Freedom Footbags

Jim recently completed an extensive writeup of his sponsored trip to Todexon9 in Prague. The wording has been edited slightly due to the explicit language, but what follows are Jim’s own words about the his week long adventure to Europe…

Prague: Thursday morning, March 13th. I hadn’t slept much on the plane but I wasn’t tired. It was exciting to finally be there. Dexter picked me up from the airport.

He took me to the center of Prague so I could sight see for an hour before Ales came to meet me. He told me to check out this famous bridge. It was amazing to see all the intricate statues and buildings. I had never seen architecture like this in the states.

There were so many crosses, spikes, and steeples. I felt so out of place, like in some medieval world. Making it across the bridge I took pictures in every direction. I must’ve used have of my cameras memory in the first twenty minutes. At the end of the bridge I stuck some Todexon stickers on the wall. Then I headed back to Starbucks where I was meeting Ales.

Ales arrived with a grin on his face. It was great to see him. The last time was in Montreal at 04 Worlds. We chatted for a while. It’s easy to get carried away talking to Ales because he is very smart and I can learn so much from him. We finally left to his house to get some food. His mom made us pork chops and I had a beer with dinner. Ales and I talked for quite a while about footbag and school. Then we headed to meet with the other players. We took the metro to some club that their friend Ondra owns. Inside I met a few new people like Thomass. He’s a really funny guy. I didn’t realize quite how funny he was until later. I felt a little out of place at the table. Everyone was speaking Czech. I was waiting for some English to come my way. And just then Steve Goldberg arrived. It was really good to see him. And say “hi” in English. I get a long with Steve really well. He’s helped me out a lot with my footbag career. So I talked to him for a bit then I went outside to have a short shred with Vasek, and Milan. Vasek said he was leaving for Vienna in an hour so I wanted to kick with him a bit before he left. It was cold and windy but we played anyway. None of us hit much, but it was just so fun to be playing with the champ! He did do one eclipse run that was crazy. Milan was playing well. His form was great and he showed a lot of improvement. I said goodbye to Vasek, then he left for Vienna. Dexter took me to the flat where I would be staying. It was a nice apartment right near a metro stop called Krizikova. He gave me a key and explained how the metro worked. I felt a bit panicked cause I didn’t want to be lost. I felt very alone in this city. That night I had a beer with Dexter and Milan in the bar. I gave Milan my key and told him and Taishi to come wake me in the morning for a shred.

I woke up early the next day, excited to shred. Milan and Taishi arrived and we went to kick in the metro. It was rainy and cold so we needed an indoor spot. After like two runs, we got kicked out. So we went to the basement of the apartment complex. There we found a nice spot to shred. A little small for three people, but it was enough. I had an awesome session with those two. They had such good energy and we were all having the best time. I remember hitting one run with whirring swirl, blurry whirling swirl, and ps whirling swirl both sides. I was happy with it and got some major props from Milan. After about an hour we went back up stairs to get a drink. We watched “Feet on Fire” cause Milan hadn’t seen it. After it was over we all felt like playing more. So we went back down stairs for our second session. We cut it a little short, knowing we’d have to play later at the gym. It was awesome though, Taishi was busting bomb shuffle. And Milan was hitting crazy runs every time.

We got to the gym that night and met all the Polish players. It was great to see all of them in person. I went around and introduced myself. We shredded a bit but mostly I think people wanted food and beer. So we headed to the registration/bar spot. There everyone had some beers and I chatted with the players for quite a while. They asked me a lot of questions about footbag in the states. I shared some funny stories with them and asked some questions of my own. It was getting late and I decided to call it a night. I knew I’d have a big day of competition on Saturday. So I made a deal with Milan to go to Subway in the morning. I needed a taste of America.

After our foot long sandwiches Milan and I headed to the gym near Kampa Park. It took a long time to get there. Never trust Milan to guide you in Prague. When we finally found it Milan threw my map away. I was like “what are you doing you crazy Czech bastard!” He only understands me when I talk sh*t to him. So we went in and had a great session. It was cool to kick in that gym I’ve seen from so many Telovicna videos.

