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Ken Westerfield Heel Kick 1977

Ken Westerfield (born May 23, 1947 Detroit Michigan) is a pioneering Frisbee player.

Westerfield and Childhood friend Jim Kenner started playing Frisbee in High School, impressing the other students with a variety of controlled throws and trick catches. Graduating High School Class of "65" and leaning towards the counterculture they spent their days on the beach and at music festivals honing their skills. One day, spotting a little Ad in a local alternative newspaper, they took their Frisbees and a VW Bug and went to a concert near Bethel NY called Woodstock which later became the music event of the century. While at the concert they would throw the Frisbee over the crowd. Westerfield later stated “it was an interesting crowd to play for”.

Early Years in Canada

In 1970 Westerfield and Kenner moved to Toronto setting up their headquarters in Queens Park. Playing Frisbee Freestyle and Object Disc Golf^[1] became a daily event at the park. In 1971-2 with $100 each and hitch hiking, they set out to cross Canada, stopping to do Frisbee street performance at such events as the Klondike Days in Edmonton, Calgary Stampede and Gastown in Vancouver. Performing in historic Gastown, in front a railroad car turn restaurant, oddly enough called Frisby's. They decided to try to collect money like street musicians. It was a success. They embarked on a new career. Returning to Toronto they lived in Rochdale College while performing nightly in the Yonge Street Mall.^[2] Night after night thousands of tourist and Torontonians would enjoy nightly displays of their Frisbee expertise. Wanting to become more legitimate, they approached Irwin Toy ^[3] the distributor of Frisbee's in Canada, and asked to be paid to promote their product. Their first professional show was a Basketball half time at Jarvis Collegiate. The students loved it; Westerfield and Kenner were paid $20 each for the show, but more importantly they had proven that their show would be beneficial to help promote the Frisbee. In 1972 they were retained by Irwin Toy to perform at Special Community and Sporting Events across Canada^[4]^[5] Making Westerfield and Kenner full time Professional Frisbee Players.^[6]

First Frisbee Pairs Freestyle Tournament 1974

In 1974 Westerfield and Kenner teamed up with Jeff Ottis event coordinator for the Canadian National Exhibition to organize the Canadian Frisbee Championships.^[7] It was at this Tournament that Ken and Jim introduced an event called Frisbee Freestyle^[8] and won it.^[9] This was the first Pairs Frisbee Freestyle Competition^[10] ever. This event is now accepted as the premier event in Flying Disc Tournaments Worldwide. Wishing to add to their sponsorship Ken and Jim approached Molson Breweries^[11] and started performing at Basketball Halftimes at Ontario Universities. The next year, Molson's up the promotion and used their show to introduce a new brand of beer called Molson Diamond. In 1975 Ken and Jim, with Molson's sponsorship, moved the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships to Toronto Center Island.^[12] Molson's would remain sponsors of Westerfield and Kenner for several years helping to promote this new sport everywhere.

Competitive Years 1974-78

In 1975 Westerfield set the MTA World Record at 15 seconds.^[13] He crushed the old record of 11 seconds. Frisbee tournaments were growing though out the US and Canada and in 1976 the National Series Championships sponsored by Wham-O were set up to qualify players for the World Championships held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena California each year. In 1976 and 1977 Westerfield won an average of two to three events per Tournament^[14] In 1975 Westerfield invented a Freestyle move called the Body Roll then introduced it at a National Tournament in Rochester NY called The Octad. It was also called the Canadian Mind Blower. The move was to roll the Frisbee across out stretched arms in the front to out stretched arms on the back (front to back roll). Today the Body Roll is an intrical part of every Freestyle routine.

At National Series Frisbee Tournament in Dallas Texas, Westerfield became a member of the 400 club by winning the distance event with a throw of 444' with a 119g Frisbee.

