This picture says a lot about the post-finals celebration.
Will write more later this evening.
Canberra, Australia via SCL - Daniel Boyle
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
So back to Oakland. This will probably be my final return to Oakland, both in the writing about it and the visiting sense, I really don't see a need for me to head back to Oakland.
I originally wrote "routine" instead of "return". Competition must still be on my mind.
Ok, so when I last left you, I'd had enough shredding and Waylon gave me a beer. I was talking to Reid and we decided to get our stocks from upstairs to carry the evening on.
We took a seat and watched this circle that Clavens was insanely dominating. He was doing some brilliant runs. Vasek came by, Reid gave him a beer, Reid was really stoked about that.
We sat down watching that circle for ages actually, it was sick. Most of the best players in the world were in that circle for sometime, and we had perfect seats. It was actually a table, but that's neither her nor there.
So I'm wandering around a while later on and Armin tells me he's hitting the dancefloor. I thought he was crazy, but then a while later I realised there actually was a dancefloor in the space that was formerly occupied by the competition area. A lot of the Polish players were dancing, some of the girls, but it was mainly a European dancefloor. More and more people came on and that was a bit of fun.
There were these weird kids that came in. They had been to see this band Crystal Castles, I don't know anything about them, but from seeing this people, they must be a band for serious drug fiends.
So they came in, and in the beginning they were like "wow, hacky sack", blah blah, they were standing in that circle of girls, so one did a few kicks, then the bag went to Tanja, and she went on this great long run, maybe 25 contacts or so, they were bamboozled by that I think.
So soon after that, they were talking about how their camera was old and crap. I didn't think it looked that bad, but I asked if I could do an around the world with it. I tried a few times, and failed, but then they said they would record it while I did this trick. I think the camera had stopped, but I hit a double round the world with their camera. That was pretty weird come to think of it. I was stoked though.
So later on, these same people, for some reason they became in control of the music. Whoever was at the desk had gone away, and they would just put on songs then skip it a couple of seconds in, people were starting to get really annoyed.
I don't know what happened in between this point, but I went to the bathroom and all of a sudden there was a full room of Footbag players sending these people on their way. For some reason it was not accompanied to the tune of "na na na, na na na, hey hey, goooooddddbyyeee".
So that was the end of those weirdos. Or so we thought. So I was in conversation with someone and I looked over to the door. They were planning a comeback, but Aaron Orton was standing at the door, like a bouncer and some exclusive nightclub, but bigger. They weren't coming back in.
So it gets to like 6am or something, people are still shredding. There's only a couple of circles left, but I join in on one. I had this idea in my mind that it would be cool to be in the last circle of Worlds.
Even though I cheated, I still didn't make that. The Japanese guys said they were going to get Chinese food. I thought this sounded great, but upon walking a few blocks, I thought the Chinese place wouldn't be open at 7am.
We ended up in the Chinatown district, me and Ryan had been there a few days before, we went to this incredibly cheap bakery. The stuff from there, it didn't taste great, but it was like 40 cents for some kind of baked good, so it didn't matter too much.
I saw the door was open, and I was hoping it would be an aussie style bakery, where the door is ajar slightly and you can go in and get a pie in the middle of the night. We went there, but the man, he implied it was closed. He only spoke Chinese, so we couldn't get a conversation going, we asked some other guy where we could get food, he suggested we try Starbucks.
So we've ended up in Starbucks, it's like 7am or something, and I'm there with Team Japan. On reaching Starbucks, I didn't want anything, so I just took a seat and talked to the guys about how they liked America and the tournament and how the shred was going in Japan.
"I don't know about this sharing beds. It's a bit hrrrm gay" *everybody laughs*
So we got back to the hotel, I was done. I headed up to the bed. I must have just laid down diagonally across the bed, because when I woke up many hours later, the sheets were off the side of the bed, Ryan was lying down on the floor and I had a mean, mean, mean hangover.
So the final day, net finals were on, but I just didn't really care. I had a couple of multiple thousand word assignments I needed to write, so I got to writing them. People kept coming by to use my computer to find out what Modified was saying about Worlds, which all in all, wasn't much.
I let them, because it was a nice excuse to not do my work. So eventually I got my work done. I was really tired, so on the final night of Worlds, I went to bed before midnight, didn't really say goodbye to anyone, it wasn't much of a final night.
Ah actually, I went to Berkely this day. I wanted to go to a show at Gilman, this famous punk rock venue. It was like a little English village compared with Oakland, but I walked the wrong way and get lost. I ended up having dinner in a small Chinese restaraunt there and didn't bother with the show.
Even when I went to bed, I still had a killer hangover. I wasn't into that day at all.
