Cass shreds - USO 2023

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Matt K
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Matt K » 10 Apr 2015 07:20

Your stepping has improved a ton from the last time I saw it.

And I know you're tired of hearing it, but I will be eternally jealous of your fairy game.

See you tonight!
Matt Kemmer

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 13 Apr 2015 10:32

Thanks Matt! I hope we get the opportunity to shred one-on-one at USO. That would be rad.

My thesis defense went really well Friday afternoon! I got really positive feedback about my writing skills and the defense itself ended up being a lot less stressful than I expected. Part of this might be attributed to the yoga and meditation I did beforehand. It felt so good to finish that and get on the road to my first footbag event of the season!

I got on the road toward Hamilton at 6pm and picked Alex up at the bus station by 8pm. The drive was pretty smooth and pleasantly uneventful. It was great to catch up with Alex. We spent a lot of time talking about the prospect of getting a place together in Montreal. I think that we would make fabulous roommates. I really want that to happen.

Alex ate a 20 pack of nuggets at a record pace.

We arrived at the shred haus around 1:30am. There were so many footbag people there!! I hugged at least 20 people. It was so great to see everyone! It seemed like they were waiting for us to get there. No sooner did I hug everyone people started heading to their respective crash spaces.

I love that I know basically everyone at east coast events now. It’s like visiting family. Only the greatest family ever. I’m home.

Eventually it was time for Alex and I to roll to our crash space. Nick Landes ended up joining us. Finding the parking garage ended up being a bit of an ordeal. The one way streets kept throwing us off. I didn’t expect to park so far from where we would be staying and I did not pack light enough. I had so much stuff to carry. It was slightly ridiculous.

We arrived at Aiden’s place pretty late. Him and his super chill roommates were still up chillin watching Trailer Park Boys. We hung out a bit and eventually crashed sometime after 4. I was so dead by this point. Such a long day.

We woke up around 8:30 on Saturday. Alex and I went on a coffee and food mission. It was a nice day and a much more enjoyable walk than the night previous. We went to a place that served really tasty bagels.

Aiden and his roommates are late sleepers. When we got back Nick made mate and the three of us had a nice yoga sesh.

Eventually we geared up and headed towards the event site. We were almost there when we ran into Nathan B and his family. Apparently the indoor spot didn’t work out and we would be shredding at another location. It ended up being an outdoor basketball court which was decent enough. It was kinda cold due to the wind. Luckily I happened to have a toque and a long sleeve shirt to keep me warm enough.

So many people were already there shredding it up! Yayy.

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I spent some time in circle with Brandon from Florida (I think he was the only new player I met) and also Corey x3 whom I don’t think I’ve really shredded with before. After a bit Hogan joined. Kevin and I spent a lot of time shredding together this weekend and it was really great! Pretty sure some my best shred of the weekend happened in that first circle. Was feeling really good. Hogan was playing really well. So fun.

I didn’t play with as many different people as I would have liked because it was not easy to leave the circles I was already in. It was not possible to kick with everyone at the event. Luckily I will see many of these people again soon :)

The events at this jam were organised really well. Mirage races were first. I am terrible at these but it was good practice. Rippin run was next. This was my first time participating in an event like this! It was tiltless minimum so I figured that shouldn’t be too difficult. I think around 20 people participated. I started off a little shaky but got into a groove after a while. When I dropped I looked up and only Mikie, Matt, Evan and Nick L were left. I got 5th place!! Dope.

Mikie and Matt dropped shortly after me and it was down to Evan and Nick. For some reason Evan thought it was over and hand catched his while Nick was still going so Nick kind of won by default.

After that was request. My favourite! I got the first few combos first try which felt good. I got out on blur>egg which was silly. The other option with legbeater>spinning butter which I hit second try after I got out. Figures :P

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They decided to have some routines as well just for fun. I wasn’t planning to do one but they asked me to do it and I figured it would be good practice. I didn’t want to spoil the one I’m working on right now so I dug out my song from USO last year and listened to it a couple times to try and remember. It was low pressure which was nice and the routine went pretty well considering I haven’t touched it since last June. Khoa did a really cool football routine. Nathan tried a routine as well and the part he planned out was really good! That kid impressed me this weekend. Nick L also did a really awesome juggling/footbag routine for us. That was neat.

