So I've finally got a second to catch my breath, and figured now would be a good time to attempt an NYJ write up. Names in bold, as is the custom.
Pre-Event
NYJ really starts with the "organizational" meetings. Much like NYJ, these meetings are actually just a pretense for CIC to hang out and be ridiculous. Ridiculously awesome! (You should be hearing a sweet guitar riff right now in your head.)
One of the results from these meetings was the "griptits" shirt idea. Now, I wasn't even there when griptits went down. So just a warning to all - any funny shit that happens during NYJ is fair game for CIC to take as their own, possibly mutate into something new, most likely with a preposterous accent. Anyway, the shirt can be viewed (and *cough* ordered *cough*)
here but I think you have to be logged on to see it (R rated material, thinking about the precious children, etc). I have some photos of the shirt & other event photos, not sure what method I'll use but I'll upload them shits at some point.
Another thing about the run-up to NYJ was it looked like a lot of my favorite people from previous years weren't gonna make it.
Eric Siegel, Brian, Holly, Jeremy Mirken, Dat, Colin - I know you all would've been there if you could've been there, but I want you to know you were missed. Don't let it happen again
Other than that, NYJ kinda started a day early for me, with
Ken & Adrienne staying at my place. I had never met either before in real life, but from Modified conversations & the opinions of friends I figured it would be cool. And it was, though I was in kind of a weird/out of it mood when I first met up with them. We went to a great Thai restaurant named Sticky Rice, and I had durian for the first time. And I learned that Ken is better at keeping a straight face than anyone I know, and that he has a deep love of Simpson's references. I had basically no preconceived notions of Adrienne, and was happy to find that she is very nice and easy to get along with.
So we hung out & played some Tony Hawk. Foreshadowing: I was out of practice and couldn't hit the kind of runs I think I should be able to hit with ease. Then we went to sleep kind of early, it would be the last night for a while that I slept before 3am.
Day One - Make a Duck
Tom picked us up & we headed to the event site, which was a huge favor. Also, Tom did damn near everything before, during, and after the event - helping people out, welcoming people in, getting events going, setting shit up, taking shit down. Huge huge props.
There is a video in Ken's blog of the fog & rain that Tom drove through. At some point I asked Ken & Adrienne if they played much four square. If I remember, Adrienne said she had never played? Or only once, or something like that?
So we checked in, went to the event site, did a little set up, & soon started trying to figure out who was around. I don't know why, but I didn't really feel like introducing myself to a lot of people. Anxious to play or maybe just anxious. I jumped into a warm up circle with
Waylon, Eric Chang, and Danny Petrick. I had never met Waylon or Eric before, so we did the introductions, and I didn't recognize Danny at all. He came to NYJ in 06, and back then he was basically my size and didn't say much. This year he bent a steel bar in his teeth.
I guess people came in & out of the circle, I ducked out at one point to meet up with
Zeke & Ronnie, and I remember introducing myself to
Erik Chan. Interestingly (or not) I met Erik several years ago before I was really freestyling. I mean, I was trying to freestyle, but my approach was more of a good hacker trying to hit new tricks. That's totally irrelevant. I did get to kick with Erik a couple times on the first day, which was very cool.
Then at one point the circle exceeded my talent level & I sat out. By this time a lot more people, including
Henry had arrived, so I said hi to Henry and initiated what would be three solid days of shit talk. Always good to see Henry, even if neither of us can play for shit. Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit on it. I don't exactly remember what happened & when, so I'll get the freestyle crap out of the way up front & then get back to saying nice and/or inappropriate things about people.
While in a circle with
Grant Mooney I hit double fairy for the first time & pdx whirl verified clean for the first time. Shortly thereafter, I tweaked my ankle & took a break. I'm glad Grant finally could make it to NYJ, as much as he trains I'd look out for him at the next NYJ. Also, Grant, I'm jealous of your toe moves - you make Smog look so easy.
Not sure the exact sequence of arrivals, but
Reid, Emily, & Zach also showed up around this time. I wish I saw all of you more often, but I'm happy we see each other as much as we do. Reid - such a good guy, easy to get along with, fun & encouraging (not to mention impressive) in a circle (and in bed). Emily - your vicious sense of humor & genuine care about people in the community are awesome and appreciated. Zach - I've had so much fun during all your recent visits, I'm glad we've hung out so much.
