Fanzine

[Muffinman]

Thanks for your thoughts on BAP a bunch of posts back. Great reasoning and insights!
Also interesting to read your continuing thoughts on Worlds. It's an interesting year for competition.

[C-Fan]

Hell yes, TPP Erik!  I'm embarrassed to admit I don't think I know that artist.  I must be losing my fastball.  It reminds me of Uribe but I don't think it is.  Gorgeous oil work regardless.  Also props to TJ for posting like 3 TPPs in the span of a day.  I love this tradition.

I feel like Worlds are progressing at a dizzying pace and it's hard for me to fully process the meaning of events as they're happening.  Part of that is due to the crazy quick turnarounds done by the Worlds team.  It's hard to believe how quickly they've done things like make and post pools, post videos, and post results.  Serious kudos to Mathieu and the judges for all their work.  I'd much rather be in the position I am now (whiplash trying to process the overload of information) than waiting several agonizing days in between results.

One weird feeling I've been struggling with throughout these Worlds has been my strong desire to comment candidly on the competition (like an announcer at the Olympics)...which I have to keep in check since I'm ALSO a competitor in said competition.  Like, I'll see pools posted and want to share my hot takes on how I think it'll shake out, but then I'll restrain myself because it feels weird to do so as a competitor.  If I ever retire from competition I think I'd have a lot of fun diving headlong into competition analysis.  It'd make for great Vlog content for sure.

The detailed scoring of each Routines qualifying pool was posted late last night.  Looking at my own pool, the scores aligned with my assessment of our routines.  With the benefit of hindsight I'm glad I didn't go overboard with perfecting my first round routine.  The one I submitted wasn't perfect but it gave me enough cushion to avoid an upset. That's all I needed it to do.

The other competition result that came out in the last day was Shred Off.  The top 16 were announced along with the head-to-head matchups.  Perhaps even more interesting than the matchups though, they also posted the brackets.  So using myself as an example, not only do I know my matchup for this week (Sergio Garcia) I also know that the winner of our matchup will face the winner of Pawel/TJ.  So while there are 15 other players in Shred Off with me I know with certainty that I only have to worry about 2 of them for the next 2 weeks.  While I don't want to overthink my strategy, I'm also Ken Somolinos.  Not much I can do about that.  But yeah, I'm already making strategic decisions about what kinds of tricks/links I should be saving for later rounds so I don't blow my surprise factor a round or two too early.  I'm also really excited to see the Kemmer/Dante Shred Off, as that would appear to me to be the most closely matched one in this round.

It's crazy to think about how soon the various deadlines for Worlds are going to hit.  We're just over a week from Shred30 being over.  We're exactly 2 weeks away from Sick3 and Routines being over.  We're less than 3 weeks from ShredOff ending.  And we're less than 4 weeks away from seeing the final show.  As a competitor, I need to start tracking how many sessions I have before each deadline and stay disciplined to ensure I don't miss any.

Going to close out with my second round Shred Off entry:

 

That proved to be good enough for 5th overall in the round, which ended up matching me up against Sergio Garcia for this next round.
 

[Tjuggles]

One weird feeling I've been struggling with throughout these Worlds has been my strong desire to comment candidly on the competition (like an announcer at the Olympics)...which I have to keep in check since I'm ALSO a competitor in said competition.

Yeah I was surprised how quiet you had been these last couple of days. I have been checking modified and the results page many times throughout the day. I suppose you were too, just not posting any thoughts on players' contributions.

The detailed scoring of each Routines qualifying pool was posted late last night.  Looking at my own pool, the scores aligned with my assessment of our routines.  With the benefit of hindsight I'm glad I didn't go overboard with perfecting my first round routine.  The one I submitted wasn't perfect but it gave me enough cushion to avoid an upset. That's all I needed it to do.

I just had a look myself. It seems they have only posted total scores. I'm not sure of the system they used, but it would be interesting to know why Pawel had twice my score. Higher add ratio? Better choreography? That information could help me improve for next time.

So using myself as an example, not only do I know my matchup for this week (Sergio Garcia) I also know that the winner of our matchup will face the winner of Pawel/TJ.  So while there are 15 other players in Shred Off with me I know with certainty that I only have to worry about 2 of them for the next 2 weeks. 

