Fanzine

[Asmus]

Really liked the latest vid, but mainly made this post to share this top-post painting:

https://www.kristoffersonsanpablo.com/

[C-Fan]

mainly made this post to share this top-post painting:

Ugh, that's a FANTASTIC TPP.  Love it.  My respect for Jokic's game really went up this post season.  Especially in the Clippers series.  I think if he can reduce the number of his silly frustration fouls and if MPJ can develop into a more reliable 3rd option on offense, the Nuggets could be a perennial contender in the West for the next half decade.  

Haven't had a chance to shred/film for the Spook Off contest yet.  I've been tossing around some ideas in my head (downtime only entry?  uptime only entry? tripless entry?) but I think I'll probably just do what feels best on a given day.  Then again,  the event is only 3 minutes worth of video... so I probably should cram that as full of hard/interesting stuff as I can.  

Worlds has been over for about 2 months now.  I did in-depth analysis of 3 of the 4 events I entered, but not for routines.  That's definitely because routines meant the most to me.  I'll try and do a write up soon so its not lost to me forever.  In other Worlds-related news, I still haven't received my shirt or medals in the mail yet.  I know packages are really delayed due to the pandemic, so I'm not panicking yet or anything. 

Here's a new trick that I hit for the first time for the Japanese champs:


I spent some time chasing the big apple version, but it's hard/weird as hell.  I may put in a few more attempts in the future.  In my mind, I had the feeling that JFC just ran through September.  I checked yesterday though, and it actually runs through October.  So maybe in conjunction with the Spook Off I'll chase a few more drills and big tricks. 

[C-Fan]

I got in a shred Saturday.  Conditions were good so I was optimistic I'd have a fun session.  Things were going pretty well until around the 30 minute mark, when I turned my left ankle super badly on a nemesis attempt.  I had hit one a couple minutes earlier, but wanted to get a deeper barfly dex on film.  My attempts were feeling fine, but then on one try I just landed on the wrong part of my foot and BAM!  All the weight of my body just collapsed ono that ankle, making it go the wrong way.  I fell to the ground screaming in pain, and stayed there a good long while.  Probably my worst footbag injury in the past 15 years.  It swelled up pretty bad, but I decided not to go see a doctor and instead spent the next 48 hours resting, icing, compressing, and elevating.  The swelling has gone down a good bit, and I'm able to put some weight on it, but I'm doing my best not to push it.  Beyond the footbag ramifications, it's really limited me in what I can do around the house.  I hate feeling like a burden on the family because of it, but I also don't want to beat myself up over getting an unpreventable injury.  Like, I wasn't doing anything stupid that led to the injury...there was nothing I could have done differently or smarter to prevent it.  

While it sucks to get injured, at least it happened AFTER Worlds ended.  This could have easily happened in the middle of the tournament, or during that critical last week when I had to get my Finals shred off together.  Being forced to take some time off now is annoying but at least it isn't costing me a medal or anything.  The key thing now is to make sure I don't rush my recovery, and that I do the appropriate stretches to ensure I don't lose range of motion.  I also feel lucky that it wasn't something more serious like a torn achilles, which would have a much harder and longer recovery.  

the event is only 3 minutes worth of video... so I probably should cram that as full of hard/interesting stuff as I can.  

 

Well, the bad news obviously is that I won't be able to film more for this event.  The good news is that my last 2 sessions gave me about 3 minutes total of footage.  So I should be able to participate at least in the first round.  I need to think about what my best strategy is for distributing my footage.  Looking at the extremes, I could:
Put all my best footage in the second round video, to give me the best shot at doing well.  This is risky, since it means my first round video would be all my weakest stuff, and increases my chance of not even making the second round.
Put all my best footage in the first round video to give me the best shot at making the finals.  Of course, this would then leave me with my weakest footage for my finals submission which basically guarantees I won't do well.