Jack Stutler also arrived at around that time. I'm glad you made it to an event, despite the difficulties, and got to participate in the whole ball of silly.
At one point I noticed some commotion involving
Honza & others. My first thought - did Honza get himself arrested? (No offense, if you read this, which I'm guessing you don't) Found out later that he sprained his ankle. That's got to be incredibly disappointing, flying thousands of miles and only getting to play for half an hour. My initial fear was that the carpet (which was coming up in places) was to blame, and it could have been avoided. Doesn't look like that was the case, but it still sucks.
I guess on second thought I'm relieved nobody really wrecked themselves on the carpet in the places it was coming up. There wasn't a whole lot we could do about it.
I think at one point that day I was in a circle with Henry,
Mathieu & Mathieu. I'll have more about the Quebecois later, but I wish my ankle had been better so I could've stayed in that circle longer. Actually, I should've stopped before this circle, because at one point I looked down at my ankle and saw blood under the skin. And that's how I got ankle stigmata.
One of the circles is with
Fred, Jeff Richards & Erik Chan. I'm glad Fred made it out for as much as he did. Cool seeing Jeff as well.
Ummm... played some duel with Henry, got whipped. Literally. Played some squares against Ronnie, did fine. At some point
Reile arrived but was mostly saying his hellos, we didn't really get to hang out until the evening, but I remember we helped take shit to Scott's van. Then it was back to the suite for pizza, and down to the shred room (eventually).
Spent most of the time in the suite with
Kamil, Reid, Zach, Henry, Jack, Danny, Emily & CIC. You're all some funny motherfuckers. Did the gift exchange with Zeke, Reile, & Tom. Got my sweetass shredder shirt from Tom. The pen & ink & sketchpad for Zeke end up being a focal point for ridiculousness.
That night we held the 2 square competition. In previous years we did 4 square tournaments, and I never made it past the first round, which was disappointing. One year there were some... shenanigans... the next year was shenanigan free but I still think I could've done better. So one of my main goals was just to get out of the first round. I was the 9th seed going in, which I think was pretty fair. My first round opponent - one Adrienne Dukes. Time to get some Tony Hawk payback!
I won & moved on to face Reid. Reid was the 8th seed. The games were pretty close, but I took em. One of the few upsets of the tournament, though 8th v 9th seed isn't a huge upset. I hope Reid wasn't too upset by all of this... groan...
My next round opponent: Steve "Bill" Goldberg. Sigh. I guess I played well in the first game, was within striking distance of the win and was thinking "don't let this game slip away, if you do you have no chance". But on the other hand I'm pretty sure Steve was playing soft on a couple points. The second game I had an early lead but didn't feel like I played well, I guess I kinda gave up. But Steve was very civil & fun to play against, which was good to see, because I had mostly seen "the 4 square persona" which can be a drag. Regardless, Steve won both games, & went on to win the tournament. I was happy that I made it as far as I did.
That's about it from day one, unless I'm forgetting something, which I most certainly am.
I sleep poorly, a bubble of Giordano's gas trapped behind a wall of Giordano's shit.
Day Two - Duck or Swan?
I wake up sore & try to stretch out. I remember thinking "I didn't do that much twisting, why are my abs so sore?" Then I realized, I was sore from laughing the night before.
Reile & I made pancakes. They didn't turn out quite as well as the previous year IMO. But people got fed. Everybody in the suite - CIC,
Ian Pfeiffer, Doug Tank, Chris Dean, Danny, Waylon... probably missing a few peeps. By the way, Ian, Doug, & Chris were all super-chill guys, seemed to fit right in with the vibe of the suite. Didn't talk to any of you guys a ton and I wish I had.
Henry ate a basically raw batch of banana pancakes, so I gave him the giant blueberry beast (and flipping/flinging mishap). So, that pancake was just whatever batter was left in the bowl - probably 8 or 9 inches in diameter. And it took two of us to try to flip it. Once we got it off the griddle, I just flung it with my spatula, and it basically went all over the place. Haha I had forgotten about that until now.
