Cass shreds - Spring Training 2024

[Cass]

Thanks! Unusual tricks/surfaces are fun so I'm definitely going to do them more

Here is a worlds photo to start a new page

[Cass]

So I drove to Brantford yesterday for a footbag date with Johnny!

Saturday we ended up in custody of a pretty cute child named River for a while. The three of us went to a cheese shop and bought some gourmet cheeses and cheesecake. Dress up was played and some pretty intense bread fights took place.

We played in Johnny’s shred room on Saturday evening which quickly became a sauna. It was kind of a rough session and I was pretty tired by the time we really got into a groove but I still had fun. Playing with Johnny is always a treat. We played for quite a long time.

After our session the two of us went out to a restaurant for a pretty tasty dinner. I was beat from the session so we just hung out for a while before bed.

Sunday morning Johnny made me an incredible breakfast involving all of my top five favourite foods (cheese, bacon, egg, pineapple and cheesecake om nom nom).

Johnny was very thirsty



We went to a nearby town to meet up with River’s mom Christen who is pretty rad.



She is a hooper which is pretty cool and so she sort of gets footbag more than the average non-bagger. Johnny and I painted some watercolour paintings with River and drank espresso. The four of us headed to a nearby spot to session. We brought the puzzle piece mats which were super clutch to play on. We played a bunch and I’m not even really sore because the surface was good, although a little slidey.

I filmed some stuff today. I didn’t play super well but Johnny did. I missed a lot of it but still got enough for a nice video which I’m in the process of editing.

After playing we went back to Christen’s to hang out. Johnny got super excited over her juicer and we had some really delicious warm drinks made from apple juice and other spices and things.

This is a cool balancing game we played a bunch, it was pretty entertaining.



Christen made us a delicious meal which we ate in the back yard and eventually we headed back to Brantford. Johnny and I relaxed a bit and soon it was time for me to hit the road.

Another pretty rad footbag weekend overall. It’s definitely worth driving a couple hours to steal some one-on-one sessions with Johnny. It was also a good warm-up for the jam that is happening next weekend with Matt Cross

<3

[Cass]

Finished editing!

I usually try to keep videos under a couple minutes because that's about my attention span for footbag videos. In this case I just couldn't do it though. I just had too much nice Johnny footage to let it go to waste!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK5BIhCf7Cw[/youtube]

[C-Fan]

Thanks for the video. When I saw the title card though, I was hoping you'd use N**** in Paris for the song.

[Cass]

I didn’t actually think of that. Even if I did I probably wouldn’t have used it because I’m so sick of that song


Playing with Johnny and editing the above video was such great inspiration! His style is so smooth.


After a much needed rest day I got back to practicing this afternoon. I went back to basics and drilled tons of stalls and a bunch of tiltless tricks that haven’t had any attention lately. I covered a bunch of different components and overall it felt like a pretty productive session.

After practicing legovers for a few minutes I managed to beat my PLO record first try

PLOx14
PLO>DLO rpt. (6 contacts)> handcatch

The area at school where I play is near offices in the athletic centre and is a pretty low traffic area normally. Unfortunately there are tons of new students wondering around at this time of year which can be very distracting. Hopefully the foot traffic slows down soon because having to stop and respond to all the usual comments really kills my zen.


Matt Cross, Hania and others are coming to Toronto this weekend!

Can’t wait!!!

<3

[Eskimo Joe]

Nice highlights! I really liked how effortless your entry to the video comp was. So nice. The video is awesome, both of you guys were killin it! Thank you for putting that together and doing all the work required to put a video together.

[Cass]

I really liked how effortless your entry to the video comp was.

Thanks I literally put no effort into my entry


I played for about 20 minutes yesterday before I started to feel some pain and cut my session short. Instead I had an extensive stretching sesh followed by an abs/arms/back workout. It was good to change it up and do something different but I'm definitely feelin' it today

Seriously stoked for another footbag weekend just have to make it through one more day in the lab



<3

[Cass]

Wow so much to blog about it’s kind of a daunting task!

I just had the best weekend ever! Footbag events are many of the happiest moments in my life. I’m so grateful to be a part of this silly sport.