I’m not sure if it was the sun exposure after being a hermit all winter or just lack of sleep and stuff but I crashed pretty early. Evan and both Nicks did a renegade thing after the routines but I was just dead by this point. I spend some time chilling and laying on the ground trying to recover.

The sun was devious this weekend. Nearly everyone got burned to a crisp.

When things were starting to wrap up at the shred spot those of us staying at Aiden’s decided to go back to talk with the coach and shower before worrying about food. Bob rolled with us and chilled for a bit as well. Other people left to grab chinese food and some people [including Hogan who just killed it all weekend] were still kicking.

I was so glad to get out of the sun, shower, and relax a little when we finally got back to the crash spot. Also to talk to the coach for the first time that day. Our hosts had some guests over that were pretty chill. Some good lounging went down awww yiss.

I was responsible for navigating our crew everywhere this weekend. It was a little tricky without data but I think I did alright figuring everything out. My map using/navigation skills have improved noticeably since I starting going on a lot of footbag adventures. I’ve also been to State College a few times now so I’m getting to know the area.

The party Saturday night ended up being at the shred haus again. I figured out the route we needed to take to pass the beer/liquor stores. The walk with Nick and Alex was pretty nice. It’s so great being outside and not freezing your butt off. I grabbed a 26 of tequila cause I felt like drinking for once.

We arrived at the shred haus a bit early I guess cause it was pretty low key, some people were napping and stuff. A matter of seconds after we arrived another crew of shredders rolled in and things got a little more live.

Before we got down to partying Nick and I had another yoga session, this time in the basement with Khoa. Not the most ideal location for yoga but I was glad for the opportunity to stretch out a bit. Yoga before partying is just the best.

Back upstairs we got into the tequila. I fed Evan at least five shots and gave a bunch away to other people as well. It was great to hang with Evan again. We barely shredded together at all but I really appreciated his presence at this event. Apparently once he was half drunk on tequila he went to the basement and tore some shit up. I missed the action but this did not surprise me at all. Midnight Gatesman shreds are the bomb. I also missed the 9 square action that happened downstairs. I am terrible at squares and wasn’t really feelin’ it but I’m sure it was hella fun.

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Hogan was double fisting beers and gin and juice. I did a couple shots with him and he was looking pretty rough after the second one but he managed to keep it together for the most part.

Tongue in the ear.

Nick made some scramble eggs and shared them. This was the only cooked food I ate all weekend so I was pretty grateful for that.

There were talks of Movement festival in Detroit. Sounds like it’s going to be a real fun time.

Mikie gave me the best hug of the weekend before he left the party.

Fun footbag parties are fun. We hung out until around 4am. I stopped drinking by around 1 so I wouldn’t be hungover the next day. I really like tequila because I know how it effects me and I know when to stop. Shots are just so efficient.

Walking back to the crash spot with Nick and Alex was interesting. Alex was hammered which is pretty entertaining. He found a milk crate which he gifted to our hosts.

We slept past 10 on Sunday. This rarely happens for me at events but it was two really late nights in a row. This time I walked with Nick to starbucks for coffee and Alex stayed behind. Another really nice walk on an even nicer day!

We returned and Alex decided to go grab some food while Nick and I did yoga. This was the best yoga sesh of the weekend. I know the poses pretty well so we were able to practice in relative silence [aside from the sound of breath]. I found it really enjoyable to practice with another human without all the words. So lovely.

We packed up all our stuff and geared up to head to the shred spot. I made the mistake of bringing more stuff from my car (like my hoop) and had even more stuff to carry this time. I found it amusing how much I stick out in State College. Everything/everyone there is so homogenous. I find it really uninspiring. I suppose that’s part of the reason there are so few photos in this blog post.

I split up with the guys and dropped some stuff at my car before heading to the shred spot which was a really nice outdoor location. I was a little late so a lot of people were already there shredding.

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I geared up and kicked for maybe an hour. Mostly with Hogan again haha. He was rocking the gyro toe stuff today. Love it.

I got a chance to play with Ianek one on one a bit! That is always fun. He also taught Kevin and I Rotor which I now understand but still can’t really do. It’s such a weird trick.

Again I managed to miss shredding with a lot of people. I did play a bit in a circle with Evan, Jon and Nathan. Nathan’s game is looking really solid - a huge leap from the last time I saw him shred.