Only a handfull of competitors have ever thrown over 400' in competition with a 119g Frisbee , In 1977 in Boulder Colorado while doing a demonstration at a National Series Event, Westerfield threw a 119g Frisbee 552' the longest known throw at that time.^[15]

In 1978 after Jim had moved to London Ontario to begin a new business called Discraft^[16] Westerfield moved to Santa Cruz, California There teaming up with Tom Schot, he helped organize Frisbee events in Northern California including the Santa Cruz World Flying Disc Championships. Ken also put together a Frisbee Show called Goodtimes Professional Frisbee Show that featured Freestyle Champion Mary Kathron,^[17] and later World Freestyle Champion Brian McElwain. This touring team performed shows at Universities,Fairs and Professional Sporting Events through out the US and Canada. Returning to Toronto in 1979-80 Ken and Mary continued to do shows with such sponsors as LaBatt Brewery, Air Canada, Lee Jeans, Orange Crush, and many others

Ultimate Frisbee in Canada

Retiring from National Tournaments, Westerfield organized local events in Toronto, and because of his love of Ultimate frisbee, in 1980 Ken with the help of Irwin Toy's Bob Blakely, created the Toronto Ultimate Disc League. The first year there were four teams. The Toronto Ultimate League developed into the Toronto Ultimate Club, which now has 3300 members and over 250 Teams playing year round.^[18] In 2010 Westerfield was inducted into the Toronto Ultimate Club Hall of Fame. Ken Westerfield Now lives in Bisbee, Arizona.

External links

Newspaper articles

Books about Frisbee

Stancil, E. D., and Johnson, M. D.; Frisbee, A Practitioner's Manual and Definitive Treatise, Workman Publishing Company, New York (July, 1975); ISBN 978-0-911104-53-0

Horowitz, Judy, and Bloom, Billy; Frisbee: More Than A Game of Catch, Leisure Press, Champagne, Illinois (1984); ISBN 978-0880111058

Norton, Gary; The Official Frisbee Handbook, Bantam Books, Toronto/New York/London (July, 1972); no ISBN

Danna, Mark, and Poynter, Dan; Frisbee Players' Handbook, Parachuting Publications, Santa Barbara, California (1978); ISBN 0-915516-19-5

Tips, Charles, and Roddick, Dan; Frisbee Sports & Games, Celestial Arts, Millbrae, California (March 1979); ISBN 978-0-89087-233-8

Tips, Charles; Frisbee by the Masters, Celestial Arts, Millbrae, California (March 1977); ISBN 978-0-89087-142-3

Morrison, Fred & Kennedy, Phil; Flat Flip Flies Straight! True Origins of the Frisbee, Wormhole Publishers, Wethersfield, CT (January 2006); ISBN 0-9774517-4-7

Notes and references

^ om een reactie te plaatsen!. "1979 World Frisbee Golf Championship". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ "The story of the first Yonge Street pedestrian mall". Blogto.com. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ "History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club". Tuc.org. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ The Leader-Post - Jul 14, 1976
^ . History of the Toronto Ultimate Club
^ The Calgary Herald - Aug 11, 1976
^ "Background of the FPA - The Freestyle Frisbee Page from". freestyledisc.org. 1974-08-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ http://www.discraft.com/freestyle.html
^ The Decades Award 1970-1975 Ken Westerfield/Jim Kenner Canadian Open 1974. Westerfield and Kenner put on a clinic to cap off a blistering hot final by all of the teams. This was also the very first formal freestyle competition ever. They featured a rhythmic and dynamic style with concise catch and throw combinations. These two gentlemen are credited with creating formal freestyle competition. The 1973 Canadian Open did not have freestyle as an event. They were able to finally convince the tournament director to go forward with their plan. The end result made history.|
^ History of Freestyle They thought a Freestyle Event would be a natural addition to the traditional distance and accuracy events that characterised competitions of that era. The Canadian Open featured eight freestyle teams. Among the illustrious pairings were Doug Corea/Jim Palmeri, John Kirkland/Jose Montalvo, Irv Kalb/Dave Meyers, Dan Roddick /Bruce Koger, Tom Cleworth/John Connelly and finally, Jim and Ken. The competitive art form, which began to form at Berkeley six years earlier, was born at the Canadian Open on Sunday August 18, 1974.|
^ "The Evolution Of Disc Golf Discs By". Discraft founded in 1978 in London Ontario, Jim Kenner later moved the company to Michigan. Most golfers don't know that Jim Kenner is the inventor of Frisbee Freestyle. He and his partner Ken Westerfield were sponsored by Molson's Beer and toured Canada performing. They held a Frisbee tournament in Toronto in 74' and introduced the exciting new event of Freestyle. This event basically has a two person team performing tricks with a disc, usually set to music. The event is judged much like gymnastics. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ "History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club". Tuc.org. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
^ Sarasota Herald-Tribune - May 21, 1978
^ The Decades Award 1970-1975 Top Mens Player Ken Westerfield Ken Westerfield Big, Strong and Athletically gifted. Known for his overall skills as well. His forehand power throw in particular is probably still unmatched for sheer power. His freestyle skills did not take a back seat. He was adept at intricate moves especially in the speedflow game. He was also an innovator. It is believed that he was the first person to do a body roll. The hottest move of the day was called the "Canadian Mind blower" which was a front roll to a foot tip to a backroll.|
^ Frisbee, sports and games, Celestial Arts Charles Tips Dan Roddick
^ http://www.discraft.com/index.html
^ The Leader-Post - Aug 4, 1979
^ History of Toronto Ulitmate Club