The answer probably lies somewhere in between, and I might also be able to improve my prospects if I put some time into editing.  At this stage though, I'm not going to spend much time worrying about it.  Mostly just focusing on the ankle recovery and keeping a good mental state through that process.

[boyle]

Terrible news, hope you can recover well from it. Like you said, great it didn't happen during the Worlds time - and also, it's one you couldn't have avoided. It's not like you were playing on a gravel surface, or trying after 22 beers, or tripped over your kid (many ways that these things could happen that you might think later, maybe that wasn't the best idea). Good you've got something to put in at all as well. I would probably go with maybe like a 60-40 mix of your higher end stuff in the first video, though you will probably go through regardless, depending on who else is involved.

[cammel]

UGH, really sorry to hear about the injury! You seem to have a very intentional and well thought out approach to footbag, I'm sure that will help a lot with a speedy recovery. I've really appreciated the videos and write-ups you've been doing. Footbag has really helped me deal with all the crap this year, and it was especially helpful to come back to modified after a decade and still have a least a couple familiar faces left, your posts in particular! Looking forward to seeing you back at it soon!

P.S. post a photo of the footbag trophy case when you make it!

[C-Fan]

I'm 10 days out from my ankle sprain now.  The good news is that my initial assessment appears correct: it's a bad sprain that'll sideline me for a while, but not bad enough to require surgery or a boot.  The bad news is that my initial assessment appears correct: it's a bad sprain that'll sideline me for a while, but not bad enough to require surgery or a boot.  I don't anticipate being able to footbag for probably another month or so, but at least now I'm able to put some weight on it and do things like go up and down stairs.  My main goal is to not reaggravate the injury by doing anything stupid.  If I can slowly rebuild strength and range of motion with it, maybe I can start doing tiltless again by Thanksgiving.  Mostly I'm just glad it wasn't worse, and that it happened after Worlds.

The Spook Off deadline is tomorrow, so I took the plunge and edited up my 3 minutes of footage into 2 videos.  Here's the first video:

I would probably go with maybe like a 60-40 mix of your higher end stuff in the first video

Once I post the second video, it should be pretty obvious how I allocated the good footage across the videos.  In the meantime it's more fun to leave people guessing.  

I saw Larry Workman died, and it hit me super hard.  Too tired to fully process, much less write about it now.   

[C-Fan]

Zach Forth made this gem that made me laugh:



My ankle continues to make slow progress. Some days it feels so good I almost forget it got hurt. Then other days it feels achy and tired and I worry I'm backsliding. Just gotta make sure the trend line of recovery is generally headed in the right direction.

[C-Fan]

No setbacks so far with the ankle recovery but it definitely feels like a slow process.  I'm able to walk pretty normally, and I've even caught myself air-shredding a couple times without issue.  That said, I think I'm still several weeks away from trying to play on it.  When I put my feet together you can still see the injured ankle is bigger than my normal one.  I need to keep doing my ankle exercises and hopefully slowly ramp up my walking to strengthen it.

The first round of Derek's Spook Off ended.  I was very impressed with the level of play of the submissions.  I was hoping we'd get more European or Asian players in the mix, but I was happy to see some players participate that weren't in Worlds like the Stanford guys.  My top 3 votes in Open were for Dustin, Dante, and Kemmer.  Dante and Kemmer are unsurprising since I've always been a fan of their form and trick selection.  I probably shouldn't have been surprised by Dustin, since I've liked what (rare) footage I've seen of his in the past couple years. Even so, the sheer variety and mixups in his video was a pleasant surprise and I was happy to have him at the top of my list.  

A lot of good entries didn't make the cut for Finals.  I thought Brian's was really good as were Mathieu and Sergio's.  Of course, I have no idea who was judging or what was the criteria used.  I did feel a little guilty making the next round though ahead of some of those other competitors though. At least my next video is better than my first round. Mostly I'm just excited to see more new footage from the finalists.  

