Footbag Demo Teaches Peace Through Footbag
This morning my wife, Sunny Freeman Genz along with Jim Penske and myself participated in a school assembly at Jefferson Middle School in Caldwell, Idaho. We only had a limited time (about 15 minutes) and most of was spent talking about footbag and peace. Sunny did all of the talking, I demonstrated a few tricks (dropping double around the world), and then Jim did a full 2-minute worlds style routine flawlessly.
What follows is Sunny’s speech as written by Sunny.
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“I say, grant yourself permission to have all that life has to offer — and you will discover it has more to offer than you’ve ever imagined.” Actually Neale Donald Walsch said that and I agree. Life IS full of wonderful opportunities, we just have to recognize them.
I’m here today to share with you a story about something I love, a sport called freestyle footbag. We have an incredible player here today to demonstrate this sport. Jim Penske is one of the top players on the planet, easily among the top 5 in the world. You are all in for a treat. Today I will also share with you my vision for Peace.
The roots of the sport, “footbag,” go back a ways. Coincidentally, it goes back to 1972, the year I was born, to Oregon, the state in which I was born. Back in the day, two guys got together in a park quite regularly, to kick around a little cloth bag with some beans sewn into it. They called it, “Hackin’ the Sack.” Whamo Corporation bought the idea from them, and those two guys, John Stallberger and Mike Marshall are credited with creating what many of you call “Hacky Sack.”
I started playing footbag when I was about 13, although I called it “Hacky Sack” back then. Circle kicking was the popular style of play, and always a fun time. The most important rule was to always serve to someone else, “no self-serving.” The people in the circle would work together to keep the footbag up. The idea was that everyone in the circle should kick it at least once before it hit the ground. This was called “getting a hack.” Sometimes it would take hours to get a hack, depending on people’s skill level, the size of the circle, and the kind of footbag we were using. The objective was to get everyone to concentrate, which wasn’t always easy! It really didn’t matter if you were good or not, all that mattered is that you made an effort. Footbag created the opportunity to meet many new people and spend time with friends.
Whenever I saw a circle I would join. The hack circle was always an open circle. It was always inclusive. No one was turned away, anyone could join.
I could play for hours on end. For those of you who play, you know this sport can be very addicting. How many of you play?
Would someone here be willing to come up and demonstrate some kicks? (If no one volunteers, mention that the volunteer will receive a video and a footbag.) [Discuss the basic kicks.] BOTH SIDES
Then, in 1998 I was introduced to a new way to play. It was called freestyle. It all started with a stall.
Daryl, could you come up and help me here? Everyone say “Hi” to my husband Daryl.
There are literally hundreds of tricks, each with a specialized name. I was shown a “Tricks of the Trade” instructional video, and handed descriptions of the moves printed off the internet, for me to study. People I played with encouraged me to learn the names, they told me it would make it easier to keep the concepts straight in my head, and help me to learn the moves.
To begin with there was the mirage, the leg-over, the clipper, the butterfly, the osis, the whirl, and the around-the-world.
[Daryl, show us a mirage, a leg-over, a clipper, a butterfly, an osis, a whirl, an around-the-world. How about a double-around-the-world, Daryl?]
This was just for starters. I had a lot to learn! There were concepts such as symposium, paradox, cross-body, ducking and diving, spinning and in-spinning. I had to learn about the “add system,” a way of giving each trick a value based on its level of difficulty. I remember people talking about whether or not a move was “crispy” or “original recipe.”
There were uptime and downtime components. There were “sets” such as pixie, fairy, stepping, atomic, nuclear, quantum, gyro, blazing, and barraging. I had to learn that a set was done “uptime” that is, while the footbag was traveling up. A second component was added while the bag was traveling back down.
I had to learn what was meant by dexterity: dexing the bag, the x-dex, and double-dex moves. The tricks had names like smear, rip-walk, atom-smasher, pendulum, blur, smog, paradon, phoenix and scorpion’s tail. [Daryl, "ripwalk" "blur" "atom-smasher." How about a "pendulum?"] I had to learn the components of each trick. For example a blur is a stepping set-mirage. It was like learning a whole new language!
I was overwhelmed! I didn’t really know where to start. Just understanding the concepts were a challenge, let alone training my body to execute these moves! Then, if I wanted to become a shredder, I had to learn how to link all the moves together! It seemed impossible. But now I realize nothing is impossible.
