Can You Hear Me Now?

28 August 2006



Finns Hold Cell Phone Throwing Championship

A dropped call or an inability to get service can make most cell phone owners as crazed as Hitler on bad crack. They miss the perfect beauty that being inaccessible entails (talk about elite – one can’t be bothered even by the president without a cell tower nearby). On occasion, a cell phone gets tossed in anger. From this, the Finns have invented a sport.

Precisely why the Finns do such things is a mystery. Perhaps it’s the weather, the proximity to the old Soviet Union, or the oddities of the language that cause it. The Finns, however, have been creating odd sports for some time. Finland is already home to the Sauna World Championships and the Wife Carrying Competition (the winner gets his wife’s weight in beer). So now, the land of Nokia has the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship held in Savonlinna, Finland.

According to Reuters (which has at least one under-utilized reporter it seems), “Founder Christine Lund describes the event as a good source of light exercise with an environmentally friendly twist. ‘There are a lot of mobile phones on the second-hand market, and we are recycling them (before they become toxic waste),’ she said. People choose by size, by color or by how it fits in the hand ... Some believe a heavy model will ensure a long throw, some want a light one.”

The gold medal went to national favorite Lassi Etelatalo, who threw a Finnish Nokia 89 meters. “I prepared by javelin throwing, I haven’t really practiced throwing mobile phones.” He explained. There is a PhD dissertation in aerodynamics for anyone interested in determining whether there is a better device for training.

Not only was there a distance competition, but also the hosts held a freestyle event. Dutchman Elie Rugthoven took home a silver, although his phone landed outside the designated area. The judges liked his juggling performance before the actual toss. Perhaps Ronaldo and Beckham can take this up instead of golf now that their soccer careers are winding down.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

Home

Google
WWW Kensington Review







Amazon Honor System Click Here to Pay Learn More