The Inshredible Bulk: Not Trending, Not Roll Spiking Either

[C-Fan]

Come on Zeke, I'm rooting for you. I even tried looking for an inspirational speech on YouTube for you. Not much luck, looks like the best I could find (which may still get you psyched) was this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTUAYLNPe98

[Zeke]

^^^^^^^^



Thanks guys for the support! Sorry I could not come through, though.


close enough to the top.

[xXLoss_of_ControlXx]

Hey Zeke, if some people are still at your place tomorow, you wanna kick?

[HG]

Thanks so much for everything over the week. You and the rest of the chicagoans are splendid. Our goof off 4 square was amazing.

[bigdirtyfoot]

Hey Zeke! Thanks for putting on such a great event. And thanks for the crash space!

[Zeke]

Dat and Jeremy are in Chicago.

It has begun...

It's 11:36 am Tuesday morning Matthieu, Kolo and Bijan left La RAZA with Tom. Thanks to all who stayed for being wonderful tenants

It's come to an end. What an incredible seven days

[PegLegHolly]

i told you things would get better. looks like that prayer to god really helped. thanks for being so awesome... i mean it.

[The Actual Sized E]

Lose some weight fatty!

[Zeke]

[quadgun]

hahahaha!

[Zeke]

OK, so I'm still kinda recovering from the epic madness that was New Year's Jam 2006. For me, it started Tuesday the 26th of December when the first couple of players came into town that night and finally ended when the last few players Left La RAZA late in the morning on Tuesday the 2nd of January.

To be honest I was really stressing out on a lot of things this time. It just seemed like so much to handle and I was not sure if we could pull through. As the event progressed, I became more relaxed and eased into my role of co-organizer. For the most part, the events ran smoothly and people's needs were met. Just watching all the people having a good time and talking to as many players as I could was cool. I regret not being able to meet and chat with everybody, though. I always wanted a big event in Chicago that people would want to go to and I think we've gotten that now. But because of that I'm not able to get to know all the people that come in so they're not just faces in the background of a photo/video or a screen name on the computer.

Tuesday
Dat and Jeremy were at La RAZA by the time I got home from work. I'm glad they came in early so we could get a chance to talk and hang out. We took a walk to Villa Palermo to get some dinner and Jeremy was being very much the net player as he kicked just about every tree branch in reach. Later that night they went out to a club to watch some b-boys battle. I stayed home and enjoyed the quiet.

Wednesday
Brian and Holly got in just before I left for work. They set up the Wii and I watched a few minutes before I finally left the house. I just barely caught a later bus and ended up a few minutes late for work. My younger brother picked me up that night after I got out and we head to my place to cut our hair. I cut his mohawk first then he struggled with mine. It took nearly an hour to get it finished and I still had quite a bit of packing to do before we all had to leave for the hotel the next morning. It was a little frustrating because some of the stuff could have been done while I was out. Mike, David, Henry, Ianek and Sebastien arrived some time in the evening and some of us made another run to Villa for some food. We hacked a bit while we waited for our orders. After dinner we went out to do the groceries for the event. This is almost always fun because there's sure to be some inappropriate hacking going on. One bag got stuck on a top shelf while some of the players were trying to get it from one aisle over to the other. Oh, and Henry went to rip some ass in another aisle not aware that some dude was nearby . Dat called up Steve to see if he needed anything from the store, I took the opportunity to talk some shit, don't know if Steve heard it. Afterwards, we chilled at the house most of the night till we all crashed. The place was already full and I was worrying about ALL the people that were expected to stay after the event.

Thursday
The morning was busy. Reile was up early and cleared out his van. The plan was to put in the majority of the bags and whatever else that did not need to get to the shred site in that van while we crammed as many people and groceries into Mikes minivan and head straight to the suite then to the event site. Reile would fit 2 other people and pick up some audio equipment for the after parties and hook up with us at the hotel. While all the loading and sorting out was done the toilet picked a fine time to clog up. It had to be fixed before we left. I ended up splashing my arm using that useless plunger (FUCKING GROSS!!!!). But Reile decided to stay behind and fix it (and clean the place up a little) while me, Mike and the minivan full of players and groceries left to try and get to the hotel in time. This was all very confusing and hectic and I probably could have explained things more clearly to people to help move things along more efficiently but so much was happening so fast. I think we got out of it ok, though. One quick stop at Target and we were off.