The next morning was our checkout, we settled our dues, Kevin went with Jay and they flew back to Canada, me and Marco were sitting at reception, just checking emails, that kind of thing. Lon came by and they all went to get coffee. When they came back, I decided I was done, and went on my way. I said goodbye to Marco, but that was about it. Not much of a farewell!
So my last night I decided to stay in San Fran itself. I hadn't booked a hostel, and actually had a lot of trouble with this particular task. I was just sitting at the BART platform waiting for the train, then Juho and Mikko and the two Finnish girls came along. I had a good chat with Juho and told him I would see him in Finland next year, Worlds or no Worlds. I have made some awesome Finnish friends and I'm super keen to go visit them. They have told me my trip is already planned for me.
So I got off at Powell st, and stumbled upon an info centre. I got a pamphlet for some HI's in the area. I headed to one nearby, it was booked out. If I had have planned ahead I probably could have got a free room, but I didn't so I kept wandering the streets. I went into the hostel they told me was close by, they said yeah sure, you just need to go to our hostel across the street.
I found no such thing, so kept walking a bit further, and ended up at a USA Hostels place. They just had one bed left in the "economy dorm". They said it was cheaper because it was above the "party room". I didn't care, I paid up, which was pretty pricey, put my things down, then I got back to work on another assignment.
Within a 3 day period I wrote 8000 words for uni work, not to mention useless things such as this. So I finished another assignment, then checked out lastFM to see if there were any shows on. I found that The Ataris were playing, it was right down the other end of town. I walked all the way there, I think it was like 5 miles or something, it was pretty far. I got to check out some of San Fran, but there was nothing particularly exciting where I was going.
I thought maybe I could walk over the Golden Gate Bridge at night or something, but I remembered reading this book at some stage, and this guy walked over the bridge, then got stuck on the other side, and that was stuck in my mind. I already had the idea of going to beach, so I could stick a toe in the pacific, but I also didn't want to drown.
I wanted to get a beer or something to drink on the way, but I wasn't sure how strict they were about drinking in the street so I held out until I got to the venue.
So it was at this place called the Rockit Room. I got to the bar and there was a swing dance class downstairs. I just stood in the doorway looking confused, after a while the bar guy asked me if I was alright. I asked if there was a concert on there tonight...he said, yeah, we have like Atari or something. I had come to the right place.
So I drank some beers, and a few people came in, they were going to the show too. I got talking and they were from Oakland. I asked them if they were worried about getting shot. One guy said he wasn't really, you know as long as you don't go out late at night, or go down to that...gang area, then you should be fine.
So anyway, where talking about the dangers of getting shot, and then this doco comes on the TVs, about the dangers of getting stung by a box jellyfish. It was a crazy show, and I got to tell some ripper aussie tales. There were some interesting incidences when I was working up in Queensland.
So I heard the rumble of the first band, went up to watch them. They were ok. I got talking with this Japanese guy. In my mind he was just another member of Team Japan, so thereby, awesome. So we went to this Chinese restaraunt across the road. He ordered spaghetti. That I found really strange.
So we got back in and The Ataris were just starting. They are touring Australia next year, I don't think I'll bother checking them out again. They were ok, but I don't really know much of their stuff. That's the important thing with pop punk...singalongs. So anyway, this quite good looking girl starts dancing with me. That was quite surprising actually. We started talking for a bit, and I said I was from Australia. The show ended, they hadn't played their cover of Boys of Summer, which really was all I wanted to hear. I hate to say that, but that's the actual truth. I wanted them to play it, then to do a stage dive, so that I would have stagedived in 3 continents this year. No such luck, maybe next year.
So the show was over, I went outside, those girls were going by cab, the main one I was talking to says "hey aussssiieee, where are you going"...I drunkenly point it out on my map, they were going in the total opposite direction.
So I start walking, I start on my idea of going to the bridge, even just to get a picture of it. I walk for about a block, decided it's too far, and start walking home, back to the hostel anyway.
After a while, I stop at a bus stop and a bus arrives not too long after. I ride that for a while. That's always an experience, late night transport in a foreign country. I had no troubles though. I got off, then walked to the hostel. When I arrived I talked to the receptionist for a while, they used the same booking system that they used, so that started a bit of a conversation. What the rest of it was about, I definitely couldn't tell you.
I slept long into the morning. Check out time was 10am, at 11 they came to wake me..."hey, are you BOYLE?". Did I ever tell you I hate the sound of "Boy-le" in that California accent. Yes, I think I did. "Check out time was an hour ago". I didn't tell her, but I really know how she feels.
