Player Bio
Randy Silvey’s impact on the sport of Freestyle Disc Play is nothing short of monumental. He first began playing as a young man near his home north of Seattle WA. A rumor of a tourney at Woodland Park near Green Lake peaked his interest and his passion for Disc Sports emerged. In time he would begin to master Ultimate, Disc Golf and eventually Freestyle play. Since he had no natural partners to play with, he began to jam by himself. In a remarkable achievement, he elevated his game to incredibly high levels without the stimulus of having a regular partner. When he began attending tournaments in 1979-1981, his game was already fully developed. But college and his interest in the thespian arts lured him away from disc play in 1981. But it was always there in the back of his mind. In 1988 he had a chance encounter in San Diego with John Jewell. JJ’s drive and skill must have had an impact on Randy, because when he returned to Seattle, his interest in freestyle became an obsession. He began playing endless hours with the local ‘Controllers’ and other older Seattle Windjammers.
Most people’s skills in Freestyle hits a plateau between 5 to 10 years after they began playing. Randy is an exception to this rule. His touch and skills are still being developed almost 40 years after he began playing. Randy’s game is the foundation of the ‘Green Lake Game’. A style of play that features high levels of passing, cutting, movement, spontaneity, and joy. The amount of talent that would emerge from this scene was profound. People like Mary Lowry, Doug Simon, Bob Boulware, Cindy St Mary, Steve Hays, and many others were heavily influenced by Randy’s style of play. His experience has also profoundly influenced others beyond Green Lake as well. Randy always pushes the envelope of creativity and his choreography and routines reflect that, and are often whimsical and humorous. By referencing his acting skills, his creative drive makes his routines uniquely accessible to any audience and he’s always a fan favorite. He is also a wonderful Mixed Partner, always featuring his partner.
Another element of Randy is his list of partners. His thirst for new ideas and styles of play had him reaching out to anyone and everyone. And his durability and sustained excellence over time have reached levels second to none.
In addition to this, Randy’s contributions to Freestyle off of the field are also critically important. He has served on the FPA Board of Directors from 2016 to 2020. But his most important contribution has been through his ongoing Podcasts ‘Shootin’ the Frisbreeze’ with co-creator Jake Gauthier. The show has brought the history and legacy of Freestyle play to new audiences and has created a fantastic archive of play.
