Eight court reporters and captioners attempted to break the Guinness Record for writing at 360 words per minute at a 97.23 percent accuracy today during the NCRA 2021 Conference & Expo being held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nev. While no one broke the record, challengers brought their best game and wrote at speeds of 360, 370, 380, 390, and 400 words per minute, picking their best take to transcribe. Thanks to the following people who attempted to beat the record: Denise Alday, RMR, CRR; Kathy Cortopassi, RDR, CRR, CRC; Debbie Dibble, RDR, CRR, CRC; Kim Falgiani, RDR, CRC, CRR; Allison Hall, RDR, CRR; Kelly Linkowski, RPR, CRR, CRC, CPE; Traci Mertens, RDR, CRR, CRC; and Kathryn Thomas, RDR, CRR, CRC.
Not everyone submitted a leg to be graded. Of those graded, each person submitted one leg. Donna Karoscik, Vice Chair of the Contests Committee, who emceed the event, announced the top placers:
5th place | transcribing 400 wpm: Denise Alday, RMR, CRR
4th place | transcribing 390 wpm: Kathryn Thomas, RDR, CRR, CRC
3rd place | transcribing 360 wpm: Kathy Cortopassi, RDR, CRR, CRC
2nd place | transcribing 370 wpm: Allison Hall, RDR, CRR
1st place | transcribing 370 wpm: Traci Mertens, RDR, CRR, CRC
Special thanks are extended to the NCRA Contests Committee members who created the legs of dictation for the Contests: Chair Judith A. Lehman, RMR, CRI; Vice Chair Karoscik; and members Laura P. Brewer, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC; Janine Ferren, RPR, CRR; Charisse Kitt, RMR, CRI; Joanne McKenzie, RPR, CRR, CRC, CRI; Bonni Shuttleworth, CRI, CPE; and Kelli Ann Willis, RPR, CRR.
In addition, thanks to the following people who helped by grading the challengers’ legs: retired member and past Contest Committee member Kevin Daniels; Doreen Sutton, FAPR, RDR; Melanie Humphrey-Sonntag, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, who has participated in many Speed and Realtime Contests; Willis; Karoscik; Sandra Narup, RPR; Karen Tyler, RDR, CRR, CRC, a frequent participant in contests; Jennifer Sati, RMR, CRR, CRC, CRI, a court reporting instructor at Anoka Technical College. Serving as alternate graders were Ferren and Rich Germosen, RDR, CRR, another frequent competitor in NCRA Contests.
Watch the 400 work per minute take here.
Special thanks to TransPerfect for sponsoring the Guinness Challenge.
