David wrote:My name is David Clavens, and tonight I'll display my talent for brevity. Thank you, good night.
David
It went down like this, right?
Colin Kennedy
[email protected]
[email protected]
-
beenjammin
- Atomsmashasaurus Dex
- Posts: 857
- Joined: 17 Mar 2006 12:36
props on the 2nd place!
I am...
Working hard in school,
too busy for my friends,
in pain half the time,
trying to stay positive,
bored at the wrong times,
faced with decisions,
learning,
doing laundry,
not cleaning my room,
eating poorly,
pessimistic but realistic,
waiting for something I can't name.
I need...
a purpose,
more october days,
my best friends,
someone to care for,
time.
Working hard in school,
too busy for my friends,
in pain half the time,
trying to stay positive,
bored at the wrong times,
faced with decisions,
learning,
doing laundry,
not cleaning my room,
eating poorly,
pessimistic but realistic,
waiting for something I can't name.
I need...
a purpose,
more october days,
my best friends,
someone to care for,
time.
david
Someone once told me you should be defined by the things you do, not by what you say. I thought this was sound advice, as in, your actions will show your true self and really matter. You can say anything. I can say I’m 4th in the world, but showing the video makes it a lot more credible. So for most of my life I try to define myself by what I do. I would rather hit big tricks at jams in front of people rather than on camera once and never do it again. I think that’s a good way to be.
However, it becomes a problem when you are defined by what you do, and I do footbag. Footbag is my life, it is my hobby, it is my passion, but it is not me. But as I have mentioned before, footbag is how I am defined to many of the people I know here, and that bothers me. Today was a great example of the upsides and downsides of being good at footbag. (I think I’m at least decent at hack, if you don’t, this might not make sense.)
Anyway, there is this thing called the Big Ten Network. It is a cable channel devoted to the big ten, which is the sports conference that my college is in. It covers 10 schools and reaches about a half million people. Not bad. So today they came out to do a story on the juggling and footbag club. It was myself and the two best jugglers in the club. The people interviewed the jugglers for like 10 minutes and me for about 15. They really liked footbag and the guy got my number at the end and said he might want to use me in later projects. That’s really awesome. I was happy I was good at shred then. I was happy that the guy kept saying how cool it was that I went to worlds and made finals etc. etc. So that was cool.
The next thing was around 2 when I played in front of the student union with Scott. A lot of people watch when we play and it feels good to see people stop their busy days and enjoy footbag for a bit. I really like playing in public and having a good run in front of a crowd. I like when kids sit for a while and watch us play and some even talk to us once in a while. Being good at footbag is really awesome then.
But here’s when it’s not good. I am involved in this thing for my residence area which covers about 4,000 kids. I am the co-chair of promotion for this group, which runs activities in our housing area. We have weekly meetings, for which there is a schedule that I see the night before. The president always puts his favorite website of the week in the schedule, and guess what site it was this week. Davidclavens.com. So at first I was like, oh I guess that’s cool, but I know tomorrow at the meeting kids are going to look at it and be like wtf that’s so stupid blah blah. And then I’ll feel awkward. On top of that the girl I co-chair with said the website wasn’t any good and that bothers me because my frikken name is on it you know? I just don’t want that kind of attention. That is one of the times being good at footbag sucks.
It also sucks when people can search your name and find out you were injured for 2 months from playing hacky sack. It sucks when people find your videos online and ask you why you don’t wear a shirt. It sucks that someone from school could find this and read it and know my thoughts. I write in here like only hackers can read it.
So I guess this can be viewed in a bunch of ways.
1) Shit David, your really ungrateful. I would love to be as good at you at hack. Well, maybe you wouldn’t if you actually were. It sucks sometimes. I used to care a lot about being as good as Penske and jorden and all that, and thank god that is slowly fading from my mind, which in turn has helped me play more creatively. But like, that’s a bummer. It’s a bummer showing up to a tournament knowing people are going to compare you to the guy standing to your left, and if you play worse than him that probably changes their view.
