What do your friends and family think of footbag?

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 08 Sep 2007 09:03

Partially inspired by "Getting to know the community" thread.

For the most part, my family is indifferent towards what I do. They don't look down on it nor do they go out of their way to support it. I think they at least understand how devoted I am to footbag. They just don't find it very interesting. I remember coming home very excited about winning my first intermediate comp only to be drowned out by their frenzied elation over my older brother's first kickboxing match that same day. He lost by decision. I watched that fight later on video and it was pretty clear that he whooped that poor fool's ass. I was a little disapointed at their reaction to my news but eventualy learned to appreciate that they never nagged or complained about how I spent my free time.

Most of my friends are already footbaggers. My coworkers have hacked and they know how much of a nut I am about it but I would not expect to see them at a local event or even a weekly session.

One girl I was seeing actually asked, "Is this supposed to be fun for you?"

I'm curious to know what others experiences are.

LEGOMAN · Post by **LEGOMAN** » 08 Sep 2007 09:11

My family thought it was pretty stupid when I first started it. My Uncle was the only one who supported me with it (Alot of you met him at the US Open and Worlds) After I started to get good and win the rest of my family started to open up to it and start coming with me to tounrys.

My friends also think it's badass I'm the intermediate world champs lol

Bringerofpie · Post by **Bringerofpie** » 08 Sep 2007 09:34

My family thinks it's cool and my friends already thought I was weird.

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 08 Sep 2007 09:53

I also was already considered a weirdo. Girlfriends sometimes have a hard time accepting.....

professor · Post by **professor** » 08 Sep 2007 10:07

My family was always supportive, but they just don't understand it. They don't know what's going on, so they don't understand what's good and what's not.

In the beginning they complained that I spent too much time playing, but I reminded them that if I was playing football and had to go to practice every day they wouldn't be complaining. They didn't get that it is a sport, but now they do.

Every time I went to a competition they'd ask if I was going to win. I would let them know that there was no chance and they would always say, there's always a chance. Like if I just believed and I wanted it enough, I'd win.

Since they went to Worlds and saw Jim and Jorden playing in that circle, they now understand what I was saying.

My friends think it's awesome.

Sergey · Post by **Sergey** » 08 Sep 2007 11:55

My family is pretty indifferent and I don't get any support from them. They think I could've been doing something useful that would contribute to my "real" life. They only see one part of footbag and don't understand that's this beautiful sport is also a great way to make lifelong friends, travel and learn different cultures.
Getting no support from the loved ones sucks ass, but I've learned my lesson - I will do whatever it takes to make sure this doesn't happen in my own family. Thank you footbag!

My friends think I'm a weirdo, but I feel that they respect me for being able to put so much time and energy in something that I like and something they can only dream about.

RawSko · Post by **RawSko** » 08 Sep 2007 12:36

My mom has always been supportive for just about everything. She's very cool that way. But, it's a little different for footbag I think. Other things that she's been supportive of throughout my life are things like violin lessons, play practise, soccer, drawing and other hobbies and things that I took up and dropped shortly after. Footbag is new though. Not in so far as I just started doing it, but as in she doesn't know anything about it. I kind of discovered it on my own, as opposed to other things where I was like "mom, I want to learn to speak french" and she would put me in a french school. Footbag was "mom, look what I can do!" I think that footbag is the first of it's kind for me, in that way. After footbag came stitching, general modifying of pretty much everything (shoes, clothes, backpacks, etc), juggling, and so on... But for all these things, she's left me to it on my own. I guess it makes sense to me now that I'm writing it down... but the contrast between a life of "Ben, have you been practising you violin?" "Ben, come on, you've got a responsibility to show up at soccer practise" and me having to push for going to a footbag tournament seems wierd. It has bothered me, but I think I understand it better just not from having written it.

I'm not in contact with any other members of my family enough for their oppinions and such to make much difference.

