T-Mobile wanted an unconventional way to celebrate the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ joining their speedy network, so naturally, they opted for two Guinness World Records title attempts.
On the shores of Lake Elsinore in California, USA, the un-carrier wanted to prove that speed shouldn’t be contained, and did so by setting records for the Greatest distance water skied while towed by a blimp and Fastest text message (SMS) on a touch screen mobile phone while water skiing.
Each record involved a full day of preparation and practice but the most important factor was mastering the timing between the blimp pilots and skiers.
This was quite the challenge given the choppy waters, but most onlookers could anticipate the first title being easier, given it didn’t require as much hand eye coordination as texting while skiing.
With adjudicator Philip Robertson monitoring Kari McCollum, the Greatest distance water skied while towed by a blimp was achieved with 11.1 km (6.9 miles).
The following text message attempt was somewhat trickier; the SMS needed to be written without any typos, have proper capitalisation and punctuation, could not be copy and pasted, and could not have autofill in place.
Perhaps the most daunting requirement, was that this exact message below had to be typed accurately in under 50 seconds:
However water skier Kirk Lee stepped up to take on the Fastest text message (SMS) on a touch screen mobile phone while water skiing.
Although it took three attempts, Kirk managed to obtain a new record in a close 49.09 seconds, going 16 mph on the water.
These titles have been added to the other incredible feats we have witnessed on the water, such as the Tallest sit-down hydrofoil riddenandMost water skiers towed behind a single boat.