I made about a dozen phone calls on the way to the site. One to our landlord to see if he can check out the toilet, one to bring an extra belt for Dat, and the rest were to remind the locals hackers and other various players to come out for NYJ. I got so wrapped up in it that I forgot to tell Mike about exiting on Roosevelt to get to the hotel faster. It was ok though because Jeremy entertained us all with a great idea for a prank call

We get to the hotel and bring up all our stuff to the Parlor that Tom reserved. We got fucked over though because Reile was not able to get the adjoining room to the parlor to really make it a suite. His room ended up down the hall. The lady at the front desk saw the request on her computer for adjoining rooms but some third party not in any way related to footbaggers ended up next door to the parlor, fuckers. So anyways, I met Rory and Jessika who were sleeping before we got there. We put away the groceries and the people started to make their own way to the site. I picked up one of the room keys and eagerly made my way to the convention center. There were only a few circles at the site by the time I got there. Scott quickly briefed me on what was going on. At the moment I wasn't needed for anything urgent, so again I just kept to myself and tried to relax. Not too long after I had to run up back up to the hotel to help Reile, the Michigan guys, West Virginia Crew and my hacker friend Greg get settled into the rooms. Had a good time hanging out with the WV guys a bit in the hotel before finally going back to the site.

The first 2 people I saw when I got back to the site were Mathieu and Kolo, probably the 2 players I was looking forward to seeing the most. After a couple hearty handshakes a big hugs and some friendly chit-chat Kolo asked me if I was ready to give up my [4S] Championship. I immediately thought he was alluding to Steve, whom I was unaware was nearby. In fact Kolo meant the army of Montrealers that had come to Chicago for this event. I mentioned that this Goldberg character was supposedly in the building and was soon pointed in the direction where the Br@ was leaning over the fence surveying the site. So I made my way over next to him and started talking to Mike about some missing sleeping bags while I was completely leaning into Steve's space and being rude. Nothing. No reaction from the man. If Goldberg was annoyed he was playing it completely cool. So I left and ran a few more errands, played a few rounds of squares and chit chat some more. Ran into Tom who asked if I had seen Steve yet. I told him that we exchanged acknowledging nods of the head from a distance, lol.

So I finally decided to set up the 2-square court that I made of nylon rope some zip ties and a few metal rings. I made my way over the the sales/registration booth where Steve was chillin. I jumped up on the table, sat right in front of him, shook the man's hand and asked when the hell we were gonna play some squares. He was up and looking for a bag before I I knew it. Barely able to control myself, I dashed to the court and let my excitement be known as I shouted something at the kickers playing 4S. We took our positions and he quickly explained the official rules. Players started to takes seats around us and I could feel the excitement building. I started getting tense and my confidence started to slowly deteriorate. In my mind during the months prior to this meeting I think I built this up into some epic match-up between these 2 great players having a monumental showdown. At the same time I kept thinking the he would never come back to Chicago and I shouldn't get my hopes up. But there he was in front of me and all of a sudden I felt completely unprepared. Crap!

At home now. Decided to sleep in my own bed last minute. Finally played Steve Goldberg in 2 Square!!!!!! It was the most intense and awesomely fun ass whooping I've ever received! When we started to warm up, a small crowd gathered to watch. I was so tensed, fearing I would not live up to the hype of this match but gradually became more comfortable and playing more relaxed. It's hard to say how the warm-up went since there was no score. It's quite possible he dumbed down his game just to watch for any weaknesses and tendencies I have. Lots of long rounds. THANKFULLY, no one stuck around to watch the thorough and surgical dismantling that he effortlessly handed out. In a best of 3 match he took the first 2 games convincingly, decisively.

His aim is unbelievable. Nothing seems random or done out of desperation. He guards the bag very well, even catching my leg on multiple occasions when I try to snake. He always varies his shots making him near impossible to predict. On defense he recovers from bad positions very quickly and has has great touch on the footbag when making near impossible saves. Ugh, getting beaten badly is becoming tradition at NYJ.

Anyway, within a minute of playing me (if you ever have the guts!) you'd discover it and start trying to defeat me with the weakness it uncovers...

Ahh, I long for the day, Zeke. Long for the day.

And.. Well, umm, that day has come and gone!

Best 2 of 3 to 11:

Game 1: Steve 11, Zeke 2 (hahahaha)
Game 2: Steve 11, Zeke 5 (wow, 5 big points, Zeke)

Who's your daddy?