I've never even really thought much about what my friends think of it. I guess they think it's sorta cool and unique and wierd.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 08 Sep 2007 12:42

My family started out really supportive too. My mom used her credit card to order my first pair of Lavers off of WorldFootbag, and also used her credit card for every subsequent footbag purchase until I got my own a couple years ago.
My Dad drove me to my first tournaments, HotSteppers in Regina (8 hour drive), 2000, and then Shred Zero, like, a week later, in Calgary (16 hour drive). My Mom drove me to every subsequent Shred Zero tournament, with my footbag friends.
In 2003 or 2004, my Mom drove me to Fort-something something, in Colorado for CSS4, which was quite far.
I lived with my grandma for a year, in 2002, and at the end of each day she'd ask if I'd hit any new moves, and ask to see them.

Nowadays they don't seem to care. I don't think they have any idea what I do. I was telling Andrew the other day, that in my back yard playing while my Dad was barbequeing, and I did, like, spinning clipper > ducking clipper [repeat], and he was, like, "Wow -- that's good!" and that was really frustrating... because, that's like nothing, and it was frustrating that it seemed liked that's all he thought I could do, and that's what I've spent, like, 10 years doing, or whatever. Blech.

Almost everyone, non-family loves it, and thinks it's the best. I think the one exception that I can think of is one of my supervisors at my last job. I was stitching a bag on my lunch break, outside, and she comes up, smoking or something, and she, like, asks me what I'm making, and I show her a finished bag, and basically, she laughed, and she was, like, "You make those??" and then, "Do you sell them?" and I was, like, "Not yet." "Is there a market for selling hacky sacks?" "In the community, yeah." (And I guess it didn't occur to me at the time, that "the community" sounds like selling them to kids on the street...) and then she laughed. Basically, everything she said was in a scornful tone... It doesn't sound so bad when I tell it, but it was very frustrating. So... I guess I'm lucky that that is one of my worst experiences. Ha.

My girlfriend thinks it's really awesome and hot, but a lot of the time she gets frustrated that I put so much time into it. Almost everyone else has seemed really interested, wanted to watch videos at work, tried to do some moves at work, asked me to do moves at work, started playing on their own, etc. So great.

HG · Post by HG » 08 Sep 2007 17:15

My parents let me go to tournaments if i pay, and they dont mind that i play, and aren't involved at all. Its nice.

I told all my friends that i was fourth in the world when i got back (terrible lie, because i didn't tell them that it was in doubles, where there were only four teams

) so they think that its alright, or whatever. I just told them that so they wouldn't be like "You spent a week of your summer in florida alone?"

Jimpenske · Post by **Jimpenske** » 08 Sep 2007 18:19

My parents could care less. My dad always says something about how I should be sponsored by Adidas or Nike. But he doesn't understand I do it for the love of the game. It's all about money to him. Even if I was the world champion I doubt they would ever come to a tournament. They think it's a waste of time.

PegLegHolly · Post by **PegLegHolly** » 08 Sep 2007 21:54

HG wrote:I told all my friends that i was fourth in the world when i got back (terrible lie, because i didn't tell them that it was in doubles, where there were only four teams ) so they think that its alright, or whatever. I just told them that so they wouldn't be like "You spent a week of your summer in florida alone?"

lol... when i got back people would ask how i placed. id say "oh i made 8th!" they knew better and always asked "out of how many"

lol out of 8. fuckers pissing in my cereal

my mom and dad dont really get it. my brothers and close friends dont get it. the kids at the skatepark dont get it. when i went to worlds, i met up with my uncle and met his wife (no one in my family had met his wife). he really liked hacky sack and enjoyed watching felix videos and stuff. hes supportive.

i guess everyone is hoping that this doesnt become anything more than a side project... but i hope to make a tourney a year at least.

dazza · Post by **dazza** » 09 Sep 2007 14:07

I get a lot of support . My girlfriend and my best buddy are the only
two non-playing footbag fans, that i've heard of .
He got me tickets to Prague for todexon 7, knows all the great names
in the sport and even hit mirage once .
My gf thinks footbag is really sexy, i can tell that she isnt too much
into the technical aspects, but she understands most basic trix and
even helps me in my training - after hitting far butterfly swirl, she asked
for the names and differences of all the swirl moves, and after hitting
far symple swirl she was like"that wasnt bad, but i would like to see you
doing that move all on one side" -
so basically she made me hit ss symple swirl .

