Part I:
I would like to share with the world, my experiences, thoughts, and endeavors as I strive to make my dreams come true. Life to me has been a wild journey so far. And it continues to grow and become more exciting every day that I live it.
This is my story.
Growing up I was one of those kids in school that didn't really enjoy going to class. Instead I would be daydreaming about new tricks on my skateboard, or playing hacky sack in the halls. The two classes I could stand going to was Art and Gym, as they were also a creative and physical outlet for me just like the sports I was into. To me school was just a way of facilitating the things I loved to do. It may not have been the typical description of what school is supposed to be, or what my parents and teachers had in mind, but what better way to spend time at school than simply learning to do the things you love?
From when I was about 11 years old, I have been into all kinds of what can be described as “extreme”, but at the same time underground sports. My first taste of this was with skateboarding, and snowboarding. I was fascinated by the way I was able to manipulate the boards with my feet, play around with the physics, and feel the effects of gravity. The kin-esthetic and spontaneous nature of these sports stimulated me in a way nothing had before. I usually got very good in the end, but I always began not knowing exactly what I was doing. All I really knew was the amazing feeling it gave me. It was the feeling of being on top of the world when I landed a new trick that kept me going. It was the best thing ever, and it was always a competition against myself. In essence I was the only thing ever holding me back. The questions to be answered were always; how much better could I be than myself five minutes ago, ten, an hour? How much higher and farther could I Ollie since my last attempt? How many runs would it take me to hit this new and amazing trick? When I finally did, there was an addictive quality to the achievement. I couldn’t stop if I wanted to.
After doing this for a few years with skateboarding I wanted to spread out my interests into new areas. I never stopped searching for new outlets to test my talents and abilities. I got into juggling, Ultimate Frisbee, even Rubik’s cube. What I eventually found was a crazy little sport that ended up influencing me more than anything, really, in my life. That was freestyle footbag. It’s basically like the skateboarding of hacky sack. My brother had gotten me into this in December, 2003. I remember it vividly; he bought a VHS tape for us of the 2003 Footbag European Championships called Buda's Best. The 2003 Euro’s taking place in… Budapest. It was truly remarkable, and not just for the competition. It came with a culture; the music, the setting, the various participants. They were from all over the world, so talented, and competing in something so fresh. It was almost surreal, and I wanted more than anything to be a part of it.
To be continued…
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