Circle Contest- a new footbag competition [OFFICIAL RELEASE]

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 06 May 2006 19:11

Circle contest
A new footbag competition

WORLD PREMIERE: The first ever Circle contest will take place in Montreal, June 3-4. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, be part of history.

-> Download the Guidebook and read the following announcement...

Concept

The culmination of this contest evolved from widespread sentiment that pre-existing competition formats did not properly fit the methodology or ideology of footbag freestyle as a whole. Instead, the Circle contest is meant to directly reflect how the sport’s athletes train, evolve and play the game, putting the players in the most conducive conditions possible– the Circle– and rewarding them for execution of the greatest technical ability. Not only do we perceive the Circle contest a vast improvement over previous contests for competitors, we believe it will prove as much or more entertaining and spectacular for spectators.

Advantages

We believe the Circle contest poses countless improvements over other competition formats, including the following:

-- 1. The format is based on the way freestyle has been played ever since "shred" took over the circles in the late 80s. In other words, most players already practice this way, so they don't have to change their regimens to prepare for the Circle contest.

-- 2. Players have many chances to execute their best maneuvers instead of just one. Playing in a circle with a fixed time limit means players have numerous turns with the bag, and there is no advantage to any body type or style of execution (i.e. slow vs. fast). Furthermore, players get an equal number of turns.

-- 3. Head-to-head competition brings many benefits for both competitors and spectators. It's more interesting to watch 3 players go at it than one all by himself on stage. Players will be able to adapt on the spot to what the others are doing, which leads to enhanced creativity and an intensified emotional response.

-- 4. There is no longer the need to watch the sidelines to see the best players in the best circles. The best circles will actually be in competition. This is extremely important because most if not all other competitions have alienated us from what we love about footbag.

-- 5. The Judging system is highly efficient, reducing stress on the judges, and likely rendering more consistently accurate results in a more timely manner.

-- 6. The contest has nothing to do with the ADD system!

-- 7. Players are not confined to any style of play. It's not a race; "artsy" moves are not required, but certainly welcome!; it's not just about one big move or combo, or long strings, or this or that. IT IS EVERYTHING IN ONE. Players are scored on overall ability, that is well-rounded skill.

Credits

The Circle contest is the project of Ianek Regimbald and Eliot (Ellis) Piltz, with the consultation of Sebastien Duchesne. The document itself was authored by Eliot Piltz. Copyright © 2006. All rights reserved.

Contact Info:
Eliot Piltz – eli(at)flipsider.com
Ianek Regimbald – ianekregimbald(at)videotron.ca

Our sincere thanks go to all people who support and spread this initiative by organizing Circle contest events. Let us know how it goes.

BalinorNZ · Post by **BalinorNZ** » 06 May 2006 22:15

Guidebook wrote:Judging – three (or more) expert players not competing in the event are chosen to
evaluate the players’ performances and give a rank at the end of each heat, based on
execution of difficulty, variety and form.

This sounds like a great idea Ellis, unfortunatly it's a subjective judging system though so judges preferances will come into the results. Chances are most judges will like what they have seen a lot before (ie. Vasek) and will not like so much someone coming in and doing new creative stuff like rolling the bag down your back and catching it between your heels, even if these moves could be just as difficult to perfect.

I guess there is only one way to find out! Test test test! Please release footage of the event when you have it in Montreal so we can all see how well it works and if the results are accurate to what everyone thinks should be the outcome!

bluntobj3ct · Post by **bluntobj3ct** » 07 May 2006 15:59

Absolutely beautiful, and a tremendous improvement from a standard competition. Judges will always be preferential and subjective, its up to us as a footbag culture to provide the judges who will notice originality and utter difficulty against execution style and delivery of a competitors strings.

hightened emotional response by competitors, opportunity to adapt to other's styles... damn i mean you've got every benefit listed, else id sit here and repeat yourself for you!!!!

KICK ASS! bring on the circle comps!

mc · Post by mc » 07 May 2006 18:11

I think this is a great idea. I love how free and open the concept is. I can't wait to see footage. Thanks Elliot.

Just call me hagesy · Post by **Just call me hagesy** » 07 May 2006 18:18

ellis and ianek are fucking cool.

Guest_2 · Post by **Guest_2** » 07 May 2006 18:49

It's on my 18th birthday!!! I'll ask my mom if I can come!

Minnesota shredderz-road trip!

sampotter · Post by **sampotter** » 07 May 2006 18:50

Yeah!! This sounds dope!!

I'm going to bring this up with J and see what he thinks about acting it out at our upcoming jam, although I would hate to initiate it before the creator.

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 07 May 2006 19:54

thanks for the comments. I'll reply in order.

BalinorNZ wrote:unfortunatly it's a subjective judging system though so judges preferances will come into the results.

Consider how many other sports successfully use subjective judging. It's really the only way. The Judges Guide is very clear about bias: "Also remember that bias is a huge problem in all sports using subjective judging. You really need to go into every Circle as a clean slate, letting go of any past judgments in or out of competition. Do your best to make it impersonal, not favoring a player based on his name or your relationship to him." Did you read the document before posting?? The criteria is very specific, and we only ask judges to evaluate a few minutes at a time, as opposed to 10 routines for example, so the margin of error is greatly reduced.

...Hagesy wrote:you are fucking cool ellis.

Thanks, but remember, Ianek is fuckin cool, too. This project is equally Ianek's as it is mine. We spent countless hours working on this for almost a year.

Nagasake wrote:I'm going to bring this up with J and see what he thinks about acting it out at our upcoming jam, although I would hate to initiate it before the creator.

