By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

As a white foam formed on both sides of his mouth and exhaustion started to set in, Ryan Martin’s eyes remained focused on the hoop.

Ball in hand.

Set.

Release.

Follow through.

Swish.

Over 60 minutes, the former Maranacook and Keene State hoop star hoisted 1,408 shots. With 4:01 left on the scoreboard, Ryan had a packed house clapping, hollering and pointing their cell phones in video mode in his direction as he knocked down his Guinness World Record shot.

There was no leap or arms raised to celebrate the moment. Instead, the eagle-eye focus remained. More work to be done. When the buzzer sounded, the final count reached 1,134.

“I was relieved and exhausted,” Ryan said.

He bolted out the gym’s back door, found a patch of grass outside the athletic complex and laid down.

“I was hurting, no doubt, but it was all worth it. This was an incredible experience,” Ryan said. “I took an ice bath afterward. It helped. I was pretty sore.”

Now, Ryan waits for Guinness officials to certify his record-breaking outing. It will take several weeks before the record becomes official as video footage from the event will be examined.

What a Performance

As fans entered the gym, Ryan flashed a smile appreciating their support and feeling confident he could break the record of 1,077 set in 2012.

“I was excited. I’ve always loved shooting a basketball, so being able to do this for an hour straight and take on the challenge of making as many 3-point shots within that time, it was just a different, cool experience…for everyone involved,” he said. “There were far more people here than I expected. I was afraid it was going to be boring, but people watched the entire time.”

As Ryan reached certain points — shots made and time remaining — MC Nick Beauchesne asked the crowd to cheer Dr. Buckets on. And, they complied with loud cheers.

Initially, the eruption seemed to distract Ryan, but he quickly regained his rhythm.

“Every time the crowd was cheering, my adrenaline was going. I would go faster, which was why I was so ahead of pace (at one point, Ryan reached 50 made shots ahead of the calculated pace needed to break the record). I had to keep telling myself when the crowd was cheering to slow down. I crowd definitely got my adrenaline going, which made a huge difference,” he said.

A previous trial run, which he made 1,056 shots, gave Ryan a very good idea of the physical and mental toll he would face.

“Ten to 15 minutes into it, you’re already tired. So, it turns into a mental game. I think the last 75% of the hour is just a mental game. I just kept telling myself it was expected. I knew that’s how it was going to be. I just had to take it one shot at a time,” Ryan said. “I knew if I couldn’t keep my focus, I wouldn’t beat the record. I knew I could get through it.”

Hearing he was well ahead of the record pace, Ryan was able to settle into a groove and didn’t rush.

“I didn’t have to look at the scoreboard. I just kept my eyes focused on the rim,” he said. “In the trial run, there was far more scoreboard watching because I didn’t have Nick announcing, so that really made a big difference. I took 111 more shots this time.”

Ryan shot 80.5% from behind the arc. “I thought I would need to shoot 82% or 83% to break the record, but I got up more shots than I expected, so it all worked out,” he said. “I guess the more you shoot, the more you’re going to make.”

To give his body a break, Ryan switched up his shooting form from time to time. When he felt his legs starting to wear down, he shot flat-footed and used his arms more. Then, he went back to adding a little jump into his release.

“I tried to take 10 to 15 shots not really using my legs because they needed a break. After that, I was fine to go another few minutes using my legs,” he said.

Taking steps to fully hydrate the best he could prior to the shooting marathon, Ryan was surprised to hear from his court crew that white foam appeared on the side of his mouth over the final 30 minutes.

“I was exhausted at that point,” he said. “I made some adjustments in my nutrition and hydration after the trial run — drinking coconut water, eating healthier, and taking a liquid IV before I started. It was a game changer. It was all strategic on what I was putting in my body.”

As Ryan approached the 1,078 mark, he stayed true to his strategy — one shot at a time, stay consistent, never give in.

“I knew there was four minutes left when I broke the record, but I was still trying to not hesitate after that and just keep going. One shot at a time for four more minutes, trying to get as many shots in as I could,” he said. “Once that was accomplished, I definitely was able to relax more. My girlfriend actually, before I even started, said if you don’t get the record tonight, that’s going to be pretty awkward, don’t you think? I was worried about disappointing people, but I think there’s a great lesson in it too — that not being afraid of failure.”

It’s a point Ryan makes to his Lake Region varsity boys’ basketball team.

“I wasn’t afraid of failure. I knew it was going to be one heck of a challenge. I knew there was a chance that I wasn’t going to get it, but I also knew that there was a good chance I was going to get it too. It’s so much better breaking a world record with a team of people and a crowd there to support you. It meant a lot seeing all my players there. I hope they saw something and learn from it too.”

Prior to the buzzer sounding, Beauchesne instructed the crowd to give Ryan some time and space.

“I knew I was going to be exhausted. I could just picture people rushing onto the court and jumping on me. I don’t know what would happen to me if that occurred. I’m glad people followed the rules. I needed that time to recover,” he said. “Actually, I didn’t get any cramping this time. I think a lot was because I was so hydrated and I prepared properly. I was very exhausted. It wasn’t until I took the cold bath, it was probably a half hour, before I started to feel like I could have a conversation with somebody. I was tired, but I really wanted to see everyone too.”

While breaking the record was the ultimate goal, Ryan said what he enjoyed most was again being in a highly competitive basketball situation — something he has missed since leaving the sport due to a hip injury.

“For the first time in 10 years, I’ve been in that competitive position with people watching. I just love that pressure. I just missed that competitive challenge. I’m always trying to find something that does challenge me,” Ryan said.

That something just might be trying to break another record.

And if someone comes along and breaks the 3-pointers in an hour mark, Ryan is just hopeful he is still young enough and able to try to take the record back.

“I honestly wouldn’t mind that. I’d just be, that’s what I want anyways. I want the competition and that’s exactly why I signed up for this in the first place,” he said.