For 55 years, avid race car fans have been piling into the stands at the Daytona International Speedway for an event so popular that it’s been called the Super Bowl of stock car racing. You may remember the big news in 2013, when Danica Patrick, a female driver, made history by being the first woman to win the Daytona 500 pole.
So what does that have to do with reading? You’ll see. Top speeds have exceeded 198 miles per hour during the Daytona 500, placing a huge demand on cars, drivers and crew members as television cameras scrutinize every turn. It’s no surprise that whomever wins the Daytona 500 finds themselves on another circuit, appearing on programs such as The Tonight Show, David Letterman or Good Morning America.
But the race has risks. We’ve all seen those high-velocity accidents when cars and equipment have gone crashing into walls and fences. Fortunately, there’s a safer way for people to enjoy speed and success.
Have you ever wondered how fast your brain can go? Most people read between 200 and 400 words per minute, according to a Wall Street Journal article. But what if you could go four times as fast? Or faster? The world’s fastest reader actually made it through 25,000 words in a single minute. Now that cruising!
Admittedly, not everyone may want to blaze through all written works, preferring to enjoy a favorite novel, poem or play like a good cup of seasoned tea. But learning to read research books quickly, or gather facts for a demanding exam, could be a real win. For starters, speed reading can increase learning, motivate readers to explore new topics, improve confidence and shorten the time it takes to prepare for tests.
Unlike Daytona 500 race car drivers, speed readers might not serve as media magnets. But they can win academically and at work, not to mention develop a foundation of learning that makes them champion conversationalists at social gatherings. Now that’s the kind of win that doesn’t stop once the race is over.