Sun Bowl Awaits Word On ‘YMCA’ Dance Record

El Paso, Texas – The Sun Bowl may soon have its place in the Guinness World Records next to the lady with the longest nails and dude with the most tattoos.

During the Brut Sun Bowl’s 2008 halftime, the Village People led the crowd through the “YMCA” dance so the Sun Bowl fans could attempt the record for the largest crowd doing the “YMCA” dance.

Sun Bowl officials submitted the final paperwork Dec. 2 to have the record certified by the famous record-keeping organization.

The Sun Bowl estimates 40,148 participated in the YMCA dance at the 2008 Brut Sun Bowl.

“That is the number that we submitted for the record. That number could be verified or changed based on the Guinness World Records staff findings on the submitted information,” said Trenten Hilburn, Sun Bowl Media Relations Director.

Sun Bowl officials are hoping to hear from Guinness as soon as this week on the status of the record attempt.

“From that point we could move forward or provide them with any other additional information that they may require,” Hilburn said.

The current world record for most people doing the “YMCA” dance was established on July 4, 2001, when 13,588 people danced to the song “YMCA” for five minutes at a baseball game between the Omaha Spikes and the Salt Lake Stingers at Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha,Neb.

It’s been an 11-month process for the Sun Bowl to get the record certified that has included submitting hundreds of photos shot of each section in the Sun Bowl, as well as video footage from 12 cameras during the “YMCA” performance. Every angle of the Sun Bowl was shot and documented for the record attempt.

Sun Bowl officials said it helped the organization get a better understanding of what’s involved in getting a record in the Guinness World Records.

“It’s not something that just happens overnight,” Hilburn said.

Sun Bowl officials hope to get certification of the record by this year’s Sun Bowl.

According to the Guinness World Record Web site, El Paso already has a world record. Itis for the largest pecan pie, weighing 41,586 pounds. The pie was made at Cohen Stadium in 1999.

Written for the Web by Web Producer Leonard Martinez