Mobile phone throwing
Mobile phone throwing is an international sport that started in Finland in the year 2000. It is a sport in which participants throw mobile phones and are judged on distance or technique.
There are usually four categories in the sport:[1]
- Original (also called "Traditional"): an over-the-shoulder throw with the farthest distance winning (best of three)
- Freestyle: contestants get points for aesthetics and creative choreography
- Team original: up to three competitors have one throw each with their scores added together
- Junior: for children aged twelve or younger
The phones used vary not just between events but between competitors, with any phone that weighs over 220 grams being acceptable.[2] At some events, the choice is down to personal preference from those provided by the event organisers, while others provide only one model of phone.
Lawrence University has hosted a Rotary Phone Throw in 2005, 2006, and 2007. This competition has similar rules to the mobile phone throw, yet uses rotary phones.[3]
World and national championships
The Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships have been held annually since 2000 in Savonlinna, Finland. The first national competition was held in Trondheim, Norway, in June 2004, with several other countries across Europe also staging their own events. The first winter championships were held in Stoos, Switzerland, in February 2005. Commonly, the prize for first place in a national event is entry to the world championships, and the grand prize for winning the world championship is a new mobile phone. Many events are supported by mobile phone recycling organisations and promote the recycling of the phones.[2]
In the UK, the championships are held every August and organised by 8th Day UK Ltd. The first event, in 2005, was held at Richmond Golf Driving Range, and the 2006 event at Tooting Bec Athletics Track in London. ActionAid Recycling partnered the event to raise awareness for mobile phone recycling and raised money from donated phones for the first two years, but due to the involvement of a casino (Golden Palace) in the 2007 event and the associations this would have in relation to charity, are no longer involved.[4]
In 2007, the UK event was held at Old Hamptonians Rugby Club on 12 August, with throws recorded from 3.70 m to 95.83 m, a new unofficial world record. The men's winner was Chris Hughff, and the ladies' winner was Jan Singleton, both successfully defending their 2006 titles. There were also throws recorded by a penguin and a gorilla[citation needed], prompting a new category - fancy dress – to be incorporated for 2008.[citation needed] The 2008 competition was held at the same location, with Jan Singleton defending her title and Jeremy Gallop claiming the men's title. Madeleine James set a new benchmark for the Under 3 Category of 1.57 m.
The 2007 world championships were in Savonlinna as usual. The winner of the men's freestyle event, Taco Cohen of the Netherlands, won for a novel performance that incorporated juggling and acrobatics.[5][6][7]
Two thousand nine saw the UK event move to Battersea Park Athletics stadium, with Jeremy Gallop (89.10 m) defending his title and Julia Geene (33.40 m) winning the ladies' event. Peter Yates set a new Vets record of 75.20 m, and Oliver James set an Under 2 record of 2.05 m. The fancy dress event was won by Morph, who threw 54.73 m. The event was run alongside the Sumo Suit Athletics World Championships.
In 2010, the event was again held together with the Sumo Suit Athletics World Championships in Battersea Park Athletics track. Both Jeremy Gallop and Julia Geens successfully defended their titles, with throws of 88.51 m and 32.00 m respectively. In the men's event, there was a 1st prize of an Xbox 360 sponsored by BuyMobilePhones.net in an effort to raise awareness about mobile recycling.
The World event for 2010 was to be held on the 21st of August 2010 but for unknown reasons (as yet), was canceled.
Other tournaments
The Spanish championships are held in Tarragona, Catalonia, during the celebrations of Carnival in February or March. The 2009 tournament was held on Sunday, the 22nd of February in the Francoli Park, Tarragona.
United States
On August 1, 2008, the United States held its first national championship in South Hadley, Massachusetts, at Buttery Brook Park, sponsored by Family Wireless.[8] The United States event has also dedicated itself to recycling cellular phones.
There was a second cell phone throwing contest held in the United States on July 5, 2009, at Szot Park in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It was sponsored by Family Wireless.[8] The finalist for the American event was Daniel Taylor from San Diego, California. He threw an iPhone for the distance of 78.9 yards.
Liechtenstein
The first National Championships for Liechtenstein were held on the 29th of May 2010 in the town Ruggell.[9] They were completed in accordance with the Finnish rules with the same four categories.
Johannes Heeb won in the men's category with a throw of 74.2 m, and the women's category was won by Stephanie Parusel, throwing 48.5 m.[10] Manuel Hug won the juniors with a throw of 55.9 m, while the team category was won by Team "Schulzentrum Unterland" with 196 m. The current Swiss national record holder, Dino Roguljic, made a "celebrity" appearance and managed to throw 66.2 m.
