The Inshredible Bulk: Not Trending, Not Roll Spiking Either

Zjeezy · Post by **Zjeezy** » 20 Sep 2008 19:16

I noticed on your desk your missing you jar of footbag. There is theivery afoot!!

I blame Risden

We should dress up in chicken suits and reinact this photo at Nyj

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 21 Sep 2008 00:28

lol
I totally just read the chicken text. LOL

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 21 Sep 2008 06:55

We should dress up in chicken suits and reinact this photo at Nyj

Ok, but I'm not gonna be the chicken with the fucked up asshole...

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 21 Sep 2008 10:48

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 07 Oct 2008 23:05

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!
classic.

I edited a short video

Now I remember why I hate working with video/animation...

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 08 Oct 2008 08:20

Cut up another vid.

Oh, I got that place in Lincoln Square last night. Strangely enough, I'm not as thrilled about it as I should be...

Edit:
Vid is back up. I'll be near Lincoln and Foster, Kamil

EDIIT:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvja1tXLo9U[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApexwJ0-KIs[/youtube]

quadgun · Post by **quadgun** » 08 Oct 2008 08:26

Lincoln-Lawrence area?

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 09 Oct 2008 20:43

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSif6STW65A[/youtube]

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 09 Oct 2008 21:23

those look better that the last, the side axes. Still room for improvment, but it looked like you were hittig the ball pretty darn hard. Nice!

Sweet toe flips! Really good height. Only criticism is that it looks like that is more of a sweep (inside surface) that a true toe surface. Nonetheless, lookin good, and could be devastating on the court. Let's see you hand toss some bags and film yourself trying to hit footbags over the net. That will tell you a lot about which aspects of the move to focus on.

Keep going man, it's nice to see your progress. Been waiting for a blog update for a week now.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 10 Oct 2008 22:09

September 21 was the Second City Cup. Basically a bare bones, locals only (IFPA sanctioned) "tournament". We did pick ups on Saturday then singles and doubles on Sunday.

Singles Net:
1. Cory Current
2. Steve Smith
3. Ted Martin
4. Scot Hansen
5-7. Zeke, Bryan, and Vince, who all decided to scratch from the consolation games in favor of playing more doubles.

Doubles Net:
1. Cory Current/ Scot Hansen
2. Ted Martin/ Steve Smith
3. Greg Grandy/ Bryan Nelson
4. Zeke Ibardaloza/ Vince Pontarelli

It took me almost 2 hours to get to Union Park because of the fucked up rail system construction/repair downtown. It didn't help I had to lug around Scot's court half way across the loop just to transfer trains. Then the staff in the station told me to go to the wrong platform. I finally get to Union where Mike Bellman, Vince and Cory were warming up. Cory had somehow strained his neck and wasn't playing very hard. Mike was only in town that day. I was doing ok, hit 2 side axes while playing with Mikey. I also hit Cory in the calf with a sunback.

Sunday started with another public transportation SNAFU. It only took me an hour and a half this time. Eight players total showed up for the comp! I changed quickly and immediately jumped on to the court for my singles match with Steve Smith. He took the victory easily 15-4. I tried to poach as he served game point since he had been dinking them just over the net. I ran up but he lobbed the serve over and behind me!

Needles to say Vince and I lost every game in doubles. The best we could manage was 7 points against both games vs Greg/Bryan. We got shut out in our second game vs Scot/Cory and our first game against Steve/Ted. I committed mental errors all throughout the day and Vince played like it was his God given right take a bad swing at every pass that comes to him. It's hard to get him to change because he can't take any constructive criticism without getting defensive. Well, I'm just glad it wasn't a real comp.

A new guy named Jason, Carrie Cruz and Steve Richardson showed up later and played some pick ups. This was the most fun part of the day. I tried poaching Ted this time and I would have gotten one of I hadn't comitted a net foul. I partnered with Ted when Steve R. tweaked something in his knee. We lost against Cory and Jason. Ted and I took the rematch when I was the main offense. I got more sets in that one game than I did the whole time I was playing with Vince. It felt so good to finally crush a few.

