Jeremy
thanks!! Actually I'll be teaching high school kids - up to year 12 which is only like 2 or 3 years younger than me!!
My computer is fixed!!
I've had a lot of nice shreds recently - really getting the kids at touch footy into footbag!!
We won our last game 8 nil - I scored 2 and set up 3. Also a guy who started playing at the same time I did has come back from uni for the holidays so it was so good to have another experienced player on the team!! We have been put in B grade because of the games we lost before I was playing
but if we win every game from here on we will get into the a grade finals still (although we'll have to play the best team in the comp first up to get into the final - I will be back in Melbourne for the finals anyway so it doesn't worry me too much. It does suck that all the teams we'll be playing won't be very good though. We should win every game convincingly!
Basically we lost one game 11 - 0 at the start of the season when we only had 4 or 5 players - since then we have got 3 players who have made state underage teams and two players who have made state open teams so our team is so much better than it was then.
It will be really hard for the younger players to improve when they aren't playing against good opposition though.
hmm not much else to say I think.
My computer is fixed!!
I've had a lot of nice shreds recently - really getting the kids at touch footy into footbag!!
We won our last game 8 nil - I scored 2 and set up 3. Also a guy who started playing at the same time I did has come back from uni for the holidays so it was so good to have another experienced player on the team!! We have been put in B grade because of the games we lost before I was playing
but if we win every game from here on we will get into the a grade finals still (although we'll have to play the best team in the comp first up to get into the final - I will be back in Melbourne for the finals anyway so it doesn't worry me too much. It does suck that all the teams we'll be playing won't be very good though. We should win every game convincingly!Basically we lost one game 11 - 0 at the start of the season when we only had 4 or 5 players - since then we have got 3 players who have made state underage teams and two players who have made state open teams so our team is so much better than it was then.
It will be really hard for the younger players to improve when they aren't playing against good opposition though.
hmm not much else to say I think.
I had a nice kick at touch footy today (saturday game!!) - I hit this nice almost drill - barrage>paradon>drifter>dlo>paradon>barrage>toe drifter>dlo.
Also my strongside whirr is starting to get some consistancy which is good. I can hit it midstring sometimes - although not yet out of any hard moves. Flipside still feels really hard.
We won touch footy 7 - 0. I scored 2 and set up 2 but all in the first half. (we were 5 - 0 up at half time) - everyone played well though.
Also my strongside whirr is starting to get some consistancy which is good. I can hit it midstring sometimes - although not yet out of any hard moves. Flipside still feels really hard.
We won touch footy 7 - 0. I scored 2 and set up 2 but all in the first half. (we were 5 - 0 up at half time) - everyone played well though.
Well I had a nice kick today - 3 hours I think. I started by drilling lots of stuff - I filmed some of this stuff to have a look at my technique and can definitly see some areas to work on! I then hit some big tricks and combos for the camera - well 2 big tricks and 1 combo. The second big trick is something I don't think anybody has hit before but I don't know if you can count it or not. I'll put all this stuff on video. Oh - at one point I did this drill - barrage>clipper>barrage>clipper etc. (not repeating sides) - my strong side was pretty good - most were clean - but every single one on my flip was "the" - and the thing is I do the dexes fin - but as I'm finishing the last dex - I lift my foot up - it's just really crappy technique - but it was pretty funny to see me hit like 10 the barrages in a row. argh!
I then flimed my sick 3. I discovered "tv" function on my digital still camera that allows you to only film for 20 seconds but much better quailty. I got like 1 - 3 combo attempts per film and can only fit 5 films onto the memory card. On my 11th film I hit my combo - but because it was the 6th film on the card - it ran out just before I hit the third move. It then took like 50,000,000,000,000 attempts to hit it again and I didn't hit it so well.
It wasn't the combo I wanted to hit but it's still a good combo. I think it's definitly an easier combo than my last one - but for me personally it's a lot harder. Anyway I won't talk about it too much!
Expect a video soon!
I then flimed my sick 3. I discovered "tv" function on my digital still camera that allows you to only film for 20 seconds but much better quailty. I got like 1 - 3 combo attempts per film and can only fit 5 films onto the memory card. On my 11th film I hit my combo - but because it was the 6th film on the card - it ran out just before I hit the third move. It then took like 50,000,000,000,000 attempts to hit it again and I didn't hit it so well.
It wasn't the combo I wanted to hit but it's still a good combo. I think it's definitly an easier combo than my last one - but for me personally it's a lot harder. Anyway I won't talk about it too much!
Expect a video soon!
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Just call me hagesy
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 913
- Joined: 15 Oct 2004 21:43
- Location: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
well work is fun!
I've slept less than 10 hours in 3 days! Right now I'm pissed off three beers. We one touch footy easily. I scored 3 tries. People are finally starting to understand that yes I do know what I'm talking about and yes if they do what I say they will become better players.
I think I'll be coaching the girls under 20 devonport state cup side fun fun fun!
Can't wait! I'm tired!
I've slept less than 10 hours in 3 days! Right now I'm pissed off three beers. We one touch footy easily. I scored 3 tries. People are finally starting to understand that yes I do know what I'm talking about and yes if they do what I say they will become better players.
I think I'll be coaching the girls under 20 devonport state cup side
fun fun fun!Can't wait! I'm tired!
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Just call me hagesy
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 913
- Joined: 15 Oct 2004 21:43
- Location: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
I think the girls are looking for somebody to rub suncream into their backs... 
Actually I don't know if there will be a team or not - I should find out tomorrow.
I've been working hard for over a week now - picking up tulip bulbs. I am kicking arse. I remember the first time I did this job there were people tripling my score and I couldn't believe it. Now I triple other peoples scores!!
