-=Silencer=-

[Lycanthrope]

I'm glad to hear that you're still working out the kinks, ken; it means that I'm not just having a random problem that only I'm having.

It's hard for me to say who I would give first place since I haven't seen every single routine yet, but I kind of think that Milan's strong theme allowed him not to be upseeded. If I heard correctly, the top 3 scores in routines were so close that it was down to the hundredths or something in scores.

So as far as my routine went, I couldn't have been happier with execution. I performed it better than I ever have in practice. Every single cue was dialed and executed better than I had ever done it before to the music, except for the last trick. In my memory it was like a dream. Really weird.

Anyway from what I saw I would have probably given vasek the title since it was the only dropless routine, it contained a theme, he hit a montage at the end, and he seemed to hit a bunch of cues as well. That said, I actually only saw a small part of Nick's routine. Milan's routine did have good vibes and a party like intro, so that was very cool of his. He had a mid run spike hammer that stuck out to me, but it didn't seem like an extraordinary performance for me, but maybe I just need to rewatch it. In 2010 I put his routine in like 5th place on my scorecard, but the rewatch really showed me what was up.

Jay told me that Michelle thought it was the most ridiculous thing that I didn't win, so that meant something to me. Then again, I think they're both living in Germany right now, so maybe she was biased

Just kidding.

for the sick 3s,
If we apply a basic scale, like:
very easy:1
easy:2
medium:3
hard:4
obscene:5,

then I would say Vasek scores montage:medium 3, obscene link 5, dod swirl 3, score 11
and Olaf's scores nem 4, food 2, I would probably give zooming gangsta a 4.5 because I don't think it's as hard as vasek's link, but I can see a toe player saying that was Ludacris, but since it would be a 10.5 to 11 for me, I would lean in favor of Vasek's as well for the toe usage, so I might have to say Vasek's is the sickest. I also wasn't present for Olaf's, but I heard it was a riot.

[Add Block]

I always thought this one was considered the best, but I'm no expert in these tricks

[Lycanthrope]

oh yeah, that definitely came up in conversation at worlds. I don't disagree with that argument. It's ridiculously massive. Rafal Kaleta won at worlds with some massive combos; didn't tuomas risallo from finland also win sick 3 before?

[Lycanthrope]

With my little rating system, I'd probably give Milan's combo a nem 4, stepping whirling swirl 4, alpine bed from swirl 5 and have its score as a 13 against vasek's 11 and Olaf's 10.5, so I'd put those as maybe the greatest of all time.

Another great one was David's nemesis, alpine fog, toe flurry which is probably close to those scores. nem 4, alpine fog 4, toe flurry 3, so if we really had to rank them then that would be a contender as well. Maybe I'd say Olaf's and Davids are both 11s as well as Vasek's, and they all tie for 2nd Greatest Of All Time?

[Sporatical_Distractions]

I think the difficulty of these 2 sick 3s is a little subjective as well. For instance, I could potentially hit each of the individual links in Olaf's sick 3 with enough tries/time, but would not be able to hit any of the links in Vaseks combo.

[Lycanthrope]

I know what you're saying, Kcrow.

On another note, it took me 2 years and $5000 in donations, and much more help from friends, but I think I've won every freestyle event at the world championships except for routines in which my best finish was silver, is that true or am I just blinded by my own ego?

Circle Gold 2014
Sick 3 Gold 2014
Sick 1 Gold 2015
Shred 30 Gold 2015
Request contest Gold 2015
Routine Silver 2014

[Lycanthrope]

Who even won sick 1 at worlds last year? I can't remember for the life of me =(

[Muffinman]

Maybe it wasn't judged as an official event? Doesn't seem to be listed in the results: http://www.footbag.org/events/show/1391189882

[Lycanthrope]

Yeah, no wonder I didn't remember it. I guess I could have checked .org myself, but thank you, Erik.

A couple highlights from yesterdays session which was with Anna and I:
Anna's highlights: 5 toe stalls, 11 kicks, 10 kicks 4 times or so. I was proud of her. Her form looks quite good.
She isn't really super into kicking, but wants to kick a little from time to time just for fun.

My highlights:
entourage > dod swirl > jani walker bs
reverse swirling nova bs ... Invention maybe? or perhaps I've seen jay do it before??

It was a funny session and we pretty much played separately the whole time. At first I was trying to spot her by just helping her get back in control when she was losing it, but she wasn't letting me play much, so I just picked up my own bag.

It was my post worlds session, and I felt it this morning. I definitely felt that I was at a crossroads for a few days of... should I still pursue footbag and the opportunities that it offers me or should I consider the cost sunken and try to get a job and money and a family and whatnot. Anna wanting to play definitely pushed me in the footbag direction, and I would like to help more players learn. It makes me excited for the Boise days that are ahead.

