Attractin more members...

JFootbagger · Post by **JFootbagger** » 19 Aug 2004 19:14

Hey guys. I'm with the SV Footbag club. Most of our members are with the older crowd and are going to be graduating this year. SOOOOOO we need more members. Supposively (I think) I'm suppose to be taking over the club when our President (Danny Iachini) graduates. There are about...5 members that are the younger kids. I need some ideas of attracting more kids who want to join the club. So throw some out for me.

marc · Post by **marc** » 19 Aug 2004 20:50

Assuming thats a school club, go shred out near the middle school in your town and pass out flyers ?

RRW13 · Post by **RRW13** » 19 Aug 2004 21:36

well you could post flyers in some populars areas where people hang out the most, ask an owner a store if you could leave a stack of flyers by the check out counter, adversize in your local news paper. hope that helps

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 20 Aug 2004 06:51

just kick where there are alot of people at. When other poeple join the circle show them some atws and simple stuff. get them interested. then once they've started to learn, they'll prolly join.

AIvanyo · Post by **AIvanyo** » 20 Aug 2004 09:57

just show-off as much as you can and make it seem like its the best thing in the world. If it looks really fun, people will want to join.

Iain · Post by **Iain** » 20 Aug 2004 10:40

AIvanyo wrote:just show-off as much as you can and make it seem like its the best thing in the world. If it looks really fun, people will want to join.

erm...i really hope ur joking.

the key is to not make them feel intimidated or else they just won't even try.

JFootbagger · Post by **JFootbagger** » 20 Aug 2004 11:02

When he said, "show-off", I don't think he meant like, "OH Look at me, I'm the best at this sport and I have an ego the size of a Hippo, you can't do any of this now can you" sorta attitude. I think he meant like...get out there and do it out in the public as much as possible.

I'm liking these suggestions guys! Keep 'em coming! the more the better!

AIvanyo · Post by **AIvanyo** » 20 Aug 2004 12:25

sorry about the mix up. I did mean what Jfootbagger said, show off meaning go and show what footbag is.

Spadrick · Post by **Spadrick** » 20 Aug 2004 12:55

1) Make a website
2) Put the websites address on a business card
3) Put business cards EVERYWHERE!

This would also allow users to access information like footbag.org etc.

lightningbolt · Post by **lightningbolt** » 20 Aug 2004 13:37

Shred at a local park. Liie in Anchorage at the downtown park they always have a hack circle going on. (I tried to join but there not welcomng to freestyler or any better gear, they say it's cheating as they miss there 20th conesc toe stall try

) So, GO WHERE THEY PEOPLE ARE! If you have to go and shred outside the teen club in town DO IT! Shower the city in flyer promoting your club. Go around 'hoods and put flyer in people mailboxes. Maybe go to your local collage book store and ask is they would put in your flyer in all the bags the check out during rush (When people go and by books for the upcoming semester). They might do it since my sister works at UAA bookstore and during rush tey put like 50 flyer in your bag. I don't know how much money you have to spend but you can by cheap promo bags and hand them out free while you shred at a park. Also, when you shred at a park put up a sign of what your doing and footbag.org address so people can get into the sport if there to shy to ask what your doing.

Most of all JUST SHRED!

ericksonj · Post by **ericksonj** » 20 Aug 2004 16:14

Nate and I always shred in public and have tried to get people to join in with us. We live in one of the biggest hacky-sack towns in the world, and no one even wants to kick with us. They usually just say, "You guys are too crazy", watch us for a while and then walk off shaking their head. I'd love to bring more people into the sport, but you have to find the kind of people who are willing to accept the crazy learning curve. Odds are people are not going to be able to hit an easy atw or clipper for a long time, and that just makes the sport seem all the more difficult. Even those in this town who have some footbag talent and knowledge of the sport have lost interest and don't put the kind of time in that is necessary. Ultimately it is a little frustrating, but at least I have 1 person I can shred with.

