By Garrett Wolf
As the sun began set, three Andover High School students lay stiff as boards across the Kansas State University sign along Manhattan Avenue.
They lay face down, hands by their sides and toes pointed. It almost seems as if they aren’t alive -- just lifelike statues knocked over in the wind that no one has cared enough to put upright again.
Sophomore Abby Bradshaw snaps pictures. Once she is done, the seemingly lifeless bodies tranform. As if a spell had been released, muscles relax and they sit up with smiles on their faces. Standing, they dust themselves off and walk to their hotel where they plop themselves on the hood and roof of their teacher’s Suburban.
What they did is commonly known as “planking.”
“It’s an awesome experience where you can goof around and do something you wouldn’t normally consider doing,” Bradshaw said.
There are other terms for planking, such as The Lying Down Game and Playing Dead. The game has supposedly been around for about two decades. Comedian Tom Green produced a video claiming he first invented the game in 1994. Then again, friends Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon say they did it first in 1997.
“It’s just a fun thing to do, that’s not illegal,” said Kaitlyn DeYoung, senior at Andover.
In recent months, planking has hit the web and become a big fad with people across the world.
Planking recognition has expanded since May when Acton Beale, a 20-year-old man from Brisbane, Australia, plummeted 70 feet to his death after trying a dangerous plank from the railing of his flat.
His story went viral, but didn’t scare people away. Planking became a new fad for thousands of teenagers as they decided to pick up their cameras and document their personal planking adventures.
Why people would want to partake in just lying around, especially after a man died doing it, is a mystery.
“I haven’t considered the danger aspect of planking yet, but I’d rather play it safe than sorry,” said Kayela Richard, student assistant. “But the options are limitless.”
To make a plank official, the person has to have a picture taken of themselves in the planking position -- lying face down, never upwards. Hands should be on the sides on the person’s body and toes pointed. Pictures are uploaded to social media such as Facebook or Twitter to make it official.
Some find planking addicting and look for challenging places to plank to be the best planker on the web. Cale Minear, sophomore at Andover, is proud to have planked while on an escalator.
“I was nervous about trying it, but when I thought, ‘If I die, what do I want people to remember about me?’ ” he said.
While planking is relatively new, it’s gaining popularity as word spreads.
“I heard of planking for the first time on the first day of camp,” Richard said. “ I noticed it on Twitter, so I asked some students about it. They told me the basics, and I was really excited about trying it.”
Richards planned to plank for the first time Tuesday evening with eight other people -- most of them first-time plankers.
As the sun began set, three Andover High School students lay stiff as boards across the Kansas State University sign along Manhattan Avenue.
They lay face down, hands by their sides and toes pointed. It almost seems as if they aren’t alive -- just lifelike statues knocked over in the wind that no one has cared enough to put upright again.
Sophomore Abby Bradshaw snaps pictures. Once she is done, the seemingly lifeless bodies tranform. As if a spell had been released, muscles relax and they sit up with smiles on their faces. Standing, they dust themselves off and walk to their hotel where they plop themselves on the hood and roof of their teacher’s Suburban.
What they did is commonly known as “planking.”
“It’s an awesome experience where you can goof around and do something you wouldn’t normally consider doing,” Bradshaw said.
There are other terms for planking, such as The Lying Down Game and Playing Dead. The game has supposedly been around for about two decades. Comedian Tom Green produced a video claiming he first invented the game in 1994. Then again, friends Gary Clarkson and Christian Langdon say they did it first in 1997.
“It’s just a fun thing to do, that’s not illegal,” said Kaitlyn DeYoung, senior at Andover.
In recent months, planking has hit the web and become a big fad with people across the world.
Planking recognition has expanded since May when Acton Beale, a 20-year-old man from Brisbane, Australia, plummeted 70 feet to his death after trying a dangerous plank from the railing of his flat.
His story went viral, but didn’t scare people away. Planking became a new fad for thousands of teenagers as they decided to pick up their cameras and document their personal planking adventures.
Why people would want to partake in just lying around, especially after a man died doing it, is a mystery.
“I haven’t considered the danger aspect of planking yet, but I’d rather play it safe than sorry,” said Kayela Richard, student assistant. “But the options are limitless.”
To make a plank official, the person has to have a picture taken of themselves in the planking position -- lying face down, never upwards. Hands should be on the sides on the person’s body and toes pointed. Pictures are uploaded to social media such as Facebook or Twitter to make it official.
Some find planking addicting and look for challenging places to plank to be the best planker on the web. Cale Minear, sophomore at Andover, is proud to have planked while on an escalator.
“I was nervous about trying it, but when I thought, ‘If I die, what do I want people to remember about me?’ ” he said.
While planking is relatively new, it’s gaining popularity as word spreads.
“I heard of planking for the first time on the first day of camp,” Richard said. “ I noticed it on Twitter, so I asked some students about it. They told me the basics, and I was really excited about trying it.”
Richards planned to plank for the first time Tuesday evening with eight other people -- most of them first-time plankers.
Garrett Wolf is a sophomore at Andover High School and a student in the advanced writing class.
I had never heard about planking. Very interesting and informative!
ReplyDeleteOne should always practice safe planking avoiding things like alligator pit planking or Interstate offramp planking. ;)
ReplyDelete