A bunch of workshops happened but I didn’t really participate in any. Evan did a double down one and I tried to work on barflies but realised that my legs were just way too dead by that point in the weekend.

I got burned out pretty quick on Sunday and spent the rest of the time just hanging out around great people. Alex and I didn’t have to leave until around 5pm which was perfect because that was around the time things were wrapping up and people were heading to grab food and stuff.

I got all of the hugs and I didn’t cry! I barely even came close to crying! It’s easier to say goodbye when I know I’m going to see these amazing humans at other events this summer! And for many years to come. It’s such a wonderful community that I am fortunate to be a part of.

Alex and I made our way back to Canadaland and the drive wasn’t too bad at all. Getting back on nice smooth Canadian highways where I can drive fast is always nice. We stopped at a gas station and they had pizza slices for sale that actually happened to be fresh. That was the best slice of pizza omg. Om nom nom. I miss cooked meals. The border crossing was super quick which was great because Alex had to catch his bus. I dropped Alex in Hamilton and made the rest of the trip home before 1am which was great. I wasn’t even that exhausted.

Alex is moving back to Toronto soon and I’m so stoked to spend the summer shredding and partying with him. He is such a great friend.

In conclusion, Jamps was great. The hosts did an awesome job! Things really came together wonderfully.

I don’t even have post event depression because I’m not stressed out by school any longer and I have so many great adventures to look forward to! This is just the beginning :)

Thanks for all the love footbag people!


<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- Jampionships V

Post by Cass » 15 Apr 2015 11:06

This has just been a great week so far. Super chill and stress free. The beautiful weather is finally here.

I had outside hoop sesh’s yesterday and today.

Yesterday was my first a Canadian outdoor shred of the year! It felt good but I was a little beat up from the event this past weekend.

The reason I’m bothering to make a blog post is because I just met my new neighbour. I am super stoked because she is into hula hooping!! She seems really rad. We are going to yoga together tonight. Friends with coach too. So much win. I’m pretty pumped to have another cool lady friend in my life.

It feels so good to not have to be doing things constantly! I’m totally in summer mode and it is fantastic.

Only a couple more weeks until my next footbag adventure!!

<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 20 Apr 2015 10:24

Happy fizzied day!

Feeling thankful to be a part of this community.


I played footbag today after three rest days. It was fun.

PLO>Egg 11 contacts


I went to a neat craft show in Toronto yesterday to meet up with Johnny and Kristen. I got my new travel hoop! It comes into three pieces so I can take it with me when I fly places! It’s smaller than my other ones which I rather like. The tape looks really dope in the sunlight.

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<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 22 Apr 2015 10:21

Today I did my routine dropless.

Derek
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Derek » 22 Apr 2015 17:52

Things and stuff.
Cass wrote:Today I did my routine dropless.
Pretty darn impressive, probably see that live.
Cass wrote: PLO>Egg 11 contacts
Honestly like that better.

Goodnight.

<3
Live, Love, Footbag

Derek Littlefield

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 06 May 2015 07:37

See you tomorrow Derek!!!!!! :D :D :D

I went to Massachusetts this past weekend for some reason :P

The drive was long but uneventful. Kevin and I grabbed some food at a neat pub in Salem.

Salem is an interesting little place. I mean, if witches are your thing.

Saturday morning we grabbed some breakfast in Salem and walked around a bit before kicking. It’s really cool seeing real touristy places from the local perspective. I think it’s so awesome that I ended up in Salem MA this weekend for reasons completely different than why most people visit there.

We did some yoga by the “lake” which I later learned was actually the ocean.

We got to the Saturday shred spot in Salem and started warming up a little.

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Before long a local named Tristan joined us. He was pretty stoked to kick which was great. Soon Bob arrived! We had a nice 4 person shred and everyone hit some good stuff. The weather was a little cool Saturday so it was tough to stay warmed up.

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Bob, Kevin and I grabbed some post-shred mexican food and margaritas. Nice.

We said goodbye to Bob and headed to the Clipper Ship In. Yeah, that’s right. It was meant to be.

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Sunday morning we drove to the train station and took the train into Boston. I’m glad I actually got to see a bit of the city this time.

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There wasn’t anything particularly striking about it but it was pretty cool. We walked around a bunch and hung out in some parks and whatnot. Boston accents everywhere. Haha.