Today I picked up 52 crates in 6 hours at $2.40 a crate - that means I was earning $20.80 an hour!! - I earnt $124.80 all up in one day. I was annoyed that we finished early - it rained a tiny bit and everybody wanted to go home except me. Yesterday I picked 54 but it took 90 minutes longer - so I was only earning about about $17.30 an hour - still it is good money. Last week was a lot worse - but we are getting paid more for the bulbs so I don't know what wages I was on.
I've realised there are three different types of people who work there. There are the socialists like me - who pick really fast but help out everybody else as well. Usually the socalists are either at the front if the bulbs are good - giving everybody lots of space - or at the back if they are bad - bringing up the ends. There are the capitalist scum - who also work fast but don't ever help anybody out and always do what's best for themselves. If the bulbs are good they will always put themselves in the good bulbs and cut you off. If the bulbs are bad they will leave you plenty of room so they can get onto the good ones while you are still stuck on the bad ones. Then there are the ignorant masses - who constantly complain about everything and work really really slowly. They have no idea what's going on and enjoy killing spiders.
Ok so I might have exaggerated about that a tiny bit - I enjoy working with everybody (even the capitalist scum ) but we seem to be over run with 16 year old girls this year and they do winge about everything and pick really slowly. They keeps saying they would rather be at home and hopefully soon they will decide to put their money where their mouth is and stay there (at home).
Unfortuantly this work has had an effect on my footbag game. Yesterday I forced myself to play and ended up drilling toe>same foot clipper - which was a really hard combo for me
- being on your hands and knees for 8 hours means that you can't control your feet very well and I found it hard to change my toe position for clippers and toe stalls. I will force myself to play every couple of days just so I don't completely lose my skills. It's annoying that I was in such good form the week before work and now I drop toe stalls - but I am earning lots of money and should make it to the NZ nationals and to Worlds (and hopefully Euros as well!) - can't confirm anything yet though.
Actually I don't know if there will be a team or not - I should find out tomorrow.
I've been working hard for over a week now - picking up tulip bulbs. I am kicking arse. I remember the first time I did this job there were people tripling my score and I couldn't believe it. Now I triple other peoples scores!!
Today I picked up 52 crates in 6 hours at $2.40 a crate - that means I was earning $20.80 an hour!! - I earnt $124.80 all up in one day. I was annoyed that we finished early - it rained a tiny bit and everybody wanted to go home except me. Yesterday I picked 54 but it took 90 minutes longer - so I was only earning about about $17.30 an hour
- still it is good money. Last week was a lot worse - but we are getting paid more for the bulbs so I don't know what wages I was on.I've realised there are three different types of people who work there. There are the socialists like me - who pick really fast but help out everybody else as well. Usually the socalists are either at the front if the bulbs are good - giving everybody lots of space - or at the back if they are bad - bringing up the ends. There are the capitalist scum - who also work fast but don't ever help anybody out and always do what's best for themselves. If the bulbs are good they will always put themselves in the good bulbs and cut you off. If the bulbs are bad they will leave you plenty of room so they can get onto the good ones while you are still stuck on the bad ones. Then there are the ignorant masses - who constantly complain about everything and work really really slowly. They have no idea what's going on and enjoy killing spiders.
Ok so I might have exaggerated about that a tiny bit - I enjoy working with everybody (even the capitalist scum
) but we seem to be over run with 16 year old girls this year and they do winge about everything and pick really slowly. They keeps saying they would rather be at home and hopefully soon they will decide to put their money where their mouth is and stay there (at home).Unfortuantly this work has had an effect on my footbag game. Yesterday I forced myself to play and ended up drilling toe>same foot clipper - which was a really hard combo for me
- being on your hands and knees for 8 hours means that you can't control your feet very well and I found it hard to change my toe position for clippers and toe stalls. I will force myself to play every couple of days just so I don't completely lose my skills. It's annoying that I was in such good form the week before work and now I drop toe stalls - but I am earning lots of money and should make it to the NZ nationals and to Worlds (and hopefully Euros as well!) - can't confirm anything yet though.-
Just call me hagesy
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 913
- Joined: 15 Oct 2004 21:43
- Location: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Nice bro keep at it.
It is tough to find a balance between work, footbag, and SBS after ten o'clock.
You should give those 16 year old a bit of help, and they might give you something in return. . Maybe a tulip 
It is tough to find a balance between work, footbag, and SBS after ten o'clock.
You should give those 16 year old a bit of help, and they might give you something in return.
. Maybe a tulip Anthony Hagen
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.
Well I kicked butt at touch footy today!!
Before today the most I've scored in a game is 5. Today I scored 9 tries .
Also I am confirmed to coach the girls under 20s - so I'll be scouting for "talent" to recruit next week
I had the day off work because it rained and got to play some touch. It's great that my legs were feeling good and I was actually hitting some nice stuff. The highlight was definitly at half time in the game I reffed when some kids were gathered around and I said "here let me show you a big move" and then got so close to hitting pixie triadon - like I stalled it but the set went miles away so I'm not counting it. Also I have no idea if it was clean or not. My legs are feeling really good actually - maybe stronger than they used to be - so my game might have improved from work - I'm not sure though - there was still a lot of stuff I was droping that I shouldn't!
Anyway it was a good day
Before today the most I've scored in a game is 5. Today I scored 9 tries
.Also I am confirmed to coach the girls under 20s - so I'll be scouting for "talent" to recruit next week
I had the day off work because it rained and got to play some touch. It's great that my legs were feeling good and I was actually hitting some nice stuff. The highlight was definitly at half time in the game I reffed when some kids were gathered around and I said "here let me show you a big move" and then got so close to hitting pixie triadon - like I stalled it but the set went miles away so I'm not counting it. Also I have no idea if it was clean or not. My legs are feeling really good actually - maybe stronger than they used to be - so my game might have improved from work
- I'm not sure though - there was still a lot of stuff I was droping that I shouldn't!Anyway it was a good day
I had a kick yesterday. I wasn't playing that well but it was lots of fun getting to play with people for the first time since October. I hit a few good moves on demand from people - flurry, baroque and whirr were probably the most impressive ones since I find those moves pretty hard.