Ha, yea sorry you'll have to possibly face me...

[acxel22]

Yeah I am also one wanting to comment everything happening, but as a competitor and routine director I rather stay on sideline on that end, but if we were to have a shred we would talk more then shred right now I think!

You know we have video shreds with players trough video conference now?

[cammel]

Nice work Ken! Not too bad advancing in shred off, routines and sick 3! I'm so far behind on videos, so much footbag content coming out right now

[C-Fan]

Nice work Ken!  Not too bad advancing in shred off, routines and sick 3!  

Thanks Gray!  It's a weird year where not many players are competing in all 4 events.  Vasek is only doing routines.  Honza and Cerny are skipping Shred Off.  Rafal is skipping routines.  I think Worek, Taishi, and Pawel are doing all events but didn't make finals in all 4.  Unless I'm missing someone, it may just be down to Simku and me as the last players who are still standing across all 4 events.   Too bad they're not doing "overall" champ this year, though I expect Dominik would still beat me.

The big Worlds news this morning is that Sick 3 qualifiers have been posted and ranked.  This also means that finalists have been selected, further adding to the feeling that Worlds is accelerating towards a conclusion.  The next time we see routines or sick3s will be in the Finals shows.  When I first saw the schedule for Worlds I was a bit worried it would feel like it was dragging out too long.  Instead, it feels like it's moving at breakneck pace.  I wonder how much of that feeling is related to being a competitor. Like, I feel like I'm in a constant cycle of shredding, filming, submitting, receiving results, repeat.  But maybe for a spectator they feel the pace of the competition is slow?  I'd be interested to hear how others are perceiving the pace of the event.

Back to Sick 3 results.  What immediately struck me was how incredibly high the level of play was for these submissions.  That shouldn't have shocked me since the format encourages people to push their difficulty, yet somehow it still did.  Basically the top 26 combos are all fearless or harder!  I can understand why the judging took so long, as just the sheer number of entries is overwhelming.  I am a bit curious why they decided to cap finals to 8 players instead of say 10 like routines.  Had there been a clear dropoff in difficulty after the top 8 I could see the argument that a smaller finals pool would be more manageable, but honestly the quality of entries 7-20 is pretty close.  I guess you could have also gone the other way and capped it at top 6.  What is crazy to me though is if the current finalists submitted the exact same combos as the first round, you could argue it'd be the hardest and best sick 3 finals ever.  In actuality though, isn't there like a 99% chance that all these guys INCREASE their difficulty for finals?  How insane is that going to be?

On a more personal note, I had a weird mix of emotions upon seeing I made the cut for Sick 3 finals.  The event doesn't mean as much to me as routines and I basically signed up for it just to participate in every event.  That said, I did hope to make finals and submit something good, even if I have no expectations for a medal.  So when I saw the crazy list of combos (and the accompanying video) this morning I had a mix of feelings.  On one hand I am happy and relieved to make finals.  I'd rather be in finals than not. On the other hand, I had a tinge of embarrassment and almost survivor's guilt about getting in ahead of several other combos which I could argue are at least as good as mine.  Nothing I can do about that, other than maybe try harder in finals as a way of honoring the list of good players who could have beat me.  The last feeling I had when I saw the Sick 3 cuts was a feeling of uneasiness, stemming from how badly I misread the field and crafted my strategy.  I figured a beast combo would be enough to comfortably secure a spot in finals and I could then try for something harder once I made it there.  Instead, I badly underestimated the field and barely made it into finals.  It's disconcerting to be so wrong, and it makes me question whether I'm reading my opponents in all events incorrectly.  Hopefully I can use this as motivation to push myself a little harder in all future entries.

Ha, yea sorry you'll have to possibly face me...

Well, that's completely out of my hands now.  I snuck in another dusk session last night.  The light and playing surface were too bad for routine practice, so I decided to spend the whole session getting footage for my 3rd round Shred Off.  I managed to get enough clips so I edited the footage and already sent it in.  So whether or not it's good enough to beat Sergio this week, at least I don't have to worry about it anymore.  

You know we have video shreds with players trough video conference now?

