Frisbee anyone?

There is something exciting – even inspirational – when the Olympic torch is passed and the games begin. So this weekend we celebrate the start of the Vancouver winter extravaganza. 85 countries are going for gold, silver and bronze in some 15 sports. By the end of this month, we’ll all be skiers, skaters and snowboarders.

In the midst of all this Olympian hoopla, it was somewhat ironic, just slightly, that the inventor of the game of frisbee died just a few days ago.

For the uninitiated, frisbee is the mindlessly simple game of tossing a plastic disk to your companion. It is about ten inches wide with a little brim or lip that helps the damn thing fly if flicked in the right manner. Good frisbee throwing takes practice and a rudimentary (basic, basic) understanding of aerodynamics. Indeed, it is one of the great embarrassments of youth to incorrectly toss a frisbee. Frisbee can be played anywhere but it takes on a certain flair when thrown at the beach or in the middle of the college quad. Millions play frisbee.

From the Associated Press:

Walter Fredrick Morrison, the man credited with inventing the Frisbee, has died. He was 90. According to press releases, Morrison and his future wife, Lu, used to toss a tin cake pan on the beach in California. The idea grew as Morrison considered ways to make the cake pans fly better and after serving as a pilot in World War II, Morrison began manufacturing his flying discs in 1948.He would hawk the discs at local fairs and eventually attracted Wham-O Manufacturing, the company that bought the rights to Morrison's plastic discs. It is thought that Wham-O adopted the name "Frisbee" because that's what college students in New England were calling the Pluto Platters. The name came from the Frisbie Pie Co., a local bakery whose empty tins were tossed like the soon-to-be frisbee.

So as the great athletes of the world come together in chilly Canada, let us give thanks for the very simple pleasures in life – the frisbee toss.