PAGE A-6 THE POST-STANDARD SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2014 By Katrina Tulloch [email protected] The 2015 Guinness Book of World Records — the 60th edition — hits stores Wednesday, and Byron Schlenker, a property manager with the New York State Fair, represents Syracuse in its pages by breaking the record for the World’s Widest Tongue. It all started in the Onondaga Free Library, where Schlenker’s 13-year- old daughter was searching for a nonfiction book for a school assign- ment. Schlenker suggested the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records. He randomly opened the book to show his daughter and came to the page showing the “World’s Widest Tongue.” She agreed to get the book for her report. Schlenker wondered how wide his own tongue was. When they got home from the library, he asked his wife, Vicki, to measure his tongue, half-joking. “She literally said, ‘Get away from me,’” said Schlenker, 46. So he asked his daughter, who thought his tongue might be larger than the record 7.9 centimeters (3.11 inches). Schlenker wrote to Guinness and told them the story. He received an email back saying he could pay $2,500 for a Guinness representative to visit Syracuse and measure his tongue. He didn’t realize he could simply shoot photos of his tongue and send them to London to be con- sidered for the record. “I stopped reading the email after that,” Schlenker said. “I didn’t realize you could do it for free. I just let it go and forgot about the whole thing.” About eight months later, a Guinness World Records staffer in London was deleting old applica- tions, and Schlenker’s photo caught her eye. She asked Schlenker if he could have a doctor and two notaries mea- sure his tongue, using a hard metal ruler, to confirm the width. All the measurements had to be recorded on video and sent to Guinness. He did all that, and Guinness sent him a certificate confirming he had broken the record. Schlenker’s record stands at 8.3 centimeters, or 3.27 inches. That’s 4 millimeters wider than the previ- ous record, held by Jay Sloot of Australia. Guinness sent a photographer to Syracuse. “They had me licking ice cream cones and they lined up Tic Tacs across my tongue,” Schlenker said. “I had to stick out my tongue for three hours. It’s a muscle like anything else, and can get bigger. If I mea- sure, my tongue now, it’s about 8.6 centimeters, but I haven’t told them I might have a new record.” By the way, about 14 Tic Tacs fit across his tongue, horizontally, in a straight line. “I would have never done it if they hadn’t contacted me back,” Schlenker said. “It wasn’t something I’m striving for. I don’t mind if someone beats my record or not.” Schlenker, his wife and his three daughters have known about the bro- ken record since October 2013, but had to keep it secret until the book was published. When one of his neighbor’s daughters heard about the record, she asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?” It doesn’t. Despite the size of his tongue, Schlenker has never had trouble speaking, though he does have sleep apnea (chronic trouble breathing in his sleep). “Who would’ve ever known that your tongue is bigger than anyone else’s?” he said. “Unless you’re Miley Cyrus or Gene Simmons, it’s not something normal to stick it out all the time. Now when I meet some people, the first thing they say is, ‘Let me see it.’ It can get be pretty awkward.” The Guinness World Records wanted to fly Schlenker out to London for the book debut. They offered to pay for his hotel, flight and expenses, but he didn’t have a passport. “Also, I didn’t know if I wanted to go all the way to London to stick out my tongue,” he said. “My wife cer- tainly wanted to.” They’ll have an opportunity to go to Rome for a Guinness World Records TV special. Meanwhile, in Syracuse, Onondaga Free Library plans to host a book signing for the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records. “The funny part of this is, I never really stuck out my tongue,” he said. “I didn’t practice for this. Somebody out there surely has a wider tongue, but I’m just going to enjoy this for what it is. I don’t take it too seri- ously.” LOCAL NEWS HE STICKS OUT HIS TONGUE, GUINNESS BOOK SAYS Byron Schlenker’s tongue measures at least 8.3 centimeters, or 3.27 inches, at its widest point. Latest book of world records shows Syracuse man has the widest tongue ‘ Ah!’ Tioga County and Johnson City. The Oneidas know com- petition is coming and they have been silent about the proposals under consid- eration for the first four licenses. Until last week. On Monday, the state gaming commission’s siting board invited applicants to present their proposals. With Wilmorite representatives in the hot seat, state siting board members asked them to explain how they planned to make more money than Turning Stone and how they view competition with an existing casino only an hour away. Lago representatives broke down the numbers like this: 3 They hope to take in rev- enue of $263 million in the first year. 3 About $130 million would be generated from new customers from both in and outside of New York state. 3 About $40 million would come from customers of the Seneca Indian Nation’s three casinos. 3 About $20 million would come from the Finger Lakes Racino. 