Matt Cross gently plays the ballad of the lost bananas & we talk about Marvin Gaye.
Eventually we head down to the event site. I chat with Emily &
Mike Hansen for a bit. Mike is so nice, and so generous, and has a good sense of humor. You have to around this crowd.
I don't think I kicked much probably. I use my high school French skills to greet
Kolo & buy some footfighters. I want to branch out, but they've been more durable and more consistent than the other bags I've tried. Granted there are a ton of well-respected stitchers I haven't turned to yet.
I did watch circle comp, and had a good laugh with
Henry & Tom Mosher about the Round of Destiny. I also talk briefly with some new kickers from Indiana, and also gave my email to some unfamiliar faces from the Chicago area. Let's hope they start coming out to sessions...
I hung out with Zach,
Jordan & Eric afterwards. Jordan does the crazy outside DATWs & has really unique tricks, Eric is the older (scary looking) dude who just kicks. Turns out Eric is actually really mellow and nice. I also hung out with
Alex & Brian from Stanford briefly. There's some discussion of intermediate circle, and I head back to the suite. I run into Ken & Adrienne on the way & have a very confused discussion with them, I think I inadvertently invite myself along and decline my own invitation in the same sentence. Sorry for any awkwardness.
I head down to the saunana with Emily & we talk a bit on the way down. We actually talk a lot over the days of the event. About footbag, and mutual friends, and mutual enemies.
When I get to the sauna,
Jay is already there. Jay asks me thoughtful questions about footbag, I give weird rambling answers. I hadn't really interacted with Jay before this, but could really feel that deep intensity he has for the sport. I think we'd find a few things in common - like finding it hard to live up to the expectations we place on ourselves, but being very satisfied when we exceed them.
I leave the sauna, and Zach is coming in. I go back to the sauna. Tom joins us. I yoink some extra towels for the suite. I convince Zach, who is nursing a rib injury, to help me warm up for intermediate circle. We go back to the suite & I eat some power mix & a banana, then eventually round the troops up to go down to the shred room.
My plan was to compete in intermediate circle, but I just wasn't feeling it. Due mostly to the ankle thing, and being out of practice. I was in kind of a funk after that, I had been looking forward to intermediate circle for a while. I ended up judging with
Zac Miley & Ben Skaggs. The look on Zac's face during some of the runs is priceless. Being a judge is hard, I've definitely been second guessing some of my rankings, and what I should look for if I judge again. Ben is a really good judge, very thoughtful, very knowledgable. So is Zac.
Also, some of the usual issues with intermediate circle arise. You know, its pretty obvious who shouldn't be competing, but when it comes down to it, who's going to tell them? And even if someone tells them & they don't listen, who is going to put their foot down and say "no, you are not competing and that's final" - who has that authority? That's one of the difficulties of being involved in footbag, situations arise where it's one person's enjoyment vs. another person's enjoyment, and who the hell am I to try to be the arbiter? Or one person's actual needs vs. multiple people's wants... I don't know how to handle those situations, and I don't want to be the guy who is expected to handle them.
At the end of the day,
Eoghan McDowell & Alex should compete open the next time they compete. They've got the consistency, smoothness, variety, and level of difficulty.
The two circle comps, and the 2 square tournament, turn out to be the only events I watch.
I watch
Johnny Suderman play footbag for a while. What a treat.
I also got in some 4 square. I'm still in kind of a funk and taking things too seriously when I arrive. Emily tells me to lighten up. Good advice. It's mostly Chicago & Montreal (plus Steve) in the squares, so it's pretty competitive. I win one of the games, eventually. Then I lighten up, and have a good time with Kolo,
Sebastien, Pepe, Julien, & Ianek (I think Ianek was there, but could be wrong). I also had a good time talking with
Chris Obara - he was like my kryptonite in some of those four square games. Obviously there is a talent show.
All the Montreal guys are really cool, and down to earth, and fun to be around. I had met a few of them before, briefly, a couple years ago, so I didn't know them that well, but definitely got to know them a little more and had fun hanging out.
At one point Henry & I talk to
Flash, and I more than likely make a total ass of myself just to try to get a laugh. Snap shirts that pop off when you flex, tear-away pants that pop off when you get an erection... I don't know, it still seems funny to me.