When we were done shredding Milan and I went back to Subway. This time we got six inch. I got the chicken teriyaki and he had ham and cheese. It was the only place we could find with free refills. So that was great. But we didn’t have much time, we still needed to compete in Todexon 9 today!!! We filled the drink one last time and headed to Club Bordo. On the way I talked to Milan a lot. That kid is the sh*t. He had me laughing the whole way. We got to the club and there were hacky sackers everywhere. Everyone was kicking outside cause the weather was just right. There was some crazy lady screaming at everyone. I couldn’t understand her, but I’m sure she was mad there was a bunch of sweaty guys jumping around and music blasting. I thought she would be happy with this free advertisement for her gay club. She ended up calling the police but we had the right to play there since Club Bordo was reserved for us. Then most of the players moved inside. But one German guy practiced his routine close to her entrance. She was so mad! Ha ha ha! She just screamed at us. The funny thing was neither of us understood Czech so we just stared at her. This really pissed her off but eventually she went back in and left us alone. I shredded a bit with this new German guy. (sorry I forgot his name) I was really impressed with his skill. He was hitting revstein like it was nothing. I headed back upstairs. There was a long line to get into the training rooms. So I talked with Honza for a bit. He told me Vasek probably would not compete. He was still in Vienna and wouldn’t make it back until 8:00. I was a bit bummed in hearing this. I really wanted to see him shred and do a routine on stage. However, it was time to think about my routines, not worry about Vasek. In the training rooms backpacks lined the walls. There was a circle in every room. I watched some of the new players I hadn’t seen. I still had several hours until the first competition. All I needed was ten minutes to get warm. I watched a circle with Tina and Oxana in the hallway. I knew from that point that they were the two best female players in the world. They were hitting long runs every time. It was awesome to watch.

Ten minutes until pool A of qualification routines start. I started warming up slow. I still had to wait a while since I was the last player in pool D. I walked around the club anxiously, keeping to myself. Going over the routine in my head. I decided to do “La Noyee” my world’s routine for qualifications. I wasn’t going to do it, but a lot of people said “I would love to see your worlds routine in person.” As the special guest I felt like it was my job to give the people what they wanted. When pool D started I was warming up right around the corner of the main club area. I could hear the crowd cheering. My heart started to race, and adrenaline rushed through my body. I felt alive, excited, and full of energy. I wasn’t nervous, just ready to get this one out of the way. Then I heard them say, “next, our special guest, all the way from Idaho, Jim Penske!” I could barely make my way through the crowd. I climbed the stairs up to the stage. I tried not to look at the crowd. Just imagined I was by myself, ready to practice a routine. When I over think things I mess up. The music started and I played. I think it went well. I hit most of my cues and had only one drop. I think the crowd liked it too. So it was a nice feeling to be done with my first round. Walking past Steve he said “now that’s choreography mother f***er!” And I was really happy to hear that from him. I scratched on sick one but when the last player had gone Thomass called my name. I was talking with Steve and not warmed up at all. But decided to try something. It went bad, I hit nothing at all. Every time someone would drop Thomass would say “NOT COMPLETED!!” And he said it so funny I couldn’t stop laughing. Then he would say stuff like “Jim, you must try harder. Give the people what they want!” And it was just so hilarious but you had to be there. After big one was sick 3 and Olaf went before me so I saw his. He hit his safety and then tried this crazy combo a bunch of times. He was so close I thought he would hit it for sure. He did but not until his 8th attempt. It was nemesis-food-gangster party. I couldn’t believe how clean it was. That’s when I knew Olaf was an incredible player. I went and hit my safety. A standard beast but it was still decent form. Of course Thomass was making fun of me the whole time. He said something like, “that was standard, we need more from you JIM!” But I couldn’t hit anything else, so my mind instantly went back to my finals routine.

Looking at the updated pools I see I’m seated first. That alone made me excited, I could win. Vasek’s name was also on the list but he wasn’t competing. System of a Down- Chop Suey played in my head. I thought it would be good for people who weren’t into footbag cause it’s real popular. Tina was before me in my pool. When she came back, I made my way through the crowd. There was even more people now. My heart started to beat faster. I breathed deep only to taste the tobacco in the air. It was really smoky, Wiktor had warned me in the training rooms. Luckily the smoke didn’t affect me. This time I had to climb up onto the stage. The stairs were packed with screaming fans. I spoke with the music guy to get my cue. Kneeling down, my mind went blank. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through me. The next thing I remember it was over. The crowd screamed and I felt like jumping into their hands and surfing. But then I thought about how small my shorts were and realized I’d be safer on stage. Thinking back about how I did; two drops, good start, and a solid ending. Overall, I was happy with my performance. I was sure it was enough to win.

At the awards ceremony I got some awesome prizes. But the best was my glass Todexon 9 trophy. Gripping it tightly I held it high. What a good feeling. I was so relieved to be done. So much practice and build up for just two minutes.

The beer was great here in Prague, so tasty, so cheap. I had one and reminisced with some of the Austrian guys but then I remembered I needed to shred one more time and let it all out. It’s the tradition I learned from Mulroney. Back to the training rooms: I joined Machek Bujko, Simon Kalzwak, and Olaf Piowar. The POLISH TRYPTYCK!!!! Sorry about the spelling guys. It was a great circle. There were so many people lining the walls we had a very small spot to play. Somehow we all seemed to do good runs every time. It was so fun because of the applause after every run. It was really good energy and I even cut down on there self-serving. I’m sure you’ll see it on video. So I won’ spoil it. It was the most fun circle of the trip.

