it upon themselves to offer ideas," Haine added.

Suzanne Levy '08, a member of the Wrecking Crew, said that though the senior class is organizing the record-breaking attempt, she hopes that all four classes will participate.

Truchelut agreed that support from other classes will be necessary to break a world record.

"We will need an army," he said.

The committee is also working to incorporate into the event a way to benefit a charitable organization. "This way," Haine said, "we can be ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous and for a really great cause."