Steve

After the event we all headed back up to the suite for the pizza party. I think we did a much better job of organizing the food this year and most people enjoyed the stuffed pizza. There were TONS of people in the suite so every chance I got, I chilled in the quiet sleeping room as often as I could with Greg and the Montreal crew. Soon after a bunch of players went out to hunt for a night spot to keep playing. We ended up in a large hallway just south of the main entrance to the Convention Center. Dat and I eventually scouted around for another spot, just in case it was needed. We backtracked towards the hotel, went to the second floor and crossed the bridge over Martin Luther King Drive and into a hallway full of locked conference rooms. There was a small open area at the end that seemed like a decent place to play. We headed back and hooked up with a few more players looking for the first nightspot but a security guard said that we were not allowed to wander around the in convention center after hours. So we walked back outside, passed the main doors (where that same prick security guard was) towards the large hallway where one of the shredders opened the door for us to get back in. I set up the 2 square court and helped a few more people find the spot and made a few long runs back to the room to help with miscelaneous stuff. Played a bunch of 2 square with mostly locals. Mosher and Joren arrived. Tom made a very empahtic first impression on me. It wasn't long after that security came en masse and politely kicked us out. We overheard them talking to each other that they could see one or two people getting past Mike (the pick from earlier) but they just didn't understand how 50 footbaggers got through. It was great to see them asking the prick and the uneasy look on his face as we all paraded slowly past him back to the hotel. I chilled with a few people upstairs in the parlor and sold a few more shirts before deciding last minute to head back north with Nathan. We split a cab and he got dropped off at his apartment. I was very glad to be able to sleep in a very quiet and empty house because dealing with all the people during the event was wearing me out. But at the same time I wanted to hang out and at least meet a few new players.

Friday Morning my younger brother was kind enough to pick me up at my place and drop me off at the hotel. I walked into the parlor where most people were still sleeping and immediately ran into someone who complained about loud snoring during the night (it wasn't DW). LOL, It made me truly appreciate the fact I slept at home in peace A few more kickers woke up while Tom, Reile and I started cleaning up the room putting the trash into the large garbage bags I brought from La RAZA (mental note: great idea but bring more next time). It was during the cleaning that I had first noticed the Shawn was crashed-out underneath the dining table! After clearing most of the trash we started mixing the batter for the pancakes. Tom brought an electric griddle while Reile and I brought everything else we needed. I used up a box and a half of mix to feed a number of hungry players. I think they definitely liked the hot breakfast. Cooking for others is cool when they appreciate your effort. I'm actually just glad I didn't ruin it all, I've only been cooking for less than a year. I know pancakes are hard to fuck up, but when I mess up, it tends to be monumental. Or I'm just a drama queen. I ended up finishing the last of the batter when a few more players came in looking to get some food before a long day of footbag.

After breakfast I spent a good part of morning at the event finishing the rope courts I was donating for prizes. I got many offers of help from several players from the nearby game of 4-square. It took more time than I was expecting to finally complete it. I wanted to play a few rounds to get warmed up for the comp but I ended up running the booth for a while, giving out footbags and kicking with the people who picked up a bag. Sometime just before freestyle comps started I finally got some free time and stretched out near the 4S court. I even had the time to play a few rounds to get warmed up. I don't know if I was a warm as I would have liked but ready or not the first round was coming up. Steve Reile and Mike seeded the 3 pools while me and a bunch of other people set up 2 14x14 courts. We would have 2 pools play today and the third pool and finals on Saturday. I love those rope courts. They're very easy to set up and put away. Steve even offered to buy one off me. I told him he may have a chance to win one tomorrow.

When the time came, Steve gathered all the players to announce the rules. We had a little over an hour left to go so we were just going to play till a someone won and the player with the second highest score advanced. I was seeded top in my pool and started at the end of the line. I was a little nervous in the beginning because half of the pool were people I had not played against. Jeremy started in the court and got an early lead. Sebastien made a strong run and got to about 8-9 points. I finally made it to king's square and had a strong run and got to 7-8 points. It would be another few rounds before I could get back into king and make another push for the lead. I had 11 points while Reile still had only 3. Fortunately he had several scoring spurts to get to the second highest score while I was at 13 and ready to put the game away. I think I squared off against Jeremy for game point. Well, it started against him but all the surrounding squares were gunning for me. It was a very long round with everyone returning all my freaking passes. Eventually I got the final point when the bag was kicked out of bounds ( I think, I sure as hell don't recall actually killing anybody for the point). I was relieved it was over but I knew finals would be tomorrow so I would save any celebration until I had won the whole thing.

