Frisbee Dog World Champions
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Since 1975 an organized World Championship for frisbee catching dogs and their owners/handlers has taken place. In the early years the championships was contested alongside the "human" frisbee championships, sponsored by Wham-o at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The World Championships, and supporting local and regional events, were first organized by Irv Lander, Alex Stein and Eldon McIntire. In the early '80's the event series became known as the Ashley Whippet Invitational (AWI). Teams would compete in various regionals held around the USA to qualify for a spot in the World Finals. The final event was contested as a one day, "winner take all" type event. Anywhere from 12 to 16 teams would qualify, depending upon the format and number of regional qualifiers that year.
The event format was modified over time, but most often consisted of a freestyle event (sometimes known as "Freeflight"), and a timed throw and catch event (known as MiniDistance, and later as Distance/Accuracy).
In the late '80's a special trophy cup was introduced to commemorate the yearly AWI World Champions. It is a large silver cup on a wooden base. The base is covered with small plaques, each inscribed with the winners of the World Championship. It is called the "Lander Cup" in honor of Irv Lander, one of the co-founders of the sport of canine frisbee and the World Championships, and a long time promoter and organizer of the sport.
In 2000, the AWI ceased, and an organization known as Skyhoundz ran a World Championships. The Lander Cup was awarded to the winners that year, and their names are on the trophy as well. There was no AWI World Championship in 2001-2002. In 2003, AWI reorganized and once again began running a World Championships, without the supporting series. It was an "all comer" type meet. The event has continued through 2005.
[edit] List of AWI World Champions
- |Year| |Owner| |Dog's Name|
- 1975 Alex Stein Ashley Whippet
- 1976 Alex Stein Ashley Whippet
- 1977 Alex Stein Ashley Whippet
- 1978 Jim Strickler Dink
- 1979 Jim Strickler Dink
- 1980 Frank Allen Kona
- 1981 Bob Cox Belmond
- 1982 Bill Murphy Bouncin' Boo
- 1983 Bill Murphy Bouncin' Boo
- 1984 Peter Bloeme Wizard
- 1985 Bill Murphy Bouncin' Boo
- 1986 Chris Barbo Kato
- 1987 Jeff Gabel Casey
- 1988 Jeff Gabel Casey
- 1989 Jeff Perry Gilbert
- 1990 Lou McCammon Scooter
- 1991 Ron Ellis Maggy
- 1992 Lou McCammon Scooter
- 1993 Gary Suzuki Sam
- 1994 Gary Suzuki Sam
- 1995 Gary Suzuki Sam
- 1996 Pon Saradeth Owen Boy
- 1997 Melissa Heeter Ariel Asah
- 1998 Bob Evans Luke
- 1999 Ken Cooper Gabby
- 2000 Bob Evans Nick
- 2003 Bob Evans Nick
- 2004 Bob Evans Nick
- 2005 Steve Malmlov Foster
