Ken Westerfield facts for kids
Westerfield in Santa Cruz, California, 1970s
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kenneth Ray Westerfield |
| Nickname(s) | "Legend" |
| Born | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Years active | 1963–1988 |
| Sport | |
| Country | Canada and the United States |
| Sport | Disc sports (Frisbee) |
| Event(s) | Freestyle, ultimate, disc golf, double disc court, distance and overall events (TRC, MTA, and accuracy) |
Kenneth Ray Westerfield is an American pioneer in frisbee disc sports. He achieved many amazing things with a disc in the 1970s. He's in the Hall of Fame for freestyle, ultimate, and disc golf. People even voted him "Top Men's Player" for the years 1970–1975.
Ken Westerfield organized tournaments, set world records, and won many awards. He helped direct big events like the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships and the World PDGA Disc Golf Championships. He also started Canada's first ultimate league, the Toronto Ultimate Club, in 1979. Ken was one of the first freestylers in the 1960s. He used his skills in many company-sponsored Frisbee shows across the U.S. and Canada.
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Ken Westerfield's Early Life
Kenneth Ray Westerfield was born in Detroit, Michigan. His mom, Margaret, worked for the public school system. His dad, Gene, was a refrigeration contractor. In the late 1950s, when Ken was twelve, his family moved to Livonia, Michigan. He lived with his parents and younger sister, Kathy.
Ken grew up in a close, middle-class family. He went to public schools and played many sports. His dad was very active in sports, which helped Ken get interested early on. Besides disc sports, Ken enjoyed baseball, hockey, motorcycles, golf, and basketball. He played in several city leagues for these sports.
Starting Out in Frisbee Sports
In 1960, when Ken Westerfield was thirteen, he became best friends with Jim Kenner. Jim later started the company Discraft. They began playing Frisbee together in high school. Every day, they tried new ways to throw and catch the Frisbee. This creative play later became known as "freestyle."
Back then, Frisbee was just seen as a toy. There were no professional players or tournaments. Ken and Jim didn't like traditional sports. This led them to become incredibly skilled at playing Frisbee, in ways no one had seen before.
In 1965, Ken graduated from Franklin High School (Livonia, Michigan). He and Jim loved spending summers at Cass and Silver Lake beaches. They also went to music festivals to show off their freestyle Frisbee skills. One day, they saw an ad for the Woodstock music festival in New York. They drove their VW Bug there with their Frisbees.
At Woodstock, they threw the Frisbee over the crowd. People on the ground would reach for it as it flew by. Many probably didn't even know what it was! Ken later said it was a very interesting crowd to play for.
In 1970, Ken and Jim moved to Toronto, Canada. They made Queen's Park their daily Frisbee playing spot. They practiced freestyle and played "object disc golf" there. The next year, with little money, they hitchhiked across Canada. They performed Frisbee street shows in cities and at events like Klondike Days in Edmonton and the Calgary Stampede in Alberta.
After their cross-country trip, they lived in Vancouver for the summer. They stayed in "All Seasons Park," a tent city. They earned money by selling newspapers and performing Frisbee shows at night in Gastown. They would bounce the disc off buildings and throw it around statues. They even skipped the Frisbee through traffic and over crowds. Their shows were very unique because they were in busy city areas.
In late 1971, Ken and Jim needed money to get back to Toronto. They tried collecting donations like street musicians, and it worked! Back in Toronto, they lived at Rochdale College. They performed Frisbee shows nightly on the Yonge Street Mall. Thousands of people watched their amazing Frisbee skills.
They wanted to make their show more professional. They met Ed Hurst, who promoted Frisbees for Irwin Toy in Canada. Ken and Jim suggested their show could help promote the Frisbee. They did a demonstration at a basketball halftime show. The students and Irwin Toy loved it. In 1972, Irwin Toy hired them to perform across Canada. Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner became the world's first full-time professional touring Frisbee players.
The Start of Flying Disc Sports
Disc sports really began in the 1970s with several important tournaments. Before these events, Frisbees were just seen as toys. But Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner were already known as amazing Frisbee athletes. They teamed up with Andrew Davidson and Jeff Otis to create the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships (1972-1985).
This competition started with Guts and distance events. Later, it grew to include disc golf, freestyle, ultimate, and other individual events. In 1975, the tournament moved to the Toronto Islands. Ken and Jim also started the Vancouver Open Frisbee Championships (1974-1977). Many of today's disc sport techniques and rules came from these early pioneers. These Canadian tournaments were the first to introduce Frisbee as a serious sport, including the first competitive freestyle events.
Freestyle Disc Competition
Freestyle is a competition where two or three players perform a routine to music. They use creative throwing and catching techniques. Judges score them on how difficult, well-done, and entertaining their routine is. The team with the highest score wins. Before 1975, freestyle was fast-paced. It involved many different throws, spins, and leaping catches. It was often compared to martial arts or dance.
