Freestyle, like any creative endeavor, is the result of many people and many influences. Much like mathematics, there were critical developments by uniquely talented individuals that this account will acknowledge.
Birth of the flying disc
It is widely acknowledged that disc play started on the campuses of Ivy League schools during the late forties, specifically at Yale
and Dartmouth. Early players used cookie can lids and pie tins. By the early fifties, the pastime had grown to such fad proportions
that it caused Bill Robes of Etna, New Hampshire to produce a plastic version of the tin lid. A similar effort was undertaken by Fred
Morrison and Warren Franscioni on the West Coast. Robes called his plastic disc the Space Saucer. By the late fifties, college and
university bookstores around the country were carrying the Space Saucer. Wham-O Manufacturing stepped in and began marketing
Morrison's work in the form of their Pluto Platter. In 1958, a year after Wham-O began selling their disc, they trademarked the
name "Frisbee" and added it to the mold that made the Pluto Platter. The International Frisbee Tournament
Another important event occurred in 1958. Bob and Jake Healy organized a frisbee game at their family's Fourth of July celebration in
the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the Ball Yard at Eagle Harbor. This family's frisbee get-together became an annual event that grew
in size and popularity each year. It became known as the IFT (International Frisbee Tournament). During the mid-sixties, the event's
enthusiasm attracted the attention of Wham-O. The synergy that developed between Wham-O and the IFT started the modern era of disc
sports. The formation of the IFA (International Frisbee Association) newsletter in 1968 was a direct result. The IFA newsletter
spread information to frisbee enthusiasts in Canada and the USA. Frisbee players started to travel to the IFT in huge numbers. By
1970, the tournament became the Mecca for frisbee enthusiasts from all over the world. The event fostered the free exchanges of
ideas on all types of frisbee play. This is where the idea of freestyle as a distinct type of disc play got disseminated to the
frisbee community at large. The Berkely Frisbee Group
The IFT/IFA newsletter brought together Wham-O and the BFG (Berkeley Frisbee Group). The BFG was started in the late 1960's and met
regularly to play frisbee at Sproul Plaza on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley. The core of players is a
veritable who's who of freestyle: Roger Barrett, Chuck Shultz, John "the Dreamer" Weyand, Victor Malofronte, Dave Book, Jay Shelton,
Bob May, Chuck Pitt, Tom Boda' and Steve Sewell. They took frisbee play beyond mere the simple throw and catch. They developed new
types of throws and catches. They were the first individuals to regard throwing and catching as an art form. The leading freestylers
of this group were John "Dreamer" Weyand and Victor Malafronte. This pair created the notion of a freestyle "routine." Some of the
BFG players, including Malafronte, attended the IFT where their impact was dramatic. Each year they introduced more refined
combinations of fancy throws and trick catches. A freestyle culture began to develop. Frisbee notables like John Connelly, Tom
Cleworth, Alan Blake, Scott Dickson, and John Sappington shared in the development of this new disc art form. The 1973 IFT was
especially significant. Dan "the Stork" Roddick, Bob "Flash" Eberle and John Kirkland made their first visit. Irv Kalb and his New
Jersey ultimate contingency were there. Jim Kenner and Ken Westerfield, widely considered the second freestyle team, were there. Octad and the Canadian Open, the first freestyle tournaments
After the 1973 IFT, Dan Roddick and Bob Eberle began a feverish period of work that established the roots of competitive freestyle.
First, they laid the groundwork for a flying disc event called Octad which was comprised of eight distinct skill events. Then they
published their first issue of the "Flying Disc World" newsletter in March of 1974.
Octad was held in May of 1974 and featured an
event called "Eastern Trick Catch." This skill test consisted of two players, competing against one another, taking turns throwing
the disc back and forth with points awarded for trick throws and catches. Unfortunately, the adversarial aspect of the game left the
players dissatisfied and a post event discussion on the game generated the suggestion that the two players should work together
rather than against each other. It was also suggested that the players should be judged in a manner similar to ice skating and
gymnastics. Dan Roddick's reply to this suggestion, "Oh I don't know, that would be so subjective. I don't think it would work too
well," is a criticism that still reverberates at modern freestyle events. Jim Palmeri hosted a big disc golf and double disc court
tournament in August of 1974 that was the backdrop for the burgeoning freestyle movement. Players spent much of their free time
working on new throws, catches and tipping. Victor Malafronte showcased behind the back throws, Irv Kalb displayed accurate and
powerful one finger throws. Doug Corea was developing aerial between the leg catches. John Kirkland was trapping high curving shots
between his knees and feet. Multiple tipping became the latest game of one-upmanship. A two hour rain delay on Sunday moved the
fun indoors. It was there that Kirkland unveiled the air bounce throw and by the end of the day, ten consecutive tips had been
achieved.
Freestyle was reaching critical mass. Two weeks later, virtually the same crowd appeared at the third annual Canadian
Open Frisbee Championships. This event featured the very first freestyle pairs competition, conceived by Jim Kenner and Ken Westerfield.
Players were judged by their fellow competitors. Along with the IFT, Jim and Ken were influenced by the late Mike "Muk" Young.
The pair had been doing shows for several years before the 1974 Canadian Open. They thought freestyle was a natural addition to the
traditional guts, distance and accuracy events that comprised competitions of that era. The Canadian Open featured eight freestyle
teams. Among the illustrious pairings were Doug Corea/Jim Palmeri, John Kirkland/Jose Montalvo, Irv Kalb/Dave Meyers, Dan Roddick
/Bruce Koger, Tom Cleworth/John Connelly and finally, Jim and Ken. The competitive art form, which began it's gestation at Berkeley
six years earlier, was born at the Canadian Open on Sunday August 18, 1974 at approximately 3:00 PM Eastern Daylight Savings Time.
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