I want to look into this.  I have some limitations about what apps I can use since my only phone is a government work phone.  A lot of basic apps are blocked due to security reasons.  Since Worlds is still going on, I feel like I need to dedicate my limited number of sessions just to recording event submissions.  Good, bad, or ugly... that will be over on July 24th at the latest.  So I'll definitely revisit this in a couple weeks.

[boyle]

Can you use Google Meet? They have rolled that out for everyone now, you used to have to have a paid account, but now everyone can do that.

[C-Fan]

Denver is in the middle of a brutal heat wave which has really hindered my efforts on the Worlds videos front.  The average high for the past 10 days has been in the mid 90s, and that is also the forecast for at least the next week.  Pretty rancid timing.  Judging on several other competitors' videos it looks like I'm not alone in struggling with heat.  I laughed out loud at the middle of Derek's latest video:
  

It looks like a lot of people are tackling the problem by playing indoors but for me that's not an option.  Most places are either still closed or I don't feel comfortable going to them.  The idea of going to an indoor gym where people are breathing hard without masks all while an HVAC system circulates that air...yeah hard pass for me.  If I'm relegated to playing outside during a heat wave, I figure I have 3 choices which all have their pros and cons with them.

Play at dusk.  This has been my go-to option for most of worlds.  The pros are that it is cooler, and that I can time my meals so I have enough energy to play but I don't feel weighed down by food.  The main con is that it gives me a very short window to play.  If the clouds decide to block the sun, it makes the window even shorter.  The fading light also makes for poor lighting for filming.  I may have gotten away with that for first round of routines and for my Shred Off so far, but for things like routine finals and Sick3 finals I really want the bag and my legs to be in sharp focus.  The last con for playing at this time of day, is that other people wanting to exercise have been targeting this time too.  My main playing spot (basketball court) has been taken twice in the past 2 weeks at dusk.

Play in the middle of the day.  The biggest pros are that the lighting is great and I don't have a forced time limit imposed by the sun setting.  Another pro is that I can time my meals so I have energy but don't feel bloated.  I'm also not usually competing with other exercisers for my spaces.  The huge con though is the brutalizing heat.  Even when I have a dedicated shade spot where I rest between runs, the heat just drains you.  For events like routines and Shred30 that's a death sentence.

Play early in the morning.  I haven't actually done this one yet so my pros and cons are theoretical.  I'm hoping to try a session like this tomorrow, so fingers crossed it works better than the other 2 options.  In theory the pros would be getting to play in good light without a time limit, and doing so before the heat really hits.  The cons are that I can't play on an empty stomach, so I'd need to wake up early enough to eat and digest a good breakfast before getting to the site too late.  The main reason I haven't explored this option, is that mornings are packed due to a toddler with unpredictable wake up times and a dog that needs walking before the heat hits.  The way I'd try to make this work would be to shred in the morning, ask the wife to deal with the kid solo for breakfast, and then walk the dog at dusk after the baby is down.

While this heat wave and all my equipment issues have made it challenging to compete well, I constantly remind myself I am lucky to be competing at all.  Had the pandemic not happened, Worlds would be in Colombia right now and I wouldn't be participating at all.  Is it possible that 2 weeks from now I will have submitted entries that I am unhappy with?  Potentially, yes.  I really hope not, but given the heat and various other factors I can see a reality where I have to submit safeties in one or more events.  That said, I think it's exceedingly unlikely that I end up in a situation where I don't submit anything at all.  That would make my worst case scenario submitting safeties and finishing last in every event... which is still a million times better than not competing at all.

Here is my Shred Off submission for the Round of 16. It indirectly showcases several of the logistical challenges I've been facing.  I had to play on the tennis courts because a guy was using the basketball hoop, the tennis courts had a bulldozer on them and lots of rubble, and you can see the sunlight fading as I chased usable footage.  Hopefully this is good enough to beat Sergio and I can figure out a better set up for next week's Shred Off.

  

[cammel]

Wow, awesome submission! Really liked the first link, the swirl grifter drill, flurry paradon barfly drill, and the last trick . Definitely sympathize with you about the heat, it was 99 here yesterday, should be the same today. At least in my parking space where I play I have some shade. Looking forward to your round of 8 submission!

