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Nebraska visitors on the fast track




(5/06/2008) By Dennis Kellogg - If you feel like your life is always on fast–forward, always rushing, ther are a couple of people in Lincoln who know just how you feel. Some visitors are making a really "fast" trip to the state.

New York's Fran Capo is a stand-up comedian, a motivational speaker and the author of nine books. She also "talked" her way into the Guiness Book of World Records. It is not what she says, but "how" she says it. Fast.

"The Larry King people call me up, I go on the show, break the record at the time doing 585 words per minute and then rebroke it at the Guiness Museum in Vegas doing 603.2 words per minute which comes out to ten words a second," said Capo.

Did you catch that? Fran can speak more than 600 words per minute, making her the fastest female talker in the world.

"There is a lot that goes into it. It is not like you just fast talk. No. No. No!" said Capo.

In fact, Fran had to pass the scrutiny of several judges to earn the world record.

"The whole thing you have to make sure you are understood. It is timed by an Olympic timer. They have a machine that takes the word and slows it down, but does not distort it like a tape recorder does, and they have a speech analyst analyze every single syllable to make sure every little thing is right," Capo said.

So although Fran talks very fast, she is still pronouncing every word. See if you can follow her as she recites the children's favorite, The Three Little Pigs.

Just to give you an example, it would take the average person about 35 seconds to recite the 91st Psalm. Fran on the other hand... (See video)

Which brings us to Kent French, a Rapid City restaurant manager and a drummer who is also the world's fastest clapper. He noticed most people only move one hand when they clap. So he developed a technique to clap with both hands.

"God gave me fast hands, so put that together with the technique, little bit of coffee, you have got the world's fastest clapper," said French.

His world record is 721 claps in one minute.

"This is what 13 claps per second sounds like," said French.

Kent had to keep up that pace for 60 seconds, which does not seem like a long time, but actually....

"It is exhausting," said French. "I had to practice for like eight months, training, clapping, running and sit–ups."

Believe it or not, Kent is not the only fast–clapper in his family.

"I have nine children and they are all little clappers. My last name is French. We are called the French Von Clapper Family," said French.

So Kent with his clapping and Fran with her talking.

Two people with very different talents, both on the fast–track to success.

Fran and Kent are in Lincoln for an event to promote Windstream's broadband internet service.

They are actually sharing the stage with two other record holders — the world's fastest harmonica player and the world's fastest juggler.

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