Well, as of today Ive let 20 years pass since I made a singles footbag consecutives record (kicking a hacky sack as long as possible), attempt in the life form of a 22-year old, 11,133 in a row for the Louisiana record. Ive included a pic of 20-year old Steve @ LSU in 92 & 24-year old Steve in 96 @ in NOLA that I got from my pal SJ yesterday here, so that if you mash them together, your mind may be able to imagine 22-year old Steve. I had set the 1st Louisiana record in 1988 at my Louisiana Championships tournament in Pineville on 7/2/88 with 3034 in a row, then I broke that mark with 10,132 at the 1992 La. Championships in Pineville. I didnt make an attempt 2 years, 92-94, after having made maybe 30 attempts as a spry 16-year old in 1988 alone, during my wild young hacky sacky sack buck years (I was a 3-yr. old hacky vet then). On 11/12/94, I set my last personal footbag consecutive kicks record, at my 1994 La. Championships, my only attempt in New Orleans, luckily breaking my 10,132 state record with 11,133. My Hall of Fame hacky sack friend Derrick Fogle, who is I think #5-ranked all-time with 20,004 in a row, told me last year when I visited him in Missouri a year ago that he thinks my score likely puts me in the Top 20 all-time rankings of personal records, which blew my mind... I had no idea that I was anywhere in that league. I lived half a block off the St. Charles streetcar line, my 3rd month in town, and I was 2 months from starting my current 20-yr. bicycle life, so I didnt even have a bike. So I just quietly took the streetcar way Uptown to Audubon Park, and slowly walked by myself, breathing deeply, the very long distance across the park from Tulane & Loyola to the Mississippi River, near the Audubon Zoo. It was a very pleasant sunny day with mild winds and wild minds (mine), but nothing to much disturb my fairly stalwart footbag in flight, it had a few ounces on it, this Proton glow-in-the-dark footbag. As usual, the all-black Converse All-Star Chuck Taylors were ready to roll out the black magic they always do for my hacky sack play. I made my kicking spot atop a manmade hill with the zoo quite a few yards to the east, a decent many yards north of The Fly, the popular recreational spot on the Mississippi. The rest was much of a meditation zone, I cant distinctly remember any mobile living beings around during the whole attempt, either nearby or in the distance, I think I was pretty well tuned-in. I think some tiny gusts of wind took the bags flight off path by tiny measures, but I dont think I had to make any extraordinary saves. Was luckily able to do the whole rally in simple meditative mode, left-inside foot, right-inside-foot, left foot, etc., all the way through to 11,133, when my tiring legs were slowing, and my left leg didnt get up enough in time to get the foot levelled, and the bag blipped off the narrow edge of foot right below my toe...11,133 in a row, my 3rd Louisiana record in 6 years, and the moment felt unreal & danced around my bewildered weary mind...it took just over 1 hour & 50 minutes, took a while more to absorb the event into my consciousness. My walk, wearied, was in the weird pretzel-shaped bowed-legged gait that takes my body over after a big rally like that, but it always slowly subsides in moments. So I absorbed the moment quietly alone, walked the long walk all the way back to the streetcar line, then took it back to the Lower Garden District 1865 efficiency I had just recently rented. On the streetcar, no seats, so had to stand, talked to nobody about my historic personal moment, although it was cascading all around my mind. I think it was that night that James Harley & Dave Spears arrived from Austin (a mystery of a place that I only heard greatness about till finally seeing it in 2010) to kick me around at footbag net the next day at my tournament, but I was honored those pros attended. If I can possibly manage to attend to many pressing life tasks, Id like to attempt my record again, at age 42 instead of 22, here in Austin. Unsure what the Texas record is...maybe the 17,650 that super-legend Andy Linder got in Houston at the 88 US Open in the sweltering April? Im looking at the week between Christmas & New Years, but sure would love to kick in the cushy indoors if I could find a spot, as I dont have the daring to endure through climate extremes anymore, like that nutty but spunky youngster so often did.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Nov 2014 16:24:26 +0000
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