We then played a third game to see who would win the match. Ted was giving me great sets again and I just attacked everything as hard as I could. In one play I ran cross court to the left and managed to side axe one of Teds digs. I barely reached it and made contact with the bag. I immediately spun left as I landed to see what had happened and to my surprise, I saw that bag ride the tape a few inches near center court then drop into our side! WTF? At first I though I kicked that damned thing sideways and it did a tightrope act across the top of the net. Then I realized that Jason had dug my spike and dinked us to add insult to injury!

Ted kept delivering these sweet sets and I was connecting with my sunbacks and toe reverses. We would have been annihilating them if not for Cory's incredible defense. Another set went wide left, about a foot out of our left line. I sprinted after it and went for a flying sunback. I nailed it with a solid contact and turned my head to track the bag as it rocketed behind me. I got this great view of it blasting Jason right in the chest! I heard the other players resting in the shade as they reacted to it, what a fucking rush! Finally, I've now given a wicked tattoo during a game. Welcome to net, new guy, hehehe! Come to think of it, if Jason wasn't standing there, the spike would have landed out. The rest of the game was just as exciting as there was plenty of hustle by both teams. Ted and I managed to pull off the victory in the end.

It felt great to be able to end the day on a positive note. I must have been smirking the whole train ride home. My serve returns are finally showing improvement. I was even able to bump Ted's line drive serve more often than not. Sets from my right outside are getting more consistent and my left leg is still slowly coming along. I'm way more active at the net now and my serves are still very solid. I still have a bad habit of not setting digs, though.

Click the image to see the rest of the gallery

Vince and I played at Roosevelt last weekend. Our quiet secret little park was no longer a secret. There must have been 4 different (and big) groups using the park by the time we set up. I finished 5-1 No spikes but my sweep serves were on.

Here's another video of my practice sessions
http://www.flickr.com/photos/airzeke/2930977518/

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 11 Oct 2008 19:20

Biked to Jane Addams Memorial Park (east of LSD and north of Lake Point Tower) today to play net with Vince. I probably should have packed a few things for next week's move but I've been wound real tight lately and needed to get out and blow off some steam. I think I finished 5-2 today. Most of the games were fun to play. I fucked up a half dozen side axe attempts but hit one nasty scuff to open one of the last games. I also sunbacked my left eye later in the day. Dear god did that hurt.

I've been fairly successful with my sweep serve lately. It's not as accurate as my normal serve (yet) but I can dink occasional, lob to the back line or just spike it.

I've pretty much stopped doing push ups to punish myself. But then again, I've gotten significantly better at all the things I was punishing myself for. Still, I should get back to it, I'm not that good yet. I've also stopped stretching altogether. That's definitely not good.

I can't wait to play again tomorrow. Hope we get a decent turnout. I want to focus on bumping or setting digs on defense and being extra aggressive at the net. Need to stretch and warmup properly too.

I turn 33 tomorrow. Serious changes need to happen in my life to get out of this perpetual funk I'm in.

Jack Stutler · Post by **Jack Stutler** » 12 Oct 2008 07:45

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 12 Oct 2008 08:44

Happy

Day!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 12 Oct 2008 20:26

Oh my...

Thanks y'all.

Great day today! Left at about 10 this morning just in time for the 11:30 session at Union. It was just Scot, Cory, Vince and myself. Power kicked, stretched just a little and drilled serve returns. We started out playing 3 games rotating partners every time then we finished them out as matches (if that makes any kind of sense). I played fairly solid most of the day. I had a good day defensively. I got my foot on a lot of spikes and was able to bump/set a few of them back into play. I even got a partial block that Scot managed to clean up after me. My serve returns could have been better. But then again, I was up against Scot and Cory's sweep serves.