2) I should screw everyone who doesn’t like footbag and just focus on the people who do like it (there are a lot). I should focus on the people who want me on TV, put me in the newspaper, talk about me, see me in talent shows, etc. I should ignore the people who don’t get footbag.
3) The above isn’t very practical, because I care what non-footbag players think. They are the people you have to convert; you have to show them what shred is and make them like it. I feel like I have converted many people here to my side, a lot of kids do think its great, but it bothers me when I get these “hacky sack? Really, you do that?â€
However, it becomes a problem when you are defined by what you do, and I do footbag. Footbag is my life, it is my hobby, it is my passion, but it is not me. But as I have mentioned before, footbag is how I am defined to many of the people I know here, and that bothers me. Today was a great example of the upsides and downsides of being good at footbag. (I think I’m at least decent at hack, if you don’t, this might not make sense.)
Anyway, there is this thing called the Big Ten Network. It is a cable channel devoted to the big ten, which is the sports conference that my college is in. It covers 10 schools and reaches about a half million people. Not bad. So today they came out to do a story on the juggling and footbag club. It was myself and the two best jugglers in the club. The people interviewed the jugglers for like 10 minutes and me for about 15. They really liked footbag and the guy got my number at the end and said he might want to use me in later projects. That’s really awesome. I was happy I was good at shred then. I was happy that the guy kept saying how cool it was that I went to worlds and made finals etc. etc. So that was cool.
The next thing was around 2 when I played in front of the student union with Scott. A lot of people watch when we play and it feels good to see people stop their busy days and enjoy footbag for a bit. I really like playing in public and having a good run in front of a crowd. I like when kids sit for a while and watch us play and some even talk to us once in a while. Being good at footbag is really awesome then.
But here’s when it’s not good. I am involved in this thing for my residence area which covers about 4,000 kids. I am the co-chair of promotion for this group, which runs activities in our housing area. We have weekly meetings, for which there is a schedule that I see the night before. The president always puts his favorite website of the week in the schedule, and guess what site it was this week. Davidclavens.com. So at first I was like, oh I guess that’s cool, but I know tomorrow at the meeting kids are going to look at it and be like wtf that’s so stupid blah blah. And then I’ll feel awkward. On top of that the girl I co-chair with said the website wasn’t any good and that bothers me because my frikken name is on it you know? I just don’t want that kind of attention. That is one of the times being good at footbag sucks.
It also sucks when people can search your name and find out you were injured for 2 months from playing hacky sack. It sucks when people find your videos online and ask you why you don’t wear a shirt. It sucks that someone from school could find this and read it and know my thoughts. I write in here like only hackers can read it.
So I guess this can be viewed in a bunch of ways.
1) Shit David, your really ungrateful. I would love to be as good at you at hack. Well, maybe you wouldn’t if you actually were. It sucks sometimes. I used to care a lot about being as good as Penske and jorden and all that, and thank god that is slowly fading from my mind, which in turn has helped me play more creatively. But like, that’s a bummer. It’s a bummer showing up to a tournament knowing people are going to compare you to the guy standing to your left, and if you play worse than him that probably changes their view.
2) I should screw everyone who doesn’t like footbag and just focus on the people who do like it (there are a lot). I should focus on the people who want me on TV, put me in the newspaper, talk about me, see me in talent shows, etc. I should ignore the people who don’t get footbag.
3) The above isn’t very practical, because I care what non-footbag players think. They are the people you have to convert; you have to show them what shred is and make them like it. I feel like I have converted many people here to my side, a lot of kids do think its great, but it bothers me when I get these “hacky sack? Really, you do that?â€
david
I wouldn't take what she said to heart. It sounds like she is intimidated by your talent and the attention you are receiving among your mutual community. It seems like this could have been a conscious or unconscious stab to catch you off-guard and feel more of a power balance.
