BOTTLE FLIPPING: The rage behind it

So, I’m pretty sure that by now, ALL of you must have heard about this not-so-new fad called bottle flipping. If you don’t, allow me to brief you on what it is. Basically, the trend is what its name suggests, literally flipping a bottle and landing it upright (standing on its base) or upside down (on its lid), on a surface. It could be a table, the ground, a window’s ledge, or even the top of your friend’s head.

It all started last spring, when Michael Senatore, an 18-year-old high-school student from North Carolina did not know what do for his school talent show.

Finding himself out of options, he thought of flipping a bottle for his act (something which he had done with his friends before). When the moment came, he strutted on stage *cue dramatic music*, and with a fast flick of his wrist, landed a half-filled water bottle upright on the table in front of him. At this, the crowd went wild. You can watch the epic moment here for yourself:

https://youtu.be/cxzl08ERhMk

Over the next few days, the video went viral, gaining over 5 million views and an uproar of tweets everywhere stating how “lit” Michael Senatore is.

Many people in our school have tried their hand at bottle-flipping, with many successes, and so I went ahead and asked a few people about how exactly they felt about this whole hype. Here are some of the diverse opinions:

“I was quite hyped up, just like everyone else was, when the bottle flipping trend came around. But now that almost every other person around you starts doing it, the excitement of it is lost. Also, you need a big audience to actually feel the vibe of getting the bottle flip right.” – Thinzar, G10

“At first I didn’t like this challenge (just because I wasn’t quite good at flipping bottles) but after a while, I kind of just found it interesting (not sure how or why) but after one of my friends filmed me SUCCESSFULLY flipping a bottle, I wanted to continue because (*in an ever-louder voice*) I WAS SO PROUD OF MYSELF LIKE WHOA AKI YOU DID SOMETHING.” – Aki, G10

“I think it’s kinda cool, because other people think it’s fun. But it’s not really do for me, because it’s stupid and I’m amused that people do this instead of using bottles for their actual purpose. But it’s great anyways.” – Matilda, G8

Other fellow students had a different opinion on the entire rage

“I think that it’s weird because, how did one think of flipping bottles? I mean, it’s so random and such an impromptu concept that suddenly gained massive popularity in the online world.” – Janice, G10

“It is so annoying but sometimes I just want to successfully flip a bottle like that so badly.” – Minsue, G11

“I’m not into it.” – Nisha, G7

“It’s a craze that’ll die out VERY soon.” – Isaac, G11

“It’s in trend, and it’s apparently cool. I mean, you’re not gaining anything from knowing how to flip a bottle, are you?” – Sejal, G8

Also, there is some science applied behind it. But I would avoid getting into the physics of the bottle-flipping. Basically, in order to flip a bottle successfully, about a third of it must be filled with liquid. Flick the bottle with your wrist, and voila!, the bottle lands upright (or upside down). Of course, it is not that easy and cannot be done in a single attempt (unless you are incredibly lucky). Practice will help you get there! But please avoid pouring out water and spilling it everywhere (that really spoils the entire thing for everyone, you know).

Here’s a good flip done by the Naga house: https://youtu.be/CV2qBWd92-c

Good luck with this!

Featured image: https://giphy.com/gifs/colbertlateshow-stephen-colbert-lssc-late-show-l46Cx0KwDEc3NaZ6U