by Juliet Pendray

THE STAGE WAS SET... Kenny Shults, the universally acknowledged grand master of the sport of footbag, quoted a 1978 Newsweek article in his speech which said that footbag, like other sports, would one day have "its Hacky Sack® superstars, a Hacky Sack® world series, and a Hacky Sack® Hall of Fame." Much of the exhilarated charge pervading the room all night came from the joy of having finally achieved those goals in footbag. The setting itself was inspired: black and silver balloon bouquets towered from glittering table center pieces and framed the podium, setting off the matching elegant decor of the ballroom. As we waited for the first guests to arrive, the pervading thought in our minds was, "Well, good grief! How will a hall full of kickers look dressed up for a formal dinner? Will we recognize anyone out of their shorts and T-shirts?" Right on cue, the first to arrive was Mr. Hacky Sack® himself, John Stalberger, looking stunning in a pewter-and-black suit, and positively beaming. More and more guests arrived, rivaling each other in elegance.

"THE PASSION NEVER REALLY GOES AWAY... even though life changes." Those memorable words were from Ruth Kaufman, who attended with her husband Rick, both longtime footbag organizers from New Jersey. The ballroom was a glittering sea of excited footbag folk, all visibly passionate about their sport, if their manner and dress were any indication. The volume rose in greetings, giggles and yelps as acquaintances were renewed, new kickers were introduced to veterans, and friends separated by years or geography were crushed in bear hugs. I saw kickers pause between greetings with wide eyes and stunned faces. The phrase that drifted past my ears most was, "I am so blown away!" My table-mate sat down quietly with a wide grin. I asked him what was up, and he said, solemnly, "Ah, this is so good. This is such a great thing."

Some of those present were famous for their starring roles in footbag development past and present (see Who's Who in Footbag History on pg. 21), some were new kickers, others had not been involved for years. But from talking to some folks and eavesdropping on others, I discovered that the feelings expressed by Ruth were shared by all. There is a passion in the heart and guts of us all about footbag and our footbag community.

"YOU DON'T THINK OF EDISON WHEN YOU TURN ON A LIGHT... and you may not think about the creators of the sport of footbag every time you kick a bag." So said Scott Cleere, himself a former World Footbag Champion and the Master of Ceremonies for the program. With his natural comic sense and liquid voice, he kicked off the event with a salute to the pioneers, asking everyone present to think for a moment about the person who first taught them how to kick a footbag. A hush fell over the crowd and, in that moment, Scott set the tone for the evening by calling on us all to continue to make the pioneers proud. The first speaker of the evening was then introduced¬Larry Graves, one of the first educators to recognize the value of footbag and establish it in physical education curricula. Larry gave us examples of some of the many reasons that footbag is unique¬most notably, the courtesy toss, cooperative spirit, and camaraderie that is inherent in the sport.

John Stalberger, the co-inventor of the footbag, was next to speak. Introduced to the crowd as "Mr. Hacky Sack®," he was joined by Scott "Mag" Hughes, Billy Hayne, and Greg Cortopassi (three former champions and dedicated founders who did much to develop the sport of footbag). The first of many thunderous standing ovations rocked the crowd, as we thanked these fathers of footbag for helping to create the sport that changed our lives and gave us so much joy in the playing.

MEANWHILE, THE NOT-SO-SILENT AUCTION CONTINUED... At the side of the ballroom, an array of coveted footbag memorabilia and esoterica waited for written bids. The most sought-after items were an enormous I-Dig footbag, one of two in existence, and a complete collection of Footbag World magazines (Final bidder of magazines, Joe Solonoski dished out a whopping $135.00). The last remaining contenders hooted, and mock growls emanated from various quarters of the room, heard periodically as strategic "rushes" were made to the auction tables. (I was reminded of other settings where I'd seen those same happy faces embroiled in fierce competition!)

HOW WE CAME TO BE HERE... Introduced as "The Greatest Kicker on the Planet," Kenny Shults came to the podium to give us a multi media tour through the key moments and people in the creation and history of footbag. An easy and entertaining speaker, Kenny used archival photographs and related stories, jokingly referring to this as "the history project" that he had worked hard on in the past year. I heard surprised muttering in Finnish from the next table as Kenny began in 1979 with the eight-foot-high net. Another picture showed the members of the reportedly wild first footbag tour¬Eddie Robertson, William Fischetti, Jerry Cunningham and John Stalberger¬who covered the territory from east Texas through southwestern Louisiana. Kenny took us through the eighties, covering world champions, new kicks, freestyle prodigies, the change to the existing five-foot net, and the new spiking game. Kenny closed with a memorable photo of Mike Marshall, the co-creator of the Hacky Sack®. Mike was all the more greatly missed on this evening, because he died before seeing his dreams for the sport come to fruition. Mike's wife, Linda Marshall-Roberts, presented Greg Cortopassi, John Stalberger, and Bruce Guettich with a classic photo of Mike and John together in 1972, and the crowd leapt to its feet in applause. THE INDUCTION... The first inductees to the Footbag Hall of Fame roll were introduced (see Who's Who...), and each gave a short speech from the podium, telling footbag stories of past and present, putting flesh to the feeling of camaraderie and warmth that filled the ballroom. The effect was vivid. We were reminded again and again that footbag is not just a sport. For some, like Eddie Robertson, it can be a way of life! Eddie spoke about footbag changing his life dramatically. "I had a life," he said, "going along fine until I got involved with Hacky Sack®. So, I gave it all up and went with Hacky Sack®...". Another inductee, Will Fischetti, said his parents reacted like he had run away with the circus when he joined the Hacky Sack® touring team. All of the inductees looked back on their decisions with happiness and without regret. Hall of Famers also talked of the dedication required to keep the sport growing. There were wry grins and allusions to endless diets of peanut butter and waffles for the touring demonstration teams. Many, like Walt Mason, Billy Hayne and Gary Gaman, said they focused on the "energy center" of the circle, the almost magical connection between kickers, and the love and laughter in "the big family" of footbag.

Perhaps Eddie Robertson said it best when he closed with the quote, "They say you can tell a man by the quality of his friends. I want to thank all the footbaggers in my life for putting me in such good light." If all the footbag players of today and yesterday could speak as one voice, it is certain they would join in saying a heartfelt thanks to the pioneers of footbag, for sharing their light with us all. Hall of Famers, we are in your debt.