Empty wrote:Since I'm not natvie english speaker my question is: did I make a mistake?
If your comment only referred to "pushing the technical limits of the sport," then I'd say it was a little strange. If however you meant it to refer to:
Empty wrote:Jorden helps beginners, with videos about Common Mistakes, and Best Drills For Proggression. Also he invented a program that should help new people.
...and you consider that as doing a lot for the sport, then no, it's not a mistake.
I guess the reason I found the comments I quoted in the first post jarring, is that when I think of somebody "doing so much for footbag," I think of things like starting a club, hosting a tournament, or building a website promoting the sport. Dave and Jorden are undeniably great players, and have indeed pushed the technical limits of the sport. That said, neither has done any of the aforementioned. I think Jorden's videos for beginners and his new program have promise, but I'm not sure how much of an impact they've had on the sport yet.
If somebody asked me: "Ken, name some people you'd say have 'done so much for footbag!'" I'd throw out names like this:
Steve Goldberg: Built footbag.org, active participant in IFPA committees, sponsors players to attend tournaments, hosted numerous tournaments, provides funding for worlds, etc.
Vince Bradley: Single-handedly kept a tournament running for something like 15 years (East Coast Champs)
Eli Piltz: Built flipsider.com, which brought in several new players. Actively marketed footbag videos to markets outside of footbag, which in turn led to more exposure for the sport.
Chris Ott/John Stalberger: Hosted major tournaments, largely sponsored by themselves.
Paul Mestas/Daryl Genz: made cheap, yet quality footbags easily available to the public. Before freedom footbags, you couldn't buy a freestylable bag for under $25. Now you can get them for like $5.
I think it's admirable and amazing when players like Dave, Jorden, Milan, etc. push the technicality to incredible limits. It advances the sport. But when I think of "doing so much for footbag," I think more in terms of promoting the sport, getting people into it, and helping it grow. That's why I find it strange when people make that comment referring to players who are technically amazing, but are not promoters of the sport in other ways.
The reason I started this thread though, was to see what other people think. Do other people interpret that comment the way I do? Or is the comment now a standard compliment for technical shred achievement?