Flying Disc Museum • Hacker News Board

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#11

Post by radlad » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 6:50 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

Perhaps casual "Frisbee" use has, but disc golf is continuing to explode in popularity: https://udisc.com/disc-golf-growth-report

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#12

Post by ep103 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 6:50 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

casual frisbee throwing has always been greatest in high school and college campuses.

You see them less in populated parks, because you need a bit more space to be safe with them than, say, a nerf football or tennis ball.

I played ultimate in college, a decade or two ago, and it was a huge and growing sport.

Disc golf now is one of the faster growing sports in the us, full stop.

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#13

Post by ghaff » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 6:55 PM UTC

browningstreet wrote: post #6

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

On what might have happened with rollerblading: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVB6ef9JWSk

Thanks for sharing.

Most of that feels like a very extreme sports lens on the topic though. My experience of rollerblading was as mostly a 30 something where a bunch of us would do evening skates on the bike path or on paved paths in the city and park, etc. At the end of the day, something he says at the end of the video is probably right. It was a fad and once enough people grew out of it or just stopped doing it as much, the network effect of it being an activity to do with friends decreased.

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#14

Post by dylan604 » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 7:11 PM UTC

While not exactly a disc, my favorite flying toy was the X-Zylo. Limiting the discussion to flying discs is like saying you can't talk about snowboarding when discussing skiing. We used to break open glow sticks and pour the juice to the inside of the ring so you could see this thing fly in the dark. It was much more visible if you were watching from the "sidelines" vs improved visibility when it was coming at you.

https://www.wmctoys.com/products/x-zylo

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#15

Post by itsrobforreal » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 7:17 PM UTC

my favorite is the knitted variety which can be thrown safely to children, used indoors, etc. Always have one in the glove box in case the situation arises.

https://buenaondagames.com/pages/buy-a-mayaflya

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#16

Post by chucksta » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 8:38 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

I've seen some interesting discussion around how skateboarding and the x games killed skating in the US

https://np.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/4vj7ov/dodging_and_ska...

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#17

Post by canucklady » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 8:59 PM UTC

chucksta wrote: post #16

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

I've seen some interesting discussion around how skateboarding and the x games killed skating in the US https://np.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/4vj7ov/dodging_and_ska...

These things ebb and flow - I see more kids on scooters and BMX bikes locally than I do skateboards now. Rollerskates and quad skates have come back in a big way, especially for aggressive skating. Skateboarding also seems to have fragmented into street surfing, longboarding, and a bunch of other disciplines that have different equipment and techniques.

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#18

Post by andrewl » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 9:14 PM UTC

That brings back memories! On a related note, I threw boomerangs in college. It felt magical when I first caught one without having to take a step from where I threw it. The idea that a properly-shaped piece of wood, with no motor, batteries, propellers, rubber bands, or anything, could turn around and fly back to its origin was wonderful. I should get back to it.

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#19

Post by cenriqueortiz » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 9:24 PM UTC

As a freestyler myself => This is a cool website. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Flying Disc Museum

#20

Post by ghaff » Fri, Jan 06, 2023, 11:06 PM UTC

chucksta wrote: post #16

ghaff wrote: post #4

My totally anecdotal sense is that at least casual Frisbee(tm) use has declined a lot. I don't have a big data set but I just don't see them being tossed around as much as I used to in parks and so forth. It's interesting how recreational activities can go out of style for no particular reason. Rollerblades/inline skates is another one in the US. It was popular for a period and you rarely see anyone skating any longe…

I've seen some interesting discussion around how skateboarding and the x games killed skating in the US https://np.reddit.com/r/gifs/comments/4vj7ov/dodging_and_ska...

That's pretty much the thesis of the video that browningstreet posted a link to posited as well. I'm not sure that explains though the casual 30 to 40 somethings who did it pretty regularly until they pretty much dropped it though. I'm not even sure why I did other than the fact that fewer people I knew were looking to do it as a recreational activity so it became less and less an activity I even thought about.

I probably go with fashion/fad at the end of the day.