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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1978)
Page 10 THE BATTALION TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1978 risbee flies past Pluto United Press International LOS ANGELES — They might, have been Pluto Platters — those enormously popular discs that hover almost constantly over the country’s parks, beaches and backyards. We might have experienced Pluto Plat ter World Championships, Pluto Platter T-shirts and Pluto Platter madness. But Pluto Platter insanity never overcame America. The time wasn’t right. But, 10 years later, Frisbee madness did. Now the fad has ma tured and may become an actual sport. Frisbee championships attract hundreds of participants and thousands of enthusiasts worldwide. A movie depicting the plastic disc’s simplistic grace was nominated for an Academy Award, and the Smith sonian Institution in Washington displays what essentially started out as a child’s toy in an exhibition de voted to flight for the fun of it. In fact, if it hadn’t been for another American craze — the Hula Hoop — Frisbees might have gone into cornerstone time-capsules with photographs of Dwight Eisenhower instead of Richard Nixon. The idea for the toy came to a midway pitchman named Fred Morrison who traveled the Califor nia carnival circuit in the 1950s sel ling what he called “invisible string.’’ Morrison convinced skepti cal customers that 100 feet of the string was a bargain by sailing a pie plate down it to a planted ac complice in the crowd. Invisible string didn’t make Mor rison a millionaire, but he thought the sailing pie plate might. In a sof ter, less dangerous material, it would be a fantastic toy. Morrison took his idea to the Wham-O Man ufacturing Company in San Gabriel, Calif. In 1956, Wham-O introduced a plastic flying disc called the Pluto Platter and another toy that looked like a stiff section of garden hose joined at both ends: the Hula Hoop. The Hula Hoop became an Ameri can craze and the Pluto Platter never got off the ground. Frisbee sports? If you think throwing it and catching it are the only things to do with a Frisbee, you’re mistaken. There is Frisbee Golf, Frisbee Guts and a tennis-like game called Double Disc Court. Freestyle competition involves a five-minute routine to music, and there also is international competi tion in distance and maximum time aloft. Ten years later, the company tried again. They renamed the toy and decided to promote it aggres sively. Instead of a planet, this time Wham-O named it after a pie com pany, the Frisbie Pie Company of Bridgeport, Conn. obc) INTERSTATE ~84647)4 & 846-1151 UNIVERSITY SQUARE SHOPPING CENTER *UTT THEATRE GftOU? SALES TICKETS will BE ACCEPTEC * I MANOR EAST 3 THEATRES OPENS was the Deltas 6:45 against the rules.. SHOWS the rules lost! NATIONAL 9:40 lampoon: ANIMAL UOUtEl TLS 6:45 a uNivtrviAi pictuu TO 7:15 7:15-9:35 FOUL PLAY 7:35-9:50 UP IN SMOKE 7:20-9:45 THE BOYS IN COMPANY C WEST CONVENTION GIRLS PLUS NAKED RIDER EAST DUTCHESS & DIRTWATER FOX PLUS MOTHER, JUGS & SPEED ■WjWtOwaEBgMRil HOOPER Over 100 million Frisbees have been sold since 1967, and execu tives at Wham-O have no intention of allowing the Frisbee — which ac counts for 25 percent of its annual business — to become a nostalgic bit of memorabilia like the Hula Hoop. Dan Roddick, head of the Inter national Frisbee Association, said the company is now attempting to convince school administrators the time is ripe for Frisbee education in America’s schools. Roddick, a former Frisbee world champion who still competes, said Wham-O organized the association and pays him a salary to run it. He recently organized the fifth annual World Frisbee Championships at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif, and is currently promoting what he refers to as the “sport” of Frisbee to physical education teachers nation wide. “Title 9 forces schools to allow men and women to play on the same teams and insurance costs for the more physical sports are skyrocket ing,’ Roddick explained. “We think Frisbee sports fit perfectly in the schools.” a PLUS SPECIAL GUEST STAR TAMU MSC TOWN HALL SERIES ATTRACTION #1 SEPTEMBER 29 f 1978 G. ROLLIE WHITE COLISEUM 8:00 P.M. Reserved »© $7 Tickets A&M Student 4.00/4.50 Non A&M ^ ^ 4.00/ 4.50 General Admission Free w/ticket TICKETS & INFO: CALL MSC BOX OFFICE 845-2916 Student Date General 3.00 Public 6.00/6.50 4.00 PRESERVATION HALL eH JAZZ BAND Gen. Public Student Zone Zone Zone 1 2 3 $6 $5 $4 $4 $3 $2 TAMU MSC TOWN HALL SPECIAL ATTRACTION Tickets & Info: MSC Box Office 845-2916 October 11, 1978 Rudder Auditorium 8:15 p.m. | 1 | i & I !