The 1977 World Frisbee Championships, as seen in the video below, took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA in front of 50,000 football fans during the halftime show. It was a great moment in time, a true turning point for the popularity of flying disc sports. That was 38 years ago and the event continues to takes place today, nearly four decades later. It is now run by the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) and has since been renamed to the World Overall Flying Disc Championships. but the format and spirit of the games have remained the same. Players from all over the world gather to compete in seven different disciplines of flying disc sports, all while celebrating their common bond, a love and passion for flying discs.

The World Overall Flying Disc Championships (WOFDC) returns to Norrköping, Sweden for the 2015 games. Norrköping successfully hosted the event in 2013, with more than 90 players from 11 different countries making their way to Sweden to compete. Norrköping is well known for different flying disc sports and is situated quite close to Stockholm. Because of it’s close proximity to the nation’s capitol, Norrköping can easily be reached by air, train, and/or car. The Grand Hotel Elite will serve as the host hotel just as it did in 2013, offering lots of dining and shopping options within walking distance. An option for those that prefer the hostel lifestyle is currently in the works as well.

The opening ceremony of the 2015 WOFDC takes place on Saturday, July 18th followed by seven days of intense competition. The Awards banquet will follow a week later on the final day of competition, Saturday, July 25th.

Disciplines

The descriptions and images below have all been pulled from the official 2015 WOFDC website. More information about each of the disciplines including descriptions, world records, and more can be found on the WFDF website.

Singles Events

This event is similar to archery — except with flying discs. The goal is to throw as accurately as possible through a square target. Players throw four discs from each of seven different positions (as illustrated). The target is a standing square frame measuring 1.5 meters tall by 1.5 meters wide, which is at a height of 1 meter above the ground. Each disc that passes through the frame is counted as a “hit”. The world record is 25 of 28 hits.

Throw as far as you can! Players throw as far as they can from behind a designated line. The distance from the throwing line to where the disc touches the ground is measured. Players get five attempts, and the best one counts. The current world record for men (and the overall distance world record) is 263.2 meters (863.5 feet), thrown by Simon Lizotte #8332 in October of 2014. The current world record for women is 162.0 meters (531.5 feet), thrown by Niloofar Mosavar Rahmani #18750 of Sweden in July of 2010.

The World Flying Disc Federation is the official governing body for all flying disc world records. There are 17 different categories of distance records alone, with age divisions within those categories. Distance records along with dozens of other flying disc world records can be seen on the WFDF World Records page.

Photo courtesy of Discmania.net.

Self-Caught Flight (SCF) includes two events with the intention throwing the disc in a high boomerang flight allowing the thrower to then catch it — with one hand! In Maximum Time Aloft (MTA), a player aims to accumulate a maximum number of seconds between the throw and catch; in Throw, Run and Catch (TRC), the object is to accumulate a maximum number of meters between the throw and catch. To get good results, players must be adept at gauging the wind, “reading” the flight of a disc and employing good catching techniques. MTA and TRC are often combined into one event by having players throw five attempts of each discipline. The SCF score is derived by taking the TRC result in meters and adding it to the MTA time in seconds which is multiplied by a factor 5.5. Therefore, a 40 m TRC and 7.3 second MTA would result in an SCF score of 40 + 7.3 × 5.5 = 80.15.

Discathon is a racing event covering a course that can be 200 meters to 1 kilometer long from start to finish. Players carry two or three discs that are thrown alternately. A player’s disc must travel the appointed course of mandatory obstacles that must be passed in a specific direction. The player’s objective is to complete the course in the shortest time possible by using a minimum of throws and as little running as possible. A competitor’s time is measured when one of the player’s discs completely crosses the finish line. Special to this event is the fact that a racer has two discs in play throughout the course.

Details about the course and the rules are available on the 2015 WOFDC Discathon info page.

Hey, that’s us!

Disc golf is the flying disc variant of the game of golf. Instead of a ball and (many different) golf clubs this game is played with a flying disc. Players traverse a course making as few throws as possible in reaching objects placed strategically throughout the area. Many terms you will encounter in ball golf are also familiar in disc golf. For example: tee, hole, hole in one, putt, approach, birdie, par, drive, etc. Disc golf is often played in a public park where many obstacles, such as trees and water, are to be met. As such, it is a recreational sport in the open air for people of all ages and of all skill levels.

One of the competitors during the 2013 WOFDC was none other than the 2009 PDGA Professional Disc Golf World Champion, Avery Jenkins #7495. Avery left Sweden adding a second world title to his flying disc resume, taking home the gold to become the 2013 World Overall Flying Disc Champion.

Partner Events

Double Disc Court is played by two teams of two players each and two discs. The 110 gram Wham-O pro model disc is the official disc for DDC, but similar discs can also be used. There are two courts; each defended by one of the teams. Two discs are simultaneously thrown back and forth by the teams. There are several ways to score a point or points:

When the disc touches the ground within the court of the other team and stays there

When the other team touches both discs at the same time (two points scored)

When a disc touches the ground outside the court the other team scores a point

Performing creative, artistic and athletic moves with flying discs is the essence of freestyle. One of the most dramatic events in disc sports, competitive freestyle combines aspects of gymnastics and dance with the basic game of throw and catch. Teams of two or three players perform choreographed routines consisting of throws, catches and moves with one or more discs. Starting with simple moves like a behind-the-back catch, freestyle has evolved into a crowd-pleasing event with moves such as air brushes, nail delays, and triple-spinning catches. Routines are three to five minutes in length and are evaluated by judges who base their scores on the difficulty (10), artistic impression (10) and execution (10) of the routine. The team with the highest score wins (30 is a perfect score).

Register

Think you have what it takes to be an Overall Flying Disc World Champion? Want a shot at setting a new world record? It’s not too late! Registration is still open and you have until June 1st to get signed up. Keep in mind, players do not have to compete in all of the disciplines. You simply sign up for as few or as many as you’d like during the registration process.

Follow the 2015 World Overall Flying Disc Championships on Facebook for updates, photos, and videos!

Questions and comments should be sent to the 2015 WOFDC staff.