It didn’t take much convincing for nine-year-old Seven Wade to pursue his first record.
The Florida-based student was scrolling on the Guinness World Records YouTube channel when he found record holder Eli Bishop demonstrating his talent for performing the Most claps in one minute.
Afterwards, it was only a matter of time before Seven beat the record himself, achieving a total of 1,080.
What first intrigued Seven was the technique that Eli used – which motivated him to try it out for himself.
Like all beginners, he came nowhere near the record during his first few attempts – he simply wanted to learn how to clap his hands quickly like the current title holder.
As Seven had been playing the drums since he was toddler, the idea of keeping a consistent beat was very familiar to him, so he became increasingly better.
According to his father, Seven took practice very seriously and began rehearsing daily, starting first thing in the morning and using the microwave timer set for two minutes.
At times, he would do this routine three times a day and up to five days a week – sometimes having to take a few days off due to the blisters he got from rubbing his hands raw from clapping!
However, Seven figured out he could use athletic tape to avoid injuring himself further.
While it took some time before he succeeded, Seven’s dad Chikako believes the experience of breaking a record has taught him some worthwhile life lessons.
"Practicing was only the beginning. Researching the rules and requirements, setting up the attempt, hiring the studio and sound engineers, recruiting the needed photographers, videographers and time keepers, and keeping up with the paperwork all took an incredible amount of dedication. I really wanted him to experience a complete and official Guinness World Records title attempt, even if he did not succeed in breaking the record.
"I think it’s important to celebrate his skills. I am grateful to Guinness World Records for giving him the opportunity to achieve recognition for such a fun and unusual talent! The experience from start to finish was invaluable."
For other kids who want to break a record, Chikako says that they should "pick something rare and uncommon, then be ready to practice... a lot!"
Since earning his first record, Seven is very excited to pursue more titles that relate to his favourite activities, such as Taekwondo and drumming – and we hope to see him triumph.
"As a parent, knowing that Seven has achieved Guinness World Records status is nearly the perfect kind of honour. It represents so many of the values that are important to us as a family. His particular achievement for most claps in a minute is quirky and fun, lighthearted and free-spirited and yet also a serious achievement that represents months and years of practice, repetition and dedication. It will be something we will be talking and smiling about for the rest of our lives."
Visit our kids website to read more about record-breaking achievements by talented youngsters.
If you enjoyed Seven's record attempt, you might also like the Most one-handed claps in one minute - check out the video below.
