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Toronto to host ‘Canadian Mobile Phone Throwing Championship’ next week

Cell phone users have been battling the urge to chuck their shoddy mobile devices since the darn things were invented.

Some of us may have actually pulled the trigger — my transition from cell phone to smartphone didn't go so well for that Nokia 5110.

But for those Canadians who never got to experience the joy of throwing their call-dropping cell as far as they can — or if you just feel like throwing a cell phone — go ahead and mark next Saturday, October 13 on your calendar.

[ Related: How recycling your old gadgets can lower prices for new ones ]

Cell phone provider Mobilicity is getting set to host the first annual 'Canadian Mobile Phone Throwing Championship,' an event of the same name that originally took place in Finland. Qualifying rounds will begin at 11 a.m. at Toronto's Varsity Centre on Bloor Street West. The three finalists will attempt to break the current world record of 101.46 metres during halftime of the Red & Blue Bowl game between the York Lions and the U of T Varsity Blues.

The winner will take home a smooth $5000 prize, along with a Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone with a year of unlimited talk, text, and data with Mobilicity. Second and third place finalists with each take home a smartphone with unlimited service for a year.

"It's no secret that most Canadians have been frustrated for years about being locked into mobile phone contracts and paying the highest rates in the world," shares Anthony Booth, Mobilicity's Chief Customer Officer. "At Mobilicity, we understand what Canadians have been going through and want to give them the unique opportunity to unleash their pent-up frustration and make history at the same time."

[ Related: Recycling your electronics: how to do it, and how you know they're going to the right places ]

The event coincides with Waste Reduction Week in Canada (October 15 - 21), providing an emphasis on the safe recycling of old devices such as cell phones, computer screens and MP3 players. A study conducted by the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA) revealed that only 14 per cent of Canadians recycle their old tech gadgets.

As Canada Newswire reports, the same study found that nearly 45 per cent of respondents claim they neglect to recycle their old gadgets simply because "they didn't know what else to do with it." Participants and spectators are being encouraged to bring their old mobile devices to the event in order to dispose of them in the recycling bins at the stadium.

(Photo courtesy of Mobile Syrup)