[C-Fan]

Yeah, this heatwave is no joke.  I played last Thursday in the afternoon and ended the session retching from the heat, with zero usable clips to show for my efforts.  I had a ton of water on site and was in the shade between runs but it didn't make a difference.  I played again on Saturday at 10 in the morning hoping to beat the heat, and again finished the session with no usable clips and feeling like I had heat stroke.  Today I managed to get out at 9 am and the only reason I was able to play was because I got lucky with cloud cover.  The hour before that I was walking the dog and determined it was too hot to shred, but when the cloud cover rolled in I decided to chance it.  With such a limited amount of time left to submit entries it is really frustrating losing entire sessions due to the heat.

Is it possible that 2 weeks from now I will have submitted entries that I am unhappy with?  Potentially, yes.  I really hope not, but given the heat and various other factors I can see a reality where I have to submit safeties in one or more events. 

   

This is still a very real worry for me.  The 3 things I can do about it are:

1. Play at dusk, even if the video quality will be bad.  It's probably better to have high level entries that are filmed in bad light, than middling entries filmed in good light.  I think this will hurt me the most in Sick 3.
2. Increase the frequency of my sessions as I get closer to the deadlines.  More bites at the apple may give me a better chance to get usable entries.
3. Be as flexible as possible.  If a thunderstorm clears out the heat for an hour, I need to be ready to run out there and play.  If there's unexpected cloud cover that cools things off on a work day, I need to be ready to take leave.

Related to all this, I need to prioritize what events matter the most to me.  Right now, my top priority is routines and getting a safety routine filmed.  I've pursued this at the cost of getting any Shred Off footage against Pawel.  I believe this is the right move. Is it a bad look for me to make it to Round of 8 in Shred Off and then scratch?  Yes.  But if that enables me to get a good routine banked then that's what I'll do.  Hopefully it doesn't come to that.  The heat is supposed to relent a little over the next 2 days, so maybe I can bank a routine in one of those sessions and then have a couple days left to piece together a credible Shred Off for this round.  While I think it'd be cool to make Shred Off finals, it just doesn't matter as much to me as submitting a finals routine I can be proud of.

Ending on a positive note, I did manage to bank a better Shred 30 during this morning's session.  Similar to my safety, it was only 30 tricks... which is bad, as that means I left 6-10 points just sitting on the table.  Still, it was dropless and it was an improvement over my safety.  With the deadline for Shred 30 in 2 days I was happy to take it and submit it.  No, it's not my best possible Shred 30, but it is probably 95% of what I'm capable of and at this point that's enough.  I'm not bursting with pride over it but I also won't be embarrassed either.  It does feel good to cross off one of the events completely.  Hopefully I can do the same with a couple more in the next few sessions.

[C-Fan]

The heat is supposed to relent a little over the next 2 days

In good news, the heat retreated a bit today!  I was able to get out to shred though I had to work around some logistical hurdles (work call, construction detours on the road to my spot) which cost me a good chunk of time.  Still, I managed to play and it was such a joy to not feel limited by the heat.  

My plan was to focus on routines, but there was a family at my spot who had a dog off leash that kept running through my area.  I decided to work on Shred Off until they left since I knew routines would be too frustrating.  This wasn't a bad plan, but by the time I got to routines I was low on energy and couldn't bank anything good.

I need to prioritize what events matter the most to me.  Right now, my top priority is routines and getting a safety routine filmed.  I've pursued this at the cost of getting any Shred Off footage against Pawel. While I think it'd be cool to make Shred Off finals, it just doesn't matter as much to me as submitting a finals routine I can be proud of.  

Ugh why do I write shit like this and then not follow it at all.  It just makes me feel dumb. But yeah, given the circumstances of my session I wasn't able to get a good routine banked.  At least I got some good stuff for my Shred Off with Pawel.  I think I managed about 1 minute of footage so I still need to film one more minute of stuff in the next few days. That's a bit deceptive though, since the one minute I got today is made up of lots of really hard tricks, so even though it will end up being 50% of the quantity it'll likely end up being 80% of the quality. I also want to balance the video out a bit, so my next sessions I'll be trying for longer more varied runs since I feel set with my big tricks. That should make it easier to fill out the remaining minute, since that might only require like 2-4 runs to get there. I have no idea if this will be my last Shred Off video for Worlds or if I'll make it to finals and get to make one more after it. Either way, I've been pleasantly surprised by the event. I think I had low expectations for it but I've had a lot of fun shooting and making each one.