In 1973, Ken and Jim wanted to add a Frisbee freestyle competition to the 2nd Canadian Open. But there weren't enough players, so it was canceled. The next year, new freestylers from the U.S. came to Toronto to compete. In 1974, at the 3rd Canadian Open, Ken and Jim introduced the freestyle event and won it!
Many famous Frisbee pairs competed in that first freestyle event. Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner became the world's first Freestyle Frisbee Champions. That same year, they held the second freestyle competition at their Vancouver Open. A year later, other big tournaments like the American Flying Disc Open and the World Frisbee Championships adopted Ken and Jim's freestyle format. Today, freestyle is a top event in disc tournaments worldwide. Ken and Jim won "Best Freestyle Routine" for 1970-75 and are in the FPA Freestyle Disc Hall of Fame.
In 1974, Ken and Jim suggested to Molson Breweries that they perform Frisbee shows at basketball halftimes in Canadian universities. Molson's liked the idea and hired them as the Molson Frisbee Team. The shows were a big hit. The next year, Molson's increased their payment and used the show to launch a new beer called Molson Diamond.
In 1975, with Molson's help, Ken and Jim moved the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships to the Toronto Islands. Molson's continued to sponsor their shows and events for years. This helped Ken and Jim promote their new sport everywhere.
Competitive Years in Disc Sports (1974-1979)
Frisbee tournaments started attracting excellent players from everywhere. What was once just a popular toy became a serious competitive sport. Ken Westerfield was 27 in 1974, when disc freestyle and overall competitions began. He competed for only five years, but in that short time, he won in every disc sport.
Ken loved playing Frisbee because it was athletically challenging, even without being competitive. He co-created and won the first freestyle competition. Between 1976 and 1978, he competed in North American Series (NAS) events to qualify for the World Frisbee Championships. He won six U.S. national freestyle titles, including both Eastern and Western titles in 1976. He also reached fifteen other freestyle finals.
When disc golf, ultimate, double disc court, and overall events were introduced in the early 1970s, Ken quickly became good at them. Many skills from his freestyle play helped him in these new sports. Ken had legal living status in both Canada and the U.S., but he considered Toronto his home. He always competed for Canada in U.S. and World competitions.
In 1975, at the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships, Ken set a world record for MTA (maximum time aloft). He threw a Super Pro Model Frisbee for 15 seconds, beating the old record of 11 seconds. Also in 1975, Ken invented a new freestyle move called the "body-roll." This is where you roll the disc across your outstretched arms and chest, or back. He showed this move at a tournament in Rochester, NY. Today, body-rolls are a key part of almost every freestyle routine.
In 1974, Wham-O sponsored the first World Frisbee Championships (WFC). They also held North American Series (NAS) tournaments across the U.S. and Canada. These events helped players qualify for the annual WFC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Ken won many NAS freestyle and individual events. He was chosen as the "Best Player of the Decade" for the 1970s.
At an NAS tournament in Dallas, Texas, Ken joined the "400 club." He threw a 119-gram World Class Model Frisbee 378 feet with a sidearm throw. Only two competitors had ever officially thrown over 400 feet with a 119-gram Frisbee in competition.
In 1978, in Boulder, Colorado, Ken gave a distance throwing demonstration at an NAS event. He threw a 119-gram World Class Model Frisbee 552 feet using his sidearm throw. This beat the official world distance record of 412 feet.
Tournament officials measured his throw at 552 feet. Until 2014, it was the longest sidearm throw ever. Newer, heavier golf discs and throws in windy desert areas have since set new records. But Ken's 552-foot throw is still the longest measured distance for a Wham-O brand Frisbee disc.
In 1977, Jim Kenner moved to London, Ontario, and started Discraft, a disc manufacturing company. Ken Westerfield went to Santa Cruz, California. He teamed up with Tom Schot to help organize Frisbee events in Northern California, like the Santa Cruz Flying Disc Classic. He also played in one of the first organized ultimate leagues in the U.S. called the Northern California Ultimate Frisbee League.
Ken also created a show called the Good Times Professional Frisbee Show. It featured freestyle champions Mary Kathron and Brian McElwain. Ken and his team performed shows at universities, fairs, music festivals, and sports events. They worked for big companies like Labatt Brewing Company, Air Canada, Lee Jeans, Orange Crush, and Adidas.
Disc Golf History
As of 2017, there are over 7,000 disc golf courses worldwide. Before 1975, and the invention of the disc golf target called the Disc Pole Hole, there were only a few "object" disc golf courses. In 1970, only a handful of courses existed where players used a Frisbee to play golf, aiming at objects as holes. These first courses were in Rochester, NY, Berkeley, CA, and Toronto, ON. They were all created without knowing about each other.