I footed montage first attempt which was cool but didn't try it again.
I went out to a party afterwards as well - which was fun. I kept getting asked to do demos for people and did well. It was pretty cool that I could still play pretty well while fairly drunk. I hit PS Whirl with a just opened corona in my hand without spilling a drop after 5 or 6 beers.
It was a pretty wild night - some girl was giving out valium and I smoked a joint that was mixed with tea for some reason.
edit:
Oh forgot to mention - I played my first ever game of golf today!! That was really cool. It's harder than it looks but I played ok. We only played 9 holes and I was 21 over par but I was 6 over on the second hole - so overall I did ok I think for my first game. I definitly got better towards the end. Golf is fun - it's a pity it's so boring to watch.
I footed montage first attempt which was cool but didn't try it again.
I went out to a party afterwards as well - which was fun. I kept getting asked to do demos for people and did well. It was pretty cool that I could still play pretty well while fairly drunk. I hit PS Whirl with a just opened corona in my hand without spilling a drop after 5 or 6 beers.
It was a pretty wild night - some girl was giving out valium and I smoked a joint that was mixed with tea for some reason.
edit:
Oh forgot to mention - I played my first ever game of golf today!! That was really cool. It's harder than it looks but I played ok. We only played 9 holes and I was 21 over par but I was 6 over on the second hole - so overall I did ok I think for my first game. I definitly got better towards the end. Golf is fun - it's a pity it's so boring to watch.
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Just call me hagesy
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 913
- Joined: 15 Oct 2004 21:43
- Location: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
I admire you are able to play well drunk man. I am bloody terrible.
This party on friday night, A mate gave us a tripp. So i decided to see if i could shred, i was not that impressive. But i did get major props from those at the party, They were off their head but.
However i was able to smoke 3 massive cones as packed by my mate paul clark as a challenge.
I wonder how many brain cells i killed this time
This party on friday night, A mate gave us a tripp. So i decided to see if i could shred, i was not that impressive. But i did get major props from those at the party, They were off their head but.
However i was able to smoke 3 massive cones as packed by my mate paul clark as a challenge.
I wonder how many brain cells i killed this time
Anthony Hagen
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.
Yeah the tip to playing drunk is don't aim high!! - a standard Jeremy drunk run is something like toe>clipper>dlo>legover>butterfly>ss legover>mirage>pixie>legover>legover>legover>clipper>diving clipper>ps whirl>attempt flip superfly drop. That's more than enough to impress anybody who hasn't seen footbag.
Last night I played touch footy. We won easily I scored 2 and set up 2. However the reffing was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad. Like seriously. Early on in the second half I got sent off for wearing the same number as somebody else on our team. I could have started subbing with the person with the same number as mine but I just couldn't be bothered playing any more and went and watched some girls play (who I am coaching).
We also had state cup traing which was pretty shit because I was drunk by this stage and couldn't be bothered. I'm starting to really dislike playing touch this year. I kind of hope we won't get enough numbers to have a girls under 20 team - just so I can quit playing forever.
Oh there was one cool thing in the game we played. We were shooting up and when it was my turn I dived and missed the person with the ball who made a comment to me that doesn't need to be repeated. I jumped up off the ground and dived again and touched him - it felt super cool and I gave a big "yeah sir" in his face and then said something else to him that also doesn't need to be repeated.
I also gave the ref a lot of grief which I felt bad about later but he really did suck.
I haven't really played much footbag lately but will definitly play today!! I hit double blender the other day but unsealed so I should hopefully hit a good one today.
It is not very long until I get to kick with Dylan Fry!!
Last night I played touch footy. We won easily I scored 2 and set up 2. However the reffing was sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo bad. Like seriously. Early on in the second half I got sent off for wearing the same number as somebody else on our team. I could have started subbing with the person with the same number as mine but I just couldn't be bothered playing any more and went and watched some girls play (who I am coaching).
We also had state cup traing which was pretty shit because I was drunk by this stage and couldn't be bothered. I'm starting to really dislike playing touch this year. I kind of hope we won't get enough numbers to have a girls under 20 team - just so I can quit playing forever.
Oh there was one cool thing in the game we played. We were shooting up
and when it was my turn I dived and missed the person with the ball who made a comment to me that doesn't need to be repeated. I jumped up off the ground and dived again and touched him - it felt super cool and I gave a big "yeah sir" in his face and then said something else to him that also doesn't need to be repeated.I also gave the ref a lot of grief which I felt bad about later but he really did suck.
I haven't really played much footbag lately
but will definitly play today!! I hit double blender the other day but unsealed so I should hopefully hit a good one today.It is not very long until I get to kick with Dylan Fry!!
Wow - two blog entries from me in one day
I had a proper solo session today for the first time in about 3 or 4 weeks . It went well overall. It took me such a long time to warm up - I almost gave up. My skills were very rusty - especially linking moves. I have decided I will start playing every day no matter how tired I am from work just to keep my skill level up.
I started by drilling whirls. I hit like 30 contacts of whirl>infinity rep. Also ripwalk>whirl>sidewalk rep - I don't know - maybe 15 contacts? - both were first attempt after I'd been drilling whirls for a while. I drilled my pdx whirls as well but mainly only my flipside - it is definitly getting better.