So I planned this to be my sightseeing day. I took a walk downtown and beggars assailed me for money everywhere. I had a mean hangover. I went and bought some nachos, but they didn't taste very good. My food experiences in San Francisco actually were all subpar at best. Not like the Pacific Coast Brewery.
So I went to the airport, then I flew to Australia. It was really far. I had lots of time spent in airports. I slept from SFO to LAX, then we were on the tarmac for 2 hours in LA. That meant I missed my bus in Sydney, which wasn't that good.
So I guess I will just be writing about more current events from now on.
I originally wrote "routine" instead of "return". Competition must still be on my mind.
Ok, so when I last left you, I'd had enough shredding and Waylon gave me a beer. I was talking to Reid and we decided to get our stocks from upstairs to carry the evening on.
We took a seat and watched this circle that Clavens was insanely dominating. He was doing some brilliant runs. Vasek came by, Reid gave him a beer, Reid was really stoked about that.
We sat down watching that circle for ages actually, it was sick. Most of the best players in the world were in that circle for sometime, and we had perfect seats. It was actually a table, but that's neither her nor there.
So I'm wandering around a while later on and Armin tells me he's hitting the dancefloor. I thought he was crazy, but then a while later I realised there actually was a dancefloor in the space that was formerly occupied by the competition area. A lot of the Polish players were dancing, some of the girls, but it was mainly a European dancefloor. More and more people came on and that was a bit of fun.
There were these weird kids that came in. They had been to see this band Crystal Castles, I don't know anything about them, but from seeing this people, they must be a band for serious drug fiends.
So they came in, and in the beginning they were like "wow, hacky sack", blah blah, they were standing in that circle of girls, so one did a few kicks, then the bag went to Tanja, and she went on this great long run, maybe 25 contacts or so, they were bamboozled by that I think.
So soon after that, they were talking about how their camera was old and crap. I didn't think it looked that bad, but I asked if I could do an around the world with it. I tried a few times, and failed, but then they said they would record it while I did this trick. I think the camera had stopped, but I hit a double round the world with their camera. That was pretty weird come to think of it. I was stoked though.
So later on, these same people, for some reason they became in control of the music. Whoever was at the desk had gone away, and they would just put on songs then skip it a couple of seconds in, people were starting to get really annoyed.
I don't know what happened in between this point, but I went to the bathroom and all of a sudden there was a full room of Footbag players sending these people on their way. For some reason it was not accompanied to the tune of "na na na, na na na, hey hey, goooooddddbyyeee".
So that was the end of those weirdos. Or so we thought. So I was in conversation with someone and I looked over to the door. They were planning a comeback, but Aaron Orton was standing at the door, like a bouncer and some exclusive nightclub, but bigger. They weren't coming back in.
So it gets to like 6am or something, people are still shredding. There's only a couple of circles left, but I join in on one. I had this idea in my mind that it would be cool to be in the last circle of Worlds.
Even though I cheated, I still didn't make that. The Japanese guys said they were going to get Chinese food. I thought this sounded great, but upon walking a few blocks, I thought the Chinese place wouldn't be open at 7am.
We ended up in the Chinatown district, me and Ryan had been there a few days before, we went to this incredibly cheap bakery. The stuff from there, it didn't taste great, but it was like 40 cents for some kind of baked good, so it didn't matter too much.
I saw the door was open, and I was hoping it would be an aussie style bakery, where the door is ajar slightly and you can go in and get a pie in the middle of the night. We went there, but the man, he implied it was closed. He only spoke Chinese, so we couldn't get a conversation going, we asked some other guy where we could get food, he suggested we try Starbucks.
So we've ended up in Starbucks, it's like 7am or something, and I'm there with Team Japan. On reaching Starbucks, I didn't want anything, so I just took a seat and talked to the guys about how they liked America and the tournament and how the shred was going in Japan.
"I don't know about this sharing beds. It's a bit hrrrm gay" *everybody laughs*
So we got back to the hotel, I was done. I headed up to the bed. I must have just laid down diagonally across the bed, because when I woke up many hours later, the sheets were off the side of the bed, Ryan was lying down on the floor and I had a mean, mean, mean hangover.
So the final day, net finals were on, but I just didn't really care. I had a couple of multiple thousand word assignments I needed to write, so I got to writing them. People kept coming by to use my computer to find out what Modified was saying about Worlds, which all in all, wasn't much.
I let them, because it was a nice excuse to not do my work. So eventually I got my work done. I was really tired, so on the final night of Worlds, I went to bed before midnight, didn't really say goodbye to anyone, it wasn't much of a final night.
