How a Spirit Lake, Iowa native became a world class athlete

But the Spirit Lake, Iowa, native has a special talent that makes him an elite, world-class athlete.

Current, Bower is ranked 52nd in the nation and 190th in the world when it comes to competitive sport stacking, according to the World Sports Stacking Association (WSSA).

"When I was younger, I took competition much more seriously," he said. "In college, it is more of a conversation starter."

FAST TRACKING A STACKING SPORT

So, what the heck is sport stacking?

Also known as cup stacking or speed stacking, it involves stacking 9 or 12 cups in a predetermined sequence as quickly as possible.

Legend has it that Wayne Godinet invented the sport while working at the Boys & Girls Club, of Oceanside, California, in 1981.

After the kids he was working with grew tired of playing traditional sports, Godinet took paper cups, asking the kids to stack them. Noticing how much the children enjoyed the activity, he acquired plastic cups for his club.

The industrious Godinet eventually founded a company that manufactured specifically modified cups and began hosting a competitive tournament that caught the attention of "The Tonight Show's" Johnny Carson.

Bob Fox, a Colorado-based physical education teacher was watching the Carson show and, soon, introduced it to his own students. Like Godinet's kids, Fox discovered students loved stacking cups. 

Fox subsequently founded the World Sport Stacking Association, an official worldwide governing board promoting the activity, in 2005.

DEBUT OF A STACKING MASTER

Bower was 6 years old when he was introduced to stacking at gym teacher Tim O'Hagan's class at Spirit Lake Elementary School. 

"I loved it," he said. "As soon as I got home for school, I pulled out all of the drinking cups from our kitchen cupboard and started stacking them."

Bower's parents Lori and George Bower saw how much he enjoyed the quirky sport and purchasing a professional set of stacking cups as a Christmas present.

"The more I did it, the faster I became," Bower said.

O'Hagan took note and approached Lori Bower, also a Spirit Lake Elementary School teacher, to see if her son wanted to compete.

STACKING UP PLENTY OF WINS

"I entered my first tournament when I was 9," Bower recalled. "Our family made the trip to Ames. During that tournament, I set a state record for my age group."

Turns out it wasn't beginner's luck. 

Bower eventually competed in regional tournaments, Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Junior Olympics as well as WSSA National Tournaments.

"I really enjoyed going to tournaments because they were like family vacations for us," he said, remembering trips made to places like Denver and Orlando.

Bower even enjoyed the company of other sport stackers.

"I've participated in other sports that are super competitive," he said. "In sport stacking, nothing is cutthroat. Everybody is pulling for one another."

THE SIDE BENEFITS OF SUPER STACKERS

Perhaps that is because sport stackers know how beneficial the activity can be.

Proponents say stacking cups will help a person's dexterity and hand-eye cooperation.

More significant are studies that show sport stacking can improve other comprehension skills for students.

Bower said he knows about the studies but insists his success can be pinpointed to muscle memory.

"If you do something often enough, you become better at it," he said modestly.

But it must be more than that for Bower, who is also a gifted athlete and singer.

NO SLACKING FROM STACKING

"I think stacking gave me the confidence to try other things," he said. "Sport stacking is a pretty obscure sport to begin with. Knowing that I have a national and world ranking is both surreal and gratifying."

Plus it still sets him apart as a college student.

"I love sport stacking," Bower said. "Unfortunately, I don't have time to do it very often."

Although he sometimes has the urge to start stacking again.

"It's more of a party trick at school," Bower said with a laugh. "I'm still pretty fast."