Sunday was just a fun shred. I played with Honza and Vasek in the same circle. I felt honored to play with both of them. Nothing that huge was hit, but a great time. I moved around and played with everyone. Most would be leaving so I wanted to see them shred. Lots of fun circles that day, just liked watching all the shred. That night I was ready to drink. So we went to Vasek’s favorite bar. We had some appetizers and beer. Then I mentioned absinth. Wondering what it would be like. We each had two shots. Tasted like really strong schnapps. Burned a lot on the way down. J After those Vasek ordered me another beer. I drank about half and had to give the rest to Dexter. These Czech guys will clean any plate or any glass. I felt like puking from the mix of alcohol. I held it in and later I was quite drunk. Late into the night I was with Vojta and Vasek. These two guys are animals. We drank and drank. It was such a good time. It was 4:00 in the morning when Vasek says, “now we go gamble and * EDITED *!” I laughed so hard and so did Vojta. We didn’t find any girls, the streets were empty. We got some munchies and headed home. I was staying with Vasek for the next three days. Dexter had some business to take care of. I was like a 12-year-old girl at a Justin Timberlake concert inside. But I held it in and acted cool. I was gonna be training with the grand master 6-time champion for 3 days!!! HOLY SH*T!!!!

Vasek had a nice little house with a kitchen and a couple rooms. He had a bed made up for me which I thought was nice of him. I didn’t expect it at all. There are some shelves in his room stacked with trophies. He has a dog named Kimi. A really nice pit-bull, mostly white with brown spots.

That night we went to meet Ales for some weight training. Ales convinced me to start training my upper body. We did mostly arms and stayed away from back as to not be sore for shred. We didn’t have much time but it was a really good workout. Amazing to see Ales in person. He’s so f***ing ripped! His bicep are like my waist. Vasek is really strong too. They both gave me motivation to train much harder.

The next day Honza and Vaska took me sight seeing around Prague. They took me to all the places Feet on Fire was filmed. It’s such an amazing city. I took a lot of pictures from that day so check them out in my other Todexon photos. After a long day of walking we met up with Jana, Taishi, and Oxana to say goodbye. Then we headed to Honza’s house for dinner. His girlfriend made us dinner and we all ate. Then we headed back to Vasek’s to sleep.

The next morning I woke up early. I’ve never been so excited in my life. We took Kimi out for a walk. We jogged down a path through the hills behind his house. There were lots of trees, the air felt refreshing. We made a big lap back to his house to drop his dog off, grabbed some food, then went to the gym. It was really nice there and Vasek got me in for free. We changed into shred clothes then went upstairs to a nice carpeted area. Vasek took me through some warm up exercises and stretching. I practiced some really basic moves and he told me things to work on. He showed me some handstand moves that were sick. We shredded for about an hour and I felt like I learned a lot already. Then we went into the gym and did some lifting. It felt good to lift for the second time. I was already feeling stronger. We went and ate and then decided to go swimming. Ales met us there and we swam some laps. It felt so good on the muscles. We would sit in the sauna for 10 minutes, jump in the pool, shower, and sauna, repeat. We did it about five times until my muscles felt like jello. I was so relaxed. We went to Chinese that night and talked a lot. Everyone can learn so much from Ales. He is really a genius when it comes to theories in footbag. He’s the only one giving it so much thought. So I soaked up as much as I could. Listening to every word he said. I really believe Ales is a big reason Vasek got so good. Not to take anything away from Vaska he is the golden child. But they work very well together. Ales is like the mind and Vasek the machine. I just wish I could train with them every day. At the metro I said my good byes to Ales. He helped me so much. He even wrote a page and half of tips specifically for me. And I know he doesn’t have much time to spare. I really appreciate him taking the time for me. THANK YOU ALES!

That night Vasek made some food. He’s a real good cook. I looked at his 50 lb bag of gold medals. I could barely lift them all. I talked with him for a while about Idaho and hunting. He said he wants to come to Idaho after worlds and hunt with me. Imagine that video! Vasek and Penske bear hunting! I set the alarm on Vasek’s phone and put it next to my bed. He told me to wake him in the morning. When we got up he rode with me to the airport. I was sad to be leaving. It’s funny, cause at the first of the week I was almost home sick. But by the time I left I was so used to it. It’s really a great city. We got to the airport and I expected Vasek to go but he waited in line with me through customs and the security checkpoint. It was cool of him to do that. He could of just said there’s the bus to the airport but he stayed with me the whole time. When I finally had to go I said thanks and goodbye with the promise to see him at worlds. He looked back at me and said, “you stay at my place during worlds.” I thought that was awesome. Especially since Dexter and Honza told me “he’s never shown anyone his house. You’re like the only one.” I felt honored.

You can see Jim’s final routine directly on Youtube, or, watch it right here:

All photos copyright Jim Penske.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 7:35 pm and is filed under Footbag Community, Freedom News, Jim Penske, Sponsorships, Tournaments, Vaska Klouda, video, youtube. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.