On February 11, 2017, three frisbee players from Calgary took to the ice at Hawrelak Park during the Silver Skate Festival to attempt to break World Records for Self Caught Flight on Ice Skates. Earlier this week, Dan ”Stork” Roddick from the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF) approved 4 new records including establishing new records for Women’s MTA, TRC and SCF on Ice Skates. The WFDF is the global governing body of flying disc sports including Ultimate, Disc Golf, Guts and the Overall.
Rob was also featured on Daily Planet in his own segment documenting his training leading up to the record attempts, the physics of self caught flight on ice skates, and his actual world record attempts.
Rob ”Frisbee Rob” McLeod broke his previous TRC (Throw, Run & Catch) on Ice Skates World Record with a throw and catch of 87.8 metres (288 feet).
Jill Duffy broke the Women’s TRC and SCF (Self Caught Flight) on Ice Skates World Records with a throw and catch of 31.3 metres (102 feet) and an SCF of 62.73 (5.75 s/ 31.1 m).
Jennie Orsten broke the Women’s MTA (Maximum Time Aloft) on Ice Skates World Record with a throw and catch of 6.22 seconds.
Congratulations to all three athletes on this incredible achievement! They are already planning to break their records at the 2018 Silver Skate Festival so stay tuned!
Read on to find out more about Rob, Jill and Jennie and the record attempts.
Training Vlogs
- Feb 5 – Learning More About the Science of Hockey Skates (video)
- Feb 4 – Book Signing Conversations and Tips for Parents (video)
- Feb 3 – Frisbee on Ice Training in Freezing Temperatures (video)
- Feb 2 – Glute Activation and Movement Patterns
- Jan 31 – We Need to do Better for the Kids (video)
- Jan 30 – Ice Castles and Frisbee on Ice (video)
- Jan 29 – Speed Skater Gym Workout Day 2 (video)
- Jan 28 – Hockey Skates or Figure Skates?
- Jan 27 – Bittersweet Training Day (video)
- Jan 25 – Random Encounters During Training (video)
- Jan 24 – Speed Skater Gym Workout Day 1 (video)
- Jan 23 – Teaching Others How to Skate (video)
- Jan 22 – Jennie’s First Ice Training Session (video)
- Jan 18 – Warm Weather Melting Ice
- Jan 15 – Frisbee Training on Soft Ice (video)
- Jan 14 – Meeting Some New Fans (video)
- Jan 13 – Putting Things Into Perspective (video)
- Jan 11 – Cold Weather on Ice Training (video)
- Jan 5 – Global Calgary News Story (video)
- Jan 5 – Comrie’s Sports Equipment Bank Partnership (video)
- Jan 1 – Jennie Beach Training (video)
- Dec 31 – Rob & Jill Ice Training (video)
- Dec 30 – Rob Ice Training (video)
- Dec 29 – Rob Ice Training – Unofficial MTA World Record! (video)
- Dec 27 – Rob & Jill Ice Training (video)
- Dec 26 – Rob Ice Training (video)
Official Announcement
Meet Jill Duffy
Meet Jennie Orsten
The Competitors
Rob McLeod is a motivational speaker and Frisbee ambassador living in Calgary. He currently holds 6 Guinness World Records and 10 World Championships in Frisbee including the 3 Men’s Guinness World Records for Self Caught Flight on ice skates. Rob is excited to be attempting to break his own records and is even more excited to train and work with Jennie and Jill as they pursue the Women’s records. Rob will be attempting his records in his well seasoned hockey skates which he wore 16 years ago when his high school hockey team won the New Brunswick AA Provincial Championships!
Jill Duffy is an Project Controls Lead for an oil and gas start-up in downtown Calgary. She has been skating since she could walk and plays women’s hockey twice a week. After a severe concussion kept Jill on the sidelines for two years, she decided to be more open to trying new things and 7 years ago, started playing ultimate Frisbee. This will be Jill’s first time attempting a world record and she’s excited to share this adventure with her partner’s two young boys to show them that anything is possible. She will be attempting the records wearing hockey skates – her good pair!
Jennie Orsten is a second 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. This will be Jennie’s first time attempting a world record but she’s excited to have the opportunity to make history. She will be attempting to set the women’s records wearing her trusty figure skates – toe pick included!
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.