It's a bit weird to be playing so much these days, and even weirder to not be sharing video. I guess the next video I'll likely be sharing is my Shred Off against Pawel when we're required to post them this weekend. So in the interim, here's an old crazy Vasek video from 2004 that Erik Chan just re-uploaded:



2004 Vasek is still my favorite vintage.

[C-Fan]

LOL, when I posted that Vasek video I thought: "Nice to post a non-Ken video for a change."  Upon my 5th or 6th rewatch of it though I realized I'm in the background of a bunch of those clips.  I wonder what 2004 Vasek/Ken/Honza would say if we told them they'd still be competing at Worlds 16 years later.  I'd probably have been the most surprised of the group just due to age (in 2004 the Czechs were 18 and I was already 24).

Routines and Sick 3 are due July 20, which means we're now 5 days away from Worlds essentially being over.  Shred Off final submissions are due in 9 days but that only impacts 4 players.  I feel stressed and excited at the same time.  I'm stressed because time is running out but I'm also excited because I know it'll all be over soon.  I think what's really stressing me out, is I am unsure about my battle plan for these precious remaining few days.  On one hand, I want to play every day so I have more chances to film good entries.  That desire is countered by the knowledge that my body needs some rest.  While the current Worlds format grants me more rest days than a traditional Worlds (basically competing every day for a week) I am still 40 years old.  I'm basically forced to guess which scenario gives me a better chance at a good routine:

a. Try and play every day between now and Monday, the hope being I get more opportunities.  The drawback is I'll likely be more tired and less springy in every session than if I took any rest days.
b. Take 1-2 rest days between sessions with the hope that a rested body gives me a better shot at good submissions even if it gives me fewer chances.

The other variable that affects this choice is the weather.  If I go with choice B and the hottest days fall on my playing days then I'm screwed.  Choice A doesn't avoid the hot days but makes it more likely I get to play on at least one day when it's cooler.  It's also possible that every day is hot between now and Monday, and that rest days make me better able to deal with the heat.  Unfortunately for me, there's no way to know about the weather.  There's also no way to know how rest will affect my playing.  I took today off because I played the past 2 days in a row and yesterday's session involved a lot more high impact tricks than I'm used to.  Did I mention I'm 40 now?  

While I can't control the weather and I can't fully control how my body recovers, I take some comfort in being disciplined about the things I can control. I've been more disciplined about going to bed early, stretching, icing, and taking NSAIDs when I need to. I just need a little luck and some focus to bank a good routine, and once I do everything else should feel less stressful. Fingers crossed.

[Tjuggles]

I think what's really stressing me out, is I am unsure about my battle plan for these precious remaining few days.  On one hand, I want to play every day so I have more chances to film good entries.  That desire is countered by the knowledge that my body needs some rest. 

For what it is worth, we are 2.5 hours away from the Shred 30 deadline, and I have yet to get mine on film. Shit! Time to go do this.

[acxel22]

Ken do like me, play at 5am!

[C-Fan]

Ken do like me, play at 5am!

I wish I could.  I'm unable to play on an empty stomach and I also am no good on a full stomach, so I need to eat and then wait about an hour to play well.  I did my best to put myself in a good position this morning by waking up at 5, finishing breakfast by 6, and heading to my shred spot just after 7.  I played for just over an hour focusing exclusively on my routine.  I had a few promising starts but once it started heating up I was cooked. I threw in the towel just past 8:30 am as the temperature was already in the high 80s and I had a work call at 9.  

Let's take stock of where I am with the various events:

Shred 30: Mercifully, I am done with this event.  I didn't submit my best possible score, but I'm OK with my entry.  Most importantly, it's done.- Shred Off: I have 1 solid minute banked but I need to get one more minute shot before tomorrow night...even if it's filler.  I didn't try for any today so now my back is really up against the wall to play tomorrow morning and get something.  
Sick 3: I have a couple meh safeties on tape but I really want to get something better banked before it's due Monday.  I haven't focused on this event though as I am more worried about routines (and even Shred Off).
Routines: I have a shitty 2 dropper banked and that's it.  That's not acceptable and I know I can do better.