She got a pair of shred shoes and i hope that she will start to play soon !

My mom likes footbag too, especially the combination of agression and gracefulness .
My favorite things she said about it, are :" That Karim guy
is so much better than Vasek" , and i replied "well, technically..." and
she just interrupted and said : " i was talking about the style"

!

And " you guys are the real UN", when i came home from worlds 06
and we talked about the great togetherness and the internationality
of the sport .

My friends like that fact that i play, they know it keeps me in check
and they understand my passion without sharing it, most of them say
"too hard" when i ask them to try, and "too fast" when i show them vids.

And all my other mates play footbag too

The Rhino · Post by **The Rhino** » 09 Sep 2007 14:19

friends:

Aaa: don't care
Ding: don't care
Docta: thinks it takes skill, and it's a good way to exercise, "if you can hack it"
Gwalf: likes it
Willums: thinks its cool

Family:

Luchi: does it
Mom: thinks it is fantastically wonderful
Mike: thinks its terriffic
Town: thinks it takes mad skills
KB: is proud of me

observation: family is more supportive than friends.
diagnosis: find some new friends while keeping the old ones.

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 09 Sep 2007 15:51

friends: wow your really good at hacky sack

parents:

dad: oh its just another phase, you suck.

mom: i'll give you money to go anywhere you want!

Jorden · Post by **Jorden** » 09 Sep 2007 16:09

My parents believe in me enough to trust me in pursuing my own dreams in becoming a professional footbag performer/demonstrator.

They are both really supportive. I will not let them down.

JM

brinard · Post by **brinard** » 09 Sep 2007 17:26

my mom dosent ever really leave the house, so shes never even seen me other than like my sick 3 online submissions. and they suck. shes supportive, and called me at worlds to see how id done. so i guess shes supportive, just not a whole lot.

my dad could care less, but hes never seen anything. he lives in another town, and i never talk to him. i told him i was in THE Tom Mosher's house at worlds with THE Flash, exectioner, vasek, and others when he called and i was partying. it was cool. he wished me luck.

my friends know about it. they see me on the other side of the parking lot playing. they wave. thats about it. a few asked about worlds, but didnt really inquire further.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 09 Sep 2007 21:12

chanables wrote:..I did, like, spinning clipper > ducking clipper [repeat], and he was, like, "Wow -- that's good!" and that was really frustrating... because, that's like nothing, and it was frustrating that it seemed liked that's all he thought I could do, and that's what I've spent, like, 10 years doing, or whatever. Blech.

I relate with this most of all.

Rieferman · Post by **Rieferman** » 10 Sep 2007 04:32

Well, I've never had the negative experiences mentioned here. Almost every friend I've ever had thinks footbag is really cool, and they even played with me often for years until the skill difference was too wide. Hell, I taught Ray who helped teach Yacob, so on and so forth. Family can't recognize the difficulty, but why would they? They think it's a great sport (yes, they think sport). Wife doesn't care anymore (worried about kids more) but she paid her dues going to many a tourney and sleeping in many a tent.

C-Fan · Post by **C-Fan** » 10 Sep 2007 06:21

brinard wrote: i told him i was in THE Tom Mosher's house at worlds with THE Flash, exectioner, vasek, and others when he called and i was partying. it was cool.

In footbag it's rude to call somebody "THE."

Drew · Post by **Drew** » 10 Sep 2007 09:32

My family tends to be supportive of Footbag; they hang outside and watch me shred sometimes and are impressed by my continuing progress.

Most of my friends are at least into hacky sack, so they think it's cool that I'm so into it. I busted out some moves the other day in front of a friend and he said "wow you're amazing. You look like you'd be a hacky sacker," I'm not sure what he meant

I like to shred here on campus so I get looks from people, but very few actually take the initiative to ask what I'm doing.

In general my friends and family support me in my choice to footbag