Although I have spent years perfecting my card throwing technique so that I could become and then remain a world record holder, it was not until I was in college that I realized a world record was even a possibility for me. My skill in card throwing began as a product of my two greatest passions in my childhood and young adulthood: the art of magic and the game of baseball.
Because I had been into magic since elementary school, I spent a great deal of time while growing up messing around with playing cards. While still in grade school, a fellow magician and I got the idea to hole-punch a set of playing cards and throw them around to hear the whistling noise that they would produce. By making these cards, I was inadvertently creating the prototype for the Banshee cards that I would not actually design until twenty years later. I was also unknowingly starting my career in card throwing, a practice that would later become the most important aspect of my magic arsenal.
Although I did not realize it, the time that I spent playing sports as a kid also helped me to develop my skill in card throwing; I would pitch back to back little league baseball games, hold competitions with my brother to see who could throw a football the farthest, and wow my baseball teammates by throwing a baseball from home plate all the way over the right field fence at Progressive Field.
Still without realizing that I had a truly unique skill, I found that my talent for throwing a ball translated over to playing cards as well when I was working as a lifeguard for my local pool. Sitting up in the lifeguard chair, I would throw cards over the pool and at the other lifeguards to pass the time. I suppose that I had always had an interest in throwing things far, and even though I didn’t know that the skill could turn into a career, I definitely enjoyed watching the cards whizz through the air to the amazement of onlookers.
The turning point in my career as a card thrower came when I was in college at Cleveland State University and pitching for the school’s NCAA baseball team. Considering that college baseball players are all pretty good at throwing things, it was not uncommon for sock wars to break out in the locker room after a practice or game. In the middle of one of these battles I was hit with a sock, and then was unable to retaliate as there was no ammo (more socks) in sight. Realizing that there was a playing card in my pocket, I quickly grabbed the piece of paper and whipped it at my friend. Rather than harmlessly striking him and falling to the floor, the card gave him what I can only assume was the nastiest paper cut of his life!
Not soon after this incident, a friend of mine who had been shocked by the power of my throw came into the locker room holding a Guinness World Record Book. Having considered how much farther my card could have gone had my friend not been in the way, he pointed out that the current world record was beatable.
After making phone calls to Guinness, Fox 8, The Plain Dealer, and countless other local news outlets, I found myself at the Cleveland State Convocation Center with more cameras on me than I could count. After ensuring that everything was in order, I broke the Guinness World Record with my throw of 216 ft 4 inches. This moment, which remains one of the proudest of my career, is still viewable on my YouTube Channel.
After the world record was broken, I began receiving calls from national television networks that wanted me to appear on their show to demonstrate my ability. Needless to say, I accepted their offers and was on my way to a career in card throwing and magic. To this day I am the record holder for the farthest, highest, and fastest playing card throws.
Want to take a shot at beating me? It is important that you use the right technique and develop the necessary fundamental skills when you begin to practice. Check out my post on how to throw a card fast and far to begin your training!