This is the English version of an article first published in Polish: read the Polish original. It refers to source material: latajacepsy.org. The text is our own commentary, not a translation or copy of that source.
From Friday, August 28 to Sunday, August 30, Plaża Wilanów turns into an arena for dogs that can do more than most people expect from a four legged companion. This is Flying Dogs, a series of dogfrisbee competitions held continuously since 2006, and the Warsaw stop is the fourth of this year's season, after competitions in Poznań, Wrocław and Gdynia.
Dogfrisbee is not simply throwing a stick. The dog chases a flying disc, catches it in mid air, sometimes off a bounce from its handler, and performs acrobatics along the way that look like a choreographed show, even though it is in fact a sport with clear scoring rules. At Plaża Wilanów you can watch several disciplines at once: Freestyle, the most spectacular form with choreography and music, ThrowNGo, which measures distance and accuracy of the retrieve, Frizgility, which combines frisbee with an obstacle course, and the faster paced Time Warp and Boom. Separately, there will be qualifying rounds for Dog Diving, dogs jumping into water for distance.
Who can come and what it costs
Admission for spectators is free, which makes this one of those events you can simply drop into with the family, no tickets or sign up needed. The event is organized by the Flying Dogs series, with the Wilanów District Office as co-organizer, which explains why Plaża Wilanów, at the junction of Przyczółkowa Street and Aleja Wilanowska, regularly hosts it.
For Wilanów residents this is a good chance to see up close a sport most people have only watched in internet clips, and for dog owners, even non competitive ones, simply watching the athletes can be inspiring. Three days on the beach, close to the water, with a show that engages the whole family, including the youngest ones, who are usually the biggest fans of this event.