Here's a video from my session where I was going for JFC 2020 entries.  So, big trick, drills, and a trick I hadn't done before.  

[boyle]

Dustin posts quite regularly on Instagram. He's got a really sort of unique style, blending kind of "hack" skills (flying stuff and other similar kind of weird moves), I like a lot of the stuff he does.

[C-Fan]

Whenever I was lucky enough to be in a circle with Rippin'  I never left.  Not willingly at least.  Sure, if I was on deck to compete or if I had a flight to catch then I would.  Grudgingly.  And I'd always soften the blow by looking forward to the next time I'd get to be in a circle with Rippin'.  I'd sometimes remind myself that by leaving, I'd be giving other players the opportunity to spend time with Rippin' in a circle. 

Was it because he was an awesome player?  No, though he undoubtedly was... that rare combination of power and grace that only the best athletes have.  It also wasn't because it's such a rare opportunity to play with one of the godfathers of the sport, somebody who invented half the tricks you are doing.  I'd be lying though if I said I didn't get a chill every time he'd throw a vortex or a ripwalk in a string just feet in front of me.  



No, the reason I never left a Rippin' circle was because of the way he made me feel, the way he made us all feel.  It wasn't that he was cool, or that footbag was awesome...it was the way he made you feel cool and that footbag was somehow awesome because of you.  It didn't matter if you were a newbie he just met at a tournament or somebody he'd played with for 20+ years.  His passion and enthusiasm was so genuine and irrepressible, you couldn't help but get caught up in it yourself.  If Rippin' believed in you, who the hell were you to doubt yourself?  

Rippin's belief in the best of others, his belief in the best of you, was a powerful tool.  Even when injuries prevented him from physically being in a circle with you, he still was there cheering you on.  Sometimes it was a shouted expletive  from the sidelines, other times it was a text message out of the blue.  Sometimes it wasn't even footbag-related, just Rick giving you props and encouragement for some other random life achievement.  You always looked forward to your interactions with Rippin' as they always made you feel special.  

When I heard Rick passed I was in disbelief. It felt like he would always be in my circle.  Now that he's gone, I try to comfort myself the way I always did when I had to leave his circle.  I think about the others who now get the chance to be in his circle, like Mike Marshall and Larry Workman.  And I tell myself that I'll see him again, and whenever that is and whatever the circumstances, it will be awesome.  Because being in Rippin's circle was always a privilege.  

Rest in peace my friend.

[boyle]

Awesome post Ken. Lots of people have been posting some really cool anecdotes about him, mainly on Facebook, which you wouldn't see, but a lot of it is about that kind of thing - how being around him, he was really enthusiastic and would bring you in, and that his energy would rub off on to you.

[Tjuggles]

Yeah Ken, great post. I have only talked with Rippin once, but definitely got that feeling. Thanks for sharing. What a loss, but what a blessing to have him in our community.

[Asmus]

Hey Ken

Great post.

Can I share it in the facebook group? I think more people should read it than the amount who will if it only lives here.

[C-Fan]

Thanks for the kind words everybody. It was cathartic for me to write. One thing that made Rippin's passing so tough, was he was both an icon of the sport AND a friend. Like, if I never met him in person, I'd still be struck by his death just because I'm an avid footbagger. This is the guy who invented half the tricks I do, and who inspired me through countless videos in my formative years in the 90s. And on the flipside, if I met Rick outside of the footbag context or if he had never played footbag, his death would also be a gutpunch just because he was my friend. The fact that he was both at the same time, made it especially hard to process. I do want to write some purely footbag thoughts on Rippin' at some point down the line too.

Can I share it in the facebook group? I think more people should read it than the amount who will if it only lives here.

Yeah that's fine. I posted it to his funerals GoFundMe, but I have no problem with it going on Facebook too. Thanks Asmus.

