Memphis Footworks

2009-04-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

First Annual Mud Island Belt!

Memphis Footworks is pleased to announce "The Mud Island Belt" located along the beautiful banks of the Mississippi River April 18th - 19th, 2009! Come see if you have what it takes to bring home our new (WWF style) trophy belts! This will be an IFPA sanctioned, prize money event. We had an awesome turnout last year including multiple world champions and top players from across the continent. We look forward to keeping on the tradition of Southern hospitality and hard-core Footbag! We have plenty of crash space and Southern food so come enjoy a weekend in our great city!

We've been picking up some great sponsors and look forward to showing u guys a great time!

More Information:
Schedule
Map to tournament locations
Full sized Event Poster

Any questions call :(901) 487-6778 or contact TheAssault@footbag.org

Tournament Schedule for April 17-19 Mud Island Belt

2009-04-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

*Friday*
12:00 Pick up games @ Mud Island
7:00pm Players Party/Registration

*Saturday Greenbelt Park, Mud Island*
9:30 Late Registration
10:00-12:00 Singles Pool Play
12:00-12:45 Singles Bracket Quarterfinals
1:00 - 5:00 Open Doubles Pools
5:00 - 6:00 Open Doubles Quarter Finals

*Sunday Greenbelt Park, Mud Island*
10:00 a.m. Singles Semi Finals
11:00 a.m. 3rd place Singles match
12:00 p.m. Open Doubles Semi Finals 1 vs 4
1:00 p.m. Open Doubles Semi Finals 2 vs 3
2:00 p.m. 3rd place Doubles Match
3:00 p.m. Title Belt Match!
4:00 p.m. Open Singles Final

Tournament Map

Two Weeks until the Belt!

2009-04-05T05:00:00.001-07:00

We're getting very excited about the upcoming net footbag tournament April 18 & 19. Plans are coming together for an incredible turnout. Mud Island's Greenbelt Park is greening up and the monkeys are emerging from their winter homes for springtime.

Map to event locations for Mud Island Belt

2009-04-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

The main event location is on Mud Island. Here is a local map of the Mud Island area, showing the tournament locations and various amenities:

View 'The Belt' Tournament Location in a larger map

This map shows all of Memphis with Mud Island, Beale Street, Walt/Ben's and Ken's houses:

View Larger Map

Google Street View of the area we are playing at:

View Larger Map

River Net Field Update

2008-04-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Hi All,
The River Net field is back in fine form. The bermuda is plush and coming back strong. The monkeys are out too. See you this weekend?

PS. Congratulations to the Green Cup participants. I heard you represented us well.
TC

Results - 2008 Southeastern Net Championships

2008-04-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here are the official results for the tournament:

Singles (single elimination bracket)
=========================
1st Emmanuel B.
2nd Yves A.
3rd Chris S.
4th Cory C.
5th Tuan V.
6th Walt H.
7th (tie) Edwin V.
7th (tie) Mike M.
9th Ben A.
10th Elliott J.
11th Robert C.
12 Tommy C.

Doubles (2 pools of 4, then semis / final)
=============================
1st Emmanuel B. / Jeremy M.
2nd Chris S. / Ken H.
3rd Cory C. / Yves A.
4th Ben A. / Walt H.
5th Mike M. / Tuan V.
6th Mike W. / Edwin V.
7th (tie) Amy W. / Tommy C.
7th (tie) Chuck S. / Elliott J.

Here are some photos that Cory took. Click here to view in a full screen.

Another venue change

2008-04-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is not an April Fools... the Collierville Park Commission called me today - the pavilion we were to play at was double booked accidentally. We are being moved to a old soccer field at Johnson Park in Collierville. This will give us more room to put in courts, and the Collierville Park commission is even going to put up a tent for us.

Here is a map: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=35.081748&lon=-89.669543&mag=1 . It is the back soccer field across the lake from the 2 soccer fields they use. It shares the parking lot with the Wolf River bottoms walkway. I walked it today - it has a lot of level areas to setup courts and we should be able to find areas that drain pretty well in case we get a lot of rain on Friday.

Address:
370 Johnson Park Dr
Collierville, TN 38017

Thanks,
Ken

Change of location for Southeastern Regional Footbag Tournament

2008-03-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

Due to flooding on the Mississippi River, we will now be holding the Southeastern Footbag Net Championships on April 5th and 6th at Powell Park on W Powell Road in Collierville (a suburb of Memphis). Here is a link to a map of Powell Park - http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=h&lat=35.061161&lon=-89.670196&mag=3. We will be setting up Friday afternoon around 1pm for anybody that gets in town a little early that wants to get some games in (and help paint courts). The new location does not have the view that our courts on the river have, but they have about 4 feet less water on them...