Template:Persondata

[1] reactie te plaatsen!. "1979 World Frisbee Golf Championship". YouTube. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[2] "The story of the first Yonge Street pedestrian mall". Blogto.com. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[3] "History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club". Tuc.org. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[4] The Leader-Post - Jul 14, 1976

[5] . History of the Toronto Ultimate Club

[6] The Calgary Herald - Aug 11, 1976

[7] "Background of the FPA - The Freestyle Frisbee Page from". freestyledisc.org. 1974-08-18. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[8] ttp://www.discraft.com/freestyle.html

[9] The Decades Award 1970-1975 Ken Westerfield/Jim Kenner Canadian Open 1974. Westerfield and Kenner put on a clinic to cap off a blistering hot final by all of the teams. This was also the very first formal freestyle competition ever. They featured a rhythmic and dynamic style with concise catch and throw combinations. These two gentlemen are credited with creating formal freestyle competition. The 1973 Canadian Open did not have freestyle as an event. They were able to finally convince the tournament director to go forward with their plan. The end result made history.|

[10] History of Freestyle They thought a Freestyle Event would be a natural addition to the traditional distance and accuracy events that characterised competitions of that era. The Canadian Open featured eight freestyle teams. Among the illustrious pairings were Doug Corea/Jim Palmeri, John Kirkland/Jose Montalvo, Irv Kalb/Dave Meyers, Dan Roddick /Bruce Koger, Tom Cleworth/John Connelly and finally, Jim and Ken. The competitive art form, which began to form at Berkeley six years earlier, was born at the Canadian Open on Sunday August 18, 1974.|

[11] "The Evolution Of Disc Golf Discs By". Discraft founded in 1978 in London Ontario, Jim Kenner later moved the company to Michigan. Most golfers don't know that Jim Kenner is the inventor of Frisbee Freestyle. He and his partner Ken Westerfield were sponsored by Molson's Beer and toured Canada performing. They held a Frisbee tournament in Toronto in 74' and introduced the exciting new event of Freestyle. This event basically has a two person team performing tricks with a disc, usually set to music. The event is judged much like gymnastics. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[12] "History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club". Tuc.org. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-10-18.

[13] Sarasota Herald-Tribune - May 21, 1978

[14] The Decades Award 1970-1975 Top Mens Player Ken Westerfield Ken Westerfield Big, Strong and Athletically gifted. Known for his overall skills as well. His forehand power throw in particular is probably still unmatched for sheer power. His freestyle skills did not take a back seat. He was adept at intricate moves especially in the speedflow game. He was also an innovator. It is believed that he was the first person to do a body roll. The hottest move of the day was called the "Canadian Mind blower" which was a front roll to a foot tip to a backroll.|

