We did it. Two weeks in a row. It’s officially a streak.
We went from two players to four this time. In attendance were Kim M, Nis P, Jasper J, and me.
We played for about an hour in a four-man circle, which was good for the energy level, but maybe not so good for the level of shred. I thought Jasper’s game looked very good, Nis is battling injuries like always, but also played well, Kim and I struggled a bit more than last time with the quality but I was happy we played longer.
Jasper even got some footage:
Afterwards Kim, Jasper and I had some beers and a Fernet Branca. As important as the actual session if you ask me. Footbag family is family forever.
I am thinking about restarting my Throwback Thursday series. Could be a good way of staying motivated and I still have a bunch of years to go through. Hope to have the first one up this week or next.
I played footbag yesterday. Exactly one year after I last did. That’s kinda wild.
First indoor session of the season and in attendance were just me and Kim “The Duke” Mortensen. It was rough. Control and feel were ok for both of us, but we definitely need to work on the endurance. Hopefully, that will happen. We played for maybe 45 minutes and were completely spent. Hopefully, a couple more people will join next Thursday. Yeah, I said it – Next Thursday! We are back!
Afterward, we had a couple of beers and shared where our lives are going. Kim is making some career moves and his third child is getting bigger, so there should be more room for footbag in his life.
In Denmark where the summers are short and mild and the winters long and dark, it has become a bit of a tradition to mark the last day of good weather with a big session. This is probably inspired by the amazing Finnish season ender videos.
Here is a previous season ender video from me:
Yesterday was probably the last day of summer, so we dug out the bags and the lavers and had a bit of a showdown. In attendance were: Nis, Jasper, Jan, Mads Hole, Jon and Frederik.
I haven’t played since April and before that since January, but I think I played okay and I am looking forward to hopefully getting into a much more regular kicking schedule.
After playing we had some beers and Jasper took out the projector so Mads could show some unreleased videos.
I’ve played footbag three times since my last post. Two of them a while back (one of those sessions I finally hit that damn Moebius) and yesterday.
Yesterday we were Nis, Ole and I. Ole mainly played with himself and me and Nis got a good hour of intense two man shred in. Nis looked good considering all of his injury problems and I also played fairly well. I hit a bunch of random stuff I rarely do like Nuclear, Stepping Ducking and a run with Pixie DLO and both DLOs.
Here is a little combo that I haven’t done too many times:
I also got myself a new bag. It’s a Derek Littlefeld bag and I absolutely adore it. Shredable right out of the box.
Footbag in Denmark
Daniel Boyle is doing a little profile on each country. So I thought I would help out and share my answers and thoughts about Denmark here.
– How is the scene at the moment (early 2020)
I wouldn’t say we are going strong, but we are still going.
– where are people playing and who are the most regular players?
There is only players active in Copenhagen as far as I know. A couple of players are located in Aalborg and Svendborg and we even have a former player on Greenland at the moment.
– Is there any regular meeting
Yes, we play every Thursday. It’s rare that there are nobody there.
The godfathers of the current generation are Mads Hole and Mads Neuhard.
– Who are the key organisers?
We are an officially recognized organisation in Denmark. The board consists of Nis Petersen, Mathias Blau, Kim Mortensen, Rasmus Rendsvig, Frederik Mens and me.
– Who is the “underground hero” – they may not have been to big events or in videos but are kind of legendary in their own way
There is a couple but I think recently the most prolific one is Frederik Mens – editor in chief of the club’s magazine “Pdx Talk”.
– What’s the most important footbag event in your country?
Danish Championships which has been running since 2003. We also have a yearly general assembly and christmas lunch.
– Are there any young players coming through the ranks?
There is not, but for the first time in a while we have a new player Ole Kuplikum. Not exactly a spring chicken, but it’s nice to have some new blood.
– When was the peak time for footbag in your country?
It must have been right after Euros in 2004.
– Who are the most successful players in terms of competition?
Mathias Blau and Allan Petersen
– How do you see the coming years for footbag in your country?
I don’t see us stopping any time soon, but I also don’t see a big renaissance coming.
As some of you might remember I turned 30 this summer. Kim gave me tickets to go see Freddie Gibbs and we finally did last Saturday. It was banging. Here is a song (I chose this one because Mads Neuhard and Mads Hole are called Manne in Denmark) from the most recent album:
I did bag fu yesterday with Mathias Blau and Nis. Nis is still trying to go easy on his body, but I thought he looked great. Mathias was also playing super well yesterday in my opinion. Pushing a little harder than usually. I played fine. I had this idea of wanting to do a full symposium swifter and footed it many times. Mathias of course hit it first try bsos.
On Wednesday I was hanging out in inner Copenhagen with my dad and littlebrother. We saw some art (nsfw) and ate some traditional greasy Danish food. At one point we walked past this old church and my dad told that this was the first place he evered experienced footbag back in the 80s and that his best friend bought a footbag from the guy. This was of course interestering for me but even more interesting because I remembered this photo:
The photo is of the Danish HoF member Allan Petersen. He recently did a recreation of it and wrote some more about it here.