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We met up with Pete and Bob for the second shred of the weekend! The weather was warmer this time and it was a really fun session. Kevin and Pete are hilarious to shred with. You know it’s a good session when you drop the bag because you can’t help but laugh. Everyone played really well! I was impressed with Pete’s shred in particular since I haven’t kicked with him that much before.

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The four of us [and one large, awkward folding bike] grabbed a bite to eat before parting ways.

The train ride back was just the best.


“You are such a funky human.”

Monday morning we said our goodbyes to the Clipper Ship Inn.

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Kevin and I had a really nice two man shred in a beautiful brick gazebo garden place near the water. A great way to finish off an awesome weekend. I’m glad we got to kick it one on one. This weekend totally exceeded my expectations.

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A really solid start to what promises to be a legendary footbag summer. Next stop: California!!!

<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 21 May 2015 06:56

California was absolutely incredible. It flew by way too fast. I fully intend to do justice to my blog write up however it probably will not happen until next week. Instead, I’m kicking with Jay Boychuk this afternoon! He’s leaving for Germany this weekend and I just had to take the opportunity.

This weekend is Movement Music Festival in Detroit!! I will get to hang with Anton, Drew, Mikie and other really cool people. Pretty damn stoked for that. It’s actually my first real festival and I’m optimistic it will be super rad.

Here’s a teaser photo of the beautiful place that Skyler brought us to on the weekend.

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<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Cass » 22 May 2015 05:40

I drove out to Oakville yesterday and obtained Mr. Boychuk from his place of employment. We had a nice chat on our way to the nearby shred location. It was great to catch up with Jay and I really appreciate that he took time out of his busy schedule to kick with me. He is leaving for Germany permanently this weekend. Crazy stuff. Work things seem to be going really well for him which was great to hear.

Jay warned me that he wasn’t very good at footbag anymore but I didn’t believe him. It was a lot of fun kicking! Jay’s endurance is a little week however he still totally kicks butt at footbag! He comes up with the silliest, most interesting combos! I’m pretty sure he is the only person that I’ve played with that can hit Nemesis clean both sides first try!! What a boss.

I’m still a little beat up from Cali but I felt decently strong. I had a 34 contact guiltless run that felt really good. I also hit Ducking Whirl midstring for the first time ever out of nowhere! Totally unexpected. I love when stuff like that happens! Came really close to flipside.

Jay is so interesting to talk to! I really value his perspective. He gave me some really good career advice that I hadn’t considered before. I’m really thankful that I got to hang out with him at least once this year.

After spending two hours in rush hour traffic I made it home in time to eat dinner and hit up a much needed deep flow yoga class. So good.

Gotta get ready for Movement today! Yoga as well as golf with my dad are also on the agenda. Looking forward to that :)

Happy Friday everyone! <3


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Tjuggles
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Re: Feminine Freestyle ---

Post by Tjuggles » 26 May 2015 16:02

Someone still isn't trying toe spinning out of rakes...
TJ Boutorwick

"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California part 1

Post by Cass » 28 May 2015 11:07

Ah you got me TJ! I'll give it another shot soon..

Movement was insanity! I have much blogging to catch up on. Here's a start.

-----------------------------------

On Thursday May 7th I got up early and travelled to Sacramento from Toronto Pearson airport. Air travel is never the most fun time but my travels went smoothly, stopping in Denver for a short layover. I was so excited that this trip was finally coming to fruition. It had been 4 months since I’d seen Derek and we’d been planning the trip for some time.

Derek picked me up at the airport. After sharing a long awaited hug we made the short drive to Woodland where I would spend a good portion of my time in California. The weather was great! Sunny and warm but not too hot. Woodland is nice. Lots of interesting foliage including massive palm trees.

Derek lives in a really nice place and his family is super chill and awesome. It was surreal to finally be in the place that has been in the background of my Skype window so often lately. I wish I could bottle the smell and take it with me.

We went to a grocery store to grab some supplies. I forgot my sunglasses so I grabbed some tacky green ones from a gas station. We took a lovely walk around the area near some train tracks and stuff. I was beat from jet lag so we called it a decently early night.

Friday Derek and I had our first one on one shred. His back yard is a dope shred location. I don’t really remember too many specifics but I really enjoy kicking with him. It’s great to feed off eachother's intensity and push each other.

