Old players unite!

Rieferman · Post by **Rieferman** » 07 Feb 2008 12:59

Alright damn it. You win.

Due to popular demand, "old" will now be defined as 28 or over.

Zeke, nice catch on that typo by Outsider. I got a funny look by someone walking past my office as I laughed and spit water out my nose.

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 07 Feb 2008 14:23

whatever, just because these young whipersnappers can't read . . .

underooninja · Post by **underooninja** » 07 Feb 2008 14:39

me...injured but i still play

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 08 Feb 2008 09:40

The girl I was dating decided we should call it quits for my birthday. So, I went to play some hack at the new rock climbing gym last night. Hack has been a good way to not think about shit for about 15 years now. I felt so damn uncoordinated playing on a floor other than my foam mats. I didn't even get 20 butterflies, but I did hit 300 inside stalls. If the fitness room is generally empty, I could grow to like the new spot. Being walking distance from the house is cool, and having the place to myself is cool too.

underooninja · Post by **underooninja** » 08 Feb 2008 10:58

im 31.
*im losing my mind and memory. thats a sign im getting old*

Guydro · Post by **Guydro** » 08 Feb 2008 16:00

31yrs old......I didn't start untill I was 31yrs old. I got a little bit of a late start on the footbagging thing. But, I going start pushing for a grandmaster division at tournaments like disc golf. All the people that started footbag way back in the day are just getting to be old. Well old old.

Edit: Or do they call that division Footbag Net now?

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 08 Feb 2008 19:27

Sorry to hear about that, Cam.

footjam_heger · Post by **footjam_heger** » 09 Feb 2008 09:51

the good old days! Well, been playing since 2004 but totally like the oldschool-shred. The videos (VHS) are so wicked.
Thanks (old) footbaggers for pushing the sport!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 11 Feb 2008 09:16

Your probably an older player if...

- you can rattle off 5-6 personal tragedies before you have to stop and think of some more. None of them are about missing an event where all your friends are going.

- you know when your body needs to stop... and you stop. You may not have taken the best care of it the past few years and you know it takes more time to recover.

- you've used phrases like "need to conserve my energy" or "save it for later"

- you've let out a grunt or sigh when picking up a footbag. LOL! Man, I'm in terrible shape!

dazza · Post by **dazza** » 18 Feb 2008 18:14

i'm 30, started footbag at twenty-seven and my girlfriend thinks
i look sexy when i hit pixie butterfly swirl .

so there !

Rieferman · Post by **Rieferman** » 19 Feb 2008 06:51

So... How long do we have (in terms of playing)?

And I don't mean playing and becoming someone that does spins, ducks, and pixies as their coolest tricks.

I mean, how long can you improve and push at a good pace (yes, I know you can always improve.. I mean at a good pace.. you know, really push pretty hard)?

I'm 31.. will be 32 in August. I feel strong. I think I can push this hard until at least 35. But I would like to think I might be able to maintain a pretty high level until 40 after that. After 40, I guess I'll play net. ha ha.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 20 Feb 2008 13:18

Quite a good question.
Ken recently said he's in the twilight of his career, which threw me a bit cuz I think he's a year older than me. But I do think it depends on mind set too. I think mentally a lot of people stop caring after playing for a few years. Some longer than others. Scott D is 40 and plays every day.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 20 Feb 2008 13:29

I'm 32, been playing for 2.5 years and am currently shredding at a guiltless level. Although I admit my runs aren't as long as they should be currently but that's not age, that's just winter lol.

I don't consider myself old in any way though, and I think it's sort of odd to say someone in their early 30s is old given human life expectancy. I do however remember when I was 17-21 thinking anyone my age was really old. I guess it's all perspective.

Rieferman · Post by **Rieferman** » 20 Feb 2008 13:56

shredzilla wrote:

I think it's sort of odd to say someone in their early 30s is old

and

I guess it's all perspective

Yeah, we're all referring to footbag age. Or more generically athletic age. The list of sports where age is helpful (or at least not harmful to performance) is relatively few. In most sports, I think 35 years old is about the max you see top players still being top players. Even hall of famers have a tough time past this point. There are exceptions (Favre, Jordan) but it's rare.