I then started drilling my strong side furious set - it was coming out well but just a tad low. Then I thought - what the fuck are you doing strong side for when you can't even hit weakside. So I spent a while working on my flipside. The set was actually really good - it feels better on that side actually. I hit flipside janiwalker for the first time - after footing it about 30 times in a row
I think I could definitly hit nemesis on that side - it's my strong double down and the set had nice height.
I hit a few runs and drilled blenders, spinning, double over downs and torques as well - but just worked on getting my technique solid - not on hitting any combos.
I finished up trying some stupid moves that don't need to be mentioned. I was only closish to one - pixie diving symp double down (all dexes on the same foot) - I footed it but it didn't feel clean.
Oh I hit a new 6>6 - at least I think it's new - shooting mirage>sailing symp mirage. Have to love x dex - I think I could hit pixie dolomite out but we'll see.
I warmed down with consecutive pickups and hit 36 first attempt. The Australian record is 37 so maybe I will try and beat that early on the session tomorrow or something.
I had a proper solo session today for the first time in about 3 or 4 weeks
. It went well overall. It took me such a long time to warm up - I almost gave up. My skills were very rusty - especially linking moves. I have decided I will start playing every day no matter how tired I am from work just to keep my skill level up.I started by drilling whirls. I hit like 30 contacts of whirl>infinity rep. Also ripwalk>whirl>sidewalk rep - I don't know - maybe 15 contacts? - both were first attempt after I'd been drilling whirls for a while. I drilled my pdx whirls as well but mainly only my flipside - it is definitly getting better.
I then started drilling my strong side furious set - it was coming out well but just a tad low. Then I thought - what the fuck are you doing strong side for when you can't even hit weakside. So I spent a while working on my flipside. The set was actually really good - it feels better on that side actually. I hit flipside janiwalker for the first time - after footing it about 30 times in a row
I think I could definitly hit nemesis on that side - it's my strong double down and the set had nice height.I hit a few runs and drilled blenders, spinning, double over downs and torques as well - but just worked on getting my technique solid - not on hitting any combos.
I finished up trying some stupid moves that don't need to be mentioned. I was only closish to one - pixie diving symp double down (all dexes on the same foot) - I footed it but it didn't feel clean.
Oh I hit a new 6>6 - at least I think it's new - shooting mirage>sailing symp mirage. Have to love x dex
- I think I could hit pixie dolomite out but we'll see.I warmed down with consecutive pickups and hit 36 first attempt. The Australian record is 37 so maybe I will try and beat that early on the session tomorrow or something.
I thought I'd write my life story like other people have in their blogs - at least life story as in footbag is my life
Before I was born - my Mum - who was a fairly hardcore hippy at that time - joined a world bike ride around the world for peace. On this bike ride she met my Dad in Japan and stayed there for a year before re joining the bike ride. Apparantly I was concieved in Coppenhagen!!
When she came back to Australia - a few of the remaining people on the bike ride rode through Tasmania - the last state in Australia that the world bike ride had to visit I think. Those that finished the whole ride changed their last name by deed poll to O'Wheel - because a wheel is in the shape of an O and bikes have wheels on them. Also it means "Of the Wheel" - which is quite fitting.
I am a twin - and my brother and I were born at 5am on July 29 1984. This is an interesting date because 1984 is one of my favourite books, my favourite football team won a premiership that year and July 29 is during the footbag world championship weekend.
For the first 9 years of my life I lived in a female only hippy commune in the bush of Tasmania. We had a few paddocks and also 100 acres of bushland behind the house that my brother and I used to play in a lot. I think we were pretty much entirely self sufficient. During that time my Dad died of a brain haemorage - he lived in Melbourne and I can't really remember much of him. We visited my relatives in Japan afterwards - but I feel like half my family is missing. I'd really like to go back to Japan sometime and meet all my relatives again but I don't know when it will happen.
During this time my Mum was studying to become a teacher and in 1993 she graduated and we moved to a small town where she got a job. Before this time I had never played any sport and wasn't into sport at all. However all the kids were really into football and cricket - so I began to play a lot at school. In 1995 (we had moved to a new town by this stage) I started playing Australian Rules Football for a team for the first time. I won the club best and fairest which was cool and was hooked on the sport. I continued to play that and other sports for the next few years - I really wanted to become a professional footballer. In 1999 I was selected into the state touch football team. At the same time I was not selected into the state Australian rules football team because I was "too small and the selectors thought I might get hurt" - I gave up Australia Rules football completely and have only played one game since (filling in for my brothers team).
In 1997 for my 12 birthday - a very close friend of mine whome I've known for my whole life (well their whole life since I'm 18 months older) - gave me a crocheted Guetamalan footbag. For the next 4 or 5 years we would off and on play at school. Sometimes we would play every day - then not play at all for like 3 or 4 months. We learnt some basic tricks like inside stalls and neck catches - but we were making these up ourselves - we had no idea of anything else about the sport. One of the teachers at school - who is the 2nd best flying disc (frisbee) player in the country - told us that the sport was called "footbag" and that hacky sack was a brand name.
In 2001 we all changed schools for our last 2 years of school. We were quickly back into kicking a bag around - and were amazed at the skills of some of the other people - who could keep the bag up for more than 20 kicks and do all kinds of tricks like flying clippers and butterflyers. We thought they were amazing!!
During this time I was becoming increasingly bored with both Touch Football and with School. I had been a very gifted student - mainly because I have such a desire to learn and to push myself - so in my first years at high school I learnt a lot of stuff well above my year. However the last 2 years of school are all about getting good enough marks to get into uni - so I was forced to "learn" stuff I had learnt 4 years ago. I found this incredibly frustrating and boring and pretty much gave up doing any school work at all. I still got good grades because I already knew most of the information. A good example is pure maths stage 2 - where I got straight As but never handed in a single assignment - so could only get a C average overall at best. Obviously this was pretty stuipid but I guess it's hard to explain how frustrating and boring I found that subject.
