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Submitted by: Ethan Husted
How are the great freestyle footbag players defined you might ask? A good place to start is by looking a player’s contributions to the sport and its scene. What impact did they make? What did they accomplish in their run? What legacy did they pass on? There are many individuals who have made their contributions for the betterment of the sport. This list however is comprised only of the icons that made their mark as players first. Each athlete on this list has made a great and everlasting impact on the sport with their advancement of the freestyle game. Some players on the list have not yet had their stories fully written yet (Vasek Klouda for example), and in time other players may come along and earn a place among these greats. As of 2009 however, this is Fourkast’s official list of the greatest Freestyle Footbag Players of all time.
1. Kenny Shults
Era: Late 1970s-mid 2000s (for freestyle playing, still competitive in Net) What can you say about the person that made the sport what it is today? Not only did Shults create many of the root moves (and the idea of combos in general), he basically dominated across the footbag spectrum (net, consecutives, golf, and doubles) for almost a decade and a half. Kenny basically laid the ground work for what freestyle is today, and still remains essentially the Michael Jordan of footbag. Kenny won numerous World Champion titles in a variety of events for a great many years, as well as conquered numbers of other events in his time. Kenny retired from freestyle competition in 1996 (but still dominates and is the current US Champion in net), but as late as 2008 he was still freestyling and impressing with his signature high energy dynamic style and technicality. As of now, Kenny still holds the record on longest footbag career, spanning three decades total. There is also a stature to the man; you simply know that you are in the presence of a king when Mr. Shults is around. He is a giant that influenced many of the other giants in the game, namely Rick Reese and Peter Irish to name a few. Kenny has had a hand in about every area of footbag worth mentioning; from his domination in all footbag events to his epic production of Tricks of the Trade to his role in the formation of the Big Add Posse, if it was footbag, Kenny was involved in it. All freestylers derive from Mr. Shults and his foundation laying work, he is essentially the source of modern freestyle today. Having sported a footbag freestyle career that spanned over three decades, our hats go off to Kenny Shults, still the greatest freestyler of all time.
2. Peter Irish:
Era: Late 1980s to mid 2000s Peter Irish is quite simply the crowned prince of freestyle footbag. In many ways, Peter was to the 90’s what Kenny was to the 80’s, essentially a dominating force. Considered by many to still be the smoothest freestyler to date, Peter helped boost the game in term of higher technicality (helping cross the guiltless threshold) and form. Many of his moves and combos simply looked effortless, almost weightless in fact. To watch Irish play was as watching someone who was enlightened by footbag, but also someone who was enlightening others through the sport. Peter won his first World Champion title in 1991, and then proceeded to win the next two consecutive years to prove it was no fluke. After Kenny Shults took his final Worlds in 1994, Mr. Irish returned (in what many consider his best year) presenting a strong leap ahead of the pack, and took back the Worlds title in 1995. He would proceed to take the 1997 titles as well. By the time Peter retired from competition in 2005, he had achieved something that no other play had accomplished; making finals at Worlds 15 consecutive years in a row. Peter is is also accredited with developing a new discipline, footbag juggling essentially, for which is still by far the best in the world. These days Irish continues to be involved in the footbag scene, mainly acting as a source of inspiration to the legions of players and icons. All in all, Peter Irish has had an amazing career, and for this he has earned this high spot on the list of greatest freestylers of all time.
3. Vasek Klouda:
Era: Early 2000s to present The only player on the list who’s accomplishments may still not be fully realized or completed (due to his more recent nature). If it was Kenny in the 80’s, and Peter in the 90’s, then it has most certainly been Vasek in the new millennium. It can be said that Vasek and the Czech crew are largely responsible for the boom in freestyle footbag during the early 2000’s. Vasek rose to power relative quickly; within two years of beginning freestyle he was World Champion at age 15. Beginning in a hotly debated victory over Ryan Mulroney in 2002, Vasek would cement his standing and reign in the footbag community over the next fives year by initiating a winning streak that lasted from 2002 to 2007, six World victories in a row. In his six years as champion, Vasek basically broke (or pushed forward) almost every freestyle record in the books; from number of dropless routines to his groundbreaking tripless/fearless/beastly/jackpot runs. His level of technicality and sheer natural talent pushed the game years forward and raised the bar on what was physically possible in the sport. Vasek stepped miles ahead of the pack, and inspired a whole generation of new freestylers to elevate their own games. Known as a cross body master (amazingly strong with his clipper and osis moves), Vasek will probably be eternally remembered for having the best and most utilized ankle crank in the sport. Outside of this however Mr. Klouda is a master at almost every freestyle concept. Vasek remains current in the game, and though he finally was overtaken in 2008 (ironically in another somewhat controversial Worlds call), the final chapter of Vasek Klouda remains to be written. As I write this article, Vasek Klouda has just reclaimed his title of World Champion (2009), for a groundbreaking seventh time. For everything this still young freestyle has accomplished thus far, he is well deserving of his place on the list of greatest freestylers of all time.
For full article with images, please check out;
http://www.fourkast.com/magazine/article/kenny/the-top-ten-freestyle-footbag-players-all-time
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