Martin Parnell hopes Mount Allison will be the site of the world’s largest game of ultimate frisbee as a part of his cross-Canada quest for 10 Guinness World Records at 10 campuses. His ninth stop with be on Oct. 9 at Mt. A where he will need more than 82 people to break the standing record.
Parnell is raising money for Right to Play, an organization that uses “the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity,” according to its website.
Each record involves some type of athletic activity, keeping to the activity-based focus of Right to Play. They include the largest games of volleyball, quidditch, dodge ball, tunnel ball, love clap, capture the flag, hockey, and ultimate frisbee.
Parnell’s tenth quest started in British Columbia at Quest University, and will end at Memorial University in Newfoundland.
The organizers of the event hope it will inform students of Right to Play’s mission.
“I want it to be something that brings everyone together and just educates people,” said Ellie Henry, the vice-president communications for Right to Play at Mt. A.
“Right to Play’s goal is learning through play,” said Alex Smithers, the vice-president of outreach for Mt. A’s Right to Play chapter. “In some countries where malaria is present, they’ll play games to teach about using nets, but in Canada, Right to Play will play games to teach about bullying.”
Parnell started his mission five years ago when he ran 250 marathons in one year. Since then, he has set four Guinness World Records and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 21 hours.
In his first 9 quests, Parnell raised $600,000. In order to reach his goal of one million dollars raised over five years, he will need to raise $400,000 by the end of this final quest.
Right to Play Mt. A will ask for a five dollar minimum donation for all participantsin the Ultimate game.
“His goal doesn’t have to be our goal,” said Henry. “It’s important to set a realistic goal for Mount Allison.”
Despite its small size, Mt. A is known across Canada for its strong Right to Play chapter, and was included in the project with large schools like University of Toronto and University of British Columbia. The executive members of Mt. A’s Right to Play chapter are also looking into corporate sponsorship for the event in order to help Parnell achieve his goal.
Parnell’s Mt. A stop will require a strong turnout of students to break the record and raise the money. The game will be held on park field at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9.
“We are pretty fortunate that we can just go out and have fun with our resources,” Smithers said.