However it was during this time - in the school holidays in September to be exact - that I went on the internet and did a search for "hackysack" - and came up with www.footbag.org - I spent basically the rest of the year reading everything on that site - printing everything out and memorising it all - as well as watching the videos - the video of Ryan winning worlds that year was the first I downloaded and easily my favourite - and playing all the time.
The following year (2002) - I was still playing touch football really keenly and was hoping to make an under 20 side which competed in the National Touch League - the highest level of touch I could achieve apart from playing for Australia (actually I could probably make the Japanese Touch Football side if I wanted to go to Japan to train). I was in the Tasmanian under 18 or under 20 side at the time. However some of the members of that side who lived 3 hours or so away wouldn't come to trainings when they were close to me - although I always went to trainings close to them. This was very annoying and I decided that it wasn't worth the effort or the $2000 it would cost to go to the tournament.
This meant that by April 2002 the only sport I was playing was footbag.
It was hard going because I had nobody to play with and I also know now that I had no idea what I should be doing. I couldn't do things on both sides, I couldn't even hit 4 guiltless in a row - I was pretty much just always trying to hit new moves but nothing else. At first people would bag me out a bit - but as I improved they began to be impressed. I remember hitting my first five add - phoenix - and getting props from a lot of people. Actually I could some ok length runs - but every second or third move was toe stall.
I also didn't know about x dex or about how some moves of the same add value are harder than others. By the end of the year I had read Lynton Stephens' name around the place and saw that he could hit 20 atomsmashers. I thought that there was something wrong with me because I couldn't hit any even though I could hit butterfly - which I thought should be just as hard.
In September I played with a guy from Melbourne named Spencer for about 20 minutes - which was the first time I got to freestyle with anybody. That was lots of fun. I was at Youth Parliament - a kind of pretend state parliament debating forum thing for young people at the time - which was an amazing experience - but my highlight of that week was definitly playing with Spencer and getting to see somebody else play footbag for the first time - knowing that I wasn't the only person who did it apart from the people on videos.
During that year I also went to a thing called the United Nations Youth Association State Conference - this was a debating kind of thing where you pretended to be from a UN country. It was lots of fun - I think I was the UK. I thought I did really well - I am an ok public speaker and I knew a lot about the UN and my country - I manipulated the security council very well I thought and dominated in the discussions. However when they selected the state team - I was not in it and other people who had no idea what they were talking about were. One guy spent the whole time reading out speaches that the prime minister of Japan had said - ie. didn't actually come up with a single original thing to say - and was selected.
This really pissed me off and when I heard that there was a similar competition but only based around the Security Council - I entered with the sole goal of winning and making myself feel better - I guess I'm a very competative person. Anyway I seriously put in a lot of time and effort for that competition - I did shitloads of research and wrote a lot of speaches. We were in teams of two and I also talked a very good public speaker into being my partner (he's now a tv news reader!!). We were representing the US. Although our bid to take over the world was defeated - we were accused of arrogance half way through the competition and ended up winning.
What's the point of this story you ask?
Well that meant we got to go to Nationals. Nationals was in Canberra. It just so happened that the week before nationals was the NSW footbag championships at the Homebake Music Festival. Realising this was a great opportunity to play footbag with other people again - I managed to arrange to go there before going to Canberra.
This tournament was unreal!! Brendan Erskine and Lynton Stephens were there - both of which really impressed me. It was the first real footbag shred session I had and so much fun. Over the two days I hit 8 new moves - I think they were - atomsmasher, legbeater, paradon, alpha beta tap, assassin, smog, smudge and spinning osis. Definitly the first six are correct - I'm not so sure about the next two.
Lynton was so amazing to play with - like his sick 3 was atomic ducking butterfly>blurriest>mobius. He was also hitting stuff like atomic ducking butterfly>food processor and really long hard runs. It was awesome how friendly everybody was as well. Something I've learnt can be extended to all footbaggers.
Um we came third in the national comp - but to me the trip was amazing for the footbag - the debating thing afterwards was lots of fun - but a bonus.
I came home and organised a state championships of my own. It was pretty basic but it was awesome getting to play with my states only other freestyler - Lotus - who is a legend of the game and a really cool person. He does footbag street performing all the time and also sells bags - so is full of "party" tricks and stuff like that - also has heaps of style. Think of him as like Steve Blough - but with freestyle tricks as well as cool kicking stuff and a great attitude. Um I came 1st in sick 3 and 2nd in routines.
I moved to Melbourne pretty shortly after that and played with Brendan, Lynton, Dan Ednie, Scott Kircher, Harvey Lee, and Jon Lee on a regular basis - infact I was definitly the keenest person to play I think - I would always be calling everybody up asking if they wanted to kick.
During this time I would say the top 5 or 6 footbaggers in Australia all lived in Melbourne - Lynton, Dan, Brendan, Jon, myself and Scott - probably in ordre of skill when I arrived.
I improved very very rapidly. I moved to Melbourne in on Feb 7 and wasn't even tiltless. By the end of march I was hitting longish tiltless runs and by the end of May or June I think I was guiltless.
I learnt a lot from everybody - especially Lynton and I started practicing every day. I was still onesided but I was learning that runs and links were better than big tricks - especially when playing in a circle because if you hit one big trick and then pass it on and everybody else hits a run - you are missing out on lots of playing time.