I sent the photo to my dad and he was absolutely certain it was him his friend bought the bag from. Pretty cool. It’s a small footbag world.
Thursday Party
When I got to the spot yesterday Mathias, Mads Hole and Nis were already standing outside. We went in and I played with Mathias and Mads and Nis played. We played with this buttery smooth 12 panel made by my guy Derek Littlefield. I might have to pick up a couple of those. Mathias said some nice things about where my game is. That felt good. I feel pretty good about it and footbag in general. Footbag is fun. After 40 minutes we merged the two circles. It’s probably been years since I’ve played with Mads and that is always fun.
Then Frederik showed up and hung out.
Pdx Talk
Back in 2004 when I started playing footbag – FootbagDenmark had an actual physical members magazine and for the last month or so we have been working on during a new issue and now it is out. I wrote two articles and did the layout. Nis’ wife Inna did the amazing painting on the front cover.
We were Kim, Nis and our newest player Ole. I was there early to test the toilet facilities, they were quite acceptable. Rough and thin toilet paper though, but that is to be expected at a public primary school.
I think Kim played well, though he complained a little about fatigue and sore knees. Nis practiced the art of restriction, which is rarely the strength of kings. Ole practiced his Clipper and you could see clear progress after some good tips from both Nis and Kim.
The highlight of the evening was when Hole called Nis’ phone and the call went through on the hall’s speaker. He had just woken up from a nap and was still hovering somewhere between Dreamland and Nørrebro. You’d almost think it was rehearsed, so confusing and poetic at the same time.
I ended the session with getting impossibly close to Mobius. Unfortunately, footbag is a harsh lover and the beautifully flowing trick flowed away from me. But then it is good that there is a Thursday Party again soon!
For as long as I have been playing “The Thursday Party” at Medborgeren has been the most important weekly session in Copenhagen during the winter. It was also where the first Danish Champs in recent time was hosted, it was an important place during Euros in 2004 and it was where I organized my first big tournament (Danish Footbag Open 2013) which led to us hosting Worlds.
Last winter the municipality in Copenhagen decided to not renew our weekly time slot and it was a big blow. Pretty much since then Nis and Mathias has been working hard to find us a new spot and about a month ago they succeeded.
The new spot is an old gym at a school. There is no cafeteria and no stage but everything else is pretty much better;
The floor is good for footbag
There is a choir of about twenty girls in their twenties practicing right next us
The showers are better
The room is a bit bigger, but not too big for us
Our time slot is better (moved from 21 – 23 to 20 – 22)
And most importantly – it is located only 500 meters away from where I live and a 100 meters from where Kim does
Kim and Mathias played there last week, but this week I made it.
In attendance: Mathias Blau, Kim Mortensen, Jasper Johansen, Nis Petersen and Yours Truly
It’s been a while since Copenhagen have seen five people at session and it definitely felt like the start (restart) of something!
I played with Jasper and Kim. Kim didn’t play the best I’ve seen but I always love playing with him. Jasper has been battling weird injuries for the past couple of years, but I think he looked good. He also said he felt fine, so he plan on showing up regularly.
I played surprisingly well for not having played for a while. Short runs but I think I hit pretty much everything I can do and a lot of it first try.
I am already looking forward to next week. I hope we can keep this up.
I am really enjoying how these old heads (even older than me) are making a return. My sixth footbag sense says they are not gonna stay around long, but here is to hope. I have also been kicking a little lately and I also hope that isn’t just a fad.
I played footbag with myself on the 17th. Just a short session going through basics. Everything felt surprisingly good (except for my shape).
The day after Angelo arrived from Spain (via Berlin) to celebrate my 30th birthday. In the evening we went to Christiania so Angelo could stock up on the herb that footbaggers often need and enjoy the area and the sun. We kicked near some guys selling cheap draft beers and the main guy invited us over to their little beer stand to kick there. He even gave us a beer.
We also ran into a guy who has been posting a little on the Danish footbag channels. He was wearing a glitter jester hat and was carrying a bag and all kinds of juggling equipment. He could have been Nick Polini’s dad. He might not be young but new blood is always appreciated.
A couple of days later I celebrated my 30th birthday and that was fun on all levels. What a party. Thanks to Angelo for making the trip.
I won’t be going to Worlds because I am an asshat but more footbag is coming soon.
After half an hour I overstretched something in my shoulder. It hurts like hell. It’s been 257 days since I last played, so I wasn’t too surprised my body didn’t like it. Guess I am gonna stay away from ducks next time.
I did enjoy myself and the weather was perfect, so hopefully, it won’t be 257 days before I play again.
Hoping to go to Worlds in Poland this summer. It would be nice to at least be back to a decent level.
