Whole Lotta Shaking Going On:
John Clark '12 to Attempt World Record
In Times Square for Longest Handshake

As of now, the weather in New York's Times Square this Friday will be sunny, with highs around 30. That's just two days after possible snow, and the residual of a storm watch. Will that stop CMCer John-Clark Levin '12 from attempting a third world record? Hardly. Beginning at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 14, Levin and Baldwin-Wallace College student Joe Luchsingerknown together in this event as TEAM USAwill compete against teams from New Zealand, Nepal, and San Francisco to break the Guinness World Record(TM) for "Longest Continuous Handshake" on behalf of the charity of their choice. (Levin and Luchsinger have decided on Teach for America; each team's designated charity receives 60 percent of the total funds raised from the public.)
If the third time's a charm, odds certainly seem to favor Levin, who set the record in this same category twice before. Back in May 2009, he and CMC classmate George Posner made history on campus with a handshake clocking in at 10 hours, 10 minutes, 10 seconds. But the pride was temporarybefore it could be certified by Guinness, the CMCers were beat by a pair of Australians. Less than two weeks later, Levin and Posner claimed the record again, with a new time of 15 hours, 15 minutes, and 15 secondsonly to be outdone, again, last July. (Levin wrote about it in the Wall Street Journal.) Video of Friday's record attempt will be streamed live through the official Handshake 2011 Web site starting at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 14. The site also offers more information on how to donate and send competitors messages of support. Claremont McKenna College is an event sponsor. CMC's Jason Soll '12 serves as both director and co-organizer.
(UPDATE: On Friday, Jan. 14, the Wall Street Journal ran this video story about the event, featuring Levin and Luchsinger. Watch now.)
Levin's attempt this Friday also was recently covered in his hometown of Ojai, Calif. Read more in the Ventura County Star and in the Ojai Valley News Blog.