The sun goes down in Montreal. After shredding for about 3 hours, a group of players still remains in a freestyle circle during Worlds 2004. It´s getting late, but the public is still growing, formed by other players and people passing by. There is a reason for that. Everytime the bag reaches one of those players, everyone knows something incredible will happen. Ellis Piltz turns to a friend and asks: "Who is this guy? I´ve never seen him before!". He was Jorden Moir. Now he knows.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: How did you start playing?

JORDEN MOIR: My first year of high school is when I first started kicking. Some friends would kick (not freestyle) during our lunch break. It looked really cool, but they didn’t want me in the circle because I wasn’t a very good kicker. Eventually I bought my own crocheted bag and started practicing on my own. Soon I became a regular in the circle.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:What tricks did you hit first? How did you learn them?

MOIR: First tricks I learned were the basic kicks and flyers (flying clipper, butterflyer, dragonfly) from my high school friends. We used to compete against each other to see who could do the most consecutive flyers. It was a lot of fun.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:What made you start practicing hardcore tricks? Did you realize that you had the ability or just keep increasing your skills?

MOIR: I discovered footbag when I searched for “hacky sack tricks” on the web. The first site I found was the infamous footbag.org. After seeing the competition and single trick videos, It was the most amazing thing I had ever witnessed. I knew it was something I had to try. Once I learned some of the basics, I realized I could continue to add more tricks to my repertoire through lots and lots of practice.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: What would you say for people that quit playing because they think that its too dificult?

MOIR: This happens way too often, unfortunately. Footbag is certainly not an easy sport to learn, and can be very intimidating at first. The best advice I can give is to take everything slow and master the basic kicks first. Use both sides as evenly as you can. Gradually work your way into freestyle, and praise yourself every time you land or get a close attempt of a new trick. Success is not about the end of the journey, it’s about the journey itself. Have fun with it!

FOOTBAG BRASIL: How often do you play?

MOIR: The number of times a week I kick definitely varies somewhat, because of schoolwork and such. Generally I strive for 4 days a week or more, but usually end up having only 2 or 3. I tend to play more nearing competitions, of course. My sessions are usually around 2 ½ hours. Closer to Worlds I’ll hopefully be playing 3-5 hours every day,

FOOTBAG BRASIL:How is your "day after"? Do you get sore easily?

MOIR: Surprisingly, I rarely get very sore after a session. I might need to do some extra stretching the next day at most. Other than that, no, not really.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: Besides footbag, what else do you play?

MOIR: I’ve been 3-ball juggling for about 2 years, playing the guitar for about 7 years, and started practicing yo-yo a few months ago.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:Whats your evaluation of the Worlds 2004/Montreal. Do you think 10º in freestyle was a good deal?

MOIR: Montreal was a really great experience for the most part. It was great that it was held so close to where I live. I was very happy when I found out BAP had inducted me. It was a goal of mine for quite some time. Placing 10th in open routine was better than I could have possibly hoped for. It was really cool meeting and getting to kick with all the top players. I think I will be a lot better prepared for this year’s Worlds as I have gained more experience and ability since last summer.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:Playing in a circle is good for motivation, but as we have seen in your videos, you dont mind to play alone. Is that right?

MOIR: If I disliked playing alone, I would likely never play! There are no serious players really close to where I live, so I most often shred solo. By coming up with a session plan and keeping the tricks and links fresh I’m able to stay interested and motivated.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: So how do your parents deal with your interest for footbag? Do they support you?

MOIR: My folks are very supportive with what I do, my mom in particular. They have purchased a lot of the shred gear I own, and have encouraged me to continue improving and being successful. They are usually willing to give me a ride to group sessions and have helped with competition funds in the past. I wouldn’t be where I am today without them.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: Do you think footbag is an underground sport? If so, do you think it will last forever?

MOIR: Footbag is totally an underground sport. I think the negative stereotypes and the “Hacky Sack” brand name have kept footbag from reaching the mainstream. However, with all the new players and talent world-wide striving to promote the sport I’m sure we’ll get good recognition sometime in the near future.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:Do you think that if big companies put huge ammounts of money, the sport will loose its cooperative purposes?

MOIR: There are certainly upsides and downsides to getting big companies involved in our sport. It could allow for top players to be able to live off of shred, which is a huge bonus. Extra advertising, promotion and coverage could only do benefit. However, the overall underground feel of the sport might be lost as well as the tightness of the community. If companies were to invest money, I would be all for it, as some players could get the funds they most certainly deserve.

FB: How do you see the future of the sport in Brazil?

MOIR: Unfortunately I know very little about Brazil’s shred scene. I would love to hear and learn more. I can only hope you guys will continue to expand your clubs and hone your skills. I look forward to hearing what you guys are throwing down and how the scene is developing.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: What is your concept of footbag?

MOIR: To me, footbag is like a sunken treasure chest. Hardly anyone knows of its existence, and most that do aren’t willing to put all the effort into retrieving it. But the select few that are dedicated (freestylers) are the ones that find the chest and distribute all the riches amongst each other (the community). They share all the beauty and wonder within that no regular person would ever know or care about. Footbag is a hidden treasure to me, and I don’t want to know where I would be if I never found it.

FOOTBAG BRASIL:If you could describe footbag in a single word, which one would you choose?

MOIR: Hmm…one word. I’d have to say “transcendent”. It basically means ‘over and beyond everything else’. This is what footbag is like to me. It is one of the most visually stunning sports and extremely fun to play. I’m so glad that I found it so early.

FOOTBAG BRASIL: Last question: is there any trick that you can’t hit?

MOIR: Well, of course there are tricks that are beyond me, but I don’t really like thinking of it that way. Instead of saying “I can’t hit this”, I say “I will hit this”. It’s a good philosophy that has served me well in my years as a freestyler.

SEE ALSO
Interview with Peter Irish: the footbag´s guru

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