On a more mundane and personal note, it's been over a month since my ankle sprain. It doesn't actively hurt anymore, but I also haven't made as much progress in my recovery as I would have hoped. Footbag is not anywhere on my horizon, which sucks on a few levels. I definitely still rely on footbag as my main source of exercise and stress relief, so going over a month without playing has taken a bit of a mental toll.

[C-Fan]

it's been over a month since my ankle sprain. It doesn't actively hurt anymore, but I also haven't made as much progress in my recovery as I would have hoped. I definitely still rely on footbag as my main source of exercise and stress relief, so going over a month without playing has taken a bit of a mental toll.

A month later, I'm basically in the same boat. It's now been 68 days since I rolled the ankle, with no footbag during that span. I have days where it feels like it's getting better. I also have days where it feels like it's made no progress. Frustrating.

I've been enjoying the Joulu so far. The tutorials have been an interesting change of pace. I'm not sure I'm the target audience for them, but I appreciate there being something new. The LOTD have felt a lot shreddier than in recent years, which I also appreciate as a change of pace. I'd really love to try a bunch of them at some point, but I think that's a long way off. When I do start playing again I am going to make a point to ease back in, in an effort to not immediately injure myself.

Here's the last video I put together. It was my submission for the second round of the Spook Off, which had some scenic shots and some fun combos:



Derek also kindly sent me a really nice 12 panel bag. It was a bit bittersweet though, as it arrived after my ankle got wrecked. I was excited to get a new bag and desperately wanted to play with it, but at the same time I couldn't even put weight on that foot for walking.

Kinda tempted to do a year-end retrospective mostly since I can't play actual footbag. It was also a good year for me footbag wise, even with the ankle injury at the end. Before Worlds was announced I was already playing a lot more than in past years. Then once Worlds was announced, I ramped up my playing and intensity and had a lot of fun and success with that. The period right after Worlds was some of my most enjoyable sessions I can recall. And yeah the ankle injury sucks and has cost me 2+ months on the shelf but at least that happened after Worlds.

[C-Fan]

I'm coming up on a weird anniversary, which also coincidentally overlaps 2020 almost perfectly.  The last time I played footbag with another person was December 28, 2019:



Over the course of a normal year there will be a handful of times footbaggers pass through Denver, and usually a couple more times I go on work trips and get to see players in Boise or Vegas. 2020 was far from normal so I didn't do a single work trip.  There were 3 or 4 times when players came through Denver, but due to my concerns about the virus I had to decline seeing them.  So 2020 will have the weird distinction of being the first year of my life (since discovering hackysack in 1996) that I didn't kick with anybody.  It's weird to think that it may be another 6 months before I'm vaccinated and get a chance to play with others.

On the topic of vaccines and playing footbag with others, I'm curious how Footbag Worlds 2021 will shake out.  In the US, vaccine rollout has just begun and has been limited to health care workers and high risk groups.  We've been told that the general populace will probably start getting vaccinated in the summer.  It should be noted that the vaccine will likely take 2 doses, spaced out almost a month, and that full efficacy probably takes a couple weeks after the second dose.  So taking myself as an example, I could potentially receive a vaccination in June, get my second dose early July, and then be considered properly vaccinated by mid-July.  I have no idea where other countries are with their timetables though, or how that will affect travel.  If Colombia's vaccine time table is a couple months behind the US, would Worlds be in the Fall instead of the summer?  What if by July the US, Colombia, and western Europe are mostly vaccinated...but eastern Europe is behind schedule?  Would they go ahead and run Worlds in Colombia in July if Poland/Czech/Russia are on the list of countries not allowed to fly in?  It would seem the safest bet logistically would be to have Worlds 2021 be virtual again, but maybe they could do it safely if they push it to the fall and vaccinations go well in the spring and summer.

The other dry footbag streak is that I still haven't played since turning my ankle.  I'm not sure I'm making progress on recovery, but I also don't think it's getting worse.  It's dumping snow outside my window as I write this, which makes me feel less bad about the ankle.