Matt Cross arrived in Toronto on Thursday evening. I was stuck in school during the day on Friday and unfortunately missed the session that took place with Matt, Camille, Adam and Tom. I headed to Toronto Friday evening on the train. We were to meet at Cherry beach for a bonfire that evening. I caught the bus which Took me through old parts of Toronto that I’m not really familiar with which was pretty cool to see. I walked the rest of the way to the waterfront but unfortunately I was a little early and nobody was there yet.



I’m reluctant to accept that summer is over and as a result I didn’t pack myself any super warm clothing. It was pretty chilly by the water so I messed around with the hack to keep warm. I practiced some different things like rakes and flappers and whatnot. I got Sole>op Flapper which is a new link.

A bunch of swans were around in the water which was really neat.



I had never been to Cherry Beach before and I learned that this is a place where police used to bring criminals and people they didn’t particularly care for and give them beat downs. Classy Toronto.

The sun set and I started to get a little sketched out being alone in an unfamiliar place. Thankfully a car finally arrived with Camille, Matt, Lane and their friend whose name I don’t recall. It has been more than three years since I last saw Matt Cross so I was pretty excited to see him but also kind of nervous.

We unpacked the car and headed to the part of the beach where we would have the bonfire. Other friends of Camille arrived and soon Johnny and Christen also made it.

A bunch of swans hung out in the water near our fire and it was really magical. They were so bright it looked as if they were lit up on the dark water.

Bonfires with footbaggers are pretty much one of the best things ever.

After a few hours it was cold and we were running out of wood so we decided to pack up and arrange transportation. A guy named Brian offered Matt and myself a ride back to Camilles. Another girl also rode with us to another destination.

Matt and I were on another level and it was a pretty trippy car ride, at least for me. I don’t often travel around the core of Toronto in a car so it was really cool to see all the lights and skyscrapers from that perspective. Some trippy awesome music was playing. I just remember holding hands with Matt and enjoying the ride. Brian and the girl made conversation in the front seat that I found to be irrelevant for the most part.

Back at Camille’s place we hung out and things are a little hazy but I remember Brian having some pretty interesting stories. Camille’s apartment is so awesome and homey. I love going there. It is just full of a bunch of interesting things all over the walls and everywhere. I never go there without finding something new and interesting that I didn’t notice before.

Originally the plan for Saturday was to go to the waterfront but it was pretty cool outside. A polish festival was also happening this weekend in Toronto and the idea of post shred Polish food got me on board with that pretty quickly.

Matt, Camille and I took the streetcar to our destination and found some huge crowds of people on the street in another area of Toronto that I’m unfamiliar with. It was pretty cool to see since I didn’t really know what to expect. There were a bunch of vendors and we walked around to scope out a spot. We found a pretty good shaded spot at an intersection near where some musicians were playing. It was nice not to have to worry about music and some of the stuff they played was actually great for shredding.

Mike Faille was first to arrive and we started playing a bit. A really nice older gentleman who said he had been playing thirty years ago joined us to kick for a while. He was quite good at kicking both sides and knew enough not to self-serve or toe scrape the bag. He was a vendor selling fresh garlic and actually gave me some later that day which was really nice of him.

MMMmmm perogies.

Zach Forth who I haven’t seen since January arrived next I believe. He brought this chicken hat and stuck a shuttle cock in his shorts and did some hacky tricks:



Hania was visiting from Montreal with her roommate. Tom Mosher and JJ also came out to play. It was an awesome turnout!!



Footbag started around 2pm and lasted until the sun went down. Johnny was super late but he also made it out to play. He’s been practicing and it shows. He waited until the rest of us were pretty much dead to appears and bust the craziest shit. Super consistent!



I played sooo much Saturday and it was so much fun!! This was definitely my best session since worlds. I had some nice long runs that just felt awesome.

I got to play in a feminine circle with Camille and Hania which is a very rare treat. Hania has such nice smooth runs and Camille is getting really consistent.

My favourite circle of the day was the one I had with Matt and Tom. These are definitely two of my favourite players. They are just such awesome people and so fun to shred with!