3 The rest would come from “a whole basket coming from folks to the East.” They did not mention Turning Stone by name in their answer. They said they were con- fident in their numbers and said $263 million is actually a low estimate. In a telephone interview Friday, Wilmorite vice president Juris Basens said he believes competitors will be still be viable with the addi- tion of a casino in Seneca County. “There’s more than enough market here,” he said. “Each one of them will have to get better. Competition is always good for the customers, or in this case, the gaming public.” Barkin said the Oneida Indian Nation was pleased to hear the siting board ask criti- cal questions. “The state is going to move forward on expanding gam- ing. We’ve always understood that,” he said. “We’ve always just made clear that we shouldn’t undermine exist- ing economic development by pitting towns against each other. “Clearly, this could do a lot of damage.” Barkin said the nation has not submitted comments to the New York State Gaming Commission and is evaluating whether to speak at a public hearing, set for Sept. 24 in Ithaca. Barkin said the nation is bringing up the matter of the potential competition in talks with business owners and leaders in the counties that receive a share of the Turning Stone’s profit. Onondaga County, for example, is set to receive $2.5 million a year, which Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney wants to put toward a new amphitheater on Onondaga Lake. Oneida County, as host to Turning Stone, expects about $12.5 million a year, which County Executive Tony Picente has plans to spend on economic development and other projects. Picente said he opposes Wilmorite’s proposal. Picente said he agreed to the deal with the Oneida Nation, which made some conces- sions on a longstanding land claim, in return for reliable revenue. The threat of competition just down the road was not part of the deal, he said. “The intent of settling our disputes and moving for- ward here was because we saw a revenue stream that wouldn’t be in danger by the close proximity of another casino, that it would be done in regions,” he said. “That is clearly not what it looks to be right now if this application gets approved.” Contact Michelle Breidenbach at 315-470-3186. Casino just down the Thruway a loser for Turning Stone profits CASINO, FROM PAGE A-5 Albany Syracuse Buffalo Rochester NEW YORK MAP AREA New York state Eastern Southern Tier region Catskills/Hudson Valley region Capital region Tyre Verona Too close for comfort New York is weighing proposals for new casinos in three regions of the state. The Oneida Indian Nation says allowing one in Tyre would create unwelcome competition for the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona. The Post-Standard (Katrina Tulloch / [email protected])
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PAGE A-6 ThE POST-STANDARD Sunday, September 14, 2014
By Katrina Tulloch [email protected]
The 2015 Guinness Book of World Records — the 60th edition — hits stores Wednesday, and Byron Schlenker, a property manager with the New York State Fair, represents Syracuse in its pages by breaking the record for the World’s Widest Tongue.
It all started in the Onondaga Free Library, where Schlenker’s 13-year-old daughter was searching for a nonfiction book for a school assign-ment. Schlenker suggested the 2012 Guinness Book of World Records.
He randomly opened the book to show his daughter and came to the page showing the “World’s Widest Tongue.” She agreed to get the book for her report.
Schlenker wondered how wide his own tongue was. When they got home from the library, he asked his wife, Vicki, to measure his tongue, half-joking.
“She literally said, ‘Get away from me,’” said Schlenker, 46.
So he asked his daughter, who thought his tongue might be larger than the record 7.9 centimeters (3.11 inches).
Schlenker wrote to Guinness and told them the story. He received an email back saying he could pay $2,500 for a Guinness representative to visit Syracuse and measure his tongue. He didn’t realize he could simply shoot photos of his tongue and send them to London to be con-sidered for the record.
“I stopped reading the email after that,” Schlenker said. “I didn’t realize you could do it for free. I just let it go and forgot about the whole thing.”
About eight months later, a Guinness World Records staffer in London was deleting old applica-tions, and Schlenker’s photo caught her eye.
She asked Schlenker if he could have a doctor and two notaries mea-sure his tongue, using a hard metal ruler, to confirm the width. All the measurements had to be recorded on video and sent to Guinness.
He did all that, and Guinness sent him a certificate confirming he had
broken the record.Schlenker’s record stands at 8.3
centimeters, or 3.27 inches. That’s 4 millimeters wider than the previ-ous record, held by Jay Sloot of Australia.
Guinness sent a photographer to Syracuse.
“They had me licking ice cream cones and they lined up Tic Tacs across my tongue,” Schlenker said. “I had to stick out my tongue for three hours. It’s a muscle like anything else, and can get bigger. If I mea-sure, my tongue now, it’s about 8.6 centimeters, but I haven’t told them I might have a new record.”
By the way, about 14 Tic Tacs fit across his tongue, horizontally, in a straight line.
“I would have never done it if they hadn’t contacted me back,” Schlenker said. “It wasn’t something I’m striving for. I don’t mind if someone beats my record or not.”
