Mosher's Footblog

Pascal · Post by **Pascal** » 08 Nov 2005 18:24

Just kick it really, really high and spin really, really fast.

Plus, props to Jared for the original idea, and to Tom for hitting it.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 21 Nov 2005 11:49

Friday was a pretty incredible and special night for me, let me tell you why.

I had been asked weeks ago to play some footbag as a form of entertainment at this concert that my friend was putting on. He specifically requested that I wear my cutest little short shorts and no shirt, I was happy to oblige.

Peng and I showed up at the place, called the grad club, at around ten and paid the cover and then went and got some drinks. As it turns out I was on the guest list because I was to be a performer, but I still wanted to pay because I know what it's like being an organiser and then winding up big time in the hole so I wanted to help all I could.

The first band, if you could call it a band, was called Dandi Wind. It was a dude/chick (you know.. in between type) on the keyboard/synth/drum machine and this CRAZY girl on the mic. She had on leggings and a top with crazy frill tassle feather things all over and she performed with so much charisma and zest, it was amazing. She was all over the place and really really into the music and she put on an awesome show.

When their set ended I was approached by the organizer guy, my friend Andrew who is also somewhat interested in learning footbag, and asked if I still felt up to doing my little footbag thing. I said yes, of course, and trotted off to change into my gear.

I got changed and then did like.. 2 and a half minutes of warm up shred in the back of the kitchen where I changed and then decided that I had to step up and do this before nervousness set in.

I came out and Andrew spotted me and hopped up on stage to announce that I was going to do some footbag for the crowd, it felt awesome to hear "Tom Mosher, representing the Kingston Footbag Militia!!" as I went up.

People really had no idea what I was about to do, I politely cleared back a spot at the front of the crowd and dropped the bag to my foot. I then remembered that he had requested no shirt so I took it off, that recieved a round of 'oooOOOooh's from the crowd.

I had them pump up the beat and I went right into my shit. I started with some toe stalls, I heard some people in the crowd oohing and ahhing at that, hehe, and then soon went into some real solid tiltless strings. I really should have built it up more.. but I hadn't planned it much.

The whole little 'performance' went really well and people seemed to really dig it. When I was tired and didn't feel like being the center of attention any longer I politely bowed out and stepped aside. It was a really great experience for me and I am glad that Andrew had faith in me and let me be part of his show. Hehe, I was the halftime show!

After the eyes were off me Peng and I played more footbag as the crowd milled about waiting for the second band.

The second band was a band Ive seen once before, Kids On TV, and they were as good as last time, which is to say, good.

I was still in my itty bitty short shorts with no shirt on the whole time dancing, but that is the one crowd in which that type of dress totally fit in with. The lead singer was only wear a pair of briefs!

I love the crowd at those shows, so free and happy and unafraid to let loose and have fun. There is no pressure to hook up and impress, everyone was just moving to the music because it feels good!

Yeah!

Good times.

I played footbag today with Peng then we worked out, I wanna get so fit, I am getting chubby and I doooon't like it!

I am off, ta ta.

mc · Post by mc » 21 Nov 2005 11:57

"worked out", hahahahahah

way to represent!

Jdigges · Post by **Jdigges** » 21 Nov 2005 12:24

Thats awesome man. did you get hooked up with any more gigs?

jon · Post by **jon** » 21 Nov 2005 12:25

Great job Tom. Footbag needs more people representing the sport in such a postive manner.
I look forward to seeing some sick video of you from the Rochester Jam.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 21 Nov 2005 20:56

Hey Jon,
I will be back in your part of Ontario WELL before you have to go away to Victoria so expect MANY sessions!!

I look forward to shredding with you again.

Why did I put this in my blog and not yours?

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 22 Nov 2005 23:37

Everytime I go to post this my computer crashes, I will make it as short as possible.

Yesterday: clip barrage>barrage bs
Today: pdx eggbeater bs

what what.

pdx egg is going to be my favie trick one day.

The new Jorden video gets me SO stoked to shred and live and all that.

I really hope Johnny and Jorden can come with me to the Rochester New Years jimmy jam. Oh man, that shit is going to be the best.

I waaaaaant to get soooooooooo good!!! I felt strong and confident today, I MUST improve heinly.

grifter ASAP.

I made an amaaazing bag for me yesterday.
My bags KICK ASS lately. So do pengs. so does Peng! she's the greatest. and shes waiting for me in bed, ta ta.

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 22 Nov 2005 23:46

Sweet stuff man!!! Did you mean clip barrage>toe barrage????
If so thats hype!

Give me a shout when you are in Toronto during the holidays....for MAXIMUM SHREDDAGE!!!

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 23 Nov 2005 23:16

Adam, yes I meant clip barrage>toe barrage, i just figured it was obvious so I did'nt say the toe part.

I forgot to mention that Pengpengpeng hit a challenge I gave her, she hit toe>ss inside>ss toe bsos!

I GOT A UNICYCLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I won it on ebay a few days ago and then today it arrived, SO much sooner than I expected!!!

It's fun as fucking hell!! I can't wait until I am good enough to ride it and juggle at the same time! Woooo!!!

Also, I won some new climas on ebay today, check these mothers out!

mmmmm hein shred kicks!!

mc · Post by mc » 24 Nov 2005 05:10

mmmm, beautiful sweet Clima 1s!!!! Try my "cut through the fins WAAAAY up at the top, past the thick part" method, it makes the whole process SO much easier. So does a pair of uuuber-pointy pliers. I did my last pair practically flawlessly (only one tiny little cut through one strand of mesh at the top of a stripe

) with much much less effort than that debacle in Wroclaw, and in under half an hour because of those two differences.

See you soon!

