More Slideshows
Digg
StumbleUpon
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
1 of 16
By Elisa Mala | 08-30-2011 | 2:02 PM
Shotput, Shmotput
Choose Wisely
Ready, steady...hurl!
Not Old Enough To Drive A Zamboni
If At First You Don't Succeed
The Contenders
Most Creative Tosser
Another Creative Tosser
Failing To Go The Distance
Lonely At The Top
Playing To The Crowd
Style And Substance
Aerodynamics, 101
Self-Selection
Winning Is Its Own Reward
As the birthplace of Nokia, Finland has seen a fair share of cell phone launches--but this time it's into the air! About 50 contestants from around the world descended last week upon the small lakeside town of Savonlinna for the 2011 Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship. FastCompany.com was there.
Credit for inventing the “not-so-serious sport” goes to Christine Lund, a conference interpreter and phone enthusiast. “My colleagues from outside of Finland remarked that I had new phone every time we met,” she said. “That’s how we created the competition: We had the product.” For those who might partake in phone throwing festivities, here’s a guide to crossing the Finnish line.
The event begins with phone selection. Dozens of old models are at the ready. Culled from all brands, they’re taped as necessary and re-used in the competition from year to year.
Throw the thing as far as possible. Like many entrants, Austin resident Angela Luce, 25, had only planned to be a spectator. But with an entry fee of about $7 (5 euros) for each adult, she couldn’t resist sending a gadget airborne. Result: 57 feet (24 meters).
About a dozen youngsters from the neighborhood retrieved the devices that had been chucked. They operate like ball boys in tennis, but with less running. One did jumping jacks to warm up for the task.
Juho Keskinen, 18, gives the go-ahead with a makeshift flag. With two throws allotted to each contestant, only the best one counted toward the final score.
The competition has five divisions: men’s, women’s, teams, freestyle, and junior--12 and younger. Erkka Makkonen, 5, the youngest hopeful of the day, lobbed the phone 32 feet (10 meters). In past years competitors have included a one-year-old and a dog, says event organizer Matias Alderin, 29. His mother, Christine Lund, invented the competition.
For entrants with less brawn, more brains, the freestyle portion awarded points for most creative tosses. Sergei Mukhamedov of Russia puts on his game face as he prepares to punt the phone. Result: 8 points, third place.
Wife-carrying, swamp soccer, air guitar, and almost any unusual pastime can be turned into a no-holds-barred competition in Finland. The World Sauna Championships came to an abrupt end last year, after one contestant died tragically. The only hazard here is being hit by falling objects. Unless you get creative. Hailing from Australia, Elaine Jung, 26, upped the ante with a risky cartwheel throw.
For her second turn, Jung completed a handstand. Never mind that the phone fell out of her mouth and landed about foot away--the shortest distance of the day. The move earned her 50 points, first place in the freestyle division, and the cover of the local paper the next day. Her strategy: “I just practiced behind the building for a few minutes.”
One contestant, competing in the team division, threw with such force that he collapsed on the ground. Not that he needed to worry--his was the only team that entered, allowing for a default victory. But they lived up to the phrase on their matching T-shirts: “ei paha,” Finnish for “not bad.”
The distance competition inspired a variety of methods. Armed with skintight pants and a sweatband, Eero Hakala, 26, had only one goal: “throw straight forward.” Not a bad idea, considering that at least half a dozen lobs landed in the crowd. Fortunately, no people or animals were harmed in the making of this competition. Result: Sixth place, with an impressive 226 feet (69 meters).
One competitor saluted after throwing. Another, not pictured here, employed the Sharapova method, as if yelling louder might help the phone travel further. (It did not, but at least everyone could hear him now.)
After upper arm strength, one of the most important factors was phone itself. Before stepping up to the line, Oskari Heinonen, 25, (right) peered over almost every phone before selecting two to throw. “Contestants tend to choose phones based on size,” explained event organizer Matias Alderin. They can’t be too light or heavy, and handhelds tend to travel better than clamshells. Those who make it to the podium, says Alderin, tend to be athletic but also know how to have fun: “It’s a mental thing,” he says.
Oskari Heinonen’s carefully selected phone landed 249 feet (76 meters) away, making him the 2011 World Champion in phone throwing. While practicing in his hometown of Mikkeli, Finland, he developed a winning strategy: “Throw very long.”
Christine Lund poses with the female winners. The first prize, a slew of Gola bags, went to Netta Karvinen of Finland, who threw 157 feet (48 meters). Nokia, says Matias Alderin, is “reluctant” to become an official sponsor.
Photograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa MalaPhotograph by Elisa Mala
ADVERTISEMENT