Then again, the Scott Davidson example is a good one. He's still shredding pretty damn well I think at 40. Kenny's gotta be 40 now, I forget, and I'd assume he can still bust when he puts his mind to it.

But I bet each of them would love to have 35 back.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 20 Feb 2008 14:25

Yeah Richie's 35 and shreds mostly tripless. I'm not joking, he hardly bails to 3s anymore, and usually has several 5s in his runs. Not only that, but he's been playing for like 18 years. So in the context of this thread he's 'old' in footbag age, and kicking at a pretty high level. Plus he's in 10 times better shape than I am. Pretty amazing.

Outsider · Post by **Outsider** » 20 Feb 2008 16:15

Yeah, I'll second that. I spent a little time in San Diego two years ago, and was totally humbled by Abshire. That man is mighty. He lays it down HARD! I wish he got out and about a little more, so others could also admire his skills and his intensity. Or, I at least wish Aaron Orton was still down in SoCal so he could release some more vids of Renegade Richie and the Shapeshifter.

Anyway, I'll also agree with 'zilla about the age. I don't feel that my age is holding me back much at all. I do feel crappy, weak, and old lately, but I think it has more to do with only kicking once a month...
A big part of what makes me worse with age is difficulty finding motivation to play alot. It can simply be tough to keep up a high level of enthousiasm about the game when you're well into your second decade. Freestyle was just so damn cool when it was fairly new to me. After enough time, its just not that exciting anymore. Still, there is alot I still want to do with it, and, as you said somewhere a little earlier, Riefer, I want to stay fit without having to imitate a hamster on a wheel...
My knees have certainly become worn-down somewhat, causing me to avoid some of my old favorites (farewell, Ripstein, I'll always remember you...

) but, again, I don't think its a function of age, per se, but just a matter of having worn down certain important moving-parts. In the immortal words of Indiana Jones, "Its not the years, its the milage." Eh, c'est la vie. There are plenty of other kinds of moves to be excited about, I don't much mind abandoning the high-stress/high-impact shreddy moves.

Ian Brill · Post by **Ian Brill** » 20 Feb 2008 17:29

Great thread.

I just turned 30 and my game keeps getting better. I miss being able to do DATW. Haven't really had them since around 97. Seriously, my toe game fell apart when I got back into kicking around 2004 in Pittsburgh. I just reinvented my game to try and Keep up with Jake Milofsky and Caleb. Now I can do more than I ever thought was possible when I first started having footbag dreams.

I make conscious efforts to walk a lot, even in the winter now so that I never go through shock when I get a chance to shred. It is helping a lot. Shredzilla impresses me a lot for starting out as late as he has and learning so fast.

LinoSphere · Post by **LinoSphere** » 23 Feb 2008 08:42

Zeke wrote:You are probably not a young shredder if...

-the 90's where when you started playing footbag, not when you started life.

-the first footbag video you've ever seen was on a VHS cassette. It was probably Raw Shred or Tricks of the Trade.

-you've had to wait forever and a day to watch a 3MB vid because of a freakin' 56k modem.

-you've called another footbagger using a large cumbersome device with a cord attached to it.

-you remember a time when footbag was mostly discussed in person.

-you were on the old footbag.org discussion list when discussing in person wasn't enough.

-you've read or own a copy of Footbag World or Kickers Quarterly.

-you remember when Lavers only came in white nylon mesh upper with either blur or green trim/sole (that damn sole was heavier but lasted longer). Before they came in different materials and colors. Before Chinas.

-family and work are just a little more important right now. Maybe.

-someone mentioned Chicago, your first thought was Matt Churney.

-you remember a time when a list of people that had hit Nemesis did not exist.

-you remember when being able to hit a trick on one side was ok and didn't give a shit about form.

-you play net now (it's getting late...)

wow. 10 out of these 13 match for me, and I'm only 23

but yeah, big up to all you older folks still kicking! i hope i'll be still shredding by the time i'm 30...

Sergey · Post by **Sergey** » 23 Feb 2008 17:42

I'd be great to see some Richard Abshire and Shapeshifter footage!

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 27 Feb 2008 11:38

It can simply be tough to keep up a high level of enthousiasm about the game when you're well into your second decade.

yep