You are welcome to do so. Let me and Ianek know if you have any questions not covered in the Guidebook.

Thanks again! Best wishes,

habitat · Post by **habitat** » 08 May 2006 02:35

wow, I just read through the guidebook. Very good stuff. I would enjoy being part of a circle competition, either competing or helping. I could really picture something like this on ESPN for the fact that it looks very official the way you portray the setup and the crowd could definately get into it.

Props on the system and the hard work!

Alberto · Post by **Alberto** » 08 May 2006 03:36

Simple and efficient, specially for spectators... the concept is, at the same time, a step ahead and a way to keep the ideology. Thats really important.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 08 May 2006 04:47

Man, I was JUST thinking about an event like this in my head when I was brainstorming. Like each player would get 3 turns, and it'd almost be like a 'You Got Served' (obviously not nearly as lame or cheesy) but like a 1upsmanship sort of thing. Players win on crowd applause? Anyway, it's an awesome idea and I can't wait to see how it turns out!

max · Post by **max** » 08 May 2006 06:33

Props to you both Ianek and Ellis. I read the guidebook and the concept sounds really sweet. I imagine that you have tested it out with sample circles?

Is it easy to judge / understand / follow?
Is the fact that some of the action won't be visible to the public (player has back turned) a problem?
Do you have any dates for a comp where this event is going to be planned?

Great work to you both, I hope this idea works out well and goes a long way.

Ners · Post by **Ners** » 08 May 2006 10:34

I really like the idea, maybe we could organize an event in this format in Poland. The only thing that I think could be a problem is the choosing one bag for everyone in the circle. I know it's the basic circle etiquette, but I also know that people shred with bags that are extremely different. This is competition so I don't think anyone will be willing to shred with a bag he's not used to (as it can make shredding very difficult).

Szymon Kałwak (Ners)

Skippy! · Post by **Skippy!** » 08 May 2006 14:15

Just call me hagesy wrote:ellis and ianek are fucking cool.

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 08 May 2006 14:53

Re: Bag Choice (Ners)

Yes, that is a problem, but having everyone use his own bag defeats the purpose of a circle... except maybe for you Polish guys.

Our solution would have worked really well up until about 5 years ago. Today preferences are all over the chart. Perhaps it's a good thing to re-instill an informal standard. In net, the rule is both sides (of the court) have to agree on the bag, or the organizers impose a regulation Hacky Sack® 2-panel footbag. We adopted the same concept, but encourage organizers to have good bags on hand.

Re: Any dates for a comp...? (Max)

Read the first sentence of this topic. Montreal, June 3-4. I know you have other questions, Max, forgive me for not addressing them right now. When I have more time, I promise.

Re: ESPN potential (habitat)

While I agree with you, we did not create this format so we can get on TV or become popular (I know you aren't saying that; just to clarify). Our priority from the beginning was to establish a new format that best reflects and facilitates the true nature of freestyle, FOR THE PLAYERS. Only after that ideal was set into motion and the plan underway, did we start considering spectators and how best to present the contest (for the actual people at the event). And really TV and all that b.s. is just a coincidental afterthought, as it should be. Video media will mold itself to footbag, not the other way around.

Thanks for the feedback.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 09 May 2006 00:08

Interesting idea I just wonder if it's neccessary to have competitions as to who is the best circle kicker. Personally the informality and the friendly nature of circles is one of the things I enjoy about footbag the most. If this kind of competition became popular would that atmosphere be retained or would people start constantly trying to "win" circle kicks - even when there wasn't a judge. I don't know - props for trying something new though.

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 09 May 2006 01:09

It only makes sense for competition to reflect how we play. I am sure those qualities you mention will always exist, or if one day they become tainted, the Circle contest will not be to blame.

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 09 May 2006 01:56

Jeremy wrote:I just wonder if it's neccessary to have competitions as to who is the best circle kicker.

Ok, that bothers me (though your comments are welcome). Is it more useful to have competitions gauge who is the best at hitting moves all by himself in a variety of formats and constraints? To me, the best footbagger is the best circle kicker. Always has been, always will be.

In addition to the obvious benefits of this competition, I believe more players will be encouraged to compete-- because it's fun and requires little or no foreign preparation-- and will perform better without the added pressure of being all alone in front of an audience. Anyone who has competed in doubles freestyle knows the benefit of the added presence of a partner. Even if the Circle brings opponents instead of a teammate, it will make a difference. Sure there will be pressure, and still some people will choke, but that is the same for every sport, and we are doing everything we can to reduce that possibility, while the other formats only encourage it.

Net is actually the perfect comparison. To paraphrase Kenny Shults, you will only see the very best net skills in the final match at Worlds, not because they are the best players, but because the pressure and intensity of the moment ignites the very best in competitors. Whereas in freestyle, you will only see the best skills outside competition, at 2am after Finals, where no one is holding back (and believe me, those circles are incredibly competitive!). While players may still need to play it safe in the Circle contest, I believe this is a huge leap in the right direction, and eventually the best players are really going to set it off and shock people, because that's what will impress the judges the most.

Thanks for reading.

caseyweed · Post by **caseyweed** » 09 May 2006 13:59

I just really think that it'll be alot more fun to watch and I think that the players will ultimately be showing the best of their best skills which means that spectators will be seeing a lot more creative and big moves and strings. I think it's a fantastic idea.

Shredfish · Post by **Shredfish** » 09 May 2006 17:53

More ideas like this one are the ones that will push footbag as a SPORT and not a game. I don't care about tv or media but how cool would it be one day to say "I play footbag" and not get "huh?"...thanks Ellis and Ianek, as said before this is a big step in the right direction I think.