Innova Champion Discs
![]() | |
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Disc golf equipment |
Founded | 1983California, United States | in
Headquarters | Ontario, California, United States |
Key people | Dave Dunipace (President and CEO) |
Products | Disc golf equipment |
Website | Official website ![]() |
Innova Champion Discs, generally known simply as Innova (stylized as INNOVA) is an American disc golf brand and manufacturing company. Founded in 1983, it is the largest disc golf disc manufacturer and was among the first companies to produce equipment specifically for disc golf.[1]
History
The company was incorporated on 5 May 1983 in California as Champion Discs Inc.[2] In 1983, Dave Dunipace created and patented the Eagle, the world's first disc designed specifically for the sport of disc golf.[3]
Products
In addition to discs, Innova manufactures other disc golfing equipment including bags, accessories, and their DISCatcher targets, which were introduced in 1995.[4] Their 60+ golf discs are manufactured using various molds and plastics. Innova manufactures discs in 4 distinct lines of plastic with distinct flight characteristics: Star, Champion, Pro, and DX. There are also many subtypes related to the main 4: Echo Star, Gstar, Starlite, Champion Edition, Blizzard Champion, Glow Champion, R-Pro, XT-Pro, KC-Pro, KC-Glow, McPro, JK-Pro, Yeti-Pro Proline and Glow DX.[5]
Disc ratings
Innova uses a numeric scale to rate the performance of its discs. The ratings represent:
- Speed - Speed is the rating of the throw speed at which is required to throw the disc on the line the other flight numbers suggest, and is largely determined by the thickness of the rim, with 2.6 cm being the thickest allowed for PDGA approved play, but it has also been described as how easily the disc cuts through the air. Ratings range from 1 to 14, with 14 being the "fastest" drivers and 1 being the "slowest" putt and approach discs.
- Glide - Rated from 1 to 7, Innova describes glide as "the discs ability to maintain loft during flight. Discs with more glide are best for new players, and for producing maximum distance. Beginners wanting more distance should choose discs with more glide. Discs with less glide are more accurate in high wind situations".[6] A disc with a glide of 1 will be relatively unaffected by winds and will tend to fly on the thrower's power more than anything, while a disc with a glide of 7 will be very sensitive to crosswinds and headwinds, but will ride a tailwind much further than it could be thrown via force alone.
- Turn - The turn of a disc (also known as high speed stability) describes how hard a disc will fight against its natural inclination to fade (see below) during the flight. Turn is rated from -5 to +1. A -5 rated disc will turn from a straight line of flight very easily with relatively little power behind it, while a +1 is unlikely to turn at all and will usually begin fading earlier in the flight.
- Fade - The fade of a disc (also known as low speed stability) is the degree to which a disc will fall to one side as it loses speed. The direction of the fade depends on how it is thrown. For example, for a right handed person throwing in the traditional backhand style, the disc will fade to the left, but when thrown forehand, it will fade to the right. Fade is rated from 0 to 5, with a 5 rated disc fading hard and early, and a 0 rated disc barely fading off of its original line of flight at all.
