Every sports team has dedicated fans, but few if any have fans that use their world record-breaking talents to cheer on their team. If you’ve ever heard the three piercing, short whistles that rallies the “LETS GO CAPS” chant inside of Capital One Arena, you already know the fan I’m talking about.
Kathy Graninger is a lifelong, diehard Caps fan who starts the “LETS GO CAPS” chant with three distinct whistles. You might also hear her whistle after every goal Alex Ovechkin scores and after particularly amazing saves by Caps goalies. After really stellar wins, you’ll even hear a chant break out at the end of the game led by her whistle on the escalators down to the main concourse.
Graninger has always had a very loud whistle, even before bringing it to Caps games. For years, friends and strangers have told her “wow that’s an impressive whistle!” or “how do you do that? Teach me!” And recently, with her whistles from section 417 regularly starting the chants at Caps games, she’s decided to apply for the world record for loudest whistle. The current Guinness record holders for loudest whistle is 116 decibels (for women) and 125 decibels (for men). Kathy’s loudest recorded whistle is 126.4 decibels, (unofficially) breaking the current Guinness record. She just recently applied for the new record with Guinness, so expect an update in the spring. Aside from the personal achievement of this record, through the process she also wants to promote the Capitals.
So the next time you watch or attend a Caps game, keep an ear out for the whistle that starts the “LETS GO CAPS” chant — trust me, you’ll hear it even through the TV. And remember to cheer along loudly: LETS GO CAPS!
You can hear the whistle 37 seconds into this clip after Ovechkin scored his 900th goal.
And after each goal the Capitals score here, followed by the “Let’s go Caps” chant from the crowd:
— Capitals Outsider (@CapsOutsider) January 3, 2026