We will be setting up by the pavillion to the left when you enter the park. It is right by the Collierville Fitness Center. The grass is pretty good (i.e. irrigation system and well maintained). There is some slope, but we believe we can get 4 courts in that are pretty flat and should be good quality. We have been scrambling this week to get permission for a new location - the Collierville Park department was great to work with - appreciate their help!

Celebrating National Monkey Day 3/2

2008-03-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Memphis Footworks celebrated National Monkey Day on the weekend of March 2nd, 2008. For those not in the know, the 3-2 point is universally known as the 'Monkey Point'... ok, not universally, but it is in Memphis. The origin of Monkey has become obscured over the ages, but rumor has it that it has basis in the phone number of one of the players girlfriends. As time has progressed, winning the 3-2 point has become quite significant in Memphis, sometimes being contested more than a game point. There is even a name for 2-3 - it is called yeknom (pronounced Yak'nom). When March 3rd (3/2/2008) rolled around, the significance of 3/2 falling on a beautiful weekend was not lost on the Memphis Footworks crew. The video shows that weekends play.

We are all looking forward to the tournament on Mud Island on 4/5 and 4/6 - we have some AWESOME talent coming in town! Hopefully this video will show them what they have to look forward to!

April 5th and 6th Tournament Officially IFPA Sanctioned!

2008-02-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

The 4th Annual Southeastern Footbag Net Championships to be held on Mud Island on April 5th and 6th is now officially IFPA certified. This brings 2 benefits to the event:
- players will receive IFPA Ranking Points based on their performance in this event, which impacts their ranking and seeding in future events. This will help draw top competitors.
- Sponsors can make donations to the tournament, and the donations are tax deductible! The donations will go to the International Footbag Players Association (IFPA), and should be designated to be used for the Memphis Southeastern Footbag Net Championships on April 5th and 6th.

To contribute to the tournament, just go to the donation site for the IFPA and specify the 'Memphis Southeastern Footbag Net Championships on April 5th and 6th' in the 'designate my donation' area.

We have had our first corporate donation from HomesByOwner.com - they have contributed $500 to the event - THANKS!

Sponsors:

Central Imaging and Printing

Southeastern Footbag Net Championships - April 5th and 6th

2008-01-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

Memphis Footworks and Nash*Vegas are proud to announce the third annual Southeastern Footbag Net Championships to be held April 5th and 6th in Memphis TN on Mud Island in front of Harbor Town. Competition in Doubles and Singles open footbag net. Mixed doubles if there are at least 3 teams. $40 entry fee - majority of money will be redirected back into prize money. We are 'in-process' on getting the IFPA certification...

Come compete on the banks of the Mississippi River! Venue is on the Greenbelt Park directly beside the mighty Mississippi River at the foot of Harbor Town. Harbor Town is a planned community on Mud Island with several restaurants, a small grocery, and a unique urban environment.

This is a map of the tournament location:

View Larger Map

It is the South, so expect southern hospitality... at least OFF the court. We will make every effort to provide lodging for those that need it - just let us know. We can also work to arrange airport pickups, etc. For those wanting a hotel, we have also booked a rate with the full service Memphis Marriott Downtown of $149/night - the lowest available rate on the internet is $199. Tell them you are with Memphis Footworks when booking the room.

We value our out of town guest, and would love to see YOU at the tournament, so Come On Down Yall!

Put Your Monkey Suit On!

2008-01-07T09:20:00.001-08:00

Memphis Footworks in the News

2007-10-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

Footworks has been getting more than its share of press over the past couple of weeks. Kathy Morris of the Eyewitness News came out on Oct 6th and spent a couple of hours interviewing Footworks members about the sport. They had great video of us on the Saturday night news. Unfortunately, they have not posted the video yet - here is a link to the article on their site.

Ben and Walt's were featured on the front page of the 'My Life' Bartlett and Cordova Community News section of the Commercial Appeal on Sunday, Oct. 14th. They have a great shot of Walt blocking Jack's sweep. Check it out here.

Hammer

Official Tournament Results and Recap

2007-09-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all the players that helped make the 6th Annual KC Memorial a success! We had absolutely gorgeous weather, and our 'new normal' kicking spot on the river made for a great tournament site - only 40 yards to the rolling Mississippi River with a view of the bridges, the pyramid, and downtown Memphis, and with good foot traffic by to check out the scene. We had 19 players compete in the tournament!

