Rob McLeod, known as Frisbee Rob, was officially approved for his 5th Guinness World Record. This one, for “Highest Flying Score Self Caught Flight on Ice Skates”, was set on February 23, 2013 during the Silver Skate Festival in Edmonton, Alberta. Rob set 2 other Guinness Records during his weekend of attempts, which were both approved earlier this year.
In addition to holding 5 Guinness World Records, Rob also holds 7 other World Records, has won 5 World Championships, holds the Canadian Distance Record and has won 2 Quadruped National titles.
The 3 Guinness Records Rob set during the Silver Skate Festival were very special to him since he first learned to skate at just a few years of age, influenced strongly by his mom, Debbie, who passed away in 2001. Of all Rob’s achievements, he feels that these would be the most appreciated by his mom since it combines his 2 passions – skating and throwing frisbees.
Debbie’s sister, Rob’s aunt, was present when Rob broke the records, which were originally set over 20 years ago by American Tim Mackie. He met Tim at the World Overall Flying Disc Championships in 2011 and was inspired by Tim to go after the records. “Tim told me that he either wanted a Canadian or Swedish hockey player/ice skater to break his record,” said Rob. “His only requirement was that I sent him pictures and videos of the event and tell him what the lake was like that I skated on.”
Rob has been inspired by many frisbee legends since he started competing in the lesser known disc sports (ie not ultimate frisbee) over 2 years ago. This has been possible because there isn’t a large pool of younger players who are competing and so Rob has many opportunities based on his skill and willingness to learn & travel.
In addition to competing in disc sports and setting world records, Rob is also booking school presentations to talk about a variety of topics including bullying (he was bullied as a kid for figure skating), goal setting and following your passion. Find out more: Speaking.
Rob is originally from the small town of Woodstock, NB and has been living in Calgary since 2005.