*; )**, i**:. S g MSC V Cafeteria V At Last Year’s Price, You Will Be Pleased With These Carefully Prepared and Taste Tempting Foods. Each Daily Special Only $1.69 Plus Tax. “Open Daily” Dining: 11A.M. to 1:30 P.M. — 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. MONDAY EVENING SPECIAL Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy Whipped Potatoes Your Choice of One Vegetable Roll or Corn Bread and Butter Coffee or Tea TUESDAY EVENING SPECIAL Mexican Fiesta Dinner Two Cheese and Onion Enchiladas w/chili Mexican Rice Patio Style Pinto Beans Tostadas Coffee or Tea One Corn Bread and Butter WEDNESDAY EVENING SPECIAL Chicken Fried Steak w/cream Gravy Whipped Potatoes and Choice of one other Vegetable Roll or Corn Bread and Butter Coffee or Tea THURSDAY EVENING SPECIAL Italian Candle Light Spaghetti Dinner Si PH )i) SERVED WITH SPICED MEAT BALLS AND SAUCE Parmesan Cheese - Tossed Green Salad Choice of Salad Dressing - Hot Garlic Bread Tea or Coffee FRIDAY EVENING SPECIAL BREADED FISH FILET w/TARTAR SAUCE Cole Slaw Hush Puppies Choice of one vegetable Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee SATURDAY NOON and EVENING SPECIAL Chicken & Dumplings Tossed Salad Choice of one vegetable Roll or Corn Bread & Butter Tea or Coffee SUNDAY SPECIAL NOON and EVENING ROAST TURKEY DINNER Served with Cranberry Sauce Cornbread Dressing Roll or Corn Bread - Butter - Coffee or Tea Giblet Gravy And your choice of any One vegetable - For the world championship this year Wham-O imported com petitors from the U.S., Japan, Swe den, Canada, Great Britain, Bel gium, Finland and Australia. Rod dick said the extravaganza easily cost the company, which paid all expenses, $130,000. “The Rose Bowl football game is easier to organize than that thing,” said Roddick, who devoted count less hours to the event. “We bad people coming in from everywhere. And even Fido wasn’t left out. The Rose Bowl event this year, which attracted over 50,000 spec tators to the Frisbee freebie, fea tured the world finals of the Gaines K-9 Catch and Fetch competition. This year Dink, a Maryland mixed- breed, dethroned an Ashley Whip pet and took home top honors. Dink is probably unaware he is a Frisbee champion, but 18-year-old Laura Engel isn’t. She hopes to par- lay her Frisbee prowess into an act ing career. Engel started throwing Frisbees when she was 10. “When I first caught it under my leg 1 thought it was the greatest thing possible,” said the Venice, Calif, woman. “Now I have a disc with me everyday and everywhere I go-” Engel is presently the stage man ager for a rock group. The Mystic- Knights of the Dingo Boingo. “When I first got to California everybody said. Gee, you should be an actress, but you need an in. ’ Now I figure I’ve got my gimmick. This year Engel won the champ ionship with her performance in five events. “The Rose Bowl is so big and there were so many people, she said. “It’s very exciting with all those people in the stands, and the crowd makes so much noise when v v v %. - , *■? <%■ * y / : : - >• ‘ V#-.3«ss?S -v.Viv' Frisbee-throwing has advanced from a novelty to a “serious” sport in the years since it was introduced in 1966. International Fris bee competitions are becoming more well- known and popular. But some sportsmen, lik this one, still like to just throw and catch the plastic disc. StalT photo someone does a trick.’’ Wham-O awarded Engel one share of its stock for taking the title, hut she hopes the company will send her around the world promot ing Frisbees. Wham-O hasn’t made any promises yet, hut Engel plans ■m hiring an agent and hopes to do television commercials that will If to an acting career. Try doing that with a PlutoH surpri: Sun Theatres 333 University 846 The only movie in town Double-Feature Every Week Open 10 a.m.-2 a.m. Mon.-Sat. 12 Noon - 12 Midnight Sun No one under 18 Escorted Ladies Free BOOK STORE & 25c PEEP SHOWS 846-9808