I really hope that Boise has something to offer Anna and I. We are considering getting her a tourist visa or a permanent workers visa so that she can come to the states, but it's not an easy or inexpensive thing for us to achieve.



The whole worlds results thing still has my heart in a bit of a bind. I don't desire competition anymore. I feel that I've proven myself and earned the respect of my peers already, and there isn't much more important to me than that. I feel that I made the whole crowdfunding thing popular within the sport, and I hope that's a good thing in the long run. Jim, Nick, and Yves A. were all assisted by the community to make it to worlds, and I'm not sure if that all would have happened if it weren't for my successful campaign last year. I was a bit surprised to be successful with my campaign this year as well, but I think that good results in the past and a little hard work communicating helped me achieve it.

I don't think I'll stop playing and progressing, but I think my goals and views have been changed by my experiences drastically. I feel that I have a lot to offer still, and moving forward, I would still like to build the sport.

I received a lot of positivity after my facebook post questioning what makes the world champion. I definitely think there should be some kind of overall champion. I don't think that routines are a terrible way to determine it, but I think there are better ways based on all results or at least more results.

Each competition measures something about a player's skills, and each competition has its flaws as well, so I think the cumulative achievements of a player should determine the overall champion, and not just the routine winner. Routines are just another competition that measures some things, and has its own flaws, and that's why I don't think it should solely determine who is the best in the world. With that said, we should formulate a list of events that either does not repeat similar skill sets, or assign a value to each of the events which would account for the skill needed to win. We should be careful with the values, though, because if the value for big one is too high, for example, or the value of routines is too high, then we may as well just not change anything.

I know that in 2008, the world champion being the winner of routines was questioned by the community, but nobody did anything about it or changed much of anything, but now I hope we can come together and make things more accurate.

I don't necessarily think that I should have been the overall champion for this year, but I think that it should have been either Vasek or myself based on cumulative results. I also wonder if David would have continued playing if he was declared overall champion in 2010 for winning both circle contest and shred 30.

Just some thoughts to probe the community a bit.


I think about what the world champion receives that I haven't, and I usually come to the conclusion that I've received more assistance and support in the community than everyone else with the cash from my fundraisers and the help from the community. I bet Milan got more free beers than me, but that's something he can have.

I often remind myself that my ultimate prize was received last year when I met Anna. Best prize ever. <3

[Kylescook]

I definitely agree that the title of World Champion should not immediately go to whoever wins routines. I think it would be much more representative of a persons skill to take into consideration some of the other events, particularly circle.

[Tjuggles]

I really hope that Boise has something to offer Anna and I. We are considering getting her a tourist visa or a permanent workers visa so that she can come to the states, but it's not an easy or inexpensive thing for us to achieve.

Have you thought about some sort of student visa? That could be an easier way to get one, especially if Anna has academic skills. You could even look for scholarships. I have at least one academic connection in Idaho, and can see if they have any leads were you to choose that path.

I definitely think there should be some kind of overall champion. I don't think that routines are a terrible way to determine it, but I think there are better ways based on all results or at least more results.

[snip]

... we should formulate a list of events that either does not repeat similar skill sets, or assign a value to each of the events which would account for the skill needed to win.

Or maybe we could send out a sort of questionnaire to the community asking them to rank/suggest what skills are most important to them in a world footbag champion. We could use the skills in all of the (un)official events as a base, and then go from there. Again, just an idea.

Hi Evan.

[C-Fan]

Good seeing you in CPH. Hopefully we get to hang in Boise in October.

Interesting discussion on the concept of "overall champ." It really comes down to the question of what we are trying to measure, and with sports that's usually a pretty arbitrary thing. When I tell people I play hackysack competitively, a lot of times they'll ask (in complete seriousness): "so, whoever kicks it the most times wins?" I laugh a bit when that happens, but its not a ridiculous question. Consecutives measures stamina and consistency with a footbag. Those are legitimate aspects of our sport. Similarly, footbag golf measures consistency and control of kicks, which is also a legitimate aspect of our sport. But if we were to poll the community if they thought footbag golf and consecs should be part of determining an overall champion, I would bet most would say no.

The fact is, various events measure/showcase various different skills. Is it arbitrary to say the routine champion is the overall champion? Yes. But it's also arbitrary to select a bunch of other events, weigh them differently, and say that THAT indicates the overall champion.

should I still pursue footbag and the opportunities that it offers me or should I consider the cost sunken and try to get a job and money and a family and whatnot.

Just giving my perspective from my own experience here: having a job and settling down do affect how much time/energy I can spend on footbag. But it's also not a zero sum, either/or proposition. You can have a job and a life, and still make time for footbag.

I don't necessarily think that I should have been the overall champion for this year, but I think that it should have been either Vasek or myself based on cumulative results.