[15] Frisbee, sports and games, Celestial Arts Charles Tips Dan Roddick

[16] ttp://www.discraft.com/index.html

[17] The Leader-Post - Aug 4, 1979

[18] History of Toronto Ulitmate Club

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 ==Early Years in Canada==
-In 1970 Westerfield and Kenner moved to [[Toronto]] setting up their headquarters in [[Queens Park]]. Playing [http://freestyle-frisbee.com/info/intro.html Frisbee Freestyle] and Object [[Disc Golf]]<ref>{{cite web|author=om een reactie te plaatsen! |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwG9psXsOMs|title=1979 World Frisbee Golf Championship|publisher=YouTube |date=|accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> Frisbee Play became a daily event at the park. In 1971-2 with $100 each and hitch hiking, they set out to cross Canada, stopping to do [[Frisbee]] [[street performance]] at such events as the [[Klondike Days]] in Edmonton, [[Calgary Stampede]] and [[Gastown]] in Vancouver. Performing in historic [[Gastown]], in front a railroad car turn restaurant, oddly enough called Frisby's. They decided to try to collect money like [[street musicians]]. It was a success. They embarked on a new career. Returning to Toronto they lived in [[Rochdale College]] while performing nightly in the Yonge Street Mall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/03/the_story_of_the_first_yonge_street_pedestrian_mall/ |title=The story of the first Yonge Street pedestrian mall |publisher=Blogto.com |date=2011-03-18 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> Night after night thousands of tourist and Torontonians would enjoy nightly displays of their Frisbee expertise. Wanting to become more legitimate, they approached [[Irwin Toy]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://tuc.org/History/TUC-History |title=History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club |publisher=Tuc.org |date=2011-06-01 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> the distributor of Frisbee's in Canada, and asked to be paid to promote their product. Their first professional show was a Basketball half time at Jarvis Collegiate. The students loved it; Westerfield and Kenner were paid $20 each for the show, but more importantly they had proven that their show would be beneficial to help promote the [[Frisbee]]. In 1972 they were retained by [[Irwin Toy]] to perform at Special Community and Sporting Events across Canada<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KzhVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HD4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5028,3053106&dq=ken-westerfield&hl=en The Leader-Post - Jul 14, 1976]</ref><ref>.
+In 1970 Westerfield and Kenner moved to [[Toronto]] setting up their headquarters in [[Queens Park]]. Playing [http://freestyle-frisbee.com/info/intro.html Frisbee Freestyle] and Object [[Disc Golf]]<ref>{{cite web|author=om een reactie te plaatsen! |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwG9psXsOMs|title=1979 World Frisbee Golf Championship|publisher=YouTube |date=|accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> became a daily event at the park. In 1971-2 with $100 each and hitch hiking, they set out to cross Canada, stopping to do [[Frisbee]] [[street performance]] at such events as the [[Klondike Days]] in Edmonton, [[Calgary Stampede]] and [[Gastown]] in Vancouver. Performing in historic [[Gastown]], in front a railroad car turn restaurant, oddly enough called Frisby's. They decided to try to collect money like [[street musicians]]. It was a success. They embarked on a new career. Returning to Toronto they lived in [[Rochdale College]] while performing nightly in the Yonge Street Mall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blogto.com/city/2011/03/the_story_of_the_first_yonge_street_pedestrian_mall/ |title=The story of the first Yonge Street pedestrian mall |publisher=Blogto.com |date=2011-03-18 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> Night after night thousands of tourist and Torontonians would enjoy nightly displays of their Frisbee expertise. Wanting to become more legitimate, they approached [[Irwin Toy]] <ref>{{cite web|url=http://tuc.org/History/TUC-History |title=History of TUC :: Toronto Ultimate Club |publisher=Tuc.org |date=2011-06-01 |accessdate=2011-10-18}}</ref> the distributor of Frisbee's in Canada, and asked to be paid to promote their product. Their first professional show was a Basketball half time at Jarvis Collegiate. The students loved it; Westerfield and Kenner were paid $20 each for the show, but more importantly they had proven that their show would be beneficial to help promote the [[Frisbee]]. In 1972 they were retained by [[Irwin Toy]] to perform at Special Community and Sporting Events across Canada<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KzhVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HD4NAAAAIBAJ&pg=5028,3053106&dq=ken-westerfield&hl=en The Leader-Post - Jul 14, 1976]</ref><ref>.
 [http://tuc.org/History/TUC-History History of the Toronto Ultimate Club]</ref> Making Westerfield and Kenner full time Professional Frisbee Players.<ref>[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dYxkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=AoANAAAAIBAJ&pg=1155,185939&dq=ken-westerfield&hl=en The Calgary Herald - Aug 11, 1976]</ref>