During this time I went to my third tournament - the East Coast Regionals (2003)- where I met the Sydney footbaggers (actually I had played with Ian before at Homebake - but not much) and had a great time. I also competed well - which was good since it was the first time I competed knowing what I should do. I think I came 2nd in shred 30 with a score of 117, 3rd in sick 3 with parkwalk>ripwalk>ps whirl and =3rd in routines (which was a stupid decision - basically we couldn't be bothered judging so we just did a vote. The three judges voted for me for third and the three intermediates voted for the other person - everybody else abstained) - anyway I got over that 3rd was still good!
I kept playing lots - and helped to organise the Australian champs in Feb 2004. We payed for Ales Zelinka to come down and he stayed with me for ten days. It was amazing to play with him - seeing how both sided he was and how disciplined - I think he changed my perspective on footbag a lot. Johnny Murphey was also there and I was lucky enough to play in a circle with both of them a few times. This was awesome - it was plainly obvious that Johnny would make BAP this year and it gave me a really good example of the level I should be aiming for. I played really badly for that whole tournament. I think my shred 30 in the semis was 124 and in the finals only 104. I couldn't hit my sick 3 combo I wanted in the heats but hit it in the finals - beta blur>dimwalk>blurriest - and my routine was really bad and pretty much completely un planned. Luckily I guess for me - Both Lynton and Dan were injured and although Lynton competed - of the Australians my results were 1st in shred 30, 2nd in Sick 3 and =1st with Lynton in Routines - Johnny and Ales beat me in everything. The amount of open competitors was a bit sad - In shred 30 there were only 4 of us and Matt Baker maybe should have been in intermediate.
Anyway even though I didn't play that well - I really learnt a lot - especially from my drilling sessions with Ales - and I think I improved pretty rapidly.
I moved back home to Tasmania in late June or July and found it hard playing by myself for a long time. I eventually pushed through this and got myself into some good form.
In late september I went up to Brisbane for a jam - which was really awesome - it was great to play with the Brisbane people again/for the first time and also Ian from Sydney and Dan and Scott from Melbourne. Everybody had improved heaps. I was playing really well too and having lots of fun. It was all very relaxed. The highlights shred wise were when I was playing with Dan on the first night and said to him "I'm getting pretty tired - I don't think I'll hit any more big moves today" - and then immediatly followed it up with like a 20 - 30 contact run with Your Mom in the middle of it. Also when we went busking and Dan and I were both throwing down 30+ contact runs almost every time.
I went home really energised from the trip - feeling very positive about footbag - and made some massive improvements when I got home. I'm really looking forward to the footage from those Brisbane - but at the same time I'm not - because I know it will be outdated.
For a long time in footbag I've felt like I'm almost a good player - that if I work a little harder I will be a good player - bap quailty if you like although I don't think I'd ever accept a bap induction. But after a month or so after I got home from Brisbane I suddenly felt like I was a good player. I mean sure there was lots of work I needed to do to get better - but I thought the way I was playing then - I'd probably be good enough to get into bap if I wanted - it's hard to tell because I've only ever played with one person who was in bap - but I was playing well anyway - and actually happy with where my game was - not feeling like I still needed to improve just a little.
Then I started working on the tulip bulb farm and had no energy to play at all - and that brings us to where we are now.
I guess something I want to bring up in this is that I've spent more of my life not having people to play with and playing by myself than playing with other people. I have only been to 5 footbag tournaments - three of which I helped organise. And yet despite that - I do feel like I'm an active member of the footbag community. It's easy for people who have people to play with and tournaments to attend regularly to say that the online community isn't the real footbag community etc. - but for somebody like me - the online community is really the only connection I have with other footbaggers. - I find it a bit demeaning when people bag it out. I'm happy that you have other people to play with - but footbag is very small and you should see that as a luxuary - rather than the norm.
I see footbag as my major focus in life at the moment - and I'm planning on moving back to Melbourne fairly soon - so that will be good for my game I think. I also think one day I'll move somewhere overseas where I can play footbag with lots of people all the time - but I don't know.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it interesting. Shred hard!
Before I was born - my Mum - who was a fairly hardcore hippy at that time - joined a world bike ride around the world for peace. On this bike ride she met my Dad in Japan and stayed there for a year before re joining the bike ride. Apparantly I was concieved in Coppenhagen!!
When she came back to Australia - a few of the remaining people on the bike ride rode through Tasmania - the last state in Australia that the world bike ride had to visit I think. Those that finished the whole ride changed their last name by deed poll to O'Wheel - because a wheel is in the shape of an O and bikes have wheels on them. Also it means "Of the Wheel" - which is quite fitting.
I am a twin - and my brother and I were born at 5am on July 29 1984. This is an interesting date because 1984 is one of my favourite books, my favourite football team won a premiership that year and July 29 is during the footbag world championship weekend.
For the first 9 years of my life I lived in a female only hippy commune in the bush of Tasmania. We had a few paddocks and also 100 acres of bushland behind the house that my brother and I used to play in a lot. I think we were pretty much entirely self sufficient. During that time my Dad died of a brain haemorage - he lived in Melbourne and I can't really remember much of him. We visited my relatives in Japan afterwards - but I feel like half my family is missing. I'd really like to go back to Japan sometime and meet all my relatives again but I don't know when it will happen.
During this time my Mum was studying to become a teacher and in 1993 she graduated and we moved to a small town where she got a job. Before this time I had never played any sport and wasn't into sport at all. However all the kids were really into football and cricket - so I began to play a lot at school. In 1995 (we had moved to a new town by this stage) I started playing Australian Rules Football for a team for the first time. I won the club best and fairest which was cool and was hooked on the sport. I continued to play that and other sports for the next few years - I really wanted to become a professional footballer. In 1999 I was selected into the state touch football team. At the same time I was not selected into the state Australian rules football team because I was "too small and the selectors thought I might get hurt" - I gave up Australia Rules football completely and have only played one game since (filling in for my brothers team).
