Rumor has it that some Intermediate players who are competing are able to do fearless runs? If this is the case my question is, should I even compete?
Then again if I had no chance in doing well then I'd go to the open category which I would not even survive the first cut.
I do understand that worlds is not all about winning, but right now I feel I can place decent at least. But with this new rumor I heard, its kind of disheartening to be honest.
Your thoughts?
Edit: Ok I realize some people are going to say step it up, but to be honest I don't think a week is enough time for me to hit fearless. Not to mention if I could I'd want a world ranking
Compete open. Winning intermediate is like saying you're the best of the worst.
In fact I would say intermediate should be abolished altogether, there's people sand bagging at EVERY SINGLE EVENT which ruins the idea.
If everyone competed open, someone who would normally win intermediate would finish somewhere in the middle in the open category, assuming an equal amount of open and intermediate players...
And that's way cooler, sort of like a kiss from your cousin, as opposed to a kiss from your sister.
I guess I always assumed that, since guiltless is kind of the accepted 'pro' level, if someone were guiltless they would compete open.
I realize that guiltless isn't really the measure anymore, what with these kids and their whirlygigs and their whoopdedoos and their rap music. But fearless... man, IMO that person should be competing in open.
I thought intermediates existed so that people who are still learning some fundamentals (like me) have an appropriate competition. I would feel like I don't belong in an open competition and that I was just wasting everyone's time. I don't think it would be much fun. It would also not be fun to just get my ass blown away by some fearless runs in what I thought was an intermediate competition.
If you know you can kill in open level shred, compete at open. If you have guilt and tilt, compete in intermediate.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
I have always preferred competing above my level than below it. I've always found that if I'm competing against people who are better than I am, it pushes me to be better and I learn a lot more. When I'm up against people I'm better than, I gain a lot less.
A great example of this for me was in touch football where I was asked to play in the mens open team for the state cup when I was 16 and all my friends were playing under 18s. They lost the final in a drop off (meaning scores were level when the siren went), while we finished 3rd or 4th and didn't make the final. However playing with and against the best players in the state had an amazing effect on me, and I absolutely dominated that year - winning the club competition, the high school competition and easily being the player of the tournament in the high school rep competition (which we won, and I scored 70% of our tries).
Before the state cup I was very equal with the other guys my age, but after that 1 weekend I was forced to step up a level and it was really noticeable from that point onwards.
Competitive team sports are fairly different to footbag, but I still think you always have more to gain from challenging yourself, even if you come last, than going for the easier option.
Jeremy wrote:
A great example of this for me was in touch football where I was asked to play in the mens open team for the state cup when I was 16 and all my friends were playing under 18s. .
This is a common story amongst good players in various pro-sports league. They played against their older brothers who kicked their ass, and then they got better because of it. You also see it with female athletes who play against males, especially with WNBA players.
I think discussion should continue here so it doesn't get too split up.
