By Co-Founder, Erin Blankenship
When our friends at Guinness World Records asked us if we wanted to help them celebrate #GWRDay this year, we knew we had to take part. Our friend, Deena Rahman of Tekkers Academy in Bahrain, was already scheming up another world record attempt so we chose to support her quest for a FIFTH Guinness World Record for the “Most Football Penalty Kicks Taken in 24 Hours”. Spoiler Alert: she absolute SMASHED it with 7,876 penalty kicks (the previous record was just over 1100).
After starting in 2017, Equal Playing Field has now achieved four Guinness World Records and helped Deena snag a fifth.
So what’s with all the record breaking? Great question!
When this all began, framing the Kilimanjaro game around a Guinness World Record was this singular way of legitimising the herculean effort involved in overcoming the mountains that girls and women face in sport everyday. It was a way of clearly articulating the level of challenge we are talking about, and something to hone our competitive focus. It’s hard to argue with a GWR and what setting or breaking one means for an athlete. It's inherently this level of achievement that stands out in a society arguably pretty crowded with voices claiming greatness, but it is also an intrinsic source of inspiration. Going after a GWR is about the dream, right? What might I achieve if I tried? Something we think resonates with everyone. It also makes people stop and take notice, which we use to draw attention to our cause and to mobilise a diverse array of allies to work for real change on the gender equality in and through sport agenda.
“Going after a GWR is about the dream, right? What might I achieve if I tried? “
Deena’s final penalty count after 24 hours!
Given the number we have now set, we understand why some people might think it's all about the records and the headlines that come with them. But EPF is actually really deliberate with the records we go after and the narrative we set for them. We want every single one to mean something not just to us, but to the people, organisations, and movement we represent. Every person involved in each record knows why they are there, near killing themselves to take on the impossible.
For Kilimanjaro, playing the highest elevation football game in history let us talk with authority about the invisible mountains that girls and women climb every day to just get by let alone be seen as equals on and off the pitch. The record at the Dead Sea was an opportunity to expand on the idea of top to bottom change, and do so in a region of the world most associated with gender discrimination especially in sport. France was about the importance of participation as a gateway for greater access and opportunity to play, as well as the power of inclusivity in the game. Deena's record of the past 24 hrs? Honestly what better record for 2020, a time when everyone on the planet can relate to that isolation, pressure, endurance and the mental toughness involved in a solo attempt at several thousand penalty kicks against the clock.
So what drives EPF to go after GWRs? We do them because we love a challenge, because they are an indisputable source of inspiration, and because they are a unique and powerful platform to share the stories that need to be heard and to advocate for real change on the things we care about. Officially amazing indeed.
Learn more about Guinness World Record’s annual #GWRDay Celebration!