Friday evening we checked out a free event called the Whole Earth Festival in Davis. It was nice to wander around and even join some hack circles. We had a really good kick with one guy that was a flower headband vendor at the event. Super chill guy with really solid kicking skills. Circle kicking can be so much fun! I’m glad I’ve had opportunities recently to improve upon those skills. I think it’s important for freestylers to also have good basic kicks and be able to play the circle kicking game instead of just freestyling all the time. That’s how we’re going to get more people interested in the sport.

Friday night Derek and I got acquainted with one astronomy book. This would be the first of several late nights spent in Derek’s room and backyard chillin’, chattin’, groovin’, hackin’ and hoopin’. I’m still pretty new at hooping and I often struggle to find my flow. This night was significant for me in particular because I was really able to find my flow with the hoop and groove with to music. It felt fabulous.

Saturday was the day! I would finally get to kick in Steve’s shred palace and meet Dave. How exciting!

We geared up and made the ~2 hour journey to Steve’s place, passing through San Francisco on the way. What a neat city!

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The roads leading to Steve’s were super steep hills. So intense. Our timing was pretty great because Dave and Brian rolled up just as we arrived. I gave Brian a huge hug. It had been too long. And Dave! It was awesome to finally meet him in person. We headed inside and greeted Steve and Alex. Steve’s place has a balcony with a dope view. So cool. Soon freestyle commenced in the shred room.

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Most of the time it was Brian, Dave, Derek and I. I couldn’t really get in the zone and only played okay. It was pretty great anyways though. So cool to see Dave shred footbag irl. He told me my Pixie Whirls are hot. I haven’t missed a Pixie Whirl since. Brian and Derek both played well. Steve and Alex also subbed in briefly at one point or another. Dave didn’t stick around long and in a blink he was gone. I am satisfied to have kicked with him once in my life. I’m really grateful he took the time to come out since it had been a while since he’d kicked.

Foursquare time! I’m not the greatest at foursquare. Surprisingly this turned out to be the highlight of the day for me. Foursquare is so fun when you play with skilled players. It was a really fast moving game. I think I only got two points.

Back to freestyle! I’m pretty sure it was just Derek and I left shredding after foursquare. The music got way better at this point and I finally got in a groove and had some good runs. We didn’t last too long though.

Before long it was pizza time. So yummy.

I was pretty dead by this point. We hung out for a while and watched a basketball game before heading over to Brian’s place in Mountain View to crash.

Sunday morning Brian, Derek and I hit up the local farmers market. They were surprised that farmers markets exist in Canada. This one in particular was really great. You could legit fill your stomach on free samples if you wanted. It was huge. I got some blueberries and a loaf of banana bread which I destroyed. We also got these flavoured honey sticks that were really tasty. I even got some really nice coffee there.

From there we headed towards San Francisco! What a fabulous place.

Upon finding a sketchy parking spot the three of us headed towards Golden Gate Park. It was a pretty chilly day but I warmed up once we got moving a bit. The park was massive! So beautiful.

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The people there seem really happy overall and the children are well behaved. The three of us spent quite some time wandering around the park and getting turned around and whatnot. It was wonderful to spend time with Brian and Derek again.

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The three of us came across such interesting sights/sounds as a huge swing dancing class and a skilled saxophone player rocking out under a bridge.

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We ate PB&J’s for lunch near a stunning waterfall. Some really neat birds with intense colouring (one bright blue, the other red) were chillin’ with us trying to hustle some food. What a magical place.

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After getting turned around in the forest and going the wrong direction for a while we found the flagging event that was going on that day. There were lots of interesting people with various hobbies including hoopers and a guy blowing giant bubbles.

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The music was fantastic. We chilled for a while there and did some circle kicking. It was really fun to practice little toe passes to each other and whatnot.

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Eventually we decided to call it a day and dropped Brian off at the train station. I gave him a hug knowing I would be seeing him again next weekend.

<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 2

Post by Cass » 29 May 2015 11:00

Sunday evening was another late one exploring outer space with Derek.

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The following week was a bit of a blur but I am going to do my best to remember some details.

Overall, I slept really well on this trip. My eating habits were also really close to normal which made adjusting to the new environment pretty easy. The cats got to me a bit but that's not out of the ordinary. They're cool.

Mornings at Derek’s were real chill. Most days we ate some sort of breakfast burrito which was pretty yummy and filling. It was nice that there was no schedule to follow and we could just do what we want most of the time.