Some highlights:
- There was an intense round of rock, paper, scissors to determine whether Gary or Emily would be the 9th A player or would be placed in the 'B' category. Gary, a professional and highly trained massage therapist, used his study of the body to expertly predict Emily's throws and crush her in 2 straight, with a push on the second throw. Highly exciting, and possibly the most exciting match of the tournament. Gary, being the southern gentleman he is, graciously declared Emily a superior player and had her name placed in the A pool, ensuring himself a chance at the likes of Cory, Ben, Walt, etc... . Alas, he got Chuck ;> and a tie for fourth.

- The 'NEWBIES'. We had 3 people that have never played footbag net enter the tournament! We had met Diana a couple of weeks ago at a exhibition Walt had arranged at a local fair - she drove up from about an hour south of Memphis. Charlie and Tyler came up from Olive Branch, MS (suburb of Memphis) - they called on Saturday saying they wanted to play. They are a part of a footbag club at their local high school. I talked to both their partners after the tournament - they said they both had great potential. I personally got to see Tyler stuff a front kick down on Walt in a pickup game. They definitely have game...

- Distance travelers - Memphis Footworks always appreciate those willing to get on the road for an extended trip to our tournament - our thanks go out to the Nashville and Chicago contingents. Elliott, Emily, and Alex all made the trip from Nashville, and Cory and Carrie drove down all the way down from Chicago. Cory - thanks once again for supporting our tournament and for the pickup games!

- We had a 'women's only' team compete in the KC tournament for the first time! Emily and Diana were teamed up. When Carrie and I played our pool match against them, we had 3 ( and Walt and Ben insisted, 4 ) women on the court at the same time. Definitely a notable!

- Finals match - Although Cory and Lee won it in two games, the final game (to 11) ended at 15 -13 and featured some spectacular saves to hold off game point from each of the 'B' players. One particular one that stuck in my mind was a save deep in the court that George pulled off when faced with a game/match point.

The results:

1) LeeBo (Lee Guenther) and Cory
2) Tommy and George
3) Chug Min, Carrie, and Ken

Other teams:
Elliott and Greg
Chuck and Gary
Ben and Alex
Diana and Emily
Willi and Charlie
Walt and Tyler

Thanks to everybody for their participation and support!
Ken 'Hammer' Hamric

6th annual KC Memorial Footbag Tournament - Sept 16, 2007

2007-08-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Memphis Footworks will be holding the 6th annual KC Memorial Footbag Tournament Sept 16, 2007 on Mud Island directly in front of Tommy Carl's home. This will be a double's net event with a 'draw' format - teams will be decided at the party Saturday night (the 15th) via a draw. Names will be placed in one of two hats - a 'A' hat for the more experienced / athletic players, and a 'B' hat for the less experienced / older players. Teams composed of one A and one B player will be drawn. This is a great chance for newer players to come out and be teamed with a more experienced partner for a tournament.

The tournament party (i.e. The Big Draw) will be held at Ken and Becky Hamric's home in Collierville Saturday (15th) at 7:30 pm. The draw will occur at 9:30pm. Here is a link to a map of their home: 10373 Whealdon Way, Collierville, TN 38017. If you need directions, call Ken and Becky at 901-854-4560.

The tournament will be held on Mud Island next to the river directly in front of Tommy Carl's (TC's) house. It will begin at 11am on Sunday, Sept 16th. Here is a map:
View Larger Map

This is a friendly, laid back event. If you are new and want to try out footbag net, this is your perfect chance. Give Ken a call at 901-355-2997 or an email at kdhamric@gmail.com for more information.

SE Regional Tournament Results

2007-04-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

As Elliott said, Mud Island definitely lived up to it's name this year. Overnight and morning rains made the ground EXTREMELY soft, and after a few games the courts were trashed. It became Mudbag, or some other game, not exactly Footbag Net. We did manage to layout some new courts for the semi's and final matches, and they played well.

We had a great turnout from out of state. Tina Lewis, Sam Conlon, John Leys, Mike McCarthy, Jeremey Merken, Cory Current, & Robert Crell journeyed to Memphis for Ribs and a little MudBag Net. Plus, a great turnout from Nashville as always. The Memphis crew particularly enjoyed all sitting on the sidelines watching the out of towners compete in the finals... motivation for next year.

SE CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
1. cory current/john leys *open champs
2. mike mccarthy/jermey merken
3. tommy carls/ken hamric
4. ben alston/walt houston
5. elliott johns/ben valentine
6. alex grammer/emily johns
7. david pollen/mike willaims
8. sam conlon/tina lewis
9. robert creel/chris *intermediate champs

We also had a great day Sunday out at waterworks playing pickup games with various partners. We got about 6 or 7 hours in - it was a blast!

