Calgary teen sets frisbee throw record, raises money for Cerebral Palsy Kids and Families

Kanen McLellan has cerebral palsy, and he wants people to know if you have the right mindset, you can accomplish a lot.

It wasn’t the nicest day in Calgary, but that wasn’t about to stop the 15-year-old from throwing the frisbee around in his backyard.

He shared what he likes most about the sport:

“Just being able to chuck a frisbee and not worry about it,” he said.

In late May, Kanen decided he wanted to try to set the record for U16 boys’ wheelchair distance through the World Flying Disk Federation.

And he did just that, throwing the disk nearly 16 metres.

“First thing, I was nervous. Like, did I break it? Did I not break it?” he said.

“And then when I broke it, I was like, ‘Ahhhhh!’”

Kanen had plenty of support from his family and friends.

His dad says they’re all very proud of him.

“Absolutely overwhelmed,” Tyler McLellan said.

“It was fantastic, and he did such a great job. Lots of pressure, and he just got through it and kept himself calm.

“I said to him, ‘It’s all about having fun. We’re here to have fun and support a good cause.’

“And he just threw the frisbee.”

Kanen worked with Rob McLeod, also known as “Frisbee Rob.”

McLeod says Kanen is a true inspiration.

“I was very hands off. We’d get together once every couple of months for some training and then the day of the event, it happened so quickly. It was such a whirlwind,” McLeod said.

“I’m so proud of him. It was really neat to just hear him talking about his goal and just wanting to be an inspiration for other people.”

Kanen used the slogan “level up” on his journey to the record.

It means despite having a disability, you can get better with every level that you move up.

He was out to prove that was the case.

“It made me feel that us people in wheelchairs with disabilities or anyone with disabilities or anyone with cerebral palsy in their arms or legs, that you can probably do anything,” Kanen said.

“Just set your mind to it and you can do it.”

Kanen also raised $600 when he was going for the record, which will go to the organization Cerebral Palsy Kids and Families.