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2018 Silver Skate Festival

UPDATE: On Saturday, February 17, 2018, Robert “Frisbee Rob” McLeod broke 6 World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) World Records for Self Caught Flight on Ice Skates at the 2018 Silver Skate Festival.

New World Records

MTA on Ice Skates: 14.14 seconds

TRC on Ice Skates: 92.4 metres

SCF on Ice Skates: 163.77 (14.14s MTA, 86m TRC)

Each World Record is an Open and Men’s Over 35 record (for a total of 6).

Training & Event Updates

Read on to find out more about Rob and Jennie including a summary of their attempts at the 2017 Silver Skate Festival.

The 2018 Competitors

Rob McLeod is a motivational speaker and Frisbee ambassador living in Calgary. He currently holds 6 Guinness World Records and 13 World Championships in Frisbee including the 3 Men’s Guinness World Records for Self Caught Flight on ice skates.

Jennie Orsten is a third year bio sciences student at the University of Calgary. A competitive figure skater most of her life, Jennie has turned her focus to ultimate frisbee and has her sights set on the U24 Canadian National Team that will be competing in the 2018 World Championships in Australia. Jennie currently holds the Women’s MTA World Record on Ice Skates.

About the Records

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 ofseconds between the throw and catch; in Throw, Run and Catch (TRC), the object is to accumulate a maximum number ofmeters 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.

  • Maximum Time Aloft (MTA)
  • Throw, Run and Catch (TRC)
  • Self Caught Flight (SCF)

Maximum Time Aloft (MTA)

The intention is to have your disc stay in the air (aloft!) as long as possible and then catch it with one hand before it reaches the ground. The time that the disc remains in the air is measured with a stopwatch. Players get five attempts and the best time counts. For an accurate timing, three stop- watches are used. The median or middle time of the three times is used. At the moment the world record is 16.72 seconds.

Throw, Run and Catch (TRC)

The player throws, and then runs to catch the disc with one hand. The distance between the circle where the disc was thrown and where it was caught, is measured. Players get five attempts and the best one counts. At the moment the world record is 94 meters.

Self Caught Flight (SCF)

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. This is because the general rule of thumb is that 1 second equals 5.5 meters. Therefore, a 40 m TRC and 7.3 second MTA would result in an SCF score of 40 + (7.3 × 5.5) = 80.15.

About the Silver Skate Festival

The Silver Skate Festival is a 10-day, family-oriented festival running February 10-20, 2017 in Edmonton’s scenic river valley. Rooted in Dutch winter traditions, the festival combines sport (especially skating), arts and culture, and recreation. Celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2017, the Silver Skate Festival is the longest running winter festival in Edmonton. Over the years, it has grown in leaps and bounds, from a small skating event to a large-scale, winter extravaganza. Last year, more than 105,000 visitors came out to play.

Each year, the festival transforms Hawrelak Park into a winter wonderland with fun for the entire family. Here, you’ll discover breathtaking snow sculpture, winter sports, and horse-drawn sleighs carrying families through the park. Sit in a Cree Winter Camp and cook bannock over an open fire. Compete in the Winter triathlon or speed skating events. Take in live music and theatrical performances with your friends and loved ones. Our festival activities are as diverse as the people who call our Northern community home.