Sponsored players
Innova sponsors a wide variety of athletes worldwide, from junior athletes to elite professional players. Below is a list of the 10 classes of players sponsored by Innova and affectuously called the "Innova Air Force" as of December 2020[update]: [7]
Star Team
- Current
Jennifer Allen
Gregg Barsby
Henna Blomroos
James Conrad
Lisa Fajkus
Garrett Gurthie
Calvin Heimburg
Jeremy Koling
Eveliina Salonen
Nathan Sexton
Madison Walker
Jessica Weese
Ricky Wysocki
- Past
Josh Anthon
Philo Brathwaite
Hannah Leatherman
Hall of Fame
Alan Beaver
"Crazy" John Brooks
Ken Climo
J. Gary Dropcho
Gregg Hosfeld
Carlton Howard
Juliana Korver
Anni Kreml
Mitch McClellan
Stan McDaniel
Joe Mela
Jim Oates
Des Reading
Jay Reading
Fred Salaz
Barry Schultz
Johnny Sias
Tita Ugalde
Dr. Rick Voakes
Steve Wisecup
Lavone Wolfe
Team Champion
- Current
Anthony Barela
Philo Brathwaite
Steve Brinster
Holly "Finale" Finley
Martin Hendel
Valerie Mandujano
Andrew Marwede
Callie McMorran
Karina Nowels
Alex Russell
Ohn Scoggins
Ellen Widboom
Scott Withers
- Past
Joel Freeman
Garrett Gurthie
Hannah Leatherman
Brian McRee
Joe Rovere
Bradley Williams
The Masters
- Current
Robert Bainbridge
Jonathan Baldwin
Steve Boylan
Sandy Gast
Kenny Boo-Rad Lee
Courtney McCoy
Kevin McCoy
Brian McRee
Mike Moser
Eric Rainey
JD Ramirez
Pam Reineke
Brian Schweberger
George Smith
Don Smith
Cameron Todd
Kyle Wilkes
- Past
William Gummesson
Jay "Yeti" Reading
Dean Tannock
International Team
- Current
Blærörn Ásgeirsson
Sofie Björlycke
Ryan Budge
Linus Carlsson
Jacky Chen
Daniel Davidsson
Tony Ferro
Mikael Máni Freysson
Knut Håland
Mikael Häme
Tetsuya 'T2' Kikuchi
Pasi Koivu
Kristian Kuoksa
Marco Lehousse
Peter Lunde
Jon Henry Marthinsen
Espen Møkkelgjerd
Karl Johan Nybo
Christian Plaue
Katarina Staalesen
Jalle Stoor
Cassie Sweetten
Hemi Te-Awhitu
Andri Fannar Torfason
Carl Ulvinen
Kristo Vaikmaa
- Past
Hannele Määttä
Eveliina Salonen
Maxime Tanghe
Ilari Tuoma
Crew Team
- Melodie Bailey
- Carrie Berlogar
- Colin Carter
- Sarah Cunningham
- Christian Dietrich
- Nick Duran
- Devin Frederick
- Jessica Hill
- Avery Jenkins
- Erica Johnson
- Alexis Mandujano
- Izak McDonald
- Paul Oman
- Nathan Queen
- Kona Panis
- Alex Russell
- Chris Shotwell
- Bo Tillman
- Leslie Todd
- David Wiggins Jr
- Nick Wood
Sponsored
- Cooper Arnold
- Kevin Babbit
- Chris Becker
- Jesse Bickley
- Andrew Bohme
- Logan Bowers
- Lacey Brugler
- James Cole
- Kevin Couch
- Bobby Cowperthwait
- Aaron Devries
- Henry Dissell
- Will Dobrzykowski
- Jason Dore
- Kyle Eckmann
- Jeff Fiedler
- Logan Fiske
- Itzy Galvan
- Sandy Gast
- Kailey Hall
- Stan Hubbard
- Ray Johnson
- Kevin Sheehan Jr.
- Matt Kern
- Landon Knight
- Sara Lamberson
- Alex Lambert
- Randon Latta
- Kara Lee
- Kenny Boo-Rad Lee
- Mike Loya
- Alexis Mandujano
- Valerie Mandujano
- Andrew Marwede
- Joel Maury-Holmes
- Andrew Nava
- David O'Meara
- Maria Oliva
- Glenn Patterson
- Chris Pinegar
- Deegan Silva
- Peter Sontag
- Andrew Speth
- Brenden Tetloff
- Mckayla Thomas
- Colleen Thompson
- Danielle Vargas
- Eddie Ward
- Keith Warren
- Ellen Widboom
- Kelsey Wilmering
- Casey Wright
- Amanda Zaccone
See also
References
- ^ Menickelli, Justin; Pickens, Ryan (2016). "The History, Present and Possible Future of Disc Golf". Definitive Guide to Disc Golf. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633194748. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ "Articles of Incorporation of Champion Discs, Incorporated". California Secretary of State Business Search. 5 May 1983. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "About Innova Discs". Innovadiscs.com. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Disc Golf Course growth". Innovadiscs.com. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Innova Discs Plastic Types". Innovadiscs.com. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
- ^ "Flight Ratings System - Innova Disc Golf". Innovadiscs.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "Team Innova - Innova Disc Golf". Innovadiscs.com. Retrieved 1 November 2018.