Ah actually, I went to Berkely this day. I wanted to go to a show at Gilman, this famous punk rock venue. It was like a little English village compared with Oakland, but I walked the wrong way and get lost. I ended up having dinner in a small Chinese restaraunt there and didn't bother with the show.
Even when I went to bed, I still had a killer hangover. I wasn't into that day at all.
The next morning was our checkout, we settled our dues, Kevin went with Jay and they flew back to Canada, me and Marco were sitting at reception, just checking emails, that kind of thing. Lon came by and they all went to get coffee. When they came back, I decided I was done, and went on my way. I said goodbye to Marco, but that was about it. Not much of a farewell!
So my last night I decided to stay in San Fran itself. I hadn't booked a hostel, and actually had a lot of trouble with this particular task. I was just sitting at the BART platform waiting for the train, then Juho and Mikko and the two Finnish girls came along. I had a good chat with Juho and told him I would see him in Finland next year, Worlds or no Worlds. I have made some awesome Finnish friends and I'm super keen to go visit them. They have told me my trip is already planned for me.
So I got off at Powell st, and stumbled upon an info centre. I got a pamphlet for some HI's in the area. I headed to one nearby, it was booked out. If I had have planned ahead I probably could have got a free room, but I didn't so I kept wandering the streets. I went into the hostel they told me was close by, they said yeah sure, you just need to go to our hostel across the street.
I found no such thing, so kept walking a bit further, and ended up at a USA Hostels place. They just had one bed left in the "economy dorm". They said it was cheaper because it was above the "party room". I didn't care, I paid up, which was pretty pricey, put my things down, then I got back to work on another assignment.
Within a 3 day period I wrote 8000 words for uni work, not to mention useless things such as this. So I finished another assignment, then checked out lastFM to see if there were any shows on. I found that The Ataris were playing, it was right down the other end of town. I walked all the way there, I think it was like 5 miles or something, it was pretty far. I got to check out some of San Fran, but there was nothing particularly exciting where I was going.
I thought maybe I could walk over the Golden Gate Bridge at night or something, but I remembered reading this book at some stage, and this guy walked over the bridge, then got stuck on the other side, and that was stuck in my mind. I already had the idea of going to beach, so I could stick a toe in the pacific, but I also didn't want to drown.
I wanted to get a beer or something to drink on the way, but I wasn't sure how strict they were about drinking in the street so I held out until I got to the venue.
So it was at this place called the Rockit Room. I got to the bar and there was a swing dance class downstairs. I just stood in the doorway looking confused, after a while the bar guy asked me if I was alright. I asked if there was a concert on there tonight...he said, yeah, we have like Atari or something. I had come to the right place.
So I drank some beers, and a few people came in, they were going to the show too. I got talking and they were from Oakland. I asked them if they were worried about getting shot. One guy said he wasn't really, you know as long as you don't go out late at night, or go down to that...gang area, then you should be fine.
So anyway, where talking about the dangers of getting shot, and then this doco comes on the TVs, about the dangers of getting stung by a box jellyfish. It was a crazy show, and I got to tell some ripper aussie tales. There were some interesting incidences when I was working up in Queensland.
So I heard the rumble of the first band, went up to watch them. They were ok. I got talking with this Japanese guy. In my mind he was just another member of Team Japan, so thereby, awesome. So we went to this Chinese restaraunt across the road. He ordered spaghetti. That I found really strange.
So we got back in and The Ataris were just starting. They are touring Australia next year, I don't think I'll bother checking them out again. They were ok, but I don't really know much of their stuff. That's the important thing with pop punk...singalongs. So anyway, this quite good looking girl starts dancing with me. That was quite surprising actually. We started talking for a bit, and I said I was from Australia. The show ended, they hadn't played their cover of Boys of Summer, which really was all I wanted to hear. I hate to say that, but that's the actual truth. I wanted them to play it, then to do a stage dive, so that I would have stagedived in 3 continents this year. No such luck, maybe next year.
So the show was over, I went outside, those girls were going by cab, the main one I was talking to says "hey aussssiieee, where are you going"...I drunkenly point it out on my map, they were going in the total opposite direction.
So I start walking, I start on my idea of going to the bridge, even just to get a picture of it. I walk for about a block, decided it's too far, and start walking home, back to the hostel anyway.
After a while, I stop at a bus stop and a bus arrives not too long after. I ride that for a while. That's always an experience, late night transport in a foreign country. I had no troubles though. I got off, then walked to the hostel. When I arrived I talked to the receptionist for a while, they used the same booking system that they used, so that started a bit of a conversation. What the rest of it was about, I definitely couldn't tell you.
