Tradition has a place for every iconic culture, and disc dog is no different. On a warm summer evening at Dodger Stadium, there was a dog and its owner that started the sport of disc dog. That dog was Ashley, Ashley Whippet, and the owner/trainer was Alex Stein. Together the duo performed in front of a sell-out crowd for over eight minutes on national TV, and history was made.

Alex, along with his great friends Irv Lander and Eldon McIntire, formed the Ashley Whippet Invitational. A series of events that catered to disc dog enthusiasts all over the country with the grand finals being held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. This was the start of all disc dog sports to come.

The Irv Lander Cup was created in 1989, and awarded at the end of the 89 AWI World Championships. The trophy is now awarded every year to the newest Ashley Whippet Invitational World Champion. The lucky team gets to have their name engraved on this perpetual trophy, alongside the names of the other teams who have earned the right to be called World Champion.

Today Hero embraces this tradition and hosts the Ashley Whippet Invitational for all competitors to showcase their talents. While many will compete, only one team will take advantage of this world stage. Together this team will win the right to be alongside all the past true champions and forever be remembered as an Ashley Whippet Invitational World Champion.

Riverwalk Park and the Last Fling in Naperville are the hosting facilities for this year’s Hero Disc Ashley Whippet Invitational World Championships. Watch as the world’s best teams compete in Freestyle (two minute choreographed routine set to music) and Distance (one minute round, the "race of truth") to see who will be crowned the 2010 AWI World Champion!