Josh Dueck conquers the Guiness Record for most High-Fives by one person within 24 hours. Photo credit: Khalid Hawe/WorkSafeBC
“People love giving and receiving high-fives,” says Canadian Paralympic medallist Josh Dueck, who High Fived 9,307 people on August 27 and 28 in Vancouver.
Josh smashed the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ for the most high-fives by one person in 24 hours to raise awareness of young worker safety.
As I write this post, Josh is in Chile, training with the Canadian Ski Team. Here’s his update on the record-breaking experience, via email:
“I was witness to thousands of smiling faces from every corner of the world; everyone
had their own reason for coming but all left with the same awareness that together we can make a difference,” he writes. “Together we can eliminate so many preventable accidents (like mine) from happening in the first place… all we have to do is listen to our intuition when you think something’s not right and RAISE YOUR HAND.”
Josh shares some key messages with the youth he meets as part of WorkSafeBC’s Speakers Program. He encourages people to:
* Trust your gut instinct when it says something is wrong.
* Know that how you see the world shapes what you can do.
* Find your passion, and dream big.
Josh’s story
Josh had a ski jumping accident when he was 23, in 2003, when he was working as a coach for the 2004 Canadian junior nationals. He was paralyzed from the waist down, but this has not stopped his career on the ski hill.
Within nine months of his injury, he was back on the hill, on a sit-ski. In 2007, he won three Canadian championships and he’s been an international winner for the Canadian Para Alpine Ski Team, winning the world championships in 2009.
Photo credit: Khalid Hawe/WorkSafeBC
In 2010, he won a silver medal for Canada in the men’s slalom at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.
For more information on the High Five event – including all the well-deserved kudos to sponsors and supporters – visit RaiseYourHand.com
Read this profile story on Josh from WorkSafeBC.