In Canada, starting in 1970, Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner played Frisbee golf daily. They designed an 18-object hole course at Queen's Park in downtown Toronto. They also added disc golf to their tournaments, the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships and the Vancouver Open. These were Canada's first disc golf tournaments. They started with objects as holes, then later used permanent disc pole holes.
After stopping competitive disc golf in 1979, Ken Westerfield kept promoting disc sports in Canada. He especially worked on starting an ultimate league in Toronto. The official PDGA disc golf tour didn't start until 1982, so Ken never joined the PDGA as a competitor.
In 1987, the Canadian Disc Golf Association and PDGA asked Ken to organize the PDGA World Disc Golf Championships in Toronto. With sponsors like Orange Crush, Roots, and Irwin Group, Ken and Bob Blakely successfully organized the event. It was the first and only time the championship was held outside the United States. Because of this, Ken was made an honorary PDGA Member #3248 in 1987. That same year, Ken retired from his 25-year career in Frisbee and disc sports. Ken Westerfield was later inducted into the World Disc Golf Hall of Fame.
Ultimate Frisbee Contributions
Ultimate is a team sport played with a flying disc on a rectangular field. The goal is to pass the disc down the field to teammates. Points are scored when a player catches a pass in the opposing team's end zone. The other team tries to stop them.
Ultimate has a special rule called the Spirit of the Game. It means that how a player acts as a competitor is as important as winning. Ken Westerfield brought this unique spirit to all his disc sports. This spirit wasn't invented by one person. It was just how these early athletes played. This tradition continues in disc sports today. Ultimate was the first disc sport to name this special conduct the Spirit of the Game (SOTG). It was added to the ultimate rules in 1978.
Starting in 1975, the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships introduced ultimate to Canadians. Ken played in these early ultimate exhibition games. He played ultimate throughout the 1970s, especially at U.S. tournaments. He also played on Santa Cruz's first ultimate team, "Good Times," in the Northern California Ultimate Frisbee League (1977-1979).
In 1979, Ken Westerfield stopped competing in national freestyle, disc golf, and overall events. He continued to organize local disc events in Toronto. Ken loved ultimate. With help from Bob Blakely and Chris Lowcock, he created the Toronto Ultimate League.
Ken started weekly ultimate pick-up games at Kew Beach. Then he invited teams from different areas of Toronto to form a league. These were the first four teams, and they took turns hosting weekly games. Ken used Bob Blakely's office to make a weekly newsletter. It shared game highlights, scores, and league standings. The Toronto Ultimate League grew and was renamed the Toronto Ultimate Club (TUC). Today, TUC has over 3,300 members and 250 teams playing year-round. It was Canada's first ultimate league and is one of the oldest in the world.
In 1987, Ken's team, Darkside, won Canada's first national ultimate championships at the Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) in Ottawa. In the 1980s, Ken helped his teams with his expert handling skills. He was also known for his strong sidearm throws, like the "huck," "hammer," and "pulls." A "pull" is the starting throw, like a kickoff in football. His pulls often went deep into the opposing team's end zone. This gave his team plenty of time to set up their defense.
In 2013, the Toronto Ultimate Club helped start Canada's first semi-professional ultimate team, the Toronto Rush. They had a perfect 18-0 season and won the AUDL Championships.
In 2010, Ken Westerfield was inducted into the first class of the Toronto Ultimate Club Hall of Fame. In 2011, he was also inducted into the first class of the Ultimate Canada Hall of Fame.
Ken Westerfield's Disc Sports Legacy
Disc sports were created partly by accident. Ken Westerfield and others started playing Frisbee as a way to be different from traditional sports. But this eventually worked with Frisbee manufacturers to sell more discs. As a result, disc sports have become one of today's fastest-growing sports.
Ken Westerfield's daily Frisbee play in the 1960s led to his amazing legacy in disc sports. He is recognized not only for his athletic achievements but also for being a pioneer, innovator, and organizer. As one of the first professional touring Frisbee players, he made big contributions. He helped start some of the first disc sport competitions and organizations in Canada and the U.S. that are still active today.
Freestyle and freestyle competitions are now played worldwide. Ultimate is also very popular, with over 1.48 million regular players in Canada and the U.S. alone. Disc golf is played on over 7,000 courses in about 40 countries, with 500,000 regular players.
After retiring from playing and promoting disc sports in 1988, Ken Westerfield started other businesses. He imported exotic plants and owned a motorcycle shop. Today, Ken is mostly retired and lives in Bisbee, Arizona. He loves helping animals and volunteers with several animal rescue groups.
Awards, Achievements, and Key Dates
- 1960 – Ken Westerfield and Jim Kenner become friends at age thirteen.