The only reason someone would come out and say your website was bad (in an unconstructive manner- after all constructive criticism never reads: it's bad. First thing you learn in art school) was if they felt they had to bring you down a notch. Many people who actively hold responsibilities over others find that it is crucial that those beneath them do not outshine them. It is a pragmatic decision most commonly illustrated in corporations, beaurocracies, hourly positions and Dilbert cartoons. In a managerial position this could be described as theory X response to a situation. Another possibility is that she is immature. A silly-head if you will.
FWIW, I am glad that you spend more time on footbag than graphic design. I doubt I am in the minority.
The only reason someone would come out and say your website was bad (in an unconstructive manner- after all constructive criticism never reads: it's bad. First thing you learn in art school) was if they felt they had to bring you down a notch. Many people who actively hold responsibilities over others find that it is crucial that those beneath them do not outshine them. It is a pragmatic decision most commonly illustrated in corporations, beaurocracies, hourly positions and Dilbert cartoons. In a managerial position this could be described as theory X response to a situation. Another possibility is that she is immature. A silly-head if you will.
FWIW, I am glad that you spend more time on footbag than graphic design. I doubt I am in the minority.
I used to get that opinion a lot, especially because I was in the Marine Corps. A Marine playing hacky sack seriously is not considered... legitimate. Then I put on mass, didn't give a shit what people thought (hard part), and now I really don't get (or perhaps notice) nearly as much of "wow, are you serious" types of behaviors. Your a cool cat Dave, and a frontier shredder. Enjoy what you have in this world, not what you don't. You could always be in Iraq with my friends where it smells like shit, the days are endless, and home is a world away. If that doesn't work, look in the mirror, smile, and know that nothing is going to stop you from what you love to do.
bodybuilda
I may have told you this before, but just in case.. If you have an elective to burn, try taking a philosophy class. My 2nd degree is in philosophy, and I was drawn to it because I found my mind swirling (no pun) on topics similar to the ones I see you write about. I found that the courses helped me think about things a little differently and that I liked that. Just an idea.
Above you wrote "I need... a purpose". That seems like the key thing. With a purpose that you believe in, a lot of the bull shit falls away because who cares? You're headed towards a specific purpose. In my case, the purpose has become family - but the family puzzle contains a lot of other pieces such as making sure I'm healthy and happy so I can contribute positively etc. I can't tell you how much more fun footbag is for me now that I look at it as a piece of the puzzle whereas I used to look at it as the purpose.
That's not to say that footbag can't be really important to you, or even the most important, but when you figure out what you really want to be your lasting purpose, it gets easier.
That wasn't helpful at all was it? ha ha. Sorry, I tried
Above you wrote "I need... a purpose". That seems like the key thing. With a purpose that you believe in, a lot of the bull shit falls away because who cares? You're headed towards a specific purpose. In my case, the purpose has become family - but the family puzzle contains a lot of other pieces such as making sure I'm healthy and happy so I can contribute positively etc. I can't tell you how much more fun footbag is for me now that I look at it as a piece of the puzzle whereas I used to look at it as the purpose.
That's not to say that footbag can't be really important to you, or even the most important, but when you figure out what you really want to be your lasting purpose, it gets easier.
That wasn't helpful at all was it? ha ha. Sorry, I tried
Bob R.
-
Zeb Jackson
- Post Master General
- Posts: 2783
- Joined: 19 Dec 2005 12:57
- Location: Boise,Idaho, USA
david clavens has a facination with kittens, and other small animals...
there, i said it.
there, i said it.
-Zeb Jackson
http://www.elitefootbag.com
http://www.elitefootbag.com
Sounds like you solved your own problem.david wrote:The key thing to take out of this is that people do like footbag for the most part and just cuz some girl doesn’t like your website doesn’t mean you have to go worrying about it.
I googled you just now --"David Clavens" and "David Clavens footbag"-- and didn't find any blog links on the first two or three pages. Someone would have to be looking for your footblog. Yes, someone could find it, but it seems like it would take enough effort that no one would do that.
On the other hand, you could write the stuff you don't want to write here in a journal on your computer. I did that for a long time and it felt really good. It's now 160 pages and I haven't even written in it regularly for a while.
