Powered by Google
Home
Listings
Editors' Picks
News
Music
Movies
Food
Life
Arts + Books
Rec Room
Moonsigns
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Personals
Adult Personals
Classifieds
Adult Classifieds
- - - - - - - - - - - -
stuff@night
FNX Radio
Band Guide
MassWeb Printing
- - - - - - - - - - - -
About Us
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Work For Us
Newsletter
RSS Feeds
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Webmaster
Archives



sponsored links
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
PassionShop.com
Sex Toys - Adult  DVDs - Sexy  Lingerie


   
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend

Join the frisbee fray
This summer season, pick up a disc and get throwing
BY BRIAN E. O’NEILL

Add them all up at the end of your life, and you’re likely to have spent anywhere from 10 to 15 hours of your time on earth chasing errant frisbee throws. But even amid the frustration of retrieving wayward discs from trees, rooftops, and neighbors’ yards, the plastic circle remains one of the most popular toys of all time. There’s something about that 140-gram novelty flying disc that inspires almost cultic devotion — so much so that when Ed Headrick, who invented the toy’s most modern form, passed away in 2002, family members announced that among his dying wishes was to have his ashes compressed into a frisbee.

It all started more than 100 years ago, when Yale students — making excellent use of their parents’ money — began tossing metal pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company. The plastic Frisbee was invented in the late 1940s; WHAM-O, Inc., patented an improved design in the 1960s. The rest is fun-filled, aerodynamic history.

So this summer, get your game on. Don’t settle for a cheap imitation (you know: the kind you get at conventions with some company’s logo stamped on it). KB Toy Works offers the Pro Classic Original Frisbee Disc ($7.99). The 140-gram original is a little lighter than other models, meaning that you won’t get the kind of distance you would with its heavier counterparts. But as a leisurely game of catch on the beach goes, the Pro Classic will do just fine. Plus, it has the celebrated center dimple for cool finger-spinning tricks.

If throwing power’s your thing, then head over to City Sports, where you can get your very own Ultimate Frisbee Disc ($9.95). Weighing in at a hefty 175 grams, the Ultimate is built for distance and speed — which comes in handy when you’re playing ultimate frisbee. The game, called "ultimate" by those in the know, follows rules similar to soccer and jai alai, but tends to be more laid-back. (Referees are hardly ever used.)

If you’re interested in learning more about the game, check out Fundamentals of Ultimate: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Frisbee, by James Studarus (James Studarus Publishing, 2001; $11.95), or Ultimate Techniques & Tactics: A Complete Guide to Playing the Coolest Game, by James Parinella and Eric Zaslow (Human Kinetics, 2004; $19.95), both available at Borders. Also, check out the Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance, whose Web site is a wellspring of information about the game, as well as about league play in the Boston area, upcoming tournaments, and even links to merchandise (like cleats and other paraphernalia for hard-core players).

A bit more off the beaten path is a game called disc golf, which by some reports predates ultimate. As the name implies, players traverse a golf-like course, attempting to land their discs in specially designed metal cages that look something like art deco birdfeeders. Courses are scarce around Boston, although Bridgewater State College boasts an intramural league. Normandy Farms Campground, in Foxborough, is open during the summer months, and offers a course to campers and non-campers alike. Rates vary.

Where to find it:

• Borders, various locations; www.borders.com.

• Boston Ultimate Disc Alliance, (617) 484-1539; www.buda.org.

• City Sports, various locations; www.citysports.com.

• KB Toy Works, various locations; www.kbtoys.com.

• Normandy Farms Campground, 72 West Street, Foxborough, (508) 543-7600; www.normandyfarms.com.


Issue Date: May 14 - 20, 2004
Back to the News & Features table of contents
  E-Mail This Article to a Friend
 









about the phoenix |  advertising info |  Webmaster |  work for us
Copyright © 2005 Phoenix Media/Communications Group