Dizzy Shred

Matt is leaving for a while to go live on Haida Gwaii and this was one of the last nice days of the season. It was perfect out there right down on the beach like that; you can’t tell from the video, but one swift kick and the bag would be in the Pacific Ocean. I love living on the coast.

I posted this in the Facebook group and got some likes and nice comments, but also want it here for posterity, I suppose.

This video is mostly us just messing around. At 10 minutes long, it’s one of the longest videos I’ve published in a while. But it features both Matt & me, and we both have some long runs.

The James Brown song was my favourite run. Shout out to Tribe Called Red.

Olav came to visit Matt & I almost 2 years ago now (where does the time go?). I published the first video I made of Olav:

But at the time I didn’t edit any of the footage of myself from those 2 sessions. A while back now I came across Olav’s part in my iMovie library and it basically had all my footage queued up and ready to go, so:

Matt came over to the big Island today and we had a session at the Y. It was pretty short, and we both had some fun combos. We started out in the dance studio space that is my favourite spot in the facility, but we got kicked out by a class coming in. I recorded the the studio part, but after we left and went upstairs to the squash court, I ended up having to use my phone to play the music (couldn’t re-pair with Matt’s speakers on my MacBook), and you can’t play music and record video at the same time, so … I missed it. At the end of the session, it occurred to me to try a combo I’ve been attempting for at least 7 years: double spinning osis > double inspinning osis and nailed it on the 2nd or 3rd attempt. I felt fantastic. Eye-height set on both; it popped up so perfectly. That feeling: that’s why I play. Sucks that I didn’t catch it on video though.

 

I’ve had the good fortune to have had 3 very fun hack sessions with Jeremy Kumbruch recently. Jer gave me my first pair of lavers. Jeremy was on the Czech tour in 1999 that inspired Vasek. We’ve had a lot of fun just passing it back and forth and doing wacky shit. We’ve been playing at the Y in the squash courts there, and I’ve been having a blast playing off the walls.

I’ve been doing a lot more kicks recently, but like, Bloughchi-style kicks with tricks. Consecutive spinning kicks and rainbows. The other night got me thinking that Rainbow kicks are actually really hard to do with perfect form and arc. Next session I’m going to challenge myself to doing 20 consecutive rainbow kicks that have perfect arc, directly over my head.

Footbag has been a big part of my life since at least 1994. I’ve attended many tournaments, but have only listed ones below where I’ve been involved in either competition, judging, or volunteering in some way. I’ve consulted on many other footbag projects than those listed. I’ve published hundreds of videos garnering tens of thousands of views, and acted as an ambassador to and promoter of footbag sports to countless individuals over the course of my career.

1989 First Hacky Sack (real blue-beige 2-panel pigskin)
1992 Started kicking in high school parking lot
1994 First saw real freestyle
1997 First Worlds. 27th place, Open.
1998 – 2002 freestyle@footbag.org moderator
1998 Toured local school system giving demonstrations
1999 Started publishing some of the first online videos; to present, over 100 videos published
1999 Russell Promotions Ireland campaign
1999 – 2003 Busking on Victoria/Vancouver streets
2000 World Footbag Championships; Judge, 19th Open
2001 – 2011 RevolutionFootbags.com; FreeomFootbags.com
2000 Innovated “Trials freestyle”
2001 Cameo in “Aggressive Grounds”
2001 World Footbag Championships, Judge
2001 Colorado Shred Symposium; Inducted into Big Add Posse
2002 – 2016 footbag.org/Forum Moderator & Admin
2002 Featured in “Where the Ripwalk Ends”
2002 Cameo in “Tricks of the Trade II”
2002 Seattle Juggling Footbag Festival, 1st place shred :30
2002 World Footbag Championships, Head Judge
2002 Footbag Worldwide logo (I’m so sorry)
2002 – 2003 IFPA Communications Director
2003 – 2006 IFPA Membership Director
2003 – present footbag.org technical contributor
2004 Featured in “Fourkast”
2004 Swiss Footjam; Judge
2005 Flipsider.com Team
2005 Victoria Footbag Jam (May Dayz), Organizer
2010 World Footbag Championships. Judging Coordinator, VIP Volunteer
2010 – present modified.in/footbag hosting & admin
2011 WorldFootbag.com redesign
2012 Joulukalenteri 2012
2013 modified redesign
2014 Badges project
2015 Joulukalenteri 2015
2015 Initiated historical archive videotape digital conversion
2016 Footbag.org redesign consulting; reference section rebuild; new moves database
2017 Worlds website
2017 IFPA Membership Director