I slept long into the morning. Check out time was 10am, at 11 they came to wake me..."hey, are you BOYLE?". Did I ever tell you I hate the sound of "Boy-le" in that California accent. Yes, I think I did. "Check out time was an hour ago". I didn't tell her, but I really know how she feels.
So I planned this to be my sightseeing day. I took a walk downtown and beggars assailed me for money everywhere. I had a mean hangover. I went and bought some nachos, but they didn't taste very good. My food experiences in San Francisco actually were all subpar at best. Not like the Pacific Coast Brewery.
So I went to the airport, then I flew to Australia. It was really far. I had lots of time spent in airports. I slept from SFO to LAX, then we were on the tarmac for 2 hours in LA. That meant I missed my bus in Sydney, which wasn't that good.
So I guess I will just be writing about more current events from now on.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
So I've been working a lot at tours lately. I'm thinking about making what could be an interesting decision footbag wise. At the moment I work full time at the hostel and whenever else at the AIS, where I get to show off footbag a lot and kids cheer and want my autograph.
I'm thinking of dropping down to being a casual here at the hostel, so then I can do more tours. This time of year is a real peak season for groups, and they are fairly short staffed at the moment. What it means is on some days I can do a lot of tours, make plenty of money, then still do 2-3 days at the hostel...if I work on the weekend, I will rake it in, rather than just being paid the same old salary. I don't get any annual leave though, but I think it will be a worthy trade for being able to take time off whenever I feel like it.
What I plan on doing if this eventuates as well is to do things like going into the schools to give Footbag demonstrations and stuff, selling bags, that type of thing. If I do this, I think it will be very good for Footbag in the local area at least.
Had a bit of a kick around with Caroline the other day. We had a more-than-footbag session. First we went to a park near my place, kicked around a soccer ball...I hit ducking osis with that, came close to DATW. Then we kicked around a net bag, had some good rallies happening. Towards the end of that we were doing some higher kicks, as in ones that would go over a net. We started kicking around a rattan after that, but the wind was too strong. We had a skipping rope out for a while as well, it was a bit too short for me though. Way too short actually. I did some fun stuff though, crossovers, double jumps, etc.
After a while we started doing some freestyle stuff, we went up to our normal place near the shops. I was feeling pretty warm so I started out with a nice run, lots of contacts, some hard tricks. There were lots of schoolkids watching and they were pretty impressed.
One of the girls actually brought out a crocheted bag, and some of them started doing some kicks. She could do a fair few kicks and was better than any of the boys. By the end of the afternoon she could do toe and inside stalls as well. She said her brother plays, and lives in the area. I looked him up on .org and he's actually a Tier 1 member of the IFPA. Hopefully I will see him around sometime soon.
There seems to be a bunch of kids that are getting into it a bit, I've never met them though, which is weird because they live just nearby. But I was reading some of their IFPA member pages, it reminded me of me when I was a teenager.
They'll be embarrased if they stick with Footbag and re read that in their mid twenties.
I'm thinking of dropping down to being a casual here at the hostel, so then I can do more tours. This time of year is a real peak season for groups, and they are fairly short staffed at the moment. What it means is on some days I can do a lot of tours, make plenty of money, then still do 2-3 days at the hostel...if I work on the weekend, I will rake it in, rather than just being paid the same old salary. I don't get any annual leave though, but I think it will be a worthy trade for being able to take time off whenever I feel like it.
What I plan on doing if this eventuates as well is to do things like going into the schools to give Footbag demonstrations and stuff, selling bags, that type of thing. If I do this, I think it will be very good for Footbag in the local area at least.
Had a bit of a kick around with Caroline the other day. We had a more-than-footbag session. First we went to a park near my place, kicked around a soccer ball...I hit ducking osis with that, came close to DATW. Then we kicked around a net bag, had some good rallies happening. Towards the end of that we were doing some higher kicks, as in ones that would go over a net. We started kicking around a rattan after that, but the wind was too strong. We had a skipping rope out for a while as well, it was a bit too short for me though. Way too short actually. I did some fun stuff though, crossovers, double jumps, etc.
After a while we started doing some freestyle stuff, we went up to our normal place near the shops. I was feeling pretty warm so I started out with a nice run, lots of contacts, some hard tricks. There were lots of schoolkids watching and they were pretty impressed.
One of the girls actually brought out a crocheted bag, and some of them started doing some kicks. She could do a fair few kicks and was better than any of the boys. By the end of the afternoon she could do toe and inside stalls as well. She said her brother plays, and lives in the area. I looked him up on .org and he's actually a Tier 1 member of the IFPA. Hopefully I will see him around sometime soon.