Schlenker, his wife and his three daughters have known about the bro-ken record since October 2013, but had to keep it secret until the book was published. When one of his neighbor’s daughters heard about the record, she asked, “Doesn’t it hurt?”
It doesn’t. Despite the size of his tongue, Schlenker has never had trouble speaking, though he does have sleep apnea (chronic trouble breathing in his sleep).
“Who would’ve ever known that your tongue is bigger than anyone else’s?” he said. “Unless you’re Miley Cyrus or Gene Simmons, it’s not something normal to stick it out all the time. Now when I meet some people, the first thing they say is, ‘Let me see it.’ It can get be pretty awkward.”
The Guinness World Records wanted to fly Schlenker out to London for the book debut. They
offered to pay for his hotel, flight and expenses, but he didn’t have a passport.
“Also, I didn’t know if I wanted to go all the way to London to stick out my tongue,” he said. “My wife cer-tainly wanted to.”
They’ll have an opportunity to go to Rome for a Guinness World Records TV special. Meanwhile, in Syracuse, Onondaga Free Library plans to host a book signing for the 2015 Guinness Book of World Records.
“The funny part of this is, I never really stuck out my tongue,” he said. “I didn’t practice for this. Somebody out there surely has a wider tongue, but I’m just going to enjoy this for what it is. I don’t take it too seri-ously.”
local news
He sticks out His tongue,guinness Book says
Byron Schlenker’s tongue measures at least 8.3 centimeters, or 3.27 inches, at its widest point.
Latest book of world
records shows Syracuse
man has the widest tongue‘Ah!’
Tioga County and Johnson City.
The Oneidas know com-petition is coming and they have been silent about the proposals under consid-eration for the first four licenses.
Until last week.On Monday, the state
gaming commission’s siting board invited applicants to present their proposals. With Wilmorite representatives in the hot seat, state siting board members asked them to explain how they planned to make more money than Turning Stone and how they view competition with an existing casino only an hour away.
Lago representatives broke down the numbers like this:
3 They hope to take in rev-enue of $263 million in the first year.
3 About $130 million would be generated from new customers from both in and outside of New York state.
3 About $40 million would come from customers of the Seneca Indian Nation’s three casinos.
3 About $20 million would come from the Finger Lakes Racino.
3 The rest would come from “a whole basket coming from folks to the East.”
They did not mention Turning Stone by name in their answer.
They said they were con-fident in their numbers and said $263 million is actually a low estimate.
In a telephone interview Friday, Wilmorite vice president Juris Basens said he believes competitors will be still be viable with the addi-tion of a casino in Seneca County.
“There’s more than enough market here,” he said. “Each one of them will have to get better. Competition is always
good for the customers, or in this case, the gaming public.”
Barkin said the Oneida Indian Nation was pleased to hear the siting board ask criti-cal questions.
“The state is going to move forward on expanding gam-ing. We’ve always understood that,” he said. “We’ve always just made clear that we shouldn’t undermine exist-ing economic development by pitting towns against each other.
“Clearly, this could do a lot of damage.”
Barkin said the nation has not submitted comments to the New York State Gaming Commission and is evaluating whether to speak at a public hearing, set for Sept. 24 in Ithaca.
Barkin said the nation is bringing up the matter of the potential competition in talks with business owners and leaders in the counties that receive a share of the Turning Stone’s profit.
Onondaga County, for example, is set to receive $2.5 million a year, which Onondaga County Executive
Joanie Mahoney wants to put toward a new amphitheater on Onondaga Lake.
Oneida County, as host to Turning Stone, expects about $12.5 million a year, which County Executive Tony Picente has plans to spend on economic development and other projects.
Picente said he opposes Wilmorite’s proposal. Picente said he agreed to the deal with the Oneida Nation, which made some conces-sions on a longstanding land claim, in return for reliable revenue.
The threat of competition just down the road was not part of the deal, he said.
“The intent of settling our disputes and moving for-ward here was because we saw a revenue stream that wouldn’t be in danger by the close proximity of another casino, that it would be done in regions,” he said. “That is clearly not what it looks to be right now if this application gets approved.”
Contact Michelle Breidenbach at 315-470-3186.
casino just down the Thruwaya loser for Turning stone profitsCasino, FRoM PaGE a-5
Albany
SyracuseBu�alo
Rochester
NEW YORK MAP
AREA
New York state
Eastern Southern Tier regionCatskills/Hudson Valley regionCapital region
TyreVerona
Too close for comfortnew york is weighing proposals for new casinos in three regions of the state. the Oneida Indian nation says allowing one in tyre would create unwelcome competition for the turning Stone resort and Casino in Verona.
the post-Standard
(Katrina tulloch / [email protected])
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