The More things change

gripperm · Post by **gripperm** » 25 Jun 2006 22:30

Well I have to tell a story that is kinda long but I find very funny and mind opening. My daughter has seen pics of me playing footbag from the mid 80's and asked what it was all about. She is 12 and plays soccer so I thought this will be something that I can live my past and introduce her to a sport that I loved so many years ago.

So my first thing was to go online and see what the current status of footbag is today. You have to remember I started back in the mid 80's due to the horrible Hacky Sack brand (but it did get people interested) and i was a normal player in circles until 1987. That year I heard that a store opened up called Funtastik in my area that sold "Hacky Sacks" and juggling items. So I drove to Hershey, Pa dn walked into this house that was now a store and said "I heared you sell a bunch of Hacky Sacks here" to which I was told that "we sell footbags and if you want a Hacky Sack go to Toys-R-Us." Well that day changed my view because I left there with magazines a footbags made by Kanga and was all hyped up about being good enough to go to Colorado Springs for the yearly championships. I got really good and was a hit at High School for having different kinds of bags to kick. Of course i would get upset when someone would call my 32 panel Kanga a Hacky Sack! Well i was good as I could get but the style back then could not hold a match to the things that you guys do today. What was once called doing a solo is now free-styling and it has evolved to a point that when I watched a video of you younger guys I was awstracked.

Well that was it I read what I could and ordered a pair of Laver's for me and my daughter from Zappo's yesterday and then I ordered two dirtbags. Then I found out that I should of got a Mr. Sandbag so I ordered one of those. Then I realized they were for free-styling and i needed a circle bag to introduce the sport to my daughter so I ordered a I think it was called a Ace. Then I checked to see if the store that got me hooked was still around and yes it is
http://www.funtastikonline.com/home/default.asp but they have added more stores but know really deal with extreme sports but I was so happy to hear that they still sold some footbags and give them credit for the company's start http://www.funtastikonline.com/home/sal ... tegory=FTB
so here iam placing a order for a footbag from the company that got me started into this sport almost 20 years later.

So today I thought I would take it easy and wait till all my goodies arrive and my wife came home from shopping at Target and said "guess what I got?" she threw a blister pack at me and there it was a Whamo Hacky Sack the devil its self! my daughter comes running over and said lets play. I say No Hacky Sacks suck! she keeps pestering and I wound up digging out my old duct taped Vans and going outside and started to teach myself and my daughter the sport of footbag. after abut 15 minutes she looks at me and says "this is so much fun, I cant wait until the other ones arrive and we can keep playing all the time" at that moment I felt like I just did a full orbit around the sun I could hear a stewardess saying to put my seat in the upright position because I just traveled back into 1987 and was having a blast! Sorry for the ramble but I just had to say it ...oh and by the way I just ordered a KFM Cuddlebag too. One thing about being 37 with a working wife is that Footbags seem real inexpensive now compared to when I was 15 or so.... Some things that are old can be new again

warri0r · Post by **warri0r** » 26 Jun 2006 04:48

Wow!Nice story!i havent suppose that footbag is so old!execuse me but im 14 years old!

gripperm · Post by **gripperm** » 26 Jun 2006 04:56

warri0r wrote:Wow!Nice story!i havent suppose that footbag is so old!execuse me but im 14 years old!

I am not sure but I think it started in the early 70's

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 26 Jun 2006 05:39

gripperm wrote: "this is so much fun, I cant wait until the other ones arrive and we can keep playing all the time"

That brought a tear to my eye.

Beautiful story

sen · Post by **sen** » 26 Jun 2006 06:16

Props on getting back into the sport and on showing your daughter the wonderful world of footbag! That's sorta a dream of mine... to one day introduce this sport to my children (when I have some).

Guest_2 · Post by **Guest_2** » 26 Jun 2006 07:40

Beautiful

I wish my little sister was as much of a cool cat as your daughter

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 26 Jun 2006 07:54

I really enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing, and good luck with passing the footbag torch.

SandWraith · Post by **SandWraith** » 26 Jun 2006 08:35

Cool story. I'll be interested to hear how you and your daughter progress. I doubt many people get to learn with their father.

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 26 Jun 2006 18:03

Awesome story. Please don't apologize for rambling. Keep the stories coming, they're great!