There seems to be a bunch of kids that are getting into it a bit, I've never met them though, which is weird because they live just nearby. But I was reading some of their IFPA member pages, it reminded me of me when I was a teenager.
They'll be embarrased if they stick with Footbag and re read that in their mid twenties.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Had an interview about that promotion today. Let's see how that goes. I will find out on Wednesday, but I'm not particularly sure what my plan is.
Heading down to Melbourne this weekend coming up. Hoping to get in some shreds, the Red Rocket flies in the last day I'm there, and hopefully I can also dredge up a few blasts from the past. That would be nice.
There seems to be not a lot of interest in Footbag in Australia at the moment. The community seems to be at a bit of a standstill. We haven't got so many new players, and nobody seems to be talking about Footbag in the forums.
Maybe I am wrong about that, who knows. I've been playing a fair bit. Nothing today though...well I did do a tour, gave a little demonstration, so I guess I did play slightly. I forgot about that actually, it seems so long ago now.
I finish at 9 tonight, I guess that's a more reasonable time than usual. Then I have to be back at 7am. Gross.
I'm putting on a show in my friend's loungeroom on Thursday, hopefully it will be a success. Or at least not cause any troubles.
The Raiders had a good win on the weekend, was good to be a part of, we beat the top team on the ladder, who as a matter of fact haven't beaten the Raiders in Canberra since 2000. A godo record to have. 2 more games left in the season, hopefully will be 2 wins, and that will put the Green Machine into the finals.
Heading down to Melbourne this weekend coming up. Hoping to get in some shreds, the Red Rocket flies in the last day I'm there, and hopefully I can also dredge up a few blasts from the past. That would be nice.
There seems to be not a lot of interest in Footbag in Australia at the moment. The community seems to be at a bit of a standstill. We haven't got so many new players, and nobody seems to be talking about Footbag in the forums.
Maybe I am wrong about that, who knows. I've been playing a fair bit. Nothing today though...well I did do a tour, gave a little demonstration, so I guess I did play slightly. I forgot about that actually, it seems so long ago now.
I finish at 9 tonight, I guess that's a more reasonable time than usual. Then I have to be back at 7am. Gross.
I'm putting on a show in my friend's loungeroom on Thursday, hopefully it will be a success. Or at least not cause any troubles.
The Raiders had a good win on the weekend, was good to be a part of, we beat the top team on the ladder, who as a matter of fact haven't beaten the Raiders in Canberra since 2000. A godo record to have. 2 more games left in the season, hopefully will be 2 wins, and that will put the Green Machine into the finals.
Good seeing you at Worlds; I'm glad we got to share a beer and hang out some. Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to do a detailed write-up of Worlds. As somebody who was at the same tournament, it's fun to relive the shared moments, as well as to see how other people perceived/experienced the week. I also think the write-ups are great for the people who didn't attend, since they get a taste of what Worlds is like, and then are more motivated to make it in person themselves next year.
Looking forward to next year!
Looking forward to next year!
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Was great to see you again Ken. I really enjoyed doing the writeup, it's great to relive the memories. I actually handed in a 3000 word writeup as a piece for uni, I'm doing a Writing course, it had to be handed in a couple of days after Worlds.
I'm hoping to make it to something more than just Worlds next year.
I'm hoping to make it to something more than just Worlds next year.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Got a promotion at work today, I'm now the groups co-ordinator...or well from next week, it's all happening. It's a bit more money than I'm on at the moment, that will help me save for some heavy travels next year.
Going to Melbourne tomorrow night, it should be a lot of fun. Arrive Sun 8am, leave Tue 5:45pm.
Played with Caroline today. We played at the AIS, it was pretty cold but we played for a fair while. I hit some nice long runs. Have been doing a lot of tours lately, there's probably 2000 more kids that know about Footbag that didn't 3 weeks ago.
So we were talking about some things that could be cool in Footbag, I don't know if they will work, but maybe look out for something next year. We'll see. Need to do a bit more research into the topic.
Going to Melbourne tomorrow night, it should be a lot of fun. Arrive Sun 8am, leave Tue 5:45pm.
Played with Caroline today. We played at the AIS, it was pretty cold but we played for a fair while. I hit some nice long runs. Have been doing a lot of tours lately, there's probably 2000 more kids that know about Footbag that didn't 3 weeks ago.
So we were talking about some things that could be cool in Footbag, I don't know if they will work, but maybe look out for something next year. We'll see. Need to do a bit more research into the topic.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Good shred today with Caroline. I felt really on my game today, was hitting a lot of stepping ducking stuff, finished the session with spikehammer. Was improving the height of my step on the flipside, still haven't ducked that yet. Had some really long runs as well. The sun was out, it was all very pleasant.
