A teenager from Denton is Britain’s fastest sports stacker – and is now looking for sponsors to help him represent the country at the 2022 Junior Olympics this summer.
Finley Newell, 13, is a sports stacking ace that requires you to stack paper cups in a series of tricky sequences as quickly as possible. He enjoys competing in tournaments across the country and is beginning to make a name for himself in the global sport stacking community.
In 2020 he made the national team and in October 2021 he became the fastest overall rider in Great Britain. Currently his personal best 5.055 seconds, making it the 58th best ranking in the world for sport stacking.
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Now Finley has set up a fundraising page to raise the money he needs to fly to Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, to compete in the 2022 Junior Olympics. The global competition, taking place this summer, will attract around 600 young people who will compete in sports including basketball, fencing, martial arts and cheerleading.
In the sports stacking division, Finley will compete against 50 to 60 people. The sports stacking tournament will be held July 28-30 at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex, which is the largest indoor arena in the United States with over 23,500 seats.
Finley Newell is hoping to represent the UK at the Youth Olympic Games this summer with his passion for the sport of stacking
(Image: Lisa Newell)
Proud mum Lisa, 48, told MEN about her son’s talent and how the sports stacking community has welcomed him with open arms. She said: “Finley has been sport stacking for almost six years. We accept corporate sponsorships and donations from the community as his team cannot fund the trip to America.
” He was previously sponsored by Toyota to compete in Spain. Before Covid struck, he was also set to compete in Singapore. It’s great that he has something to be interested in and to see him progress. When we go to tournaments in the UK you always hear people say, ‘Oh look, there’s Finley!’
“Everyone is so hospitable with the sport. It is so sweet. It’s a beautiful community.”
Finley takes hours of practice to perfect his technique. He has to buy a certain type of cups, which are made out of a specially designed plastic and have holes in the bottom to allow air to get through. Finley’s fundraising page has received donations from generous individuals in the community, with £215 raised to date. To donate to Finley’s fundraising page, visit here.
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On the subject of matching items
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On the subject of matching items
13-year-old Finley explained his passion for sports stacking: “2016 Stephen Mulhern had a TV show called Go For It and I saw someone playing sports there. He’s my friend now.
” I found it very interesting, so I started with it. IIt took me a long time to get really good. Now I’m officially the fastest in the UK.
“I’m really enjoying it. It improves my hand-eye coordination. Sometimes I get frustrated because it’s hard to set a new personal best. But I also like to practice with friends.
“I’ve got at least 60 trophies around the house right now! I’ve made lifelong friends through this sport and competing in events around the world.
“People really support you in competitions – even if you don’t beat someone’s time, they still cheer you on. Anyone can try sport stacking and get good at it.”
Greensboro Coliseum Complex, home of the 2022 Junior Olympics this summer
(Image: Google Maps)
Additionally, Finley revealed that competing in the Junior Olympics has been a dream of his for years.
He continued: ” I’ve wanted to go to the Junior Olympics for ages because I have some friends in America. But I didn’t get a chance as it was canceled due to Covid.
“Now I have a chance to go. The Junior Olympics have three different events with many different sequences.
“So there are 12 cups in the cycle and you have to run six different sequences. You need to run a sequence and then stack it down (take it down) and then stack another sequence up and then stack it down and run another sequence and take it down.
Greensboro Coliseum Complex, home of the 2022 Junior Olympics this summer
(Image: Google Maps)
“If I end up going to America, I’ll be nervous. It’s very competitive, but I’m really excited. It’s amazing to see the donations and support from people. That gives me a lot of motivation.”
To donate to Finley’s fundraising page, visit here
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