I’ve been asked by a few friends what events I compete in at an Overall Disc Sports Competition. There are 7 events: accuracy, discathon, freestyle, disc golf, self caught flight, double disc court and distance:
ACCURACY – Players get a total of 28 throws from 7 different stations, 4 from each of the 7 different stations. Stations are from side angles and from straight away. Discs must go through the upper square. Discs are required to be the of the vintage variety. Most popular discs are Discraft Ultra-Stars and Innova Zephyrs (162 grams or less) are used. World record is 25/28.
DISCATHON – This event is basically a 1 Kilometer running race while you throw a disc through an obstacle course. Your disc must pass the correct way through the course, but if you throw well, you can run a shorter distance. There are tests throughout the course, which, if you succeed, allow you to bypass an obstacle. Exciting to watch too because of its head to head format.
FREESTYLE – The “show” event but also as rigorous and demanding as gymnastics. An enormous variety of throws, spinning moves, and amazing catches that will make you wonder how they did it. This is the art event of the flying disc. Routines are constructed to music as you would see in a dance routine. The Freestyle Players Association web page will get you started at www.freestyledisc.org. There are many youtube videos to see how it’s done. It’s a steep learning curve but the most fun you can have with a flying disc.
DISC GOLF – One of the fastest growing sports in the world and always one of the most popular disc events for participants. Disc Golf is Easy to start, hard to master. Just like the kind with a stick and a ball. Same basic rules: put the object in the target.
SELF-CAUGHT FLIGHT – Sounds easy. Throw the disc in the air, catch it in one hand. Two parts to the event: Maximum Time Aloft (MTA) – your throw is timed; then Throw, Run, Catch (TRC) – distance from throw to the catch is measured. World records? 16.72 seconds for MTA, 94.00 meters for TRC. Start running!!
DOUBLE DISC COURT – It’s a court game with two players on each team. And two discs in play. The object is to land your throws in the opponents court and / or make them be in contact with both discs at the same time.
DISTANCE – Pretty simple really. Throw it as far as you can. Anyone can do it.
When you’re not playing ultimate, learning any of these disc sports will be invaluable to your disc skills, especially throwing and catching.