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Welcome to the first of an occasional series on the people we think deserve to be given the ultimate accolade – hero of Frisbee.

Father of the forehand (or two-fingered macho sidewinder as he called it), author,  friend of the Harlam Globetrotters, Japanese missionary, distance world record holder, initial inductee into the International Frisbee Association Hall of Famer.

To paraphrase Monty Python: what has Victor Malafronte ever done for us?

I thought long and hard about the initial recipient of this occasional Hero of Frisbee recognition. There were many possibilities. Fred Morrison, Dan Roddick, Dr Stancil Johnson, Britains-own Derek Robins. But ultimately it is the multi-faceted Malafronte that must win out.

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Of his many achievements which is the best? His two-fingered macho sidewinder revolutionised ultimate. He didn’t invent the forehand but he pioneered the throw. Before Victor most ultimate players were throwing backhand, backhand, backhand with the occasional overhand wrist flip thrown in for good measure! Although he played a bit of ultimate he was never a convert preferring guts, freestyle and field sports. However, his hugely impressive forehand was taken up by players. It is possible to argue that the sport would not be the same without it. His tours with the Harlam Globetrotters (in conjunction with his friend John Kirkland) popularised the sport in the 1970’s. He was the author of The Complete Book of Frisbee, arguably the second best Frisbee book ever written (I will leave it to your imagination to think of the first!). A cracking read that debunks some myths on the trademarking issues that Wham-O used to steal the Frisbee name. The second half of the book (which looks at the art of Frisbee collecting) was a strange concept to me. Being one of the initial inductees into the IFA Hall of Fame was a justified recognition of his contribution to all things Frisbee.

But it is his work in Japan that earns him this epithet. Japan loves Victor Malafronte. Sponsored by Wham-O to travel to Japan with 10 other pro’s in 1975 and 1976 it was Victor and Monica Lou that attracted the biggest attention. The Japanese fell in love with Frisbee in general and Victor in particular. What throw did you first try? Ask the rest of the world and they would probably say the backhand (it being easier to control). For a generation of Japanese Frisbee players they started with the forehand because Victorsan told them to. It is said that their prevalence for the forehand was due to Victor Malafronte.

The popularity of Frisbee sports in Japan is a tribute to them himself.

We salute you Victorsan – truly a Frisbee great!