Freestyle
Freestyle phone throwing is an event held in which contestants enter a mat that is around 1" thick to soften the impact in case a phone is dropped. Players begin performing a series of tricks that include various flips, spins, high throws, etc. If one drops one's mobile phone, he is automatically out, and judges take his score from that point. One minute is given for a total "run time", and after the minute is up, if one has not dropped one's phone, he gets a score from 1 to 100. Phone classes include standard phones, which are free, to $50 phones with either no moving device such as slide or flip open, or with the standard flip open style. Second class is the "Advanced" class, which includes phones with full keyboards, slide movement devices, side-kick flip devices, or touch screens. This class is based on the fact that if the phone is dropped, there is more of a consequence since the phones are so elaborate and/or expensive.
Belgium
The first National Championships for Belgium were held on the 21st of July 2010 at Bredene. Now, JIM Mobile Red will organize this event every year. Last year's champion had a throw of 62.70 m. The Belgian Champion of 2011 had a throw of 63.94 m. More info can be found at www.bkgsmwerpen.be or www.jimmobile.be.
Records
The current (unofficial) records (as of August 2007) are:[4]
- Men's world record - 95.83 meters (314.4 ft) Chris Hughff (Aug 2007)
- Women's world record - 53.52 meters (175.6 ft) Jan Singleton (Aug 2006)
Both of the above were set at the UK Championships.
Men's seasons best
- (Updated August 2010)
YEAR | DISTANCE | ATHLETE | PLACE |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | 48.00 | Erno Riihela (FIN) | Finland |
2001 | 57.03 | Ejani Torpo (FIN) | Finland |
2002 | 66.72 | Petri Valta (FIN) | Finland |
2003 | 66.62 | Samu Santala (FIN) | Finland |
2004 | 82.55 | Ville Piippo (FIN) | Finland |
2005 | 94.97 | Mikko Lampi (FIN) | Finland |
2006 | 92.30 | ChrisHughff (ENG) | London |
2007 | 95.83 (WR) | ChrisHughff (ENG) | London |
2008 | 85.95 | Jeremy Gallop (RSA) | London |
2009 | 89.10 | Jeremy Gallop (RSA) | London |
2010 | 88.51* | Jeremy Gallop (RSA) | London |
'*' 2010 results as yet not complete.
Top ten men's best throwers of all time
- (Updated June 2010)
RANK | MARK | ATHLETE | PLACE | DATE |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 95.83 | Chris Hughff (GBR) | London | 2007-08-12 |
2. | 95.59 | Simon Wells (GBR) | London | 2007-08-12 |
3. | 94.97 | Mikko Lampi (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
4. | 93.33 | Bjornbet Sondre (NOR) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
5. | 92.06 | Jeremy Gallop (RSA) | London | 2007-08-12 |
6. | 90.00 | Ville Piippo (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
7. | 89.62 | Huotari Tommi (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2007-08-25 |
8. | 89.00 | Lassi Etelätalo (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2006-08-26 |
9. | 85.74 | Peter Hinderson (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
10. | 85.43 | Mikael Nyström (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
Men's national records
- (Updated June 2010)
DISTANCE | ATHLETE | PLACE | Year |
---|---|---|---|
95.83 (WR) | Chris Hughff (ENG) | England | 2007 |
94.97 | Miko Lampi (FIN) | Finland | 2005 |
93.33 | Bjornbet Sondre (NOR) | Norway | 2005 |
92.06 | Jeremy Gallop (RSA) | South Africa | 2007 |
85.00 | Timmo Lilium (EST) | Estonia | 2008 |
84.25 | Dino Roguljic (SUI) | Switzerland | 2005 |
83.69 | William Reinaud (USA) | USA | 2008 |
74.20 | Johannes Heeb (LIE) | Liechtenstein | 2010 |
73.00 | Boh Tjarks (GER) | Germany | 2006 |
70.81 | Björn Forsberg (SWE) | Sweden | 2008 |
70.64 | Niels Kuper (NED) | Netherlands | 2005 |
66.45 | Ricky De Zutter (BEL) | Belgium | 2006 |
66.00 | Paul Aherne (ZIM) | Zimbabwe | 2005 |
65.10 | Jay Coffee (NZL) | New Zealand | 2009 |
62.35 | Mike Krischonas (AUS) | Australia | 2006 |
61.58 | Särkijärvi Kyle (CAN) | Canada | 2007 |
60.10 | Neil Rogers (SCO) | Scotland | 2009 |
52.85 | Ian Preddy (MEX) | Mexico | 2006 |
52.67 | Jose Damian Téllez Sanz (ESP) | Spain | 2005 |
49.76 | Robert Danninger (AUT) | Austria | 2005 |
74.34 | Tim Metzgen (BLZ) | Belize | 2006 |
43.59 | Dadonoc Juri (RUS) | Russia | 2007 |
43.59 | Martin McCann (IRE) | Ireland | 2005 |
14.30 | Rungtip Womgsathagun (THA) | Thailand | 2003 |
Women's seasons best
- (Updated December 2011)
YEAR | DISTANCE | ATHLETE | PLACE |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | - | - | - |
2001 | - | - | - |
2002 | 20.35 | Mina Kulju (FIN) | Finland |
2003 | - | - | - |
2004 | - | - | - |
2005 | 38.74 | Jan Singleton (GBR) | London |
2006 | 53.52 | Jan Singleton (GBR) | London |
2007 | 52.05 | Jan Singleton (GBR) | London |
2008 | 41.00 | Valeria Kadorova (EST) | Estonia |
2009 | 37.05 | Suvi Torikka (FIN) | Savonlinna |
2010 | 48.50* [11] | Stephanie Parusel (LIE) | Liechtenstein |
2011 | 39.65 | Jacqueline Roessler (GER) | Sulzdorf |
'*' 2010 results as yet not complete. Other dates incomplete as no data available. Please help.