I don’t think I stopped smiling all day Saturday it was just such an amazing day! It’s so great to see how much everyone has improved. Zach has great consistency and style and Mike has also improved a lot since he got back in the game with some nice flowy runs.

I don’t usually really care to play in front of people but we got such a great response which was really encouraging. There were a few points when we actually had huge crowds of people watching! It encouraged me to go for longer crowd pleasing runs which I had a lot of fun with.



At one point a few hours into the session Matt and I went for a walk on one of the back streets. It was really peaceful compared to the bustle of the Polish festival. We smoked a little and enjoyed the atmosphere. I went back to the session with fresh perspective and motivation and continued playing hard.

After the session I got a super delicious pulled pork sandwich and we walked to the liquor store to get some beverages. By the time we got back to Camille’s I was pretty much dead. I probably played for a solid five hours that day and I don’t think I even made it through one beer before passing out.
What a day.

Since we fell asleep pretty early on Saturday Matt and I woke up before everyone else Sunday morning. We decided to go out and grab some breakfast. We walked a short distance to a place on College street and got some bacon and eggs and pancakes and things. It was pretty delicious. I was surprised how comfortable I feel around him considering I don’t think we spent any time alone together prior to this event.

When we got back Camille, Lane, Zach and Mike were finishing up breakfast. We planned to play footbag at two so we had some time to kill. It was nice to just hang out with these awesome people. Zach has a pretty interesting sense of humor. At one point he asked Matt to lay down a beatbox beat because he had a rap he wanted to do. It was definitely a highlight of the weekend when Zach entertained us with a pretty dope rap about working for minimum wage as a fry cook.

We all headed to Trinity Bellwoods for our session. The weather wasn’t ideal- kinda chilly and it looked like it might rain. We played a bit but we were all pretty beat from the day before.




Tom came out for a while again which was awesome.

I didn’t have many good runs that day but a couple new things:

Swirling Osis BS
Dragon>Ripwalk

The highlight for me was definitely seeing Alex Venis. Alex is just an awesome human. When he arrived he informed us he could only stay for half an hour and he didn’t have any footbag gear. He ended up shredding in some terrible looking street shoes and his boxers which was entertaining at least.



I’m pretty stoked that Alex is back in Ontario for school again. I’ve convinced him to come out to East Coasts with Johnny and I so that should be fucking amazing if things fall into place. I’m also planning to go out to London to shred with him and Zach in the near future

Hania and her roommate went to Niagra Falls Sunday morning but they came back in time to join us for sushi after the session. I ate sooo many dumplings. So good.

I got to hang out with Matt, Camille and Lane for a little bit longer before it was time to catch my train home Sunday night. Footbag events never last long enough! It was sad saying goodbye to Matt because we had a really great time together this weekend and it may be a while before we hang out again.

What a great weekend. I love footbag.

<3

[Cass]

Yesterday I had to use ether in the purification of one of my compounds. I accidentally inhaled a little too much and ended us passing out on my desk in the lab for a while.

I woke up on at least three separate occasions mid DLO, pigbeater or bedwetter only to realise that I wasn't actually playing footbag. Trippy.


I took today and yesterday as rest days and I am anxious to start drilling again. I don't have anything planned for this weekend so I will be focusing on drilling things that I've been neglecting and getting ready to (hopefully) compete at ECFC

<3

[Cass]

Totally worth watching all the way through


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYKoHwRiig4[/youtube]

[Cass]

I took three days off footbag and today I woke up with a pretty bad headache that sort of lingered all day. I wasn’t really expecting to have an amazing session but I was definitely looking forward to playing regardless.

To my delight the squash court was available. I really like playing there because the surface is good and it’s secluded. No distractions.


I had a really awesome session!!

84 Tiltless
Swirling Blender BS
Infinity dragon BSOS
Fairy Pickup x4
BOP run with Ducking, Diving, Weaving and Spinning Clipper bs > handcatch

I learned that getting good at drifter also helped me get good at torque!

Torque BSOS (twice)
Paradox Torque!!

I footed Pdx Torque twice and each time I was so disoriented upon hitting it that I missed the handcatch That third one that I finally sealed felt soooo good!