Offensively, I hit 4 big spikes. Four may be worthless in the grand scheme of things but when you're still learning and developing each one means a lot. The first one was a toe jam off a set from Scot that almost hit Vince and the second was set from Vince (yeah, I was just as shocked) that blasted right past Scot's left shoulder and into the back line. I was really surprised to hit these because I rarely practice them. I even hit an ugly toe flip that hit 2 inches below the tape. Vince managed to get me another set that I crushed with a side axe. I hit another while taking advantage of an overset and smashed it right back at the other team. They were extra satisfying because I kept shanking them back to myself on Saturday. I nailed one sunback that caught the tape but still managed to fly at Cory with decent velocity. He got a foot on it but shanked it out of play.

I was a little tentative at first and kept passing up good bumps near the net in favor of setting my partner. As the day progressed I became more relaxed and made better decisions with what to spike and what to set. I almost completely unraveled during the last game and committed numerous errors. Despite ending on on a bad note it wasn't enough to ruin the whole day for me. I'm getting good power on my spikes but right now I'm just taking big swings and hoping it lands in play. I can't wait to merge a little accuracy with that power and actively start targeting open court or defenders.

On the way home, Nathan called and I made a quick change of plans to hook up with him and Tom for another stop on our pizza tour. I met up with them where they were kicking. Quite the scenic spot I must say, complete with a spike practice tree and soiled panties. It inspired me to a win off Tom in a single game of 2-square before heading to the pizza place. Ian's served big slices with a variety of... uh, interesting toppings. For example I had one slice with macaroni & cheese and a second slice of ground beef, BBQ sauce and french fries. Yeah, why don't you soak that in for a bit.

I don't know if I'd be able to give the place a fair rating. I was starving out of my mind from a second 4 hour net session, I picked some weird-ass toppings and Tom paid for my food (eating for free is always good). The pizza wasn't terrible but I didn't love it either. Buying slices made it quick and convenient. The dining space was small and I could see it getting crowded and annoying really fast since it's in the middle of Wrigleyville. A limited variety of drinks and no public washroom definitely count against the place. I'd be willing to try Ian's again and order something more conventional but right now I would not go out of my way to eat there.

We then set our minds to acquire and consume bad-ass milk shakes. During the drive over, my stomach started rumbling after the two slices decided they didn't want to play nice with each other anyore. Tom was extremely generous to offer me a ride straight home at this point but I figured I would just destroy a public washroom and still be able to hang out. Besides, we hadn't gotten any bad-ass milk shakes yet. I saw a kid jump and hold onto one of those hanging metal bars that tell you the drive height clearance of an entrance. One side broke off from his weight and he fell to the floor. He popped back up had sprinted a good 20 feet before his friends thought it was a good idea to follow. Kinda random but it helped keep my mind off my stomach problems.

Nathan, went to secure a table the restaurant, Tom went off to find parking and I still needed to destroy a washroom. I went to the Mc' Donalds across the street and had to buy a glass of water just to gain access to the washroom. I locked the door to the stall and settled down to my business. A few minutes later I heard someone walk in. I hate it when this happens. Before I know it the guy opens the door on me and I scream "Hold up!" as in, 'hold on,' or 'wait a minute!'. I was not declaring my intentions to mug him at shit-point. Anygay, he apologized and left, no doubt with a funny story to tell his friends at the table. I continue with my business.

At the restaurant we get a table and order our shakes. The place was small but very busy. There were people constantly walking in & out and a line outside of people waiting to be seated. The decoration was very dated, some of it seemed part of a loose theme but most of it was just old. We get our shakes soon enough. That first sip was freakin' incredible! It was rich chocolate bliss through a straw. Tom described it best as a pipeline straight to heaven. As if it couldn't get any better, Tom and Nathan paid for my bad-ass milk shake. Sweet.

