Posted on

Williamette Week – Hotseat: Chris Dean (2014)

When I first saw the link to this article, I thought it might be in regards to the 2017 World Championships in Portland as Chris Dean was a major part of the organising team, however this is a few years earlier, previewing one of the many US Open events that have been held in Portland.

Of course Portland has high-level, competitive Hacky Sack. Considering our city is home to sizable Quidditch and unicycle scenes, you shouldn’t be surprised to see serious interest in the lunch-period pastime that brought together soccer guys, band geeks and bad kids in a circle where they could hand-pass low-grade pot while knocking around a small beanbag.

But Hacky Sack—known to die-hards and intellectual-property lawyers as footbag—has grown to the point that there are two specialized branches. These days, few players can be competitive in both “freestyle” and “net” play. We asked Chris Dean, a Portlander who placed eighth in freestyle routine at last year’s World Championships in Montreal and who is organizing this weekend’s U.S. Open Footbag Championships in West Linn, to explain the modern sport.

You can read the full article here.

Posted on

Sneakernews – Nike SB Dunk High Hacky Sack (2014)

There are quite a few articles on this but I will just put one up for the moment. It is a shoe from the Nike SB range which has taken up the crochet style pattern of the hack circle and put it onto a shoe.

The last pair of hacky sack Nike SBs will hop into the circle tomorrow with the release of this Nike SB Dunk High. Nikestore still has them as officially releasing next weekend, but we’re seeing a good amount of skateshops preparing for a release tomorrow, so be sure to look out at your local brick and mortar if you’re hoping to grab them. Continue reading for more on the Hacky Sacky Dunks and watch for them at spots like MIA Skateshop or on eBay.

Read more here

Posted on

Thurston Talk – The Zaniac’s Journey from Footbag to Comedy (2014)

A profile of Alex Zerbe, now better known as the “Zaniac”. The article talks about his journey from footbag tournaments to appear on major television shows developing his comedy routines.

Full article can be read here.

You can never predict what you will discover while standing on the soccer sidelines.  Although my kids claim I was eavesdropping, I contend that the conversation was exuberant and loud enough for all to hear. Once you meet the energetic and wacky Alex Zerbe, my assertion becomes quite believable. The more important fact is it led me to Zerbe’s hilarious Go Seahawks Go! YouTube video and unveiled the fascinating and unusual profession of Alex Zerbe better known as the Zaniac.

Zerbe’s accolades include appearing on prime-time television in three countries, with debuts on the hit NBC television shows, “America’s Got Talent!” and “Last Comic Standing.”  Zerbe was voted Seattle’s Funniest Prop Comic as well as distinguishing himself as the third best air guitarist in Seattle. Zerbe’s comedic success started when his feet took him on a serendipitous journey.

 

Posted on

College Magazine – Hacky Sack: Don’t Call it a Comeback

A story recommending taking up the hack as an activity to do between classes or a 90s revival activity. Some quotes from students at a couple of different universities.

Full article can be read here

To hacky or not to hacky — not really one of Shakespeare’s ponderings but still a legitimate question nonetheless, at least around college campuses.

Invented in 1972, hacky sack’s popularity did not surge again until this decade. Its presence had been dominant in the preceding years until the new millennium. But now it is time to dig up that old bag of beans out of your closet under your neon baseball cap and Backstreet Boys CD. Don’t call it a comeback; call it a revolution.

Posted on

Complex – A (Very) Brief Cultural History of the Adidas Rod Laver (2011)

A look at some of the history behind the Rod Laver shoes, the article makes mention of the use in footbag.

It is a shoe that speaks softly and carries a big stick, ubiquitous without over-saturation, and classic more for application than for association. 

The flat toe of the Laver’s second iteration drew attention of footbag-kicking hippies, the most industrious of which developed a special lacing technique to further promote the shoe’s potential in the sport. As the official shoe of the World Footbag Association, denying the adoption of the Rod Laver in subculture is a moot point.

Read the whole article here.

Posted on

The Star Malaysia – Ariff Wins Trip to Helsinki at Malaysian Footbag Championship (2011)

This is a follow up to the Malaysian event which has featured in some other articles in the collection. It was part of a product promotion for a range of fragrances from Adidas.

