Throw Up

Ultimate Frisbee is yesterday's news.

The 2010 U.S. Overall Flying Disc Championships featuring 7 events testing distance, accuracy, style and more runs from July 12 "threw" July 17.

"A lot of people have no idea where Frisbee came from," said event organizer Paul Thompson, an Edina resident. "Now it's became all about power and strength, but it's so much bigger."

Expected to draw about 100 top competitors from as far as California and Massachusetts as well as local participants, Thompson said the weeklong affair hosted this year by the Minnesota Frisbee Association goes back to the mid-1970s.

Competitors in the U.S. Overall Flying Disc Championships are scored on seven events. All players compete for the open overall title. Winners will also be named in six different age groups.

Accuracy: participants throw 28 times across seven different stations at a target. They are scored based on how many discs make the designated area.

Self-caught flight: players throw a disc in the air and then catch it in one hand. There are two parts to the event.

Maximum time aloft: throws are scored based on how long the disc was in the air.

Throw-run-catch: the distance from throw to the catch is measured.

Distance competition: Huck it deep.

Discathon: players race through a kilometer-long obstacle course, running and throwing the disc in a required path.

Double disc court: played with two players on each team and two discs in play. The object is to land throws in the opponent's court or make them have contact with both discs at the same time.

Freestyle: choreographed with spinning moves and tricky catches to those of Harlem Globetrotters.

"This is the last bastion where you bring these seven disciplines together and measure who's best in the nation during a given week," said Jensen.

What: 2010 U.S. Overall Flying Disc Championships

Where: Parks in Edina, Eden Prairie &Bloomington, Minnesota

When: July 12, thru July 17

Price: $35-$125 to compete, free to watch