We then drive to LaRAZA. Soon a game of Crotchfire starts. I can't go into too many details without sounding really gay but it was probably one of the more hilarious sessions ever. I was gottened 4 times including a stealth shot (we were playing with a light up footbag in the dark when a second unsanctioned footbag got me with no warning). Oddly enough, the less aiming I do the more accurate my throws become. I can't think of a better way to end the day than having your good friends trying to hit you you in the nuts with a footbag. Best birthday ever!

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 12 Oct 2008 21:08

Happy Birthday Zeke.

As I sat here reading, I wondered, just for a moment, how many others are reading your "net" blog. Then I decided that I didn't care because I like getting your updates, no matter how many or few others might also be tuned in.

In one of your recent posts, you mentioned how your life could use a change. Well, I have an idea about how to make that happen. It involved one of two things. 1) Moving to Oakland and training with Chaos, or 2) Leaving Chicago for the purpose of attending a net tournament, say perhaps Phoenix in January?

I am somewhat on the fence about going to NYJ this year, and although I'll probably end up going, I want to know if there is or will be any effort put into securing a space for the net court we had last year or making net at all prominent at the vent. As the net club grows in Chicago, it is a shame not to display it at such an event. Think about making a footbag.org post about it or something. I mean, no one will go if they don't know what the deal is.

Bye for now.

Frank_Sinatra · Post by **Frank_Sinatra** » 13 Oct 2008 06:56

Zeke wrote:...get out of this perpetual funk I'm in.

You're leaving P-Funk??

Bootsy Collins will be so sad.

Anyway, happy birthday man, yesterday was a blast.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 13 Oct 2008 18:15

Thanks, guys.

It's impossible to know who's been reading but I get some decent traffic in here. I took the total number of views and divided by the number of pages and I got an average of 726 views per page. That seems so ridiculous to me. But what's not to like? My blog has got everything. Humor, drama, comedy, video, cool pictures and more incorrect grammar than a stack of hip hop magazines. Seriously though, neither suggestions (Oakland or Phoenix) are likely to happen for a variety of reasons. Money is the main. I need to be in a much better financial situation and I need to do it soon. As for NYJ, I don't know if there's anything official planned for net. I have not talked to Scott D and I'm kinda taking a back seat as far as being an organizer this year.

Some possible layouts to the new room. The door to the room is on the upper left along the south wall. The closet door is on the upper right. That light brown rectangle along the west wall is a radiator then in the middle is one large window. there is a pair of electrical outlets on the north wall near the bottom right and a second pair in the middle of the east wall. The smaller white rectangle is my bookshelf and the larger one is a wardrobe. The bed, desk & chair is pretty easy to spot.
EDIT: I've narrowed it down to these 3

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 17 Oct 2008 10:16

At the new place now. I'm so fucking tired. No internet just yet so if ya need to get a hold of me just call my mobile phone. Playing Net in Des Plaines tomorrow and my nieces birthday party on Sunday.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 20 Oct 2008 18:56

I'm pretty much all moved into the new place. I started packing and organizing stuff last Wednesday after work and moved stuff all day Thursday in three different shifts. My older brother helped in the morning moving mostly all the smaller boxes. Then my brother and his friend moved the majority of my stuff in the afternoon and Reile helped with that big-ass wardrobe, desk and other odds & ends in the evening. We did manage to get everything in one day but it didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked (fucking keys weren't working well) so I was pretty stressed and cranky at the end. Due to some other bullshit which I won't get into here, I ended up crashing at my parents that night. My back was bothering me all night on the couch and I didn't sleep much. Went back to the new place the next morning to finish organizing the room but was still having problems with the keys. It took all morning to finish and I was pretty much a zombie during the rest of the day at work on Friday.

So, I haven't had many good experiences at the new place so far and I wasn't looking forward to going home. Fuck. I was starting to regret not taking the place in Andersonville that I had really liked (too expensive for a bad economy, though). Too late to turn back, all I could do was go home and deal with it. I get to the new place and to my surprise the keys worked! I step through the door and was greeted by my roommates' happy little dog, Tenoch (tehn- uch). Later we split a pizza from Stephano's (turns out their favorite pizza place is Giordano's!) and talked all night to get to know each other. It felt so great because everything began to work and I felt like I became friends with them instead of just people I live with. It started to feel like home.