The Memphis and Nashville groups would like to give a big THANK YOU to the out of town travellers - appreciate you coming and making this an event to remember!

Here are some pictures:

'07 Southeastern Net Championships

2007-03-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

The Southeastern Net Championships will be held in
Memphis, the capital of southern footbag for over
25 years. Memphis Footworks has produced some of
the highest quality net players in footbag history.
Yes, i'm referring to the rebel craze in the late
80's that lead to world domination by Chris "Gator"
Routh & Ken "Hammer" Hamric. The '06 champs are Yves
Archambault & Cory Current. So come on down and take
a thumpin' on the Mississippi River from some good
ol' boys - all stereotypes aside.

Mud Island River Park 125 North Front Street Memphis,
TN  38103.  Parking is tricky. So once you reach Mud
Island you'll come to a tollbooth & just tell them
that you're competing in the footbag tournament.
Next, proceed through and park to the left on the
giant sloping boat dock. Then, walk along the drive
behind the ampitheather for the rest of the way &
we'll see you soon.

Event Schedule
14th - Doubles: Open & Intermediate
15th - Free for all (or Rain Day)

Contacts
E-mail: maptheoceans@hotmail.com
Phone:     615.423.7471
Other Contacts:
Tommy Carls tcarls1@midsouth.rr.com


Tournament Format: depends on turnout
round robin = 11 teams or less
pool format = 12 teams or more

Tournament Results - 2006 KC Memorial

2006-09-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

We had beautiful weather for the 2006 KC Memorial on Saturday, and a great turnout, with 8 net teams competing. Both current and past members of Memphis Footworks were out in force, as was a strong contingent from Nashville. We were honored to have Steve Smith and Cory Current from Chicago down - we all enjoyed being school'd by them!

In true Memphis Footworks tradition, we bagged the freestyle competition to have more time to play net!

The results:

Intermediate (senior) bracket winner:
Gary Edge & Greg James defeated Lee Guenther & George Clark.

Open bracket winner:
Cory Current & Steve Smith defeated Ben Alston & Walt Houston in an exciting match, highlighted by Ben blocking a spike on match point to delay the inevitable for a couple more minutes - see the pictures below of the finals match:

Cory brought a little soul to the tournament

Walt, being the consumate host to our guests, returning the favor

Ben, as thou he was not scary enough, became Mohawk Ben for the tournament. Ben should come with a warning label - Joust with at your own risk!

SKYAS - Steve Killing Yet Another Shot

Letter from Chris Allen's brother

2006-09-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

All - Lee received a email from Chris Allen's brother Tom. It is posted here:

Lee:
I am Chris Allen's older brother. On behalf of my family and myself, please extend our gratitude to all of the members of the league. We do appreciate your efforts in keeping Chris' memory alive especially on this fifth anniversary of his death. I enjoyed very much the pictures and commentary on your Web site. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks again and have fun this weekend.

Tom Allen

2006 KC Memorial Footbag Tournament Details - Sept 9th

2006-08-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

We promised more details - here they are:

Location:
Mud Island River Park
125 North Front Street
Memphis, TN 38103

The registration fee is $20/person with all proceeds to St. Jude Childrens Hospital. Prizes include t-shirts (see artwork!) for all and plaques for the top 2 finishers. Net format will be round robin, meaning everyone plays everyone, and the 2 teams with the best records will face each other in the finals. Freestyle format will be 2 minute routines with the top 2 or 4 finishers competing in the finals.

SEPT. 9th SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
9:00-10:00 registration
10:00-2:00 open doubles net
2:00-4:00 open freestyle routines
7:00-? Beale St. block party w/freetyle footbag & disc

SEPT. 10th SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
1:00-? post-tournament net play at waterworks (beside MSU)

Welcome to all - bring your footbag / hacky sack or frisbee!

Any questions? Contact Us!

KC and Cat

2006-08-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

I had a few old photos of our two club members, Chris 'K.C' Allen (otherwise known as 'Big Chris') and Cathy 'Cat' Guenther, who have passed away - thought I would post these to share...

Lee and Cathy playing net at Waterworks in the early to mid 80's. Notice the full extension Cat achieved on her back kick!

KC setting Tommy Carls ('TC') in a match against Gary Edge and Chuck Simmers. If you like to spike - KC was the partner to have - he was a setting machine...

RB doing a flying clipper while Leebo and Cat watch.