In 1997 for my 12 birthday - a very close friend of mine whome I've known for my whole life (well their whole life since I'm 18 months older) - gave me a crocheted Guetamalan footbag. For the next 4 or 5 years we would off and on play at school. Sometimes we would play every day - then not play at all for like 3 or 4 months. We learnt some basic tricks like inside stalls and neck catches - but we were making these up ourselves - we had no idea of anything else about the sport. One of the teachers at school - who is the 2nd best flying disc (frisbee) player in the country - told us that the sport was called "footbag" and that hacky sack was a brand name.
In 2001 we all changed schools for our last 2 years of school. We were quickly back into kicking a bag around - and were amazed at the skills of some of the other people - who could keep the bag up for more than 20 kicks and do all kinds of tricks like flying clippers and butterflyers. We thought they were amazing!!
During this time I was becoming increasingly bored with both Touch Football and with School. I had been a very gifted student - mainly because I have such a desire to learn and to push myself - so in my first years at high school I learnt a lot of stuff well above my year. However the last 2 years of school are all about getting good enough marks to get into uni - so I was forced to "learn" stuff I had learnt 4 years ago. I found this incredibly frustrating and boring and pretty much gave up doing any school work at all. I still got good grades because I already knew most of the information. A good example is pure maths stage 2 - where I got straight As but never handed in a single assignment - so could only get a C average overall at best. Obviously this was pretty stuipid but I guess it's hard to explain how frustrating and boring I found that subject.
However it was during this time - in the school holidays in September to be exact - that I went on the internet and did a search for "hackysack" - and came up with www.footbag.org - I spent basically the rest of the year reading everything on that site - printing everything out and memorising it all - as well as watching the videos - the video of Ryan winning worlds that year was the first I downloaded and easily my favourite - and playing all the time.
The following year (2002) - I was still playing touch football really keenly and was hoping to make an under 20 side which competed in the National Touch League - the highest level of touch I could achieve apart from playing for Australia (actually I could probably make the Japanese Touch Football side if I wanted to go to Japan to train). I was in the Tasmanian under 18 or under 20 side at the time. However some of the members of that side who lived 3 hours or so away wouldn't come to trainings when they were close to me - although I always went to trainings close to them. This was very annoying and I decided that it wasn't worth the effort or the $2000 it would cost to go to the tournament.
This meant that by April 2002 the only sport I was playing was footbag.
It was hard going because I had nobody to play with and I also know now that I had no idea what I should be doing. I couldn't do things on both sides, I couldn't even hit 4 guiltless in a row - I was pretty much just always trying to hit new moves but nothing else. At first people would bag me out a bit - but as I improved they began to be impressed. I remember hitting my first five add - phoenix - and getting props from a lot of people. Actually I could some ok length runs - but every second or third move was toe stall.
I also didn't know about x dex or about how some moves of the same add value are harder than others. By the end of the year I had read Lynton Stephens' name around the place and saw that he could hit 20 atomsmashers. I thought that there was something wrong with me because I couldn't hit any even though I could hit butterfly - which I thought should be just as hard.
In September I played with a guy from Melbourne named Spencer for about 20 minutes - which was the first time I got to freestyle with anybody. That was lots of fun. I was at Youth Parliament - a kind of pretend state parliament debating forum thing for young people at the time - which was an amazing experience - but my highlight of that week was definitly playing with Spencer and getting to see somebody else play footbag for the first time - knowing that I wasn't the only person who did it apart from the people on videos.
During that year I also went to a thing called the United Nations Youth Association State Conference - this was a debating kind of thing where you pretended to be from a UN country. It was lots of fun - I think I was the UK. I thought I did really well - I am an ok public speaker and I knew a lot about the UN and my country - I manipulated the security council very well I thought and dominated in the discussions. However when they selected the state team - I was not in it and other people who had no idea what they were talking about were. One guy spent the whole time reading out speaches that the prime minister of Japan had said - ie. didn't actually come up with a single original thing to say - and was selected.
This really pissed me off and when I heard that there was a similar competition but only based around the Security Council - I entered with the sole goal of winning and making myself feel better - I guess I'm a very competative person. Anyway I seriously put in a lot of time and effort for that competition - I did shitloads of research and wrote a lot of speaches. We were in teams of two and I also talked a very good public speaker into being my partner (he's now a tv news reader!!). We were representing the US. Although our bid to take over the world was defeated - we were accused of arrogance half way through the competition and ended up winning.
What's the point of this story you ask?
Well that meant we got to go to Nationals. Nationals was in Canberra. It just so happened that the week before nationals was the NSW footbag championships at the Homebake Music Festival. Realising this was a great opportunity to play footbag with other people again - I managed to arrange to go there before going to Canberra.
This tournament was unreal!! Brendan Erskine and Lynton Stephens were there - both of which really impressed me. It was the first real footbag shred session I had and so much fun. Over the two days I hit 8 new moves - I think they were - atomsmasher, legbeater, paradon, alpha beta tap, assassin, smog, smudge and spinning osis. Definitly the first six are correct - I'm not so sure about the next two.
Lynton was so amazing to play with - like his sick 3 was atomic ducking butterfly>blurriest>mobius. He was also hitting stuff like atomic ducking butterfly>food processor and really long hard runs. It was awesome how friendly everybody was as well. Something I've learnt can be extended to all footbaggers.
Um we came third in the national comp - but to me the trip was amazing for the footbag - the debating thing afterwards was lots of fun - but a bonus.