Monday Derek brought me to Davis to check out the UCD arboretum. On the way there we bonded over music things. We actually have a lot of similar music tastes. We listened to a bunch of metal/hardcore/screamo stuff that I was really into back in the day. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to that kind of music so it was a welcome change.

The arboretum was really beautiful! We walked for a while along a charming [if stagnant] river to the shred location. It was a gorgeous day.

The shred spot was very nice and so was the shred. We filmed a bit and both of us hit some decent stuff. After we kicked we spent some time sitting in the grass and enjoying the sun before heading back.

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There was a rather unwelcome visitor that had to be accommodated for. Perhaps it was for the best. Nonetheless the ordeal was a bit exhausting and we called it an early night.

After a good sleep we had another backyard shred session on Tuesday afternoon. I think it was actually kind hot out for a change. A little more filming happened and afterwards Derek joined me for a really nice yoga sesh. Overall another stellar afternoon!

If my memory serves me correctly, Tuesday was the latest night of all. We got into all sorts of no good until the sun came up. Dereks room is very bright. I had a pretty ridiculous laughing fit during the whole attempted window covering debacle. We ended up getting a poster to block some of the light which was helpful.

Wednesday would be a rest day. We [or at least I] slept late. We made a quick stop for supplies before a swell sushi date. Om nom nom. Time for another nonsense night of fucking around and enjoying life. Right in the feels. Ow my nose.

I slept late Thursday. Got up for breakfast and proceeded to nap for a couple more hours. I was beat from all the absurdity of the past week. How did seven days fly by so fast? Damn. Derek persuaded me get up and shred some hack. But first, Astronomy. My nose was not very happy with me by this point in the week. Thankfully a talk with the coach seemed to be what the doctor ordered. We had a fierce yet short-lived session. Near the end of the session we tried some interval training where we would take turns shredding hard for a full minute and then resting for a minute. It was super intense and exhausting. We didn’t last too long but it felt really good. We were totally beat after 10 minutes of that.

After another splendid duo yoga session and a quick shower Derek requested that I join him to visit some family and I obliged. First we went to his grandparents place. They are so nice! They seemed really excited to meet me. We were convinced to make another visit the following day. Next Derek and I stopped by his uncle’s place to meet some more people. Derek’s family is pretty rad.

Thursday night I was still pretty beat. I called it an early night and slept a solid 12 hours from around 9 to 9. Good recovery is good.

Friday afternoon shred was similar to Thursday. Hot and sweaty, intense, and brief. I remember hiding in the only little patch of shade in Derek’s yard between runs. This time I did yoga on my own. I missed my hot yoga classes a little but it was nice to maintain a less strenuous practice for a while and really just focus on what my body needed.

Another nice visit with the grandparents! They are so adorable. They hooked us up with peanut brittle, butterscotch banana bread, and another sushi gift card. How generous of them.

Another silly night drifting through space! We made sure to sleep at a reasonable time. Saturday we would leave for our next adventure to meet Skyler in Grass Valley!! :D

More photos will be in the next post which is coming soon!

<3

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 2

Post by Cass » 01 Jun 2015 07:29

Saturday morning Derek and I got up at a decent time and prepared for our next adventure! Brian arrived to pick us up right on time. He was looking spiffy. He left a bar mitzva early to join us today. It’s so great that he was able to make it!

We loaded up the van and headed towards Grass Valley. It was quite a scenic drive. Grass Valley is absolutely stunning. We made really good time and actually arrived at Tasia’s place early. Skyler and Tasia were still out picking up supplies. It wasn’t long before they got back and introductions were made. Tasia is another lady kicker who is relatively new to the sport. She seems pretty stoked on it which is great. Finally meeting Skyler was so awesome! He is as cool as I expected (probably more).

Our timing was perfect because Tasia just moved into her new place. It’s a great little house with everything within walking distance.

We geared up for shred and took the scenic route to the nearby tennis court to kick. Such a fun time. I was pretty beat from so much footbag over the past week so I wasn’t playing my best. It was just so cool to see Skyler rip it up live. I really appreciate his perspective on the sport. He is there to have fun and hit stylish runs. He’s not trying to break himself over massive tricks or anything. His shred is just so impressive! One of the most memorable parts was when he was just keeping the bag up with toe kicks. While kicking with one foot, he bent down and scratched his other shin while keeping the bag up. It was such a silly thing but pretty impressive. He was also stoked on it haha. Brian and Derek both played well, and Tasia also joined in for a bit.

