GWR 2024 Look Inside - Flipbook - Page 7
YOUNG ACHIEVERS
PRITISH A R
rom the moment he first picked up a pair of drumsticks at
kindergarten, Pritish – from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia –
knew that percussion and music were set to play a big part in his life.
F
SOFIA TEPLA
A
1
Starting with a beginner electronic kit, he took weekly lessons and practised
every day, eventually moving on to an acoustic set. In Dec 2020, aged just 10,
he passed his Grade 8 drumming exam at Trinity College London.
It was Pritish’s mum who first mentioned the idea of combining his passion
with a record attempt: “My mother asked if I’d like to try to break a record,
and I liked the idea. I was always amazed watching fast drum rolls so I looked
up the options and decided most drumbeats in one minute would be ideal.”
Not surprisingly, becoming the world’s “fastest drummer” was no easy
feat. But on 16 Dec 2021, after many months of training and honing
his technique, Pritish smashed it: 2,370 beats. This was 261 more
than the previous record, held by an adult.
With his sights set on learning to play more instruments,
winning talent contests and even trying out “fire drumming”
(drumming with sticks ablaze!), nobody can accuse Pritish of
not marching to the beat of his own drum.
Having approached GWR about taking on a gymnastics record,
the rising circus star from Ukraine was invited to appear on the
Italian TV talent show Lo Show dei Record in 2022. Her skills
proved to be as mind-boggling as they were bone-defying!
The then 11-year-old pushed her acrobatic abilities to the
limits by rolling 20 m (65 ft) in 10.49 sec. This wasn’t just any
old tumble, though, but a contortion roll – a back-bending
manoeuvre that requires the participant to start with their
feet over their head (as demonstrated below), with soles
flat on the ground, before arching back and propelling into
a forward roll, then repeating.
Two weeks after claiming her first
world record, events in Sofia’s home
country took a dark turn. But she’s
staying positive, and has vowed
to continue honing her skills in
anticipation of the day when
she can once again represent
Ukraine on a global stage.
2
When did you get into drumming?
I used to make sounds with my toys when
I was little. My mum realized my natural
attraction to music and signed me up to a
programme at kindergarten which had a bus
filled with musical instruments. The drum
kit was very inviting and I went straight to it.
That was the start of my journey with drums.
No. Music in my family history is limited to
listening to music.
Which musicians inspire you?
Have you always been so bendy?
Any there other musicians in the family?
3
2: The Ukrainian contortionist
was “head over heels” to receive
her GWR certificate for the
fastest 20-m contortion roll.
3: A young Sofia pictured with
her parents Maryna and Dmitry,
and little brother Alexander.
4: Gymnastic skills clearly run in
the family: Alexander also has
an aptitude for acrobatics. The
siblings often pair up to train and
perform routines together.
How proud were you to represent your
country on a TV talent contest?
I’m happy I was the only one from Ukraine –
it was an honour! But it was also bittersweet.
I set this record in February, then as soon as
I got home, the war started. There were many
plans related to my achievement, but the
focus quickly became just about surviving.
It was very scary at first. On my first day
back, a rocket flew into our town and people
were killed. My family decided to stay at
home, all together in Ukraine, even though
it was difficult and dangerous. There are no
hostilities in our area, but sometimes rockets
fly in. I still train and want to be able to
perform; in the future, I would love to
show my skills to the whole world.
I started working on the technique in
early 2021, and practised for almost seven
months. With assistance from my teachers,
I incorporated various methods that helped
to improve my speed and muscle strength.
I trained for one-minute intervals on a variety
of surfaces including my snare and tom drums
but also concrete and a cushion.
On the day of the attempt, did you think
you were on track for the record?
Seeing the set-up and taking my seat to start
the attempt, I had butterflies in my stomach.
But once I started, I felt I was in a good flow
and on track. When the minute was over, I was
super-excited to hear I’d reached 2,370 beats
– I had a huge smile on my face!
Any advice to other young people
thinking of applying for a record?
You have to believe in yourself. And don’t stop
when things don’t work out. Nothing in the
world is impossible.
1: The record attempt took place in a music
studio to avoid background noise. This
allowed all of the beats to be tracked with
pinpoint precision by a Drumometer device.
2: Pritish with mum Aarthi, dad Rajesh and
younger sister Shreya. Pritish said: “My
parents played a huge supporting role in the
preparation [for this record], by recording
the number of beats for almost every
practice attempt and doing analysis.”
3: When not drumming, Pritish enjoys many
other activities including cricket, martial
arts, swimming and indoor climbing.
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1: Sofia with some of the
300 members of the Gratsia
dance and circus school, set up
by her mother in 2014.
My body isn’t naturally flexible. It’s actually
years of training – as well as good warm-ups.
I have a lot of strength, but I developed
flexibility gradually over a long time.
How did you train for this attempt?
What did your friends say when they
learned you’d set a world record?
They were super-surprised and they
congratulated me. It was special when it was
announced by my principal in assembly and
published in the school newsletter.
2
3
Who inspired you to try contortionism?
When I was three, I used to watch TV talent
shows and I liked to repeat some of the tricks.
I would then put on concerts for my family. My
parents decided to enrol me in a gymnastics/
acrobatics class, but as we live in a small town,
we didn’t have a circus school nearby so my
mum decided to start one!
Drummer Sridhar, my teacher – based in
Chennai, India – and [composer] A R Rahman
are two of my biggest musical inspirations.
Generally, all my teachers are influencers
and drive me to do hard but cool things with
drums and other instruments.
1
lot of people claim that they would bend over
backwards to earn a place in the record books, but
few take that quite as literally as Sofia Tepla…
Any more records on the horizon?
4
Yes! That’s my goal. There’s a lot I can do, and
I have some ideas. I’m good at doing push-ups
in the contortion-roll pose*. I could also break
the record for lifting flowers with my mouth
while in a backward bend.
What else do you like to do for fun?
Find out more about under-16s that
made it into the record books at
kids.guinnessworldrecords.com
I like to make jewellery with beads, play board
games with my family in the evenings and also
to make pancakes.
*On 11 Mar
2023, Sofia
successfully set the
most contortionroll push-ups in
30 seconds – 21!
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