[mtoolan]

Hey, Ken. Long time no see. Sorry it's been such a tough year in footbag and I hope your ankle recovers soon. And I was never lucky enough to meet Rippin', but I really wish I had. I'd gotten a sense of his greatness, both as a player and as a human, from all the various posts that have been made since his passing, but yours really drove all their best points home. And, at least for me, it's worth saying that you have had a very similar influence on myself and others over the years. You were the first or second player I had ever met (aside from Dave). You were always very encouraging and at my first tournament I remember sitting outside with you just having a conversation, and at 16 years old I remember that it gave me a feeling of acceptance I hadn't really experienced before.

Hope you're well and hope I get to be in a circle with again you someday soon.

[boyle]

Too bad to hear about the ankle - glad you were able to get in a lot more sessions this year (pre injury) than in the last couple of years.

I don't really see any option than an online competition again for Worlds - maybe some larger tournaments like Euros or US Open but I don't think you want people travelling around the world, but we'll see what the situation is like, there will be a lot of changes by the middle of the year.

[C-Fan]

Hacky new year Modified!

The big news for me is that I got in my first session in almost 3 months:


It was my first session since turning my ankle in October.  While my body felt super-weird throughout, mentally it felt great to play again.  Most importantly I didn't reinjure anything.   There were a few times I bailed mid-move because my legs felt shaky and off, which was a bit scary.  I think it was less about the ankle itself, and more about surrounding muscles atrophying over 3 months.  

It's been about 2 weeks since that session due to a combination of weather, holiday obligations, and letting my body recover.  I'm hoping I can get in another session soon.  I'd like to use the Joulu scavenger hunt and the NYJ 2021 events to motivate me rebuild my stamina.  My last session I really struggled with my energy management.  That's why there were more big tricks/combos and fewer long runs.

Kinda tempted to do a year-end retrospective

I read through my journals for 2020 and was surprised how much I had forgotten.  My session frequency and intensity roughly followed a bell curve distribution: very few sessions in the first and last months of the year

January and February: very few sessions due to illness, weather, and inertia.
March and April- Got a handful of sessions but not really on pace for a big year.  The two projects I had simmering was an Age 40 video, and another one where I only hit tricks invented by Rippin.  At this point I was ramping up my playing, but didn't have any major goals for the year.
May- Online worlds is announced, I shift my focus from Age 40 big tricks and more to Shred30 for stamina.  Lots of equipment headaches as all my bags and shoes failed. Got a professional shoe repair which ended up saving worlds for me.
June: Lots of Worlds filming.  Still struggled with music players and bags, but did enough to make it through the first round of all events.
July- Heatwave made worlds filming super hard.  Eventually figured out I could do super early morning sessions and make them work.  A lot of the sessions I felt like I was running on fumes and wanted to give up, but I didn't want to throw away the chance given to me by this unexpected virtual Worlds.  I grinded out Shred offs, almost gave up on routines, and basically functionally gave up on sick3.  I had 16 sessions this month alone, which is more than I had the entire year before.
August-  Started the month by watching the Worlds broadcast, then basically coasted on victory lap shreds the rest of August and September.  Ended up being the most fun I had all year.
October through December- Pretty much injured the last 3 months of the year.

So yeah, the first 2 months and the last 3 months of the year I barely played.  But the middle summer months I crammed in more playing than I had in the past 3 years, and it paid off with my best Worlds results of my career.  Even a hardcore pessimist would concede that those 3 months of intense play and good Worlds results more than made up for the rest of the year, and that any way you slice it 2020 ended up being one of my best years of footbag.

Will respond to Toolan and Boyle next post, ran out of time this post.

[cammel]

The big news for me is that I got in my first session in almost 3 months:

Awesome news! Glad to see a video from you again. Love the last trick, and double spinning osis. As someone who struggles with spinning clipper, double spinning osis looks completely impossible, haha. Good luck with the recovery!