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 24 Nov 2005 08:12

That's actually what Ive done with all mine so far. It's kinda impossible if you don't.

But thanks for the tips. Any little bit helps when setting up a pair of these puppies.

I am going to do them flawlessly, I know all the little things that make a big difference, no tears this time!

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 24 Nov 2005 19:24

I sucked at KFM tonight.

bleh

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 28 Nov 2005 21:27

Why am I not getting any better???

I am trying sooooo hard!!

I can't even kinda spin!

I can shuffle a bit.. sorta.

yaarrg!

MUST DRILL MORE!!

On a positive note all the bags I make now are fuuuuuucking amazing!

I played with an almost new mosherbag today, I love this bag.

gosh dammit, I am gonna get good no matter what!

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 28 Nov 2005 21:35

You've already progressed soooo fast, though!! Why get bummed out now? From your videos I think you're still improving really constantly, and your shuffle, bothsidedness, trick selection, and style is all sooo amazing and inspiring! Plus you can lay down some big tricks like nothing!

Don't freak out about spinning -- I think it's totally the hardest thing to learn in all of footbag! I can't even really remember what to say to help practice it. I guess go at it. SPOT FAST. If you get dizzy, then take a break and school some frontside stuff (schooling the other side never really actually counters the dizziness :/) then come back to spinning again. Spotting will make you less dizzy and will make you spin fast and will give you tons of time to do a trick out of the spin.

Think of it this way...you may feel that you're progressing slower than before, but remember how much bothsided you are than most everybody else in the world! Being bothsided is THE BEST.

Jdigges · Post by **Jdigges** » 29 Nov 2005 09:07

Yea man listen to erik. you don't even have a FLIPSIDE!

sweet_hack · Post by **sweet_hack** » 01 Dec 2005 14:42

tom's the bomb.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 05 Dec 2005 16:45

Thanks for the encouragement guys, it means alot.

I am at almost 2 years of freestyle footbag now.. I am proud of what I have achieved and the influence I have had on others, both around me and all over the world. This whole footbag experience has been the most moving time of my entire life. Ive changed so much physically and I feel I have a totally different outlook on life now. I see learning new things in a completely different light, footbag taught me how to get better at things without letting myself get frustrated.

I have met the coolest, nicest and most genuine people through footbag and they (you!) have accepted me and pushed me to be the best me I can be.

I am proud of the KFM, the regulars that keep coming out and being enthusiastic juice me up with warm fuzzies with the thought that I get to help them on this wonderful journey. I love knowing that I have introduced a few handfulls of people to this world of ours, seeing them smile and laugh and enjoy this sport as much as I do is so great, I feel like I have given them a present that no amount of money could ever buy.

Life has been pretty awesome lately. I play footbag pretty regularly and I spend most of the rest of my time with Peng being happy. We stab footbags and snuggle and laugh and it's all sunshine, lollipops and brewskies.

I STILL havn't smoked any weed! it's been like.. a month and a half at least!! I never thought I would be capable of something like that.. but somehow I have cut weed out of my life. I shredded with Seath and Skippy this weekend and afterwards I skinned up a sweet doobie for them and just stood there while they sucked it back.

I am going to stop complaining that I suck at footbag, I know I am way way way better than I eeeeeeeeeever thought I could become, so I should be content with that. But I am not nearly as good as I now plan on becoming, so I must drill like a motherfucker!!

Peng and I shredded in this awesome dance studio at Queen's today. Well.. I shredded and she danced because she wasn't into it. She filmed me shredding with Brenda, the DocBag, and tomorrow I plan on mailing it out to some lucky hackybagger. It's really quite sweet.

I don't think I really hit anything cool.. oh, other than when she exclaimed that the camera was almost full and that I should hit something cool I hit barroque first try. I think it was thin to the, but still, uhh.. it was cool.

I will edit the footage tonight and make a "farewell to brenda" video and shed a few tears.

I am procrastinating, back to the studying.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 05 Dec 2005 17:02

Everybody improves differently, but when I read:

mosher wrote:Why am I not getting any better???

I am trying sooooo hard!!

I thought: "maybe he just answered his own question."

I really find that I pick up the most tricks and improve the most when I go into my sessions without goals. I just play and stay loose mentally, and usually something comes along that I feel like working on. If its not the right time for me to learn inspins, so be it. I don't worry about it, I just move on, and usually my body tells me what it feels like working on. Sometimes, picking up new components is a much slower and more subtle process than we realize. Just because you skooled drifters everyday for a week last week, and you can't hit them today, doesn't mean you wasted your time. Maybe the lesson is still sinking in, or maybe all that drifter practice improved your torques.

I approach every session with the philosophy: "every add I put on my shoes makes me better." I found this philosophy to really help me. Andrew Grant has a very different philosophy, where he sets specific goals before each session, and works on them. Considering how fast you've improved in 2 years, I think you're doing just fine. But if ever you find yourself frustrated, thinking you are trying really hard and not seeing results, maybe try my suggestion and just let the game come to you.

Keep your head up Mosher.

PS- props on having the first blog to break 20,000 views. Race you to 30

!

Skeletor · Post by **Skeletor** » 05 Dec 2005 18:13

Mad props Tom. life rules and so do you. and by that I also mean that I rule too since I am life. buahahahaha but yeah, big props and respect to all of your progress. Im glad I got to witness so much of it!

Jorden · Post by **Jorden** » 05 Dec 2005 19:41

Tom, believe it or not, you already know ALL the tricks. Everyone does -- but your muscle memory won't tell you all at once. Come to each session with an open mind and LISTEN to what your body is trying to say. It knows what you should do next to help you in the long run.

~ Jorden M. Moir