Ferdie Adoboe

Ferdie Ato Adoboe has been recorded as the fastest man alive in both sprinting backwards and speed juggling (a skill which involves kicking a soccer ball in the air as many times as possible in a short period of time).

Often called the "Father of Speed Juggling," Adoboe lobbied Guinness World Records to establish a world record for speed juggling and then on January 22 1999, he set the first record at the Ft Lowell Shootout in Tucson, AZ., by recording 136 touches in 30 seconds and 262 in 60-seconds.

Adoboe, a native of Ghana, holds four world's records demonstrating his speed including running the 100-yard dash backwards in 12.7 seconds when he was 19 years-old in 1983. [cite news | first= | last= | coauthors= | title= SPORTS PEOPLE; Going Fast in Reverse | date=1983-7-30 | publisher= | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9405E2D61039F933A05754C0A965948260 | work =The New York Times | pages = | accessdate = 2007-07-12 | language = ] and speed juggling a soccer ball 141 times in 30 seconds on the The Today Show on Aug. 27, 2003.

Adoboe has coached thousands of soccer players through his [http://www.soccer-magic.com/ Soccer-Magic Skills Training Program & Academy] , based in Amherst, Massachusetts. In addition to his own camps and programs, Adoboe has served as a soccer and track and field coach at schools including Mt. Holyoke College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and South Hadley High School (Massachusetts), and in the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program.

Players who have worked with Adoboe have gone on to play for US Regional and National teams, NCAA Division I College teams, Major League Soccer, European professional teams, and the UEFA Champions League. Notable alumni include: Robbie Russell, Jay Heaps, and Edson Buddle.

Adoboe was a Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd in 1983, and he is also an answer in the 1984 version of the popular trivia game Trivial Pursuit.

External links

" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABcmqR3mmB0 Meet Ferdie] " a video tribute on Youtube

References