Let me check if it's now time to panic:


Unfortunately for me, the high temps for the next 2 days is 93 and the 2 days after that is 87. When I play tomorrow it will be my 4th shred in 5 days.  I think my best hope is to play early in the morning again and focus on rounding out my Shred Off clips so I can at least submit an entry tomorrow night.  If I can also squeeze in a routine then awesome, but if I can't then maybe I rest Saturday and get in another routine session Saturday night or Sunday morning.  I hate how close I'm cutting this, I hate how the heat is dictating what I'm able to do, and I hate that my body doesn't recover from shreds the way it could in my 20s.  I need to remind myself though that I'm lucky to be competing at all this year.  I also need to remind myself that I just need a little luck (and maybe adrenaline) to get a good routine done.  

[Tjuggles]

I hate how close I'm cutting this... I hate that my body doesn't recover from shreds the way it could in my 20s. I need to remind myself though that I'm lucky to be competing at all this year.

I feel you friend; I ended up cutting things too close and then Murphy's Law kicked in which meant a 2-drop shred, and lots of cursing and bag throwing. As you mention though, and I agree, we are lucky to be able to compete at all this year.

It will be interesting to hear your thoughts on this year's Worlds. One difference is the fact that in addition to preparing for World's itself, we have to balance our work lives (and possibly family life too). This is very different compared to physically travelling to Worlds and not having to think about work since we are most likely on vacation.

Surely a bit of adrenaline will help. I would try to get way more sleep than you normally do; that should help you push through. That is one thing I failed at this week for sure.

TOP POST PAINTING!
Colin McCahon: Gate III

[cammel]

TOP POST PAINTING!

bottom post paintings now too?!

[C-Fan]

. One difference is the fact that in addition to preparing for World's itself, we have to balance our work lives (and possibly family life too). This is very different compared to physically travelling to Worlds and not having to think about work since we are most likely on vacation.

I agree with that. I do miss being able to disconnect completely from work for a week and focus just on playing. That said, it's also been nice to not spend money on flights/hotel/food/dogsitter. I've also only used up one day of vacation from work whereas an in-person Worlds usually requires I use 5-7 days.

bottom post paintings now too?!

Honestly, I love art so much I wouldn't mind if people posted a painting in my blog with every post. I especially like it when people add a little something either about the piece or why they like it.

.  I think my best hope is to play early in the morning again and focus on rounding out my Shred Off clips so I can at least submit an entry tomorrow night.   

Happy to report this went to plan. I got up early, ate a better breakfast, and got to my site early. I managed the heat well, though I will say it's much easier to deal with the heat for Shred Off than it is for routines. With Shred Off your clips are probably between 5 and 20 seconds and you can take breaks in between them. For a routine, you HAVE to be out in the sun for the full 2 minutes at a time.

I did manage to get enough footage to round out my 2 minute entry. I think I was happiest about the pixie flurry since it's not a quad you see that often. I actually hit 3 of them during the session. I felt very good about my entry when I submitted it, but when I saw Pawel's surprisingly strong entry I had second thoughts about my whole strategy. In the past week I used 2 full sessions to prepare my Shred Off. Those sessions could have gone towards routines instead. If I make Shred Off finals, I think it's justifiable that I used those 2 sessions the way I did. If Pawel upsets me though, I'll probably look back on this week and (with the benefit of extreme hindsight) regret not having spent those sessions banking a routine. The more positive way I should probably look at this though is that even if Pawel upsets me at least I didn't embarrass myself with this entry:

[C-Fan]

Double post.

[cammel]

Awesome shred off entry! Definitely hard competition, but I'd vote for you for having more variety.

Honestly, I love art so much I wouldn't mind if people posted a painting in my blog with every post. I especially like it when people add a little something either about the piece or why they like it.

Just posted one of this artists' pieces on my blog so figured I'd put another one up here since you asked for it. Just saw some of his work one day in China (just in a book, would really love to see them in person, they're massive). Just think he does an amazing job capturing really violent crashing water.

Five thousand years (上下五千年) - Xu Huijun (徐惠君)