California Woman Named Oldest Female Performing Trapeze Artist

SAN DIEGO, CA -- At least two California women made the 2019 Guinness World Records, it was announced this week.

Betty Goedhart, of San Diego, California, isn't letting age hold her back from doing the things she enjoys. She took her first trapeze lesson at the age of 78, and set the record as the oldest female performing flying trapeze artist at 84 years and 249 days old.

It's just a regular circus in California. Who would believe this if there weren't documented proof? Russian Olga Henry, who lives in Culver City, set the record for the fastest 10-meter en pointe walk on a slackline — an amazing 2 minutes and 33 seconds.

Other Americans who joined the Guinness World Records include Maryland resident Samantha Valle, 31, who has a pair of amazing rescue dogs — Feather, a greyhound, and Geronimo, a border collie and kelpie mix. Valle told Guinness she takes great pride in bringing out the best in animals others have left behind.

"Sometimes it takes a certain person to come along and see the potential in a dog to make them even greater," she said.

Valle was training Feather to clear hurdles when the dog jumped so high she hit her head on the the basement ceiling. Now able to jump over the heads of most people, she now holds the record for the highest jump by a dog — 6 feet, 2 inches.

Not to be outdone, Geronimo got a place in the book, too. The dog has a big personality and displays it best with a jump rope. She now holds the record for the most double Dutch-style skips by a dog in a minute — 128 if you want to see if your dog can beat it.

Read more about the 2019 Guinness World Records holders here.

--By Patch writer Beth Dalbey/Photo of Betty Goedhart courtesy of Guinness World Records 2019