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By Derrick Fogle

It was probably too cold to do this but…

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!

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OMG – it’s the rarest of “Funky Chicken” footbag videos ever: I’m. Wearing. A. SHIRT!

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?

Thanks for tuning in!

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Dang I’m getting lucky – another beautiful November day for kicking at Speaker Circle!

Yeah, the video is kinda lame, but I had an awesome time! Today’s camera work was shoddy, with me accidentally filming as much of me taking breaks and drinking water as playing footbag. D’oh! But that might tell you just how much fun I was having. There were a few times I got so deep in the groove, when I finally dropped the bag, I couldn’t remember how long the rally was. Probably not really all that long, but… Oh, that feeling!

And I got my pair of torques* again today (*not on film. darn). Can’t miss those!

I started a bit late – about 11:45 – and of course conflicted with Jed, one of the circle preachers who showed up minutes behind me. He was nice enough to let me kick for an hour, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I feel like I could have done two! Still, I had another photographer shooting stills, answered some questions for another student, did an impromptu video spot for a clean energy campaign, and talked to another student about being the subject of a more in-depth documentary.

I hung around and talked to a couple people after Jed took the circle. When I finally took off, some of the students disrupted him to send me off with props. Thanks everyone!

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A journalism student with a deadline. Cool but dry weather. No appointments at work. Three strikes, and I’m out… playing footbag!

Two very unusual things happened today. First, a hacky circle broke out! A couple of the people that hang around the circle sometimes decided to hack in. Within 10 minutes, we had a huge 7-8 person circle that lasted nearly an hour. I played center. Just about everyone was busting out some kind of move – delays, fliers, someone almost hit an around the world, and we had several official “hacks.” Sweet! My speaker circle shred sessions may never be the same again.

The other thing, my daughter showed up and joined the circle. First time for that. I’ve never pushed my kids to do footbag, but I’ll certainly welcome them into a circle! Thanks for coming out and joining me silly beans

I didn’t get any video of the circle though. What I do have on tape is *ahem* OK. A longer-ish rally that starts out saucy but winds up cheesy with just a hint of meat in the broth. Why is it always a food comparison? And exactly how do I ‘score’ the kicking time playing pivot man in a circle? I sure hurt like solo shred time. I was out there for an hour and a half, I’m gonna call it an hour. I believe that puts me at 49:25 – only 35 minutes shy of my annual goal. Target, you are in my sights.

Thanks for tuning in!

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Cool, cloudy days are so perfect for kicking! No shadows, no blinding glimpses of the sun, and I think the more monochromatic lighting improves my vision. It was crowded on Speaker Circle today too, with Mizzouwear vendors to the left and StudentCity.com to the right.

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.

Thanks for tuning in!

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So the fire department dumped a mock dorm room on speaker circle, and torched it. Total elapsed burn time 1:35. Holy smokes! I had to move over…

I’m so bummed I didn’t have Talking Head’s “Burning down the house” on my iPod. And I couldn’t get a good enough wireless signal out there to play it off the internet. Oh, what I would give for a 1:35 long rally to that song in front of a burnt-out dorm room! Too bad it’s still just a dream, eh?

Then again, my total “burn time” was 2:05 – one of the longest sessions of the year so far. After last week’s calf cramps at 1:20, I busted into the bananas. This week: no cramps, felt strong the whole session! Note to self: Duh!

Curious thing: there were a couple of other hacks in use in the area when I got to the circle today. Have I started something? Not sure. After I was done with my session, I hacked in to a circle for a bit: “Hey, aren’t you the hacky guy?” “Shhhh! Don’t blow my cover. I’m infiltrating….” I still love hacking in circles too. I had a great time, and met some cool students. They were all talking about how they had rocked some tests that day. Awesome!

44 hrs in, with 14 weeks to go. Send good weather vibes if you can. Thanks for tuning in!