Hopefully will watch a Raiders victory tonight, they're the form team of the competition, playing against the worst team in the competition.
Hopefully will watch a Raiders victory tonight, they're the form team of the competition, playing against the worst team in the competition.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Am in Melbourne. Caught the overnight bus down, it was a long trip. I have a fairly mean headache. Kicked with Ryan this morning, I started off hitting some good stuff...stepping ducking osis, I don't know if I've hit that before, but the quality descended fairly heavily, got so tired after the long bus trip.
Oh yeah, Raiders won 48-4.
Oh yeah, Raiders won 48-4.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
I played so much in Melbourne.
Day 1, I got there, arrived at 8am after an 8 hour bus ride. Met Ryan at 10, we played til about 11:30, I think we were both fairly tired, not playing great.
Day 2, played at Melbourne uni, we ended up playing for 3 hours. I went for a swim afterwards, it was the best thing ever. Dan Ednie came by for a bit as well.
Day 3, The day before Dan asked me if I wanted to do a demo at a school, we went and did that, it was ok I guess, I was playing pretty well. I hit lots of stepping ducking stuff, pdx blender mid string, and taught a few kids how to do a toe stall.
So then we came back and played with Ryan and Phil Morrison. I couldn't stay so long because I had to go to my plane. I challenged Phil to hit pdx whirling swirl>mobius. He didn't quite hit it while I was there, but it came off his foot a couple of times. Phil is so good. I think he is slightly underestimated on the world scene. I wish I had have been able to stay longer and get a bit on film.
So I made it to my plane, and then of course, it was delayed.
Day 1, I got there, arrived at 8am after an 8 hour bus ride. Met Ryan at 10, we played til about 11:30, I think we were both fairly tired, not playing great.
Day 2, played at Melbourne uni, we ended up playing for 3 hours. I went for a swim afterwards, it was the best thing ever. Dan Ednie came by for a bit as well.
Day 3, The day before Dan asked me if I wanted to do a demo at a school, we went and did that, it was ok I guess, I was playing pretty well. I hit lots of stepping ducking stuff, pdx blender mid string, and taught a few kids how to do a toe stall.
So then we came back and played with Ryan and Phil Morrison. I couldn't stay so long because I had to go to my plane. I challenged Phil to hit pdx whirling swirl>mobius. He didn't quite hit it while I was there, but it came off his foot a couple of times. Phil is so good. I think he is slightly underestimated on the world scene. I wish I had have been able to stay longer and get a bit on film.
So I made it to my plane, and then of course, it was delayed.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
So I haven't played since returning from Melbourne. The plan was to play tomorrow, but it's pouring rain, and doesn't look like it's going to let up.
So maybe we will go to some indoor location, let's see.
We'll talk about more important news- RAIDERS INTO THE FINALS
Who would have thought, about 9 weeks ago...The Raiders had lost 4 games in a row, were in about 13th place of 16, had a points differential of -118 or so, the papers were calling for Raiders legend David Furner to be sacked, we need a new halfback etc. Since then the Green Machine has won 8/9 games, now has a positive points differential and are into the top 8.
So I watched the game at this pub, the lighthouse. We got there pretty often, but I'd never really seen it like this. One guy said to me, this is crazy, it's like a leagues club in here.
So the match begins, every good play, people are applauding the screen. Then Victor The Viking, the Raiders mascot appears, everyone cheers and a few people got a photo with him.
At halftime the Raiders were up 12-4, everyone clapped. Josh Dugan scored a try, the Lighthouse sponsor the #1 jersey, free beer for all in Raiders jerseys. Oh yeah, it was $1 beer up until first points, no points were scored for 18 minutes.
So yeah, I was pretty boozed up by the end of the match. The Broncos staged a come back and scored a dubious try at the end, but the Raiders held on, 18-16.
Everyone stood, applauded, high fived, hugged people they'd never met. It was just as if the Raiders won the grand final. So there's still a few games to go, but people are actually starting to talk about that happening. Let's see. 5 wins in a row now, it's a good time of year to be a Raiders fan.
So maybe we will go to some indoor location, let's see.
We'll talk about more important news- RAIDERS INTO THE FINALS
Who would have thought, about 9 weeks ago...The Raiders had lost 4 games in a row, were in about 13th place of 16, had a points differential of -118 or so, the papers were calling for Raiders legend David Furner to be sacked, we need a new halfback etc. Since then the Green Machine has won 8/9 games, now has a positive points differential and are into the top 8.
So I watched the game at this pub, the lighthouse. We got there pretty often, but I'd never really seen it like this. One guy said to me, this is crazy, it's like a leagues club in here.