It’s so nice to just play footbag. To not have to worry about being judged by others but to just play for the joy of hitting cool tricks.

At one point I remember wishing that I could stay in that white box and play footbag eternally.


I’m really looking forward to some more good solo sessions. I’ve been shredding with others a lot lately which is great inspiration but I make so much more progress when I play alone.

Speaking of inspiration playing with Matt Cross and Johnny lately has been HUGE inspiration. There really important things that I want to take away from each of their games. I really want my strings to look smooth like Johnny’s. The muted stuff he does is awesome and I’ve been working on incorporating more of this kind of style into my runs. Matt’s game has a uniqueness that I really enjoy. It has inspired me to work more on my dragon stuff and other weird and awesome tricks.

ECFC is in 8 days and my last resort transportation may be a 10 hour bus ride. I just don’t know if it’s worth it for a two day event..



<3

[Hania]

I've done 19h car ride for a 2 days event, it's always worth it

[Cass]

Yeah, you're totally right Hania! What was I thinking

[Anz]

Props on Paradox Torque. Film it please, I've never seen a shredita hit that.

[Cass]

Highlights from today:


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ECwWsep9Zc[/youtube]

[Cass]

More highlights:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQynmqWHaI8[/youtube]


Also

Doof
Infinity x100 > Handcatch (first 100 of anything other than kicks/1 adds)

I'm not super flexible but I realised I can hit doof if I catch it in the ankle pocket just above the shoe. I've also been working on using this sweet spot to get some more playable dragon tricks in my game



A guy approached me about playing footbag yesterday while I was playing and seemed really stoked on it. I gave him my info but then it turned out that he was more interested in me than footbag I rejected him and he still seems interested in playing but it kinda put me off the whole thing. Teaching a noob who might not stick with it is enough of a chore without having to be worried about getting hit on..


I was talking to my supervisor yesterday and he brought up some "Quebec-Ontario Symposium on Bioorganic and Organic Chemistry" in November and in my brain the whole time I'm thinking "please be in Montreal pleaseeee be in Montreal". And it's in Sherbrooke! Which is close enough I figure. I'm hoping I can drag some freestylers out to play

[isirc10]

Props on the doofs and dragons - they are really sick tricks that sometimes get lost in a player's game as they drill to get better. Shame about the "recruitment" opportunity. I always try to teach people the basic stalls and maybe an atw before I lose hope in them. Sure its a chore, but that 1 in 50 chance that the person will stick is worth it. When you are kicking with someone who isn't as good makes you more approachable to those interested in learning but too shy to ask.

Then again, I haven't gotten hit on when playing footbag soooo... what am I doing wrong? Guess my shorts aren't short enough...

Also, thanks for coming back to modified and giving people a new blog to read.

[C-Fan]

I was talking to my supervisor yesterday and he brought up some "Quebec-Ontario Symposium on Bioorganic and Organic Chemistry" in November and in my brain the whole time I'm thinking "please be in Montreal pleaseeee be in Montreal". A

I approach all news of upcoming training/trips/conferences with the same expectation. Props on having it be near a shred spot.

[h0ag3yb3atZ]

More highlights:



A guy approached me about playing footbag yesterday while I was playing and seemed really stoked on it. I gave him my info but then it turned out that he was more interested in me than footbag I rejected him and he still seems interested in playing but it kinda put me off the whole thing. Teaching a noob who might not stick with it is enough of a chore without having to be worried about getting hit on..

for some reason i thought i clicked on Ivan's blog at first so i was cracking up at the idea of a diddlin', symp atomic dragon worshiping-ivan caressing n00b in the best footbag club north america has to offer...now i'm just kinda embarrassed at the nature of my fellow man pretendin' to like hacky sack

good highlights though and nice pdx torque and swirling blendahs. you should come threw to east coasts it's gonna be off the meatrack...i'll be the only black dude wearing jean cuttoffs and a foreigner shirt.

the east coast scene (not countin' you canada) is worth a 10 hour bus ride yo, its sooo worth it once you get there.

[Cass]

Bahahaha oh man.

Kevin, your post just made me go from probably going to definitely going. See you next weekend.