The 2024 World Server Throwing Championship (WSTC) organizers are calling for entrants. Scheduled for March 19, the bare metal vs. raw power event is set to become a must-watch experience of the annual CloudFest conference.
According to the dedicated event page, server throwing began in Holland about a decade ago and is an “intense underground sport, which has been criticized as ‘needlessly brutal to servers’.” This sport is now emerging from its data-center basement origins and is set to enter the world stage at CloudFest 2024.
CloudFest provides a few details regarding the 2024 World Server Throwing Championship. This outdoor event in front of a live audience will welcome “up to 40 server-throwing athletes.” All genders and ability levels are welcome to participate as long as they desire to throw a server a great distance. Every athlete will get two measured attempts at server throwing and will hope to be placed in the top three so they can win a prize.
Though the sport is brutal by its very nature, it is good to see that participants at previous events always wear gloves. Some servers have very sharp edges. If you plan to attend, it might be wise to stand behind participants rather than to the left or right in case of server hurling misjudgment.
It isn't clear if there are 1U, 2U, and 4U divisions, or, dare we say it, 8U for the real heavy lifters.
(Image credit: CloudFest)
If we had to place a bet on the winner’s nationality, it would probably be Dutch, as the country where the sport seems to have become established. We discovered that some of the WTSC partners have already promoted server throwing in Dutch events. The winner of a Dutch national championship event in 2022 managed to fling a 10kg+ (22 pounds +) server 12.23 meters (over 40 feet).
We think there is plenty of room for improvement on the 2022 winning throw. Remember, the world record distance for throwing a 16-pound shot put is nearly 75 feet. For another comparison, in the Swedish sport of Stångstörtning, a roughly 57-pound log is tossed, with the world record distance being 32 feet. Much will depend on how well-tuned and trained the WSTC 2024 athletes are…
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The CloudFest 2024 event occurs at Europa-park in Rust, Germany, from March 18 to 24. It is described as a must-attend event for anyone who works in the cloud, with a packed schedule featuring keynotes, panel discussions, masterclasses, networking events, and more. Only paying attendees can sign up for the chance to show off their server-throwing prowess. Tickets start at 499 euros.
Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