"I contend we are both atheists, I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
Emily Kulczyk
Emily Kulczyk
-
shredzilla
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3260
- Joined: 14 Oct 2005 06:24
- Location: Paradise Lost
- Contact:
Dude, who cares about blogs? It's ANTS! ANTS are what we should be worrying about!! Giant, killer ants...david wrote:Its 2 in the morning. I have class at 9. I should be asleep, but I'm not.
I write stuff and then delete it all. The whole world could read what you write on here.
J. Chris "Thread-killer" Miller
they are too many questions in your head man...
Without all this questions life became much more easy
a friend of me wrote this:
This morning I have also realised why I keep coming back to footbag. This may seem trivial. No matter what some people on this forum (used to) say about personal attacks and hostility and what not... it's the (almost) absence of competition, envy and ego. The supportive nature of most contacts. Footbag is more of a personal quest than of 'having to be better than others'. To me at least. But I think this applies to many people. Of course you can brag when you've hit this trick or that combo (I do it too, when I have something to brag about Smile ), but again most of the time footbag is a personal thing. The bag and you.
Without all this questions life became much more easy
a friend of me wrote this:
This morning I have also realised why I keep coming back to footbag. This may seem trivial. No matter what some people on this forum (used to) say about personal attacks and hostility and what not... it's the (almost) absence of competition, envy and ego. The supportive nature of most contacts. Footbag is more of a personal quest than of 'having to be better than others'. To me at least. But I think this applies to many people. Of course you can brag when you've hit this trick or that combo (I do it too, when I have something to brag about Smile ), but again most of the time footbag is a personal thing. The bag and you.
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Paul Agostinelli
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1067
- Joined: 23 Jan 2005 14:38
- Location: Rochester NY
from knowing you, it doesn't seem at all like you are out for fame and fortune
the only reason people who know you and are friends with you compare you to the other top players is because its completely pointless to compare you to the average level player. the real footbag players arent comparing you and changing their opinions of you based on your circles with jorden and penske etc. new players might compare you to jorden and them because thats what they see on the forums and even if someone doesnt know footbag, if they came to a tourney, they would easily be able to tell who the best players were by the size of the WHOA! at the end of strings.
as for schoolmates of yours, or people you dont know at all reading this blog, i dont think people read this and go "oh man what an ingrate" i think its a lot more like one of these
1. oh man i should post to help dave feel better, if they know you/are confident enough
2. say "he IS human!"
3. not read it because its really long
i think that a blog is not someone complaining about what sucks in their life because they are ingrates but rather a journal to talk about anything and everything happening in their life.
yours is a really popular blog for a lot of reasons, yes you are one of the best players in the world, but you are also a genuinely great guy and you have a lot of really meaningful friendships that have come from footbag, so i would say the majority of the people that read this blog (and care enough to read it) are doing so because they consider you a friend, not because they are starstruck.
just my .02
the only reason people who know you and are friends with you compare you to the other top players is because its completely pointless to compare you to the average level player. the real footbag players arent comparing you and changing their opinions of you based on your circles with jorden and penske etc. new players might compare you to jorden and them because thats what they see on the forums and even if someone doesnt know footbag, if they came to a tourney, they would easily be able to tell who the best players were by the size of the WHOA! at the end of strings.
as for schoolmates of yours, or people you dont know at all reading this blog, i dont think people read this and go "oh man what an ingrate" i think its a lot more like one of these
1. oh man i should post to help dave feel better, if they know you/are confident enough
2. say "he IS human!"
3. not read it because its really long
i think that a blog is not someone complaining about what sucks in their life because they are ingrates but rather a journal to talk about anything and everything happening in their life.
yours is a really popular blog for a lot of reasons, yes you are one of the best players in the world, but you are also a genuinely great guy and you have a lot of really meaningful friendships that have come from footbag, so i would say the majority of the people that read this blog (and care enough to read it) are doing so because they consider you a friend, not because they are starstruck.
just my .02
Precisely Mos Eisley