I talk with
Rob Creel a little - he's also nursing an injury. Are there always this many injuries at a footbag event? It seems like there must be.
There is a game of Takraw crotch-fire. I am traumatized.
We eventually pick up the shred room & head back to the suite. We get a knock on the door about a noise complaint (at least I think that was on day two) so the party winds down & we crash.
Day Three - Renaldo Teaches Us the True Meaning of Christmas
The most lackadaisical day-sickle. Get to the site around 1, just hack for a while with Julien, Zac, Rob, and some hackers that I don't know. Later I join a circle with Emily & Mike, and get a little too frustrated. Brian jumps in, I kick for a while but just not feeling it. Balance is all wrong, muscles are sore, ankle hurts... I wish I had an on/off switch for caring about my game.
From there I mostly play squares.
Marty & Cuba join the fun. I won two games, stealing the second from Emily, who became the target by getting to game point very quickly. Everyone teams up against her & I sneak in at 13, serve to square 2, win the point, serve to Emily for game point (which I was hoping was the fairest way to play it) and got the win. Then we play T&A foursquare. You have to either griptits or grabass (your own of course) the entire time.
Then there were prizes, and the Kolo sports raffle, and everything winds down. I don't help pack up the site, because there seems to be plenty of help, which I shouldn't have done.
We head over to the hotel lobby to wait for everyone who is going to Chinatown. While waiting, we are approached by a very aggressive cross-eyed man named Renaldo who threatens to kick us out because we're comfortable, and sitting on the furniture, in his house? At first I stew, as the shared enemy brings out our tribal cohesion. We get a group photo, Renaldo sneaks in, and kicks us out. Marianne calls him a bastard.
Totally deserved. I try to politely talk to him & the situation somehow stays a hair short of a total clusterfuck. I stop stewing, and realize that he got exactly what he deserved - a bunch of kids just laughed in his impotent face. The next day I call Hyatt customer service & file a complaint, and they are receptive and professional.
We go to Chinatown. Later I realize that this was the first time I'd been outside in something like 60 hours. I sit down and am joined by Adrienne, Emily, Mike, Ken,
Evan, Eoghan,
David & Ben. I had a good time. And it works out because most of the vegan/vegetarians are in one spot & we share some dishes. David cracks me up a few times, and I get Ken back with a ridiculous straight faced comment of my own. This was also the first time I really interacted much with Evan, which was also fun. The food was better the couple other times I went to that restaurant, though.
Also, Eoghan's name? Pronounced "Owen". And I hereby vow not to mispronounce it in the future.
I help Eoghan, Dave, Evan, & Ben get on the right street back to the hotel, but I'm less able to help Eoghan with directions to the Orange Line to Midway, since I've only ridden the orange line like twice. At this point I wasn't even thinking of going back to the hotel, but that's where everyone ends up going. I end up not saying goodbyes to most of the people staying in the hotel that night - no offense anyone, I just really didn't want to be in there at that point.
Then we make it back to Reile's. After a little bit of crotchfire using our Shells of Paradise, monkeybag ensues. Hallelujah! We get some pizza, and at about 3am Mike drives the crew back to my place after dropping Zeke off. Five people stayed in my apartment, which I was pretty nervous about, but I guess at 3am on the third day of NYJ, everybody is too tired to care where they sleep.
Emily is the first to leave, I give her a hug on the way out. Everyone catches a few more hours of sleep, we wake up, talk about coyote traps, bear traps, and ugly people. Mike takes Ken & Adrienne to the airport & drives Henry home, and NYJ is over for another year.
Sorry, that was a long ass write-up. And it doesn't really capture any of the hilarity. In summary, as usual, this was a high point of the year for me. Great seeing the people that I know and meeting some new people. If I had one wish, it would have been to not be injured. Sorry if I missed anyone or forgot anything - probably inevitable when there's so much going on.
I've played once since then with Reid & Tom at Navy Pier, but that's a subject for another post. I've already written far, far too much
some 20 contact tiltless toe strings
) so how could it not be great? We got in three sessions, two on Saturday & one on Sunday. We had some delicious cheese, good food. I even got in some sauna time. Noyse.