ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Ariana Wunderle, 18, from Rockingham, Vt. has been performing with Vermont’s own Circus Smirkus since she was the age of two. As a senior, this was going to be the last season for her to perform under their Big Top, so she wanted to give back as part of her senior project.
Ariana has been “dancing on the wire” since the age of seven, and she wanted to pay tribute to where she learned her love of the wire and where she discovered her own individuality by performing with Circus Smirkus.
Each senior at BFUHS has to come up with a senior project, so Ariana thought it a perfect pairing to walk the wire to benefit the organization that started it all and what better way than to break a world record in doing it.
The world record for the farthest tightrope walk in high heels as it stood before Ariana’s attempt was 15 meters, or 49.213 feet, on a tightrope that is 6.56 feet tall and 16.4 feet long in 4-inch high heels.
On May 16 at 2:19 p.m. in front of her family, the BFUHS students, and its faculty, Ariana Wunderle took her first step towards breaking the record. Ariana’s wire measured 6 feet, 8.75 inches tall, was 19 feet in length, and her stiletto heels measured in at 4 inches. To allow some room to turn, Ariana had two ribbons of tape hanging that were 12 feet apart. To tie the record, Ariana had to walk four separate passes.
After 55 minutes, timed by timekeepers, Ariana ended up walking a distance of 194.983 meters or 639 feet and 8.5 inches.
Although the record is not official until all the evidence is submitted to Guinness World Records, Ariana met her goals of both beating the record and in monetary donations made to Smirkus. Her goal was to raise $1,000 and as of this printing she has raised $3,500.
Once Guinness receives the materials, it can take up to 12 weeks to have them review and certify her record attempt.