Gordon Square's World Paddle Ball Record Attempt Falls Short

A new sculpture was dedicated in Gordon Square over the weekend, and inspired a world record attempt.

The world record for “Most People Paddle-Balling At Once” is 440 people. On Saturday, hundreds gathered in Gordon Square to break that record and celebrate a new 14-foot Paddleball sculpture that’s been installed near the 78^th Street Studios.

Carrie Carpenter is President of the Gordon Square Arts District and says they may have other events coming up that would lend themselves to world record attempts while also showcasing the neighborhood’s creativity.

“We have a great Dia De [Los] Muertos Parade that celebrates our departed ancestors. So maybe we can have the most skeletons in a parade in Ohio.”

David Spasic is one of the designers of the sculpture. He says the entire project grew out of the neighborhood pinball parlor, which he and the design team own together.

“Superelectric, we kind of have an aesthetic of fun and also Americana. We kind of touched on those topics when we were thinking of an idea to put up there. I’m sure a lot of people are going to think, ‘why?’ Or, ‘what is that?’ We hope that people realize that this neighborhood has a really vibrant art culture that needs to be celebrated.”

The official count for the paddle ball attempt was 392 people. While it’s not a world record, it does appear to be an Ohio record.