KC standing at the bank of the Descutes River in central Oregon near Maupin. It was an annual tradition to head to Oregon a few days early before the US Nationals in Portland to do some trout fishing with our buddies Dave Robinson, Henry Kenworthy, Bill Langbehn - with sometimes a special appearance at GateKeepers by Mr. Kenny Shults (yes, he can casts a fly rod as well (maybe even better if possible) as he kicks).

Cathy and Lee doing a little one pass out at Waterworks.

KC on Mud Island - same tournament. You did not want to be on the receiving end of Chris' serve - it was known and respected by all!

I would have more photos of K.C. from all the tournaments he traveled to, but he was always the guy behind the camera taking the photos! Both Cathy and K.C. are missed by all of us!

Ken Hamric

2006 KC Memorial Footbag Tournament

2006-07-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

Since this is our 25th year,and in memory of Chris "KC" Allen, we are once again holding a tournament. The date will be Sept. 9 (and possibly 10 if there's enough interest) at Mud Island River Park (some of the old timers might remember this park), there'll be net and freestyle competition. More details to come. Please let me know if you're interested! LG

About Memphis Footworks

2006-07-05T20:54:00.000-07:00

In 2006, the Memphis Footworks club is celebrating 25 years of friendship and net bag hostility. Formed by Lee Guenther, our club celebrates all of our current and former players.

We play net religously on Sundays with anywhere from 8-12 footbaggers. Our current roster is comprised of the 3 distinct groups. The "has beens" (40 yrs+): Mike "Willi" Williams, Chuck Simmers, George Clark, Tommy Carls, Ken Hamric, Rick "RB" Benedetti, Greg James and founder Lee Guenther. The "new blood" (30+): Eric and Cynthia Marsiglia and the "young guns" (20+): Ben Alston, Walt Houston, David, Steven, Chris, and Juggle man. (Apologies to those inadvertently omitted). Members at heart: Rit Ritenour, Gary Edge, Chris "Gator" Routh, Andrew Williams and Lani Rector. In memoriam, Chris "KC" Allen, who passed away on the net courts Sept. 9, 2001 and Cathy Guenther, long-time kicker and supporter.

Our primo locale is the Waterworks -- a quiet, semi-secluded chunk of property in front of a water pumping facility on the east side of the Univ. of Memphis (ya gotta see it!), and we're almost always there on Sunday afternoons, rain, shine, sleet or mud. We mostly play net and some stylin'. Drop by sometime and let us show you some of our southern hospitality!!

Waterworks

2006-07-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

For 20 years or so, Memphis Footworks had traditionally played at the Water Pumping station near University of Memphis... however, things have changed. Our new location is downtown on Mud Island, 100 feet from the Mighty Mississippi. Here is a link to the location of the courts.

I have left the description of our old playing location below for historical references ;>
Waterworks has been the home of Memphis Footworks since the early 80's. Thru the years, the members have shown up on Sunday afternoons around 12:30 to kick - rain, shine, and even snow (more times than you could imagine). The area we play at is north of the pumping station across the ditch from the Zack Curlin parking lot. Zack Curlin is the street that borders the East side of the University of Memphis campus. Park in this parking lot (about halfway down Zack Curlin before it turns near the railroad tracks), scramble across the ditch, and join us. We play at the NW corner of the field in the winter time. In the summer, we move down by the big oak tree for some much needed shade.

Click for a Map to Waterworks.

Click on this picture below from Google Earth to see an enlarged view - it shows undisputable photographical evidence of our presence - check out the 2 rows of 4 worn spots on the turf to the right of the big oak - these are our 4 summer courts. Visible from Space. Kinda Cool.
Note: Photo here is of old courts, not new courts on Mud Island...

Club Members and Contact Info

2006-07-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Lee Guenther
5692 Rich Rd.
Memphis, TN. 38120
Phone: (901) 683-2752
E-mail: laguenther@comcast.net

Mike 'Willi' Williams
Collierville, TN. 38017
Phone: 901-569-6263
E-mail: willeye11@aol.com

Tommy Carls
Memphis, TN
E-mail: tcarls1@midsouth.rr.com

Ken Hamric
10373 Whealdon Way
Collierville, TN 38017
Phone: 901-355-2997
E-mail: kdhamric@gmail.com

Memphis Footworks Playing Schedule

2005-09-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

One stop shop - when you email playing plans to kenhamricONE.mfplay@blogger.com with the ONE in this email address replaced with the number 1 (to stop spammers), everybody can be notified via a daily email!

All emails sent to kenhamric.mfplay@blogger.com will be shown on the playing schedule on our web site at http://www.memphisfootworks.com, and emailed daily to anybody that subscribes to these emails below. To always know the current playing plans, subscribe below: