Weighing in at just a few ounces each, you might never think plastic cups could possibly provide a workout.

"At first I sort of thought how did that even get started," explains Ethan Markle, a 5th grader at Live Oak Elementary, who has since learned how addictive cup 'speed stacking' can be.

At dizzying speeds, kids stack the tumblers into pyramids, then 'de-stack' their buildings even faster.

"I think it's a lot harder than it looks," explains Live Oak Elementary physical education instructor Kay Loerwald.

I got a quick...and I mean quick...tutorial in speed stacking from Live Oak 5th grader Jessica Emeodi.  Then we started competing against each other.  The sport I had scoffed at before now seemed so legitimate.  Coach Loerwald's warning: "you might break a sweat" reverberated in my head.

I was sweating!  Even though the pint sized student had expertly taught me how to handle the pint sized chalets, my losses against her were quickly stacking up. 

It was clear to me why Jessica and her schoolmates at Live Oak Elementary were chosen to be among more than 200,000 people simultaneously stacking today to break a world record.   How cool is that?

"I think that's really cool," exclaimed Ethan Markle.

More than just cool, this has become a fun vehicle to sneak in exercise, concentration, teamwork, and hand-eye coordination.  Coach Loerwald says the sport of speed stacking actually utilizes both hemispheres of the brain, and that the activity has been credited with actually improving students' cognitive abilities, their problem solving skills, and consequently, their grades.

One area the kids don't seem to need any help is in the hearts.  After racking up a string of losses against the blurry-fast cup stacking machine named Jessica, I noticed in the corner of my eye she slowed down as she stacked her cups down.  I finally won one!  In addition to the other accolades ticked off by fans of speed stacking, it appears the exercise promotes a greater understanding of charity and sympathy in children as well.

For more information, visit The World Cup Stacking Association.