We had to tear down the site immediately after the games. Scott announced that he had secured a conference room that we could play in after the event. It was definitely a pleasant surprise. Steve asked me to make sure I bring my 2 square court to the late night shred site and I asked him how we ended up with the room. He said something to the effect of, "Scott did the paperwork and I paid for it, so shut up and bring the court!" I started to open my mouth to retaliate. I ended up handing the court over while my mouth hung open. I showed him:? Most of the players headed back to their rooms to clean up and party in the suite. I stayed behind with Tom and Reile to help with several large items that Scott forgot at he site. It was yet another quite moment away from the crowds. We sat and chat a little bit about how the event was going so far. We eventually made our way to the shred site just to check it out before finally getting to the suite. There we made plans for some people to make a run from some sandwiches.

I hung out with several other people while we waited for the food. We had a slight problem with there not being enough chairs. If you left your seat without calling seatbacks you were fair game to get your chair ganked or even get your shirt unbuttoned! At one point Gray scooted his chair from the table to the counter to get a drink. Some one mentioned that if he only had a fearsome roar that others would respect him enough to not claim his empty seat. He tried, he really did. It just wasn't very fearsome. It was more like gay kittens purring gently. GF Smoothie, who was perched comfortably on the couch, had heard the attempt took it as a personal invitation to take Grays chair right in front of his face-with a big cheezy smile on his face he sat proudly and uncontested while we all laughed our asses off. Good times.

To be continued, really I will...
notes:

Friday
Gray roars and Greg Nelson Steals his chair
Thats what she said
Carlos almost falling during "crotchfire"
-watching Golf
LOTS of 2 square
team 2-square with Greg

Saturday
Tom and I go to McDonalds
Tom needs to take a poop
throwing shit out the window
rush to get 4-square set up
chinatown
crotchfire 3.0
-silly 4-square
Kolo gets the bag
weakside throwing
white castle

Sunday
millenium park
chillin at home
ultimate alliance with WV crew


Monday
no polar bear club
Shedd aquarium
Locked out of car
went to my parents

Tuesday

[Zeke]

It might rain tomorrow but I kinda want to play before the meeting. Maybe Lane. Italian Beef!!!!

[CIC flurry]

Nice writeup so far. It's nice seeing what you guys did while i was doing other stuff. Are you relly gonna finish it? I kinda don't wanna finish mine anymore... but i made notes, so maybe. Yeah!

[Zeke]

FUCK I lost 2 of my new footfighters

[Moxie]

Yesterday Steve said he thinks he accidentally picked up someone else's fist... foot fighter at NYJ along with the ones he purchased. You should hit him up about that.

[Zeke]

It's not likely to be mine, they were bought well after NYJ. Thank you, though.

I found one... I think the sonic is at work somewhere. I hope.

Won 2 games of 4S today but the talent wasn't as deep as it usually is. I did land quite a few really lucky back corner shots (I hope to upgrade this to really good when I can land them consistently in regulation sized courts, we were using a 16x16 today) and took advantage of other player's bad positions as much as possible. At Toms suggestion I was more conscious of trying to vary my passes when my back is turned to the target square. I think I telegraph certain moves so I have to fine tune them. Both Tony and Kamil have noted, on separate occasions, my new preference to set up offensively with my back turned. I like how my game is constantly evolving. NYJ and separated collarbones seem to catapult my progress

Also tried tweaking the timing of my double taps, waiting just a split second longer to get the defender to commit then quickly changing the bags direction. Worked well with Tony and even a few times on Tom(!) Oddly enough the effort is wasted on Cudo. He's more prone to the kick & fake. He does try a lot harder when defending now. It used to be so bad we would often wonder why he bothered playing.

Tom snaked me today and I remember being completely shocked by it. Speaking of which, Tony has grown more comfortable with stealing shots and it seems to work well for him. I like how he adds to his game. He mentioned something on the train ride home about wanting to learn more trick shots during the year

[CIC flurry]

I purposely tried for the snake because I was trying to get it back before you could turn ur back. Usually it's not possible cuz you turn very quickly or back away.

You were on fire yesterday. Too bad I wasn't a really good challenge yesterday.

[Zeke]

Having a movie night with my coworkers later. They bailed on me last Friday so Reile and I were forced to eat some great baked salmon I made

If they bail again I guess I'm going to eat well tonight.

I don't think I'm playing tomorrow after all. I'll be at my parents to see my nieces. Have not seen then in 2 and a half weeks.

[Zeke]

GODDAMMIT all to hell. They fucking canceled again. Anyone want some baked salmon

[Zeke]

So things worked out. Tom came over and helped me and Reile eat all the fish I made. He also picked up some steamed rice for me and double stuffed Oreo's It's funny cuz I fought a random impulse to buy some Oreo's earlier at Target.

At the parent's now, gonna see the girls tomorrow