Once we had been kicking for a while the five of us went back to Tasia’s place for a chat with the coach. After a short intermission we went back out for more kicky bag! So much shred! We also did some circle kicking which was a lot of fun.

After shred and showers we went out to grab some dinner at a nearby restaurant. I demolished too much banana bread before hand and was uncomfortably full after. Way too much food.

Back at Tasia’s place we chilled and played some games and watched some footbag videos before crashing.

Sunday morning we walked to a breakfast place nearby. For some reason or another Skyler decided he wanted some bacon earrings. His brazen attempt to order bacon earrings was thwarted by the cashier lady who probably chose to hear something different. It was a nice try.

After breakfast Skyler drove the four of us to Yuba river. The drive itself was pretty fun. Skyler is an aggressive, yet confident driver. At one point he stuck his whole head out the window while driving the way dogs often do. Apparently this is not out of the ordinary.

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Skyler making some silly jokes about the warning sign

The river was absolutely breathtaking! I was not expecting that at all. Like nothing I’ve ever seen.

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We spent some time circle kicking on the bridge. It was so fun!

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After that we went down on the rocks to hang out and stuff. It was a pretty chilly day but there was this one kid in a wetsuit just rockin’ out in the water.

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Skyler is pro at skipping rocks. We messed around with some silly games which I failed miserably at for the most part.

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Such a magical place!

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Back at Tasia’s we geared up for shred and made our way to a different tennis court this time. Another really fun session. Unfortunately Derek had to stop early due to hip pains. Tasia played well on Sunday with some nice BSOS mirage runs and 169 toe stalls. I tried to give her some tips which she was appreciative of.

I was so dead by the end of the sunday shred. I can’t believe how much energy Skyler has! He was running circles around me. He has so much fun just trying DATW over and over and over. His zest for life is nothing short of inspiring.

I hit a bit of a wall Sunday evening. Exhaustion and the knowledge that this trip would come to an end soon got to me a little. I took a bit of time away and managed to pull myself together.

We went to the park and spent some time throwing a disc around.

Tasia made us a wonderful dinner of chicken, rice, and vegetables. It really hit the spot after such a long day!

It was pretty late already so Brian, Derek and I decided to stay one more night and leave early Monday morning. It was nice to spend one more evening chilling with these super rad people.

After breakfast we hit the road early monday morning. We took a group photo. I wish I had that..

The ride was nice. Derek didn’t sleep very well so he was mostly passed out in the back seat. Brian and I spent most of the ride ripping on this really terribly unscientific science radio show. It was great fun.

Brian dropped us off around 10am and we had our goodbye hugs! It was wonderful to spend time with him. It wasn’t such a difficult goodbye since we shall meet again at USO.

Today would be my last day with Derek. Pretty sad but I resolved to make the most of it. We showered and relaxed a little before grabbing an early sushi lunch. It was so filling! While delicious, the tempura covered california rolls were probably overkill.

Back at the house we embarked on a mystical journey. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so we went for a walk to a nearby park. Derek was cracking me up! So much so that I peed a little and we had to go back to the house to change. Back out into the world we wondered for quite some time.

“I’m a human being!”

It was really lovely sitting in the middle of that roundabout holding hands and just being.

Trying not to cry. Not yet at least.

We walked to a different park at an elementary school to play some more. There were some decent swings. We spent a lot of time messing around trying to balance on the back of the soccer net. Just being together was so nice.

Eventually we made our way back to the house. Sometimes, the effect of a change in environment can be really pronounced. The fact that we had mere hours left before I would fly back across the continent hit really hard. We also didn’t have anything to distract us from feeling. The result was some really heavy emotion. Never in my life have I cried with someone the way I cried with Derek that day. It was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. We spent three hours just holding eachother and bawling. It felt really amazing to let the feelings happen without fear of judgement.

Yesterday in yoga class the teacher said something that really resonated with me:

In order to laugh often one must cry fiercely. If you let it all out, once you are finished crying you will see things all the more clearly.

Somehow, I thought 12 days would be enough, too much even. I was supposed to be sick of Derek by now and this was supposed to be an easy goodbye. It wasn’t enough. I’m not sure any amount of time would have been enough.

