On Saturday, February 20, 2021, 8 year old Lucas Luha set 3 WFDF (World Flying Disc Federation) World Records for Self Caught Flight on Ice Skates.
The new World Records for U9 Boys are:
- MTA: 2.81 seconds
- TRC: 5.0 metres
- SCF: 20.46
These are the first World Records for Lucas. It was an honour for me to work with Lucas and his family to make this possible.
I first met Lucas and Roman in January and introduced them to Frisbee on Ice. I have 6 Guinness World Records including 15 WFDF World Records for Self Caught Flight on Ice Skates and have been trying to encourage kids to attempt the records for years since the records for anyone younger than 18 years old doesn’t currently exist. In fact, I have challenged more than 50,000 kids from more than 250 schools to attempt these records and Lucas is the first kid to actually attempt the records, which is pretty amazing!
Lucas was immediately captivated and with the support of his father Roman, and with a frisbee that I gave them, they got out to practice on their own. Although I gave them some tips, most of the work was done by Lucas and his father. It was really special to see them both doing this together as a team.
After the World Records were approved, I sent his father, Roman, a list of questions about the records.
Q: Favourite Sport/Hobby/Activity?
A: Lucas loves skating, riding his bike, scooter, swimming and plays piano when he is supposed to go to bed. He is really good in building LEGO and loves being silly and scaring his sister Lily.
Q: What was the best part about breaking the record?
A: The best part about the record is seeing Lucas motivated to get the record done and enjoying the ride, practicing every day and dealing with smashed nose and lips along the way. It helps Lucas grow as a person and learn that determination and persistence is the best path to success.
Q: What does he like about frisbee on ice?
A: He likes the fact that not everyone can do it and that he is actually really good at it. He loves the speed when chasing the disk and diving into snow when catching it. He can use his skating skills and enjoy the speed of chasing at the same time.
Q: What does Lucas think about being a world record holder?
A: It feels pretty good to be a world record holder. I love going out practicing with my Dad. Feels like I am getting better and better every time we go on the lake.
Q: What do you as his parents think of his achievement in setting the records?
A: We are very, very proud of Lucas and we want him to always remember that we will always support him as a family in reaching his dreams. It takes the whole family to pull something like this off. Lucas will hopefully remember how much everyone cares about him and supports him and takes that feeling with him for the rest of his life. He learned that he shouldn’t be afraid of trying new sports and new things in life in general. You never know, but it might just be the thing you’re going to be the best in the world.
About the Records
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 stopwatches are used. The median or middle time of the three times is used.
Throw, Run and Catch (TRC)
The player throws, and then runs to catch the disc with one hand. The player must release the disc from inside a circle that measures 4 metres in diameter. 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.
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.