57 hours down, 3 more weeks to hit 60. Time to pull out that can of Scheme-O-Matic...

Nick's project is due today. Next post should be the final product. I'd like to thank Nick for his interest, dedication, energy, and enthusiasm in creating a documentary on my involvement in footbag. I can't wait!

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One more Outdoor! With Nick filming for his project, we mixed it up this time - hitting 4 different locations on campus! I only filmed at one spot - "Tiger Plaza" on the Carnahan Quad. A fountain runs there in the summer. That's Nick in the background, just packing up, so I bust out a couple blenders. Dang, where were those 10 minutes ago? Oh well, I got 'em on my camera, priceless commentary and all.

We still need to do an interview, do a bit more work filming a few moves, and get a little more background material on the history of footbag. I'll be very interested to see how this project turns out.

That's another 1:15 for an even 56 hour total. Thanks for tuning in!

It was definitely an "off" session for me, I had a lot of trouble getting anything going. But a good videographer can fix that, eh? He seemed really excited about some of the shots he got. If work isn't too crazy tomorrow, I'm going to try to meet him at the circle again, with his HD camera next time. Let's hope we can pull it off.

One more hour - 54:45 for the year. Thanks for tuning in!

It's hard to believe I've been blogging about my footbag experiences for over a year now. I was kicking outdoors on Stankowski Field just before Thanksgiving 2008. This is part of why I started my footbag blog. Now I can see the pressure of posting videos has actually improved the add ratio of my rallies (marginally) during that time. W00T! I'll take that. Other tidbits: my average rally length for posted videos is still only about 30 contacts. The "single best rally of the session" approach of my videos, while quick and easy, is getting a bit boring. I might have to mix it up a bit. But... Gawd I love playing footbag freestyle!

It was chilly enough I had to put on a shirt. Crazy! Old timers know this: I've almost never worn a shirt when I kick. They just get saturated with sweat and get in the way of the footbag. But I make compromises to kick. At my age, every session is a gift. That I can still do this, that I am still doing this, brings so much joy to my heart. Posting vids of barely 2-add ratio runs seems lame compared to today's freestyle monsters. I've got 2 broken legs compared to Vasek, the young punk, or Davidson, a hardcore shredder almost my age. But... whatever. If "most fun" counts, I'm still in the running.

I enjoy kicking more today than I ever have. Retirement - whatever the heck that means - suits me well. My time, my focus, my goals, my results. The terror of the judge's table has faded away, leaving only the sheer joy of kicking. I may be declining in technical ability, but I'm still getting better at choreography. That's what I want, and I'm happy.

One more note about the circle preachers. A couple of younger guys were out there today. I spent the first 40 minutes kicking nearby, waiting for them to leave. When they moved aside and sat down, I checked to see if they were done with the circle. Yes. But then one of the guys changed his mind and wanted to preach some more. He finally compromised by kicking with me and preaching to me for over 20 minutes. Bless his heart, he was actually pretty good with the basics! I'm trying really hard to establish a good relationship with these people; my access to Speaker "Hacky" Circle depends on it. Things are going well with them so far.

Oh, one last thing: 2:15 out there today. I kept kicking until my legs started cramping. Minus the time I spent circle kicking with the preacher and another guy, I'm calling this session 2 hours even. 53:45 for the year. How close to 60 can I get?

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Wind! And lots of it for this session. The wind brings back powerful memories of Kenny Shults at the World Footbag Championships back in the late 80's / early '90s when it was still held at the Colorado School of Mines fields in Golden, CO US. The singles freestyle finals had gotten underway - outdoors - but a mountain storm was rolling in and the wind was picking up. Just as Kenny got started with his routine, the wind started whipping like crazy. And I mean CRAZY.

Ken's near-flawless performance that day, in what had to be 25+MPH wind gusts, remains one of the most jaw-dropping footbag feats I've ever witnessed. The man was every bit as crazy as the wind; like to the Underdog tune: "Speed of Lightning! Roar of Thunder! Kenny's foot, it WILL get under, the footbag... THE FOOTBAG!" The judging panel was a sea of whipping hair framing stone-still faces with popping eyes and gaping jaws. Kenny just blew us all away.

Then the freestyle got moved indoors and everyone had to do their routines over again. So anticlimactic.

I, too, matched crazy with crazy for this windy session. Not quite like Kenny back then, but I was definitely having a good time! Lots of props from the students, with several of them filming a rally or two.

And perhaps the most important news? I've achieved my annual (50 hours) kicking goal! With a 1:20 session, that puts me at 50:45 for the year. Yay! Can I achieve 55 hours in the next 6 weeks?

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v

By the time I got out to kick, the wind had kicked up and the day's heat was fading. I still got some sunshine time though, and no shortage of footbag love. I was approached by 2 more journalism students about using me for their school projects, and one spent some time shooting stills. I Lovz teh attention!

And I loves wireless and internet radio at Speaker Circle too. Most of the time I played to my Last.fm station, but the obscure Timbuk 3 came from my personal library.

And notice another pair of torques - that's 2 weeks in a row I've got 'em on tape. A new best trend!

1:30/48:25 - Thanks for tuning in!

Sorry about the lousy soundrack this time. My boombox was low on juice, but the guys at the StudentCity.com tent were kind enough to provide some jamz from a Macbook Pro and some portable speakers. Not optimum, but it did the job for the first hour or so. Thanks guys!

Then the preacher guy shows up. He just walks into the center of the circle and starts his thing, regardless of what else is going on (including a footbag rally!). Several students urged me to "play around him" so I did. Not close, but I managed 2+ laps around the outside of the circle, stopping and doing little shred ditties here and there, without a drop. sw33t!

This was, after all, likely the last outdoor session of the year. I wasn't gonna stop till I dropped - my whole me, not just the footbag. And a +1 bonus for covering all my old "bases" today: drifters, blenders, whirls, paradox whirls, and torques - on both sides. Until my legs started cramping. 1:45 today, 46:55 for the year. I'll take that.

With the preacher still yammering on as I packed up and headed off, one of the students told me, "You're the only one that comes out here that makes any sense." All I do is crank up the jamz and hack my little heart out. If that's what it takes to keep it real, I'm happy to help.

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The "thump" of the door lock responding to my passcode deep underground was music to my ears. Hello, secret hideout. I'm glad you're here. I forget how nice the amenities are: bathrooms nearby and chest-high shelves for water, boom box, towel; high ceilings and plenty of light ...and heat! It's a shame this place has to be kept secret.

Without the camera, I could make up lots of stories. But technically, this session stank, stunk, we're talking skunk roadkill. Should I blame the hard shoulder pointer I took from my bike gooseneck when I slipped carrying it up the stairs in the morning? Or maybe the unexplained lower back pain that came in the afternoon? How about... just being plain old, ugly, and haven't kicked for a couple weeks?

In the absence of torques, what does one do? Go crazy with the dance hacking thing! I dialed straight into Fatboy Slim's Why Try Harder, and proceeded to jam out an hour ten. I also worked on breaking in my new Abshire bags just a bit. I'm really liking the blue/purple one. Unfortunately, my iPod's battery seems to have taken a hit from it's recent laundering. The screen is perfectly back to normal now, but It was fully charged in the morning, yet it died at 11:05pm that night, ending my session.

I'm really bummed I can't do my usual video blog. I'm looking for a legitimate place to kick, but with little money and a limited schedule, it's tough. But I'm not giving up just yet. And I might get brave enough to live broadcast for a few minutes. That might be fun!

Thanks for tuning in!