Mixed messages.
In the first ever male/female attempt at a doubles
consecutive record, Tricia George and Gary Lautt
blow the roof off 100,001. This was just one of
1995's many highlights.
Just when you thought every kicker in the whole world was resigned to either net or freestyle, new consecutives records start dropping off the trees like frozen warblers. A rare planetary alignment, radon gas emissions, or too much red meat could be responsible, but something has made 1995 the year to beat up on "the limits." Whatever the impetus, we heartily thank the group of ceiling-pushers credited herein. After all, it's the consecutive records of the sport that pack the biggest wollup when it comes to providing an impressive verbal introduction to footbag for the general public. From the clueless person's perspective, envisioning these types of achievements is much more meaningful, if not retainable, than attempting to wrap one's brain around "snapping an inside spike down from three feet above the post" or "busting a paradox torque to mobius to paradox blender combo." (Who among us doesn't relish those psuedo-self-aggrandizing moments when we get to rattle off the latest consecutives numbers to an eager, impressionable beginner? (pause) Anyone?,... I thought so.) For these reasons, if not simply for the fun of it, let's hope that years like 1995 revisit the sport as often as possible.
As anyone who frequents the Web will tell you, reports of new record
attempts have been flowing like wine for the better part of a year now.
Whether successful or not, we all can share in these experiences,
having each known the highs and lows associated with pursuing our own
goals in footbag consecutive at one time or another.
Photo: Shown here in one of his less well-known footbag postures, consecutives marathoner-turned-sprinter Andy Linder has the 1,000 mark steady in his cross hairs. It'll be any day now.
The virus (that's what we seem to have on our hands) apparently has its roots somewhere in Malta, Illinois where, in November '94, the 3-1/2 year-old speed consecs record of 912 was overtaken by Andy Linder's run of 944. (See Footbag World vol. 12, no. 1, "Repeat Offender.") Since then, the Linder Chronicles have unfolded fast and furiously. Let's see now, there was...
Ed. Note: The above numbers for "speed consecs" indicate the
number of kicks in 5 minutes, where the player must alternate between
the left and right feet (or knees) without dropping, to be considered for
an official world record. See the IFAB rules
for more information. SLG
If this weren't enough activity under the speed consecutives umbrella, enter Tricia George (Clackamas, OR) not long after the birth of her second child, nudging her women's record up to 749 on May 27th and again to 761 in late July.
Not all the singles kickers were out for speed. Decorated veteran,
Constance Constable, a middle school teacher in Monterrey, CA, drew
inspiration from her students hard at work on their own consecutive
records to rattle a women's singles record that sat idle since 1987. On
May 27th, Constable tacked on 2,000+ to the dusty old mark, settling at
17,669.
Encouraged by the ease with which she climbed into the upper
teens, she made a second attempt on August 1. After roughly 3-1/4 hours
under Menlo Park, California's hot mid-day sun, Constable and her
revolutionary Camelback water pack rested at 18,936. Privy to inside
information that at least three other formidable women will attempt to
break it, Constance anticipates a relatively short shelf-life for her
record and selflessly looks forward to watching the numbers climb.
Photo: Basking in the afterglow of her second women's singles world record, Constance Constable brandishes the tools of her trade.
Although unsuccessful, the other singles effort worthy of note this past year came from Chico, California's 46-year-old Gary Lautt, the first individual to challenge guru Ted Martin's private domain since June of 1988. Despite the comfortable setting of Eugene, Oregon's Hilton Hotel lobby, a sprained ankle (unrelated to the attempt) thwarted Lautt's September 15 effort at 34,604, well short of Martin's 51,155.
No stranger to marathon kicking sessions, Lautt took a couple of months to regroup and then focused his sights on the doubles mark, a record he broke with Jimmy Caveney a total of four times, most recently in April '92. With Caveney now on the organizational end of this and other footbag events, Lautt looked to Oregon's Tricia George to accompany him in what was probably the most significant consecutive attempt of the calender year. The standing mark of 100,001 kicks set by Linder and Martin stood dauntingly above its 75,000 kick predecessor. (Not so coincidently, this was set by Lautt & Caveney.)
George joined Lautt and a support staff of 15 fellow footbag devotees in Chico on the morning of November 11th. Allowing for the best-case scenario, kicking ensued at 6:11 am. A staggering 19 hours and 38 minutes later the pair fell prey to reason and caught the 'bag at 123,456, annihilating the previous mark. Whew.
From the extreme to the bizarre, perhaps one of the least cited footbag records tracked by the Guiness book is that of the largest circle. However, not even the obscure was left unchallenged during 1995's comprehensive siege on the consecutive kingdom. Organized by Scott Cleere (Redondo Beach, CA) on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, June 25, 1986 saw 862 people playing footbag in a circle. No "hacks" were reported, but the event won a Wham-O sponsored national contest and Cleere was awarded $10,000 in prize money.
The suitors to this throne were students of Illinois' St. Patrick High School, on the school's 125th anniversary. Late last summer, over 20 buses were chartered to haul roughly 1,000 students to downtown Chicago's Grant Park for what was sure to be history in the making. Although exceptionally well organized, sponsored, and covered by the local media, unseasonably poor weather conditions forced the school's superintendent to postpone the event till another time. An "A" for effort and best of luck with take two.
While we're on the subject of the unusual, let's not forget to mention the world's first consecutive record in takraw. A close cousin to footbag, takraw is played with a woven plastic or ratan ball about the size of a small cantaloupe. Andy Linder hoped to pioneer and establish the consecutives event (in takraw), not to set a huge, unbreakable record. With this in mind, Linder bounced a quick 10,000 at a June 3, 1995 takraw tournament in Washington D.C. and a sport was born.
Kudos to all you past, present, and future record holders. Every new
record rewards you with well desreved recognition and pushes the sport
repeatedly into the public eye. Whatever it is that inspires you to go
the distance, order a double next time and Footbag World will pick up
the tab,...uh,...give me just a minute to check on that though, would ya?
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Records Copyright © 1996 World Footbag Association.
On-Line Edition by Steven L. Goldberg, January, 1996.
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