I woke up Saturday and was again greeted by the dog and the smell of fresh coffee. Great fucking start. I walk to the Brown line train station on Rockwell and it took only 35 minutes to get downtown. It would have taken almost twice that time from LaRAZA taking the Redline. Anyways, I hook up with Vince at his place and we drive out to Busse Woods for the start of Ted Martin's Spike 'n Shoot Saturday Shindig. Basically he planned to play Net in the morning, shooting range + food in his back yard in the afternoon and hot tub + movie at night! What more could you ask for?

I had another solid net session. Scott, Greg, Cory, Vince and I were the first to show up. Ted arrived after he had finished most of his party preparations. Then Tommy made a surprise visit (he thought he cracked a rib a month back but it turned out to be just bruised) just as Scot was leaving for his daughter's soccer game. Power kicking to start the warm-ups then serve drill just before games started. I need to get back to stretching before I play. Here are some highlights:
-big side axe in Ted's face but no tattoo
-my first 2 (standing) pulldowns in a game. Tommy managed to dig the first one stealing part of my thunder.
-Jonny Leys-esque toe reverse that I had to cross the net to nail
-shanked a scissor sweep just below my calf but still managed a kill. I don't think I've hit one of these since last years midwest net event.
-half-assed scissoring toe jam thingy that got a kill.
-good close game against Tommy/Vince. I drilled a serve past Vince for game point just as Tommy finished taunting us for not wanting the win with some sloppy play earlier. I screamed, "Give it to me!" as I smashed a sweep just past Vince's non existent left side. They claimed we got lucky and demanded a rematch.
-I tore them new jail- sized assholes by scoring 15 points in a row. Most of it on my serves. Cory's defense helped prevent any side outs and Tommy's whiffs late in the game sealed the shut out victory READ: 15-0. Cory never got to serve for our team!
-finally served out in the next game to end a personal best of 18 points in a row
-Cory and I working our asses of for a come from behind win against Tommy/Vince in a sympathy rematch.

My left knee was acting up during the move on Thusday but it felt fine on Saturday. I bought 2 new straps just for Saturday. On the second to last play of the day, Tommy and I both went up on opposite sides of the net to go after an overset. He strained his hamstring and I hurt my knee. We both yelled and hobbled off the court after landing. We limped around as we cleaned up the site and headed off to Ted's party.

If you already didn't know, Ted Martin (world record holder for most consecutive kicks) hosts one of the best parties around. A very gracious host with an incredible house that's made to entertain. Two hot tubs, multiple tv's, fire pit, dart board, pool table and a new target range he set up in a small creek behind his property. It should go without saying that a man with such a place would also serve plenty of great food but I'm going to say it anyway. I had 2 humongous juicy burgers, an Italian sausage, some egg salad and 3 brownies during my stay! I wish I had more room for the Italian beef. The smell of it filled his house and it made you want to eat the walls. Yeah. The shooting practice was more fun than I expected it to be. Ted had all kinds of targets set up in the back. He had 2 air rifles, one scoped. There were also slingshots, crossbows, bow & arrow and an air pistol. I mingled just a bit but spent most of the time eating or chilling with Vince and Cory. Vince and I decided not to stick around for the hot tubs and Dark Knight and left around 6pm. We hit some traffic early on so we listened to some Lounge Against the Machine to pass the time.

I helped Vince unload his car then headed home. I was once again greeted by little mister happy dog as I stepped into the door.
After a long hot shower, puppy head was more than happy to keep me company as I iced my knee and just marveled at the fabulous day I just had. Then I slept like a baby.

Click the image to see the rest of the gallery

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 22 Oct 2008 11:42