Top ten women's best throwers of all time
- (Updated December 2011)
RANK | MARK | ATHLETE | PLACE | DATE |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 53.52 | Jan Singleton (GBR) | London | 2006-08-20 |
2. | 50.83 | Eija Laakso (FIN) | Finland | 2006-08-26 |
3. | 48.50 | Stephanie Parusel (LIE) | Liechtenstein | 2010-05-23 |
4. | 43.34 | Sari Säisänen (FIN) | Finland | 2006-08-26 |
5. | 41.42 | Marke Krok (FIN) | Finland | 2005-08-27 |
6. | 41.00 | Valeria Kadorova (EST) | Estonia | 2008-08-23 |
7. | 39.65 | Jacqueline Roessler (GER) | Sulzdorf | 2011-11-26 |
8. | 38.91 | Lee ? (GBR) | London | 2007-08-12 |
9. | 37.18 | Minna Pekonen (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2005-08-27 |
10. | 37.05 | Suvi Torikka (FIN) | Savonlinna | 2009-08-22 |
Women's national records
- (Updated December 2011)
DISTANCE | ATHLETE | PLACE | Year |
---|---|---|---|
53.52 | Jan Singleton (ENG) | England | 2006 |
50.83 | Eija Laakso (FIN) | Finland | 2006 |
48.50 | Stephanie Parusel (LIE) | Liechtenstein | 2010 |
41.00 | Valeria Kadorova (EST) | Estonia | 2008 |
39.65 | Jacqueline Roessler (GER) | Germany | 2011 |
36.28 | Cecilie Krohn (NOR) | Norway | 2006 |
34.09 | Gabriella Szekely (HUN) | Hungary | 2007 |
31.59 | Tanya van Schalkwyk (RSA) | South Africa | 2006 |
28.21 | Bec Hanson (AUS) | Australia | 2006 |
27.11 | Tracey Belcourt (CAN) | Canada | 2009 |
21.17 | Aga Dymerska (POL) | Poland | 2006 |
14.99 | Tilder Frolig (SWE) | Sweden | 2006 |
Record Sources: [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23]
References
- ^ Savonlinna Festivals. Rules and regulations. Accessed 28 August 2006.
- ^ a b Lund, Christine. Savonlinna Festivals. Template:PDF . Accessed 28 August 2006.
- ^ http://thor.lawrence.edu/calendar/main.php?view=event&eventid=1178826571903 Accessed 3/17/08.
- ^ a b http://www.8thdayuk.com". Accessed 28 August 2006.
- ^ "Mobile phone throwing turns artistic in Finland". Reuters. August 25, 2007.
- ^ Michael Santo (August 27, 2007). "Juggling, Lobbing at the 8th Annual Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships". RealTechNews.
- ^ "Two Finns world champion mobile phone throwers". earthtimes.org. 26 August 2007.
- ^ a b http://www.cellphonethrow.com
- ^ http://www.handyweitwurf.li/
- ^ http://www.vaterland.li/index.cfm?id=9034&source=lv&ressort=home
- ^ http://www.handyweitwurf.li/CFDOCS/cmsout/admin/index.cfm?GroupID=171&MandID=5&meID=2453&
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20010219100758/http://www.fennolingua.fi/mobile.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20020810080239/http://www.fennolingua.fi/mobile.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20021121232047/www.fennolingua.fi/tulokset_eng.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20031204213704/http://www.fennolingua.fi/tulokset_eng.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20051124190803/http://www.savonlinnafestivals.com/en_MMtulokset.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20060903094511/http://www.savonlinnafestivals.com/en_MMtulokset.htm
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20070903201517/http://www.savonlinnafestivals.com/en_MMtulokset.htm
- ^ http://www.cellphonethrow.com/WINNERS.html
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20061013010735/www.actionaidrecycling.org.uk/newsstory_86.html
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20070916015444/www.8thdayuk.com/default.aspx?tabid=980
- ^ http://www.wgl-schwaebischhall.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=212:handy-weitwurf-am-06112010-in-uttenhofen&catid=12:berichte&Itemid=5
- ^ http://www.wgl-schwaebischhall.de