Spencer Firsdon had never done any competitive cup-stacking before this school year, but decided to give it a go during a gym class this year at Lake Tapps Elementary School in the Dieringer School District.

“It sounded interesting,” he said.

After that first day, physical education teacher Wayne Smith asked Firsdon to join the school’s team and compete at the regional tournament in Auburn.

At the March competition, Firsdon fast hands and fast time qualified him to compete this summer at the National Championships in Houston.

“I was excited,” Firsdon said of the news that he would go up against the best cup-stackers in the country.

Smith first brought cup-stacking to Dieringer about seven years ago after seeing it at a conference. The competition requires the kids to stack and unstack two six-cup pyramids as fast as they can, which Smith said requires “awesome eye-hand coordination” and critical thinking.

Smith created an afterschool club and has taken students to the Auburn competition every year.

While several of the district’s students have qualified in the past, Smith said this is the first student he knows of that will compete in the national championship.

Firsdon said he likes the smooth, flowing arm movements involved in stacking and un-stacking the cups and said he has gotten better even better since the March qualifier.

David Firsdon, Spencer’s dad, said Spencer has his own set of cups to stack and has been practicing again since the family received notification in May that his times qualified for the next level.

“He definitely improves,” David Firsdon said. “I can’t do it nearly as fast.”

Smith said Spencer has also worked to refine his technique, shaving valuable seconds off his time.

“He’s just improved and gotten faster and I know he’s practiced hard for this,” Smith said.

Spencer Firsdon will compete in the national sport stacking championships July 26 in Houston, Texas.

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