I remember in 1999 or 2000 Worlds, James Roberts won the overall championship. He was a high level intermediate player in both freestyle and net, but he made it his goal to win the overall, and he did so by entering EVERY event. He didn't win any events. I don't think he made finals in any of the major events. But he woke up early to play golf, he did a very funny/silly double routine with Tu Vu, and I think he also did mixed doubles. I don't want to say he gamed the system, so much as he competed strategically to ensure he had the most overall points. This is a long winded way of saying that we can't look at 2015 Worlds and make guesses who would have won overall champion, since the rules weren't set up to encourage people to compete in as many events as possible. On the final day of Worlds I really wanted to do Sick 1 and Sick 3, but Haley was feeling sick so I skipped them so we could do tourism instead. If those events affected an overall ranking score, I think its much more likely I show up and enter. Same with Shred30 for me this year too. If the concept of an overall champion is reintroduced, it is fair to look at future Worlds with this lens, but it doesn't make sense to look at past years and retroactively apply the criteria, since competitors would have behaved differently.

[C-Fan]

BUMP

[Matt K]

[C-Fan]

Looks about right.

Hey, 7 weeks and no updates here? What gives?

[Lycanthrope]

Sorry, I just haven't felt like blogging lately. No real excuses or 'reasons', but just haven't felt like pursuing this intensely in the off season.

Anyway, I feel like I am scratching at the surface of why footbag is not successful. Red and I were chatting yesterday after a session and he said that footbag lacks fans. It got me to thinking about the superball championships that I went to this year and all the fans being the players. The players in footbag hardly even seem to be fans of the sport. I feel that way about almost all players including myself, although I'm beginning to change.

It seems like every time someone posts a video (not just myself but everyone) we are always searching for how it could be better, which seems like a positive path, but it's also just holding us back. We need to support each other emotionally. Just searching for the imperfections are dragging us like a beaten dead horse.

I remember when I first started boxing when I was ten years old or so.. we would start by a stretching session, work into calisthenics, and work our way onto the bags and potentially sparring among other stations. During calisthenics we would go around the circle and choose an exercise and everyone would join us as we sounded off. I would choose pushups which was everyone's least favorite exercise because the other ones were like situps or jumping jacks which are much easier. The other kids would get so mad at me and yell at me that I couldn't even do them correctly. .. which was true. I had the poorest form. I did something like how you would expect children to do pushups.. some kind of ground humping attempt. Eventually my arms grew stronger and I was able to do them with exponentially better form.

If I would have said, hey my form sucks, maybe I should have not done those anymore, then my form would have never improved. Maybe if the other kids would have approached it more softly then I would have never gotten better, but the fact is that I quit boxing after a few years of being very active at the gym, and I feel like being a dick head about the cleanliness of tricks does not support the scene at all. I understand that standards are important, but there is so little incentive to play footbag for so many people that even such small douchiness can be a major hindrance. We desperately lack positivity. I wish there were more Polini's in the game. Positivity is a powerful asset.

Of course the trick can be executed better... 100% of the time, it can be done faster, more efficiently, with a deeper delay etc etc, but if the kid quits before he can ever do the pushups, then gym membership declines. Support each other. Be friends, and offer helpful advice, don't be a condescending troll. We need more try hard players and less criticism.

Also, I'd like to see someone hit a cleaner swirling whirring swirl before they try to criticize mine. Get on my level.

[Lycanthrope]

[Tjuggles]

Hi Evan,

I agree with you. One thing I miss about 90s and early 2000s' shred is the motivation and support. People screaming and cheering you on after hitting like one or two fearless in a string is so motivating.

I like your attitude with this:

I'd like to see someone hit a cleaner swirling whirring swirl before they try to criticize mine. Get on my level.

It reminds me of a week ago when I was talking with a teacher at the uni I am at, asking her how long she had been teaching at the uni. She said something like 17 years and I said 'Wow, I bet it just flew by', to which she replied 'No TJ; I had to work hard every single day to get this far', and I thought fuck, she is right. Time is moving fast, but fuck that; I worked real hard to get this far. Likewise, you pushed yourself hard, and continue to do so, so fuck that, you should be telling those less skilled than you what the deal is. It's like OG hip-hop artists telling the new school what's up.

Hope that makes sense; I feel like it was a get-it-off-my-chest sort of thing.

Anyway, I have been watching a lot of your vids lately, and you da man. Great skills homie, hope to have my ass served to me in a circle with you sometime, and the learn a lot from it.

TJ

[isirc10]

I thought the same thing recently. Thanks for putting it down in words so well.
I always enjoy your videos and posts. Carry on, regardless of what people say about your swirling whirring swirls. I think they're the dopest.

[boyle]

I think the thing about fans is an interesting one...I have mentioned it a few times. That is definitely something though, that negative attitude. There have been players in Australia who were put off by others telling them certain tricks were tge worst they had ever seen, and then just stop playing.