By Greg Higgins

Frisbee champ sends imaginations soaring

Mar 9, 2017 | 1:00 PM

A Multiple Guinness World Record holder and Canadian Frisbee champion was in North Battleford teaching kids the fine arts of Frisbee as a way to expand their minds and get them away from screens.

Rob McLeod, or “Frisbee Rob” as he’s known, was at Bready Elementary School today in North Battleford. He owns six Frisbee Guinness World Records, 10 Canadian Championships and holds the Canadian distance record for throwing a disc 712 feet, over two football fields for a comparison.

McLeod, who is from Calgary, travels to different schools around Canada, teaching students the fine art of the Frisbee. He doesn’t just go to schools to teach kids how to throw a Frisbee though; he uses the disc as a gateway to expand their minds. 

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“I am trying to inspire them [the students] to think differently,” McLeod said. “You might have a disc golfer come in and teach disc golf or someone come in and teach ultimate Frisbee, but I am teaching all the different possibilities.”

According to McLeod, there are 100 different ways to throw a Frisbee and 10 disc sports.

“There is a difference between a ball sport and a Frisbee sport,” McLeod said. “Basketball only really has one element. Most ball sports only have the one element because the sport is so specific to the ball. Anyone can carry a Frisbee in their trunk and there is a lot more you can do with it.”

Acceptance, kindness, determination and unplugging are McLeod’s main messages to the kids. At the end of his assembly students are challenged to “Get Unplugg’d (http://www.unpluggd.ca)” for a day. This means no video games, YouTube, Netflix or T.V. and instead goes outside and get active or stay inside and play a board game. If the student is successful, McLeod will send them a gift and a get their name on the Wall of Fame.

McLeod said North Battleford was the perfect place to bring his style of motivation because the city already has two Frisbee golf courses.

The Frisbee champ is taking a different approach to getting kids active though. Instead of motivating the parents to get their kids out, he is reversing it.

“Ultimately the parents are not the ones that will be coming out especially the ones that aren’t engaged,” McLeod said. “So I am trying to get the kids to bring it to the parents. One girl here said she watches X-Men with her dad every night. Instead of watching X-Men, I told her ask her dad to play a board game. I think it will shock the parents a little bit, but in a good way.”

McLeod doesn’t just go to schools to inspire kids, he also co-authored a children’s book. The book features him and his real-life dog Davy Whippet, whom he shares two Guinness World Records with. The book teaches kids about acceptance, kindness, determination and self-awareness.

Greg.higgins@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @realgreghiggins.