Not even peace. As war begins with thoughts of war, peace begins with thoughts of peace. Peace begins in the hearts and minds of each individual. Peace refers to an inner state of consciousness. It is expressed through kind words and actions. Peace is something we need to first understand in our minds. It’s kind of like footbag.
In footbag must first understand the concept, then we visualize how to move our bodies in order to execute the move. So now I ask you to visualize peace. What does peace look like? Feel like? Maybe Peace needs an instructional video! Peace is built with love and compassion. Then, once we understand the concepts, we must then try to put them into practice. It might be hard at first, especially if this is new to us.
With Peace, we begin with peaceful thoughts about ourselves, positive thoughts, loving thoughts. I hope this is not something new to any of you! We hold peaceful thoughts in our minds about ourselves and the people around us. We do not blame, or hate, judge or criticize ourselves or others. We learn to communicate peacefully with those around us. We learn to smile.
As with footbag, it all starts with believing. I believe in order to create for ourselves: peaceful lives, peaceful communities, and a peaceful planet, we must first believe Peace Is Possible! We must first understand what peace is and then practice it. We must rid ourselves of the violence and negative thinking that only creates suffering. We must eliminate negative thoughts about ourselves and others. We must embrace our opportunities and develop our true potential and express the best in us. We must inspire others to do the same. We must think positive. We must not be afraid to try something new. We must forgive ourselves if we do not learn quickly, at least we’re trying.
I play footbag just about everyday and my skills are always improving. An important lesson that I had to learn was not to compare myself to others, and to only look at the progress I have made.
Also, I never disrespect someone whose skills are not as developed as mine. I respect everyone that makes an effort. I offer encouragement and sometimes advice. I try to remember back to when I was first learning. I empathize when they struggle and celebrate with them when they make progress. It’s the small successes that motivate and keep you going!
I am inspired by those who have developed incredible skills way beyond mine. I celebrate their accomplishments. People like Jim who is here with us today. I say again, you are all in for a treat!
At the world championships there is much screaming and cheering. Props are always given to those that step up and play their best. I have been to Europe and have played with young people from around the world. I now have footbag friends in the Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Germany, France, Poland, Japan, and Canada. Thirty-five countries were represented at the 2003 World Footbag Championships and we were at once an international family… spending the whole week playing together, exploring the new city together, eating together, playing games, dancing, sharing music, stories and laughter. Sharing a love for a sport. Sharing our humanity. Celebrating our diversity, yet recognizing our Oneness.
I feel footbag is actually a vehicle for peace. Peace through play and a shared love for the sport. Peace through teaching and inspiring others. Inner Peace through accepting life’s challenges and the personal growth we experience as a result. Peace through celebrating our progress and success. Peace created through circles of individuals who choose to cooperate and respect each other. Peace through a growing international family.
By pushing the limits of what is humanly possible, by stepping out-of-the-box and redefining our own humanity; by pushing the envelope with intense focus, dedication, and determination; and fueled by the desire to be our best, we are making history.
We are the creators of our own lives through the conscious choices we make every minute of every day. I choose to play footbag. You may choose to play the flute, or sculpt or sing. You may choose to offer your service to your community to help those who are in need. You may be a writer, a comedian, an artist, a dancer. Whatever it is, please do not miss the opportunities life has to offer, and do not forget to offer something back! I know that you each have something within you, to offer the world. I hope you all know that there is great potential in each and every one of you. Express your greatness and please remember to create peace through your thoughts and actions.
I met my husband at a footbag tournament. We now have our own footbag company, Freedom Footbags. Many of my best friends are shredders. I also play footbag with my son, an eighth grader at South Middle School in Nampa. The footbag community is like my extended family. This sport has brought me to five World Championships. This sport has offered me an opportunity to travel the world and make great friends everywhere I go. This sport has offered me the opportunity to develop my skills, express myself, and stay healthy. I have challenged myself and in turn have experienced a lot of personal growth. This sport has been an opportunity for so many wonderful things. I am so glad I recognized the opportunity.
Now, I have the opportunity to introduce a good friend of mine. It has been a privilege to watch Jim Penske develop his skills since I first met him five years ago. A true shredder, one of the best in the world, born and raised in the great state of Idaho, he’s a real Gem… give it up for Jim Penske.
