Freestyle Frisbee

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[edit] Flying Disc (Frisbee) Freestyle (Beginnings)

If I were to name a handful of people that will go down in history as being the players responsible for the beginnings of flying disc (Frisbee) freestyle. Those names would be Jim Kenner, Ken Westerfield, Kerry Kollmar, Dan Roddick, John Kirkland, John Z Weyand and Victor Malafronte.

Long before Frisbee was ever considered a sport, these individuals were the first to achieve the equivalent of what would be considered a professional Frisbee freestyle athlete. Without the incentives of scholarships, signing bonuses, contracts or even awards, these players had the status of being the first of the best in the world, with no other reward than the pure pleasure of doing the activity they loved. Many of the present freestyle techniques as well as competitive formats came from these pioneers.

[edit] The first pairs freestyle Frisbee competition

In Toronto 1974, Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner (Discraft founder and CEO) teamed up with Jeff Otis, event coordinator for the Canadian National Exhibition, to produce the Canadian Frisbee Championships. It was at this Tournament that Ken and Jim introduced an event called Freestyle Frisbee and won it.

An excerpt from 'the decades awards 1970-75 Ken Westerfield/Jim Kenner Top Routine'

Considered the greatest speedflow game of all time. Ken and Jim put on a clinic to cap off a blistering hot final by all of the teams. They featured a rhythmic and dynamic style with concise catch and throw combinations. These two gentlemen are credited with creating formal freestyle competition. The 1973 Canadian Open did not have freestyle as an event. They were able to finally convince the tournament director to go forward with their plan. The end result made history.

This was the first Freestyle Frisbee Competition ever. A year later, the AFDO (American Flying Disc Open) Rochester, New York, and the 1975 World Frisbee Championships, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, adopted Ken and Jims Freestyle competition format as one of their events. This same Freestyle event is now accepted as one of the premier events in Flying Disc Tournaments Worldwide.

See Also: Wikipedia/Ken Westerfield