Roepke helps Fisher capture coed record

Marysville Advocate by Julie Perry
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What began as lessons for Brandi Jo Roepke, Waterville, to improve as a free throw shooter turned into a world record she helped Bob Fisher, Centralia, reclaim Sunday afternoon.

It was one of three Fisher had a hand in rewriting or establishing. It was exciting enough that Roepke twice attempted to break the world record for most free throws made by a female.

On the 27th try, Fisher and Roepke reset the coed world record to 44. It will become official when Guinness World Records validates the submission, which could take six to eight weeks. Fisher and Dana Kramer, Wetmore, set the mark at 32 in 2011 and that was broken Aug. 17, 2013, by Michael Anderson and Katherine Oosthuizen at West Bowles Community Church in Littleton, Colo., when they made 34.

It was the only record among 14 set by Fisher from 2010 to 2012 that had fallen.

Roepke, an all-around athlete, is most passionate about basketball. Fisher came into the picture when she became too frustrated with her free throw shooting.

“I wasn’t hitting them at all,” she said.

Constant practice led to improvemet and to Fisher asking if she’d like to attempt a world record.

“Sure, why not,” she said. “I just knew I had to get 17 and he had to get 17,” she said. “It was pretty cool to be asked. We knew we could beat it, but I didn’t know we could beat it by that much.”

While it was “really awesome,” Roepke said, to break a world record, she admitted it was hard to concentrate on her shot and his. What tripped up the duo at times was that one of them would make two shots in a row instead of alternating between him and her.

“I think it’s really awesome (to break the record),” Roepke said. “It makes me want to do more.”

So Roepke attempted the most free throws made in one minute by a female and came close twice to Ashley Graham’s 39 set in July 2010 when Graham played for a Ukrainian team. Roepke made 34 on her first attempt and 35 on her second before calling it a day.

Fisher, who has unofficially improved on his records several times in almost three years, officially reset one of his and established a 15th record. Fisher made 21 of 24 free throws in 30 seconds blindfolded. He owns the record for most made in a minute blindfolded at 22, but there had not been a category for most made in 30 seconds.

He reset his record Sunday for most free throws made in one minute, which was 50 in Jan. 2010, to 52.

His goal for the one minute male record is to make more than one free throw a second. It’s something he will work on this year.

Fisher was 52 when he started breaking records. Now at 57, he’s thinking about improving his marks so his records are harder to break.

“I’m getting to the point where I’m thinking I probably need to make attempts to get my records up to my potential, because I’m getting older and some day won’t be able to do it,” he said.

While Fisher stopped attempting records for almost three years, he never stopped practicing, not even when he and his wife, Connie, went to Texas to visit grandchildren. Fisher still found the gym for a couple of hours.

“My accuracy should be much better,” he said. “I want to get the consecutive alternate hands mark over 100,” he said.

Aside from most consecutive charities made, Fisher doesn’t have most made shooting backwards or from a wheelchair. He doesn’t practice shooting backwards and the wheelchair mark is one he says he will never get.

He has been asked to perform during the Feb. 21 and 22 Baileyville Benefit Tournament, where he said he may make a record attempt.

In 2010, Fisher’s records were most free throws made in 30 seconds at 33; most in one minute at 50; most in one minute made by a pair of shooters with unlimited balls at 29 with Garrett Steinlage, Seneca. In 2011, he penned his name to most shots made underhanded in one minute at 28; most in one minute while standing on one leg at 49; most made in one hour at 2,371; most in one minute blindfolded at 22; and the mark with Kramer. In 2012, he broke most free throws made in two minutes at 92; most in 10 minutes at 448; most in one minute using alternate hands at 44; most in two minutes with alternating hands at 88; most in a minute by a pair of shooters using two balls at 24; and the two-minute blindfolded mark at 37.