CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Magician Rick Smith Jr. already holds the world record for throwing a playing card the greatest horizontal distance (72 yards) and Saturday notched another laurel, throwing a card vertically 67 feet.
And there were plenty of witnesses because he set the altitude record at the Great Lakes Science Center, which was jammed with around 1,500 people, many with video cameras.
Smith said he went beyond 67 feet with his throw, but the Guinness Book only accepts measurable distances and no one could gauge how far his toss went above the science center's beams.
The Guinness Book acknowledges his 72-yard toss in 2002 and also identifies Smith as the most accurate card tosser for getting 46 out of 52 cards to sail through a 10-inch aperture in less than a minute last year.
Whitney Owens, the science center's vice president for education and guest experiences, said the performance "is a perfect fit for our Myth Busters exhibit, because they are all about experimentation, about trying things out."
He invited on-lookers to throw cards, and Bryan Kohn, 21, of Sandusky, Michigan, came close to a 59-foot mark that was placed on a railing on an upper floor.
That distance was Smith's minimal goal as the previous altitude record was 55 feet, 9 inches.
Kohn said card throwing is a hobby that he has pursued since he was young.
Smith, of Broadview Heights, said he took up card throwing more than a decade ago while he pitched for the Cleveland State University baseball team.
The Guinness website said it could take up to six weeks to process Smith's application to have his new record recorded.
He warmed up the crowd with his magic act before multiple attempts to set the new record.
The Myth Busters exhibit remains at the science center through May 3.
General admission is $14 for adults and $12 for children age 2 to 12. To see Myth Busters and the rest of the center, rates are $23 for adults and $20 for children.
Winter hours remain in effect through May 10: Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; open on select Mondays, including March 30 and April 6.