I came home and organised a state championships of my own. It was pretty basic but it was awesome getting to play with my states only other freestyler - Lotus - who is a legend of the game and a really cool person. He does footbag street performing all the time and also sells bags - so is full of "party" tricks and stuff like that - also has heaps of style. Think of him as like Steve Blough - but with freestyle tricks as well as cool kicking stuff and a great attitude. Um I came 1st in sick 3 and 2nd in routines.
I moved to Melbourne pretty shortly after that and played with Brendan, Lynton, Dan Ednie, Scott Kircher, Harvey Lee, and Jon Lee on a regular basis - infact I was definitly the keenest person to play I think - I would always be calling everybody up asking if they wanted to kick.
During this time I would say the top 5 or 6 footbaggers in Australia all lived in Melbourne - Lynton, Dan, Brendan, Jon, myself and Scott - probably in ordre of skill when I arrived.
I improved very very rapidly. I moved to Melbourne in on Feb 7 and wasn't even tiltless. By the end of march I was hitting longish tiltless runs and by the end of May or June I think I was guiltless.
I learnt a lot from everybody - especially Lynton and I started practicing every day. I was still onesided but I was learning that runs and links were better than big tricks - especially when playing in a circle because if you hit one big trick and then pass it on and everybody else hits a run - you are missing out on lots of playing time.
During this time I went to my third tournament - the East Coast Regionals (2003)- where I met the Sydney footbaggers (actually I had played with Ian before at Homebake - but not much) and had a great time. I also competed well - which was good since it was the first time I competed knowing what I should do. I think I came 2nd in shred 30 with a score of 117, 3rd in sick 3 with parkwalk>ripwalk>ps whirl and =3rd in routines (which was a stupid decision - basically we couldn't be bothered judging so we just did a vote. The three judges voted for me for third and the three intermediates voted for the other person - everybody else abstained) - anyway I got over that 3rd was still good!
I kept playing lots - and helped to organise the Australian champs in Feb 2004. We payed for Ales Zelinka to come down and he stayed with me for ten days. It was amazing to play with him - seeing how both sided he was and how disciplined - I think he changed my perspective on footbag a lot. Johnny Murphey was also there and I was lucky enough to play in a circle with both of them a few times. This was awesome - it was plainly obvious that Johnny would make BAP this year and it gave me a really good example of the level I should be aiming for. I played really badly for that whole tournament. I think my shred 30 in the semis was 124 and in the finals only 104. I couldn't hit my sick 3 combo I wanted in the heats but hit it in the finals - beta blur>dimwalk>blurriest - and my routine was really bad and pretty much completely un planned. Luckily I guess for me - Both Lynton and Dan were injured and although Lynton competed - of the Australians my results were 1st in shred 30, 2nd in Sick 3 and =1st with Lynton in Routines - Johnny and Ales beat me in everything. The amount of open competitors was a bit sad - In shred 30 there were only 4 of us and Matt Baker maybe should have been in intermediate.
Anyway even though I didn't play that well - I really learnt a lot - especially from my drilling sessions with Ales - and I think I improved pretty rapidly.
I moved back home to Tasmania in late June or July and found it hard playing by myself for a long time. I eventually pushed through this and got myself into some good form.
In late september I went up to Brisbane for a jam - which was really awesome - it was great to play with the Brisbane people again/for the first time and also Ian from Sydney and Dan and Scott from Melbourne. Everybody had improved heaps. I was playing really well too and having lots of fun. It was all very relaxed. The highlights shred wise were when I was playing with Dan on the first night and said to him "I'm getting pretty tired - I don't think I'll hit any more big moves today" - and then immediatly followed it up with like a 20 - 30 contact run with Your Mom in the middle of it. Also when we went busking and Dan and I were both throwing down 30+ contact runs almost every time.
I went home really energised from the trip - feeling very positive about footbag - and made some massive improvements when I got home. I'm really looking forward to the footage from those Brisbane - but at the same time I'm not - because I know it will be outdated.
For a long time in footbag I've felt like I'm almost a good player - that if I work a little harder I will be a good player - bap quailty if you like although I don't think I'd ever accept a bap induction. But after a month or so after I got home from Brisbane I suddenly felt like I was a good player. I mean sure there was lots of work I needed to do to get better - but I thought the way I was playing then - I'd probably be good enough to get into bap if I wanted - it's hard to tell because I've only ever played with one person who was in bap - but I was playing well anyway - and actually happy with where my game was - not feeling like I still needed to improve just a little.
Then I started working on the tulip bulb farm and had no energy to play at all - and that brings us to where we are now.
I guess something I want to bring up in this is that I've spent more of my life not having people to play with and playing by myself than playing with other people. I have only been to 5 footbag tournaments - three of which I helped organise. And yet despite that - I do feel like I'm an active member of the footbag community. It's easy for people who have people to play with and tournaments to attend regularly to say that the online community isn't the real footbag community etc. - but for somebody like me - the online community is really the only connection I have with other footbaggers. - I find it a bit demeaning when people bag it out. I'm happy that you have other people to play with - but footbag is very small and you should see that as a luxuary - rather than the norm.
I see footbag as my major focus in life at the moment - and I'm planning on moving back to Melbourne fairly soon - so that will be good for my game I think. I also think one day I'll move somewhere overseas where I can play footbag with lots of people all the time - but I don't know.
I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it interesting. Shred hard!
-
Just call me hagesy
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 913
- Joined: 15 Oct 2004 21:43
- Location: Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
That was awesome jeremy
Reading your life history etc makes my life history seem very very dull. The coincidences with your birth date
Props jeremy
If one day i could shred like you, i would be a very happy man.
Reading your life history etc makes my life history seem very very dull. The coincidences with your birth date
Props jeremy
If one day i could shred like you, i would be a very happy man.
Anthony Hagen
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.
Buy O'wheel Bags, he is the man, trust me.
"It is none of my business what other people think.