So the match begins, every good play, people are applauding the screen. Then Victor The Viking, the Raiders mascot appears, everyone cheers and a few people got a photo with him.
At halftime the Raiders were up 12-4, everyone clapped. Josh Dugan scored a try, the Lighthouse sponsor the #1 jersey, free beer for all in Raiders jerseys. Oh yeah, it was $1 beer up until first points, no points were scored for 18 minutes.
So yeah, I was pretty boozed up by the end of the match. The Broncos staged a come back and scored a dubious try at the end, but the Raiders held on, 18-16.
Everyone stood, applauded, high fived, hugged people they'd never met. It was just as if the Raiders won the grand final. So there's still a few games to go, but people are actually starting to talk about that happening. Let's see. 5 wins in a row now, it's a good time of year to be a Raiders fan.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
When I was at Worlds I got to talk to some these older hall of fame guys, the guys who were really pioneering the sport a long time ago. In Australia, I think we still have a lot of chance to be pioneering, there's still barely anyone playing.
So they were telling me about this bloke from Australia that played net in the early 80s...a long precursor to Lynton! He ran a company called something like Wallaby G or something along those lines. So one of the guys told me, he had been contacted to do this tour in Australia, doing demonstrations and things. He came out for the demos, but on about day 2, there was a death in the family or something of mr Wallaby G.
He says- "can you drive?" "yes" "here's the keys, here's the schedule, go for it".
I wonder what happened in the almost 20 years in between.
People sometimes tell me they saw Footbag at Expo 88 in Brisbane, it was part of the American display. It's interesting hearing this old stories about Footbag.
I wonder if people will talk about the current generation of Footbag players in the same way in 20 years time.
So they were telling me about this bloke from Australia that played net in the early 80s...a long precursor to Lynton! He ran a company called something like Wallaby G or something along those lines. So one of the guys told me, he had been contacted to do this tour in Australia, doing demonstrations and things. He came out for the demos, but on about day 2, there was a death in the family or something of mr Wallaby G.
He says- "can you drive?" "yes" "here's the keys, here's the schedule, go for it".
I wonder what happened in the almost 20 years in between.
People sometimes tell me they saw Footbag at Expo 88 in Brisbane, it was part of the American display. It's interesting hearing this old stories about Footbag.
I wonder if people will talk about the current generation of Footbag players in the same way in 20 years time.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
The Raiders are v Penrith on Saturday night. I think I'm going to try and swap my shift and go to the game, it's at Penrith stadium. I'm meant to be working. If I don't go to the game, I'd probably just work the shift, pop out and watch it labes in the city or something.
I think Footbag was in the USA tent at expo '88. I wonder if there is any Footbag at this year's expo in China.
I think Footbag was in the USA tent at expo '88. I wonder if there is any Footbag at this year's expo in China.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
Played with Caroline today, it was a terrible day for shred, so cold and windy. We actually moved to a less windy place, but the gusts kept coming through.
She came really close to ducking clipper, she had it come off her foot. I think learning a few new tricks is going to do a lot for her game.
As for my game, I was fairly unimpressive. It was just too cold to really get going. I hit some ok runs, and I hit a couple of harder tricks, but I wasn't impressed with my overall playing today. It had been about a week since my last kick, so it was simply good to get out and into action.
She came really close to ducking clipper, she had it come off her foot. I think learning a few new tricks is going to do a lot for her game.
As for my game, I was fairly unimpressive. It was just too cold to really get going. I hit some ok runs, and I hit a couple of harder tricks, but I wasn't impressed with my overall playing today. It had been about a week since my last kick, so it was simply good to get out and into action.
-
boyle
- Post Master General
- Posts: 3173
- Joined: 19 Sep 2007 23:42
- Location: Canberra, Australia
- Contact:
It was my birthday yesterday. Lots of Footbag players from all over the world sent me facebook etc messages saying have a happy birthday, see you next year, etc. That's really awesome. Hopefully I get to see a lot of those people next year.
I wish there was some idea of where worlds will be next year. I would like to start planning some kind of Footbag trip. I think it will be in Europe, but I would like to go to Worlds as well PLUS I'm planning to go to South America to live for quite some time.
It's going to be a big year, so I better get saving.
I wish there was some idea of where worlds will be next year. I would like to start planning some kind of Footbag trip. I think it will be in Europe, but I would like to go to Worlds as well PLUS I'm planning to go to South America to live for quite some time.
It's going to be a big year, so I better get saving.
-
PoisonTaffy
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1003
- Joined: 23 Jun 2007 15:42
- Location: Israel, center
- Contact:
