He’s out to set a record
By DONALD SINGLETON
Sprong, sprong, sprong, sprong, sprong . . .
Ashrita Furman, 24, disciple of guru Sri Chinmoy, stationery store manager and former Columbia University economics major, is hitting his pace on his customized pogo stick, 98 jumps to the minute, the rubber tip of the stick barely clearing the ground after each clean little jump.
Sprong, sprong, sprong . . .
Ashrita Furman, who was known to the world as Keith Furman before Sri Chinmoy gave him the disciple name Ashrita, is out to break the Guinness Book of World Records mark for pogo-stick jumping. The record stands at 100,000 continuous jumps in 18 hours. Ashrlta Furman plans to do 24 hours, from noon yesterday until noon today. At 98 jumps to the minute, with five minutes off every hour, that will be 129,360 jumps.
Has an entourage
Sprong, sprong, sprong . . .
Ashrita and his entourage — a jump-counter, a pogo stick maintenance and repair expert and others — are gathered outside the entrance to the Arsenal, the Parks Department headquarters in Central Park. Groups of children on their way to the zoo pass by. “Miss Jones, what’s that man doing?” “He’s jumping on a pogo stick, Susie.” “Oh.”
Sprong, sprong, sprong . . .
Ashrita is jumping to honor the third anniversary of Sri Chinmoy’s painting marathon on Nov. 16, 1975, when the guru knocked off 16,031 paintings in a 24-hour period. Ashrita’s father, Bernard Furman, is a lawyer. “He told me to be sure to bring a friend with me in case they try to commit me,” says Ashrita as he jumps.
Sprong, sprong, sprong . . .
“One of the girls in my office just ran up and said, ‘Mr. Davis, somebody’s out there jumping on a pogo stick for 24 hours, and he doesn’t have a permit!’ ” said Park Commissioner Gordon Davis as he watched Ashrita bounce off a few dozen sprongs. “Well, if he’s crazy enough to jump for 24 hours on a pogo stick, I guess I’m crazy enough to let him do it without a permit.”
Caption:
News Photo by Dan Jacino
Ashrita Furman out for record
Published in DAILY NEWS, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1978
To celebrate Sri Chinmoy’s Jharna-Kala marathon of completing 16,031 paintings in 24 hours, Ashrita Furman jumps on a pogo stick for the same amount of time.