ARIFF Karim has won himself a trip to Finland after becoming the champion in the adidas Body Care — Malaysian Footbag Championship at the Mid Valley Megamall centre court in Kuala Lumpur recently.

Ariff was adjudged winner in the adult category after showcasing his abilities in the competition.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2011/07/23/ariff-wins-trip-to-helsinki-at-malaysian-footbag-championship/#K004VouGJJDB9ZAU.99

Posted on

OGL Asia – Ultimate Footbag Challenge

In 2011 there were a number of events around Asia as part of Adidas using footbag to sell some perfumes and other products (unfortunately there was nothing to do with the Rod Laver shoe though.

As a bit of disclosure, I was involved in the Malaysian leg of the event where I gave some demonstrations and acted as a judge of the competition.

The inaugural Ultimate Footbag Challenge was organised by Kay Ess Enterprises, a local distributor for adidas body care & fragrances.

OGL’s main role was to reach out to the masses and gather support for the event by approaching several tertiary institutions to conduct Footbag workshops for students and staff.

As Footbag is a relatively new sport in Singapore, participants were guided to focus more on a freestyle routine rather than a monotonous juggle. This had helped to provide the Singapore winner with a competitive edge in the regional competition where Footbag champions came together from Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand & Vietnam. An online voting system was created on ESPN website and Singapore emerged as the regional champion!

Read more at http://www.ogl.com.sg/portfolio/ultimate-footbag-challenge/

Here is some footage from the original competition. Most players involved across the countries did not have a footbag background, but some came from other similar sports.

 

Posted on

The Star Malaysia – Footbag Tourney Part of Fragrance Launch (2011)

In 2011 Adidas ran a campaign through South East Asia to promote a line of fragrances. The Malaysian leg was held in a large mall in Kuala Lumpur.

THE newly launched adidas Pure Game and Happy Game fragrances have inspired some slick footbag moves among followers of the “hacky sack” in the country.

And they are hosting the Malaysian Footbag Championship as part of the launch of the brand’s body care.

Coty Beauty Far East Export general manager Fons Houtkamp said the national champion will earn a four-day trip to the International Footbag Players’ Association (IFPA) world meet finals scheduled in Helsinki, Finland from July 3 to Aug 6.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/community/2011/05/20/footbag-tourney-part-of-fragrance-launch/#g2dBJIgk4CROk2dV.99

Posted on

SFGate – Footbag Players Go Toe to Toe in World Championship (2010)

When Worlds were held in Oakland in 2010 there was a day when the media were invited along and shown Nemesis and other tricks along the way. It definitely left an impression.

For years, no one thought that “the nemesis” was possible–that’s a freestyle footbag trick in which a player must kick a small leather ball, also known as a hacky sack, into the air, circle it twice with each leg then catch it on their shoe behind their back. Seven years ago this legendary trick was accomplished during a competition but, even today, the nemesis remains a trick very few people in the world can achieve.

“Normally it takes a hundred tries,” said U.S. footbag champion David Clavens, a 22-year-old player who demonstrated different tricks and maneuvers at Oakland’s convention center on Monday during the kickoff to the 31st Annual World Footbag Championship. “It happens quick,” Clavens warned. Then he flung the bag into the air with his foot, his legs whipped and spun, and a second later, his fans and colleagues were clapping, cheering and shouting “Yeah!” because he’d conquered the nemesis.

Read more here

As a bonus for this post, here is some video I took on the day of exactly what the media were seeing.

Posted on

The Daily News – Longview Man Riding The Footbag Wave (2009)

This is a fairly in-depth conversation with Aaron Shepard, who was very active in the scene in the late 2000s, making bags and going to many competitions.

Remember standing in a circle with friends, trying to keep a Hacky Sack from hitting the ground? What began as an idle kids’ game for most people has turned into a true passion for Longview-area resident Aaron Shepard.

Shepard, 28, thought he was “pretty good” as a teenager kicking around a Wham-O brand Hacky Sack, until he saw someone do a few cool tricks with a higher-quality footbag.

“I’d never seen anything like it,” Shepard said. “When I asked the guy about it, he suggested I go to a footbag competition, meet some people and see what competitive footbag was all about.”

You can read the full article here.

I couldn’t find any Youtube video in a quick search, but you can find a link to an Intermediate routine of his from Euros 2005.

http://www.footbag.org/gallery/show/6011