585 Players Break World Record in Zionsville Gaga Ball Game

More than 500 students and families at an Indiana elementary school just smashed the world record for the largest gaga ball game ever played. The massive showdown brought together 585 players who can now officially call themselves world record holders.

The Trailside Elementary Dads Club in Zionsville organized the record attempt during the school's annual campout night on May 2. They shattered the previous record of 482 players by more than 100 participants.

Gaga ball is a fast-paced game played inside an enclosed ring where players try to hit a ball at opponents below the knee to knock them out. Fitting nearly 600 people meant upgrading from the usual small pit to an entire softball infield.

Todd Ferris, the dads club president, admitted they weren't sure they'd make it happen. Registrations lagged earlier in the week, leaving organizers worried they'd fall short.

But families kept signing up right until game day. When the final count crossed the threshold, kids erupted in celebration at the news they'd become record breakers.

Ferris, who's in his final year as a Trailside dad, wanted to make the annual event memorable. He even turned to ChatGPT for help calculating the perfect field size for hundreds of players.

To verify the record without paying for an official Guinness representative, the team used two people with counters at the entrance, recorded video footage, and captured aerial drone images. The school will receive an official plaque recognizing their achievement.

The Ripple Effect

The Trailside Dads Club exists to connect fathers with their children and the school community. This world record attempt transformed a regular campout into a memory that 585 people will share forever.

The event showed how a simple idea can unite hundreds of families around something joyful and unexpected. Kids didn't just play a game that night. They learned that their community can accomplish extraordinary things together.

Those 585 names will appear in the Guinness World Records book, a permanent reminder that amazing things happen when parents invest time in making childhood special.