- 1963–1965 – Ken and Jim start their free-form Frisbee play during high school summers.
- 1965–1969 – They perform Frisbee freestyle for crowds at rock concerts and music festivals, including Woodstock.
- 1970 – Ken and Jim move to Toronto, Canada. They play Frisbee freestyle and disc golf daily in Queen's Park. This was one of the earliest designed object disc golf courses.
- 1971 – They hitchhiked across Canada, performing unsponsored Frisbee street shows. They spent a summer doing shows in Gastown, Vancouver.
- 1971–1974 – Living in Rochdale College, they perform nightly Frisbee shows on the Yonge Street Mall in Toronto.
- 1972–1976 – As Canadian Frisbee Champions, Ken and Jim are hired by Irwin Toy to perform Frisbee shows across Canada.
- 1972–1985 – They co-produce the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships in Toronto. This event introduced disc sports to Canada.
- 1973 – They plan the first freestyle competition at the 2nd Canadian Open, but it's canceled due to few competitors.
- 1974 – Ken and Jim introduce and win the first freestyle competition at the Canadian Open.
- 1974 – They receive "Best Freestyle Routine" for their 1974 Canadian Open performance.
- 1974–1979 – They are sponsored by Adidas Canada for clothing.
- 1974–1977 – They perform as the Molson Frisbee Team at Canadian universities.
- 1974–1977 – Ken and Jim produce Western Canada's first disc sports competitions, the Vancouver Open Frisbee Championships.
- 1975 – Ken sets a World MTA (Maximum Time Aloft) Record of 15 seconds at the Canadian Open.
- 1975 – Ken Westerfield is voted "Best Men's Player" for 1970-1975.
- 1975 – He introduces the "body-roll" freestyle move at the American Flying Disc Open.
- 1975–1978 – His signature appears on the Canadian World Class Frisbee.
- 1976 – He presents the first disc golf tournaments in Canada, first with objects, then with disc pole holes.
- 1976–1978 – He wins 15 first-place titles in 10 North American Series (NAS) National Frisbee Championships. This includes 6 U.S. national freestyle titles.
- 1977 – Ken moves to Santa Cruz, CA, to help organize Frisbee events. Jim Kenner starts Discraft.
- 1977–1979 – Ken plays ultimate disc in the Northern California Ultimate Frisbee League.
- 1977 – He designs and manufactures a flying disc with Tom Schot.
- 1977–1978 – He tours Canada with the Orange Crush Frisbee Team.
- 1978–1979 – He performs with the Air Canada Frisbee Team across Canada.
- 1978 – He joins the "400 Club" with a 378-foot sidearm throw at an NAS tournament in Dallas, Texas.
- 1978 – In Boulder, Colorado, he throws a 119-gram Frisbee 552 feet with a forehand (sidearm) throw. This is still the longest for a Wham-O disc.
- 1978 – He co-produces the Santa Cruz Flying Disc Classic.
- 1978–1982 – He performs with the Good Times Professional Frisbee Show across Canada and the U.S.
- 1979 – He is featured in a Wham-O film about the 1979 World Frisbee Golf Championship.
- 1979–1980 – He performs freestyle shows with the Lee Jeans Frisbee Team.
- 1979 – He starts the Toronto Ultimate League (Club), Canada's first ultimate league.
- 1979 – He retires from competing in national freestyle and overall competitions. He continues to organize local events and play ultimate.
- 1983–1985 – He performs freestyle shows with the Labatt's Schooner Frisbee Team.
- 1985 – He co-produces the World Labatt's Guts Championships in Toronto.
- 1987 – He produces and directs the World Disc Golf Championships (PDGA) in Toronto. This is the only time it has been held outside the U.S.
- 1987 – He wins the National Champion title with his team Darkside at the Canadian Ultimate Championships (CUC) in Ottawa.
- 1988 – At age 40, he retires from playing ultimate and organizing disc sports tournaments.
- 2010 – He is inducted into the Inaugural Class of the Toronto Ultimate Club Hall of Fame.
- 2011 – He is inducted into the Inaugural Class of the Ultimate Canada Hall of Fame.
- 2012 – He is featured in a flying disc film documentary called The Invisible String.
- 2013 – He is inducted into the World Disc Golf Hall of Fame.
- 2013 – The Toronto Ultimate Club, as a founding partner, presents Canada's first semi-professional ultimate team, the Toronto Rush.
- 2014 – His first ultimate team in Toronto, the Beaches Team, is inducted into the Toronto Ultimate Club Hall of Fame.
- 2016 – He is inducted into the Inaugural Pioneer Class of the FPA Freestyle Disc Hall of Fame.
See also
Images for kids
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Ken Westerfield at the Mission San Miguel Arcángel, San Miguel, CA, 2009