Good luck in finding more people... let me know if you find an effective method... The problem is, the better you get, the more super-human it appears to someone who has never seen it, and the more unlikely people are going to feel they can do it. There are those in the world who get truly inspired by such a demonstration, and those are the ones that end up playing footbag... although we all know how few footbag players there seem to be in the world (when compared to other sports).

cheebs · Post by **cheebs** » 20 Aug 2004 16:25

Yea, non-footbaggers are usually baffled by freestyle. They can't understand much of what's going on and they're easily intimidated by this. I found that some people think we're like Godly

. That we just woke up one day and did all these crazy moves. If this is the case tell them you started just as they would, trying basics and having fun learning them as you progress. Make a new circle with the public and try teaching them some easy stuff, show them that becoming a freestyler is very possible. If they know this maybe they'll be interested enought to really get involved. Just some thoughts, peace.

crazydwarf · Post by **crazydwarf** » 20 Aug 2004 17:03

Well if you try just kicking and then throwing in a move or two every once in a while lots of people seem to join... we had one guy join us outside a starbucks he was pretty good... even though he was in his workclothes and heavy shoes... Also even though I am not very good, I have drawn a little crowd and gotten many complements from random people when I do it in public...

LameR · Post by **LameR** » 20 Aug 2004 19:26

Omnicriz wrote:
AIvanyo wrote:just show-off as much as you can and make it seem like its the best thing in the world. If it looks really fun, people will want to join.
erm...i really hope ur joking.

the key is to not make them feel intimidated or else they just won't even try.

High schoolers aren't allowed on our middle school campus =/ I got glared at and told to leave last year while going with my friend to pick up his little brother after school.

I can't really add anything to what has already been said. Always carry a few business cards, whether it be with your info, footbag.org info, Freedom Footbags, or Flipsider (or anything else). The fliers in stores idea is good, especially if it's a skate shop or like an extreme sports store, well any sports store.

zachatree · Post by **zachatree** » 21 Aug 2004 09:16

i live in a small town, and i know that if i was standing around watching a bunch of ppl do something i thoght was cool an they gave me a flyer id probly still throw it away an not give a hoot, but if you just kick around where ppl your age are an meet ppl an invite them in to a circle an try to teach them some basic clippers toe stalls an what not they will love it an keep wanting to try, seeing an reading something on papper an hands on doing are 2 VERY different things. Think about it, if some one came an gave you a flyer, say about a bands show, wtf do you care? but if some one comes up too you an plays some of the bands music an you like it then invite you to go to a show then your more likely to go bc you heard the music. Understand what im saying? i just think that if you want a good strong club the secret is to haveing members that feel strongly for what ever the clubs for.

Zach

AIvanyo · Post by **AIvanyo** » 21 Aug 2004 12:43

well, heres what you do, ig you see a bunch of people watching you play and they look interested, call them over. I know they'll say "no, that's ok" then you just gotta say that its easy, and if you want go up to them. show them what a footbag looks like and tell him/her to try a toe stall, if they get it try inside and if they still look interested tell them about your club and stuff. Say theres alot of new players and you'd really like it if they would join.

mouseman · Post by **mouseman** » 22 Aug 2004 05:37

4square is a good way to get people interested. Also be positive and helpful.

Jas · Post by **Jas** » 22 Aug 2004 20:09

If youve got the money and time you could make a design for a poster, go to a printing place and print it out on strong material like vinyl or something and the then next shred session, place the mat/poster down and shred around it so people can see what it is.
Other than that, put fliers basically everwhere, buildings, ghetto areas, and place them on the ground when ur kicking, and maybe some people might pick them up and look.
And Zach what u said about people ignoring fliers, it really depends where your doing it from. If your doing it in busy streets with business people walking around, they will definately ignore u. If your doing it in quiet nice places, neighbourhood areas, local streets, and shopping centres, there will be a chance that people will take them

Cheers
Jason

zachatree · Post by **zachatree** » 22 Aug 2004 20:51

i have lived in nice little naberhood my hole life and am telling you, youll get better reponse with flyers in the city, why would you give busness ppl a footbag Flyer?

Jas · Post by **Jas** » 22 Aug 2004 23:55

What i meant was busy people like 'business people, students, workers etc'
i know what im talking about coz ive seen a lot of people giving out flyers in the city, and hundreds of people ignore them or either grab one and then chuck em out. As i said, different locations will have different results. Ur city might be different compared to mine.