Having to say goodbye is what makes it special and beautiful. I feel absolutely blessed to have made beautiful connections with people that live so far geographically. Sure it’s really tough, but I think that’s part of why it’s so incredible. It also allows me to stay focused when I can’t always have these people in my life.

Once we got all the blubbering out we were able to laugh again. One final night spent blasting off, talking, laughing and just being together.

Morning came all too fast. I was up early enough to pack all my things and spend some last moments with Derek. I cried some more but only a little this time. I managed to hold it together when he dropped me off at the airport. I miss those hugs.

I was supposed to fly to San Francisco where I would catch my connecting flight to Toronto. Unfortunately my flight was delayed and I missed my connecting flight by a matter of minutes. Airports can be torturous places however my yoga practice and the book I’m currently reading (The path of the yoga sutras) have really helped me to let go of things that are out of my control. I spent a great deal of time waiting in lines and talking to different people who would give me different information. For a moment I thought I would have to spend the night at the airport. Luckily I managed to squeeze on an afternoon flight to Toronto. Unfortunately they made me check my carry on bag, which I did without thinking too much.

Back in Canada finally I took the $120 cab ride home since I missed my ride due to the delay. I was finally home past midnight when I realised that I made a big mistake. I had carelessly shoved all my footbags that I brought in the front pocket of my bag. When I received the bag back all but one were gone. I lost my 6 most choice footbags including a super rare Boychuck bag, a Brian bag, two April bags and one of my bags from Nick Landes.

I held it together really well all day despite dealing with all the garbage but this was just so hard to deal with. I had a good cry for those bags. I’m trying to be less attached to material things but these had sentimental value and they simply cannot be replaced. So sad.

I have long since made peace with that loss. They are just objects after all. I did however file a claim with air canada including photos and descriptions of the bags. I’m not going to get my hopes up though. It was an important lesson learned. It also forced me to go back through all my old bags and give them some love.

So that concludes my California trip. Overall it was one of the best experiences of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything (not even 6 super choice hacks).


Thanks for reading. Or at least stopping by to check out the photos ;)

Coming soon: Movement Electronic Music Festival!

<3

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C-Fan
Rekordy Polski
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 2

Post by C-Fan » 01 Jun 2015 10:14

Cass wrote:I realised that I made a big mistake. I had carelessly shoved all my footbags that I brought in the front pocket of my bag. When I received the bag back all but one were gone. I lost my 6 most choice footbags
Physically cringed when I read that. :x Sounds like you're dealing with it with the right attitude though. Thanks for the writeup, and see you at USO in 4 weeks.

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 3

Post by Cass » 01 Jun 2015 13:23

Today I had a solo session for the first time in about a month after a five day freestyle break. It felt incredible!


Here are some highlights including a milestone I've been working towards for a while:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmHhA6Vl ... e=youtu.be[/youtube]


Practiced my routine a few times. The first two tries were rough since I haven't practised it in weeks. The third one was without drops, sealed with Blurry Whirl.


Feels kinda good to be home and in a somewhat normal life routine for a minute.

Must. Train. Harder.

<3

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Sporatical_Distractions
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 3

Post by Sporatical_Distractions » 01 Jun 2015 14:20

That river looks super fun
Welcome to Flavortown

Kevin Crowley

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DC Clinks
BSOS Beast
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 3

Post by DC Clinks » 01 Jun 2015 23:28

Agree with Kevin about that river, looks like something straight out of LOTR or something. Very beautiful piece of nature. Sounds like the visit was overall pretty great, that's mad coolio.

On a side note, what is that combo around :57 seconds? Looks suuuper dope. Shred is also looking nice in general, keep it up yo.
-Daniel C. NY, USA. "Sacrifice a goat to our Lord and Savior Evan Gatesman".

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bluevampire101
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 3

Post by bluevampire101 » 02 Jun 2015 05:14

Looks like you've been having a bunch of fun Cass! :)
Sucks to hear about the footbags. I would like to make one for you soon as a gift for being so awesome and can/will give it to you the next time we hang out!

Keep on being awesome! <3
April Tou
kicker, stitcher, footbag enthusiast, baker of PSUFC

"Drill until it's ingrained." -old Indian proverb according to a book I read

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Cass
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Re: Feminine Freestyle --- California Part 3

Post by Cass » 02 Jun 2015 09:44

<3

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