BalinorNZ · Post by **BalinorNZ** » 29 Jun 2006 08:02

Sweet story! I hope to teach my kids footbag one day

Paul Agostinelli · Post by **Paul Agostinelli** » 30 Jun 2006 07:33

you should start a footblog and keep us updated! by the way there is stil the funtastic summer classic every year (im not sure about this year but it hasnt been nay'ed yet) so that store holds a tourney every year.

~NEL~

gripperm · Post by **gripperm** » 30 Jun 2006 08:15

Paul Agostinelli wrote:you should start a footblog and keep us updated! by the way there is stil the funtastic summer classic every year (im not sure about this year but it hasnt been nay'ed yet) so that store holds a tourney every year.

~NEL~

Funtastik 717-697-6692 Also ava ilable at http://www.footbag/org events Click on this link to the page http://www.footbag.org/events/ SAT. Sept 2 MORRISON (SUNSHINE) PARK, Cameron & Herr Sts. Harrisburg, Pa. 9am -Late registration/early reg. player pack pick up 10am -Preliminary Singles Net rounds 2pm -Preliminary Doubles Net rounds 4pm -Novice Singles Net finals 5pm -Novice Doubles Net finals 6pm -Service Poaching- qualifying 8pm- midnight- Hbg Holiday Inn -social & shred SUN. Sept 5 New Cumberland Park tentative 8:30 am- golf 9 holes Sun Sept 5-Front & Forrester Sts (Harvey Taylor Bridge) Harrisburg 11am -Singles & Doubles Net continues -Amateur Singles Finals 11 am- Four Square Contest 12pm -Amateur Doubles Net Finals 1pm -Iron Man, Super Man & Shred 3-5pm -Freestyle Singles -Sin & Dbl Pro SemiFinals -Consolation netmatches -Amateur Freestyle Finals 8pm-midnight-Hbg Holiday Inn-social & shred Holiday Inn- back deck MON. SEPT 6 Front & Forrester Sts- Harvey Taylor Bridge -Harrisburg, Pa. 10 am- net consolation match 11 am- Masters singles finals 11 am- 3rd place pro net final NOON -Pro Singles Net Finals 1pm -Skills Contest Finals 2pm -Pro Doubles Net Finals 2pm -3rd place pro doubles finals 3pm -Pro Freestyle Finals 5pm -Awards Ceremony 6:30 - get together for dinner at Appalachian Brewery Co. on Cameron St.

RawSko · Post by **RawSko** » 30 Jun 2006 10:50

Wow! I have so much respect for you man. That's sooooooo incredibly cool that you're playing again and passing on the love of the sport!! Awsome...

I hope that both you and your daughter find opertunities to hit up lots of tourneys and participate in the ever growing culture of Footbag. *Big Hug*

keep it real

NotHisRealName · Post by **NotHisRealName** » 30 Jun 2006 16:38

Great story!
If you haven't seen it already, you can show your daugher Shreditas.com to give her more inspiration, if needed. It's a site dedicated to girls who play footbag!

gripperm · Post by **gripperm** » 30 Jun 2006 16:42

NotHisRealName wrote:Great story!
If you haven't seen it already, you can show your daugher Shreditas.com to give her more inspiration, if needed. It's a site dedicated to girls who play footbag!

Someone else posted that and yes I will have her check it out. I am still waiting on my orders so I am getting anxious

smokefree · Post by **smokefree** » 02 Jul 2006 08:49

Wow man you went all out on ordering stuff! Thats cool that your daughter is getting into it, kids of that age seem to love the sport, my cousins always enjoy kicking to.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 02 Jul 2006 09:55

Lol that'd be cool if you guys learned footbag together. I kick solo mostly, there's not many people around to kick with. It'd be so cool to have like a family member to kick with practically everyday. That would just be awesome. She could easily be a world champion too if she kept up with it.

Spontaneous Spaz · Post by **Spontaneous Spaz** » 04 Jul 2006 18:31

that's just great man! congrats, great story, and keep kicking. kick till u can't kick no more and then some...

bigdirtyfoot · Post by **bigdirtyfoot** » 05 Jul 2006 04:53

What a great story - thanks.

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The More things change

The More things change

Re: The More things change