Category: Shootin The FrizBreeze

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It is hard to have the right words to introduce these two hall of famers, the amazing V-Brothers, Jens and Erwin Velasquez. They talk about their New Jersey roots and their introduction to Frisbee via Ultimate. But their real excitement was ignited when they went as spectators to the multi-faceted Frisbee Overall event called OCTAD in 1975. It was there that they watched in awe as Victor Malafronte, John Kirkland, Ken Westerfield, and others showed off their disc skills. From that point on, they were hooked. Before heading off for the summer to visit family in Peru, they bought a bunch of Frisbees to take with them. Listen as they recount entertaining the locals in various town squares, while unknowingly preparing themselves to become the next World Freestyle Champions at the Rose Bowl in 1976.

Here is Jen’s account of sending a letter to Whamo and meeting Ed Headrick.

Here is Whamo’s response to Jen’s letter. He suggests you read the above link first.

Here’s some more history of OCTAD  and Freestyle’s growth in 1975-76.

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Find out how Juliana Korver, a super successful, many time world champion, disc golfer, decided to take on the challenge of transitioning to Freestyle.

• The combination of a trip to Sweden to visit Sune Wentzel, a Facebook post, and an invite from Randy to play in the FPA Worlds in New York, started her journey.
• Juliana’s analytical approach and the documentation of her practice on social media tells the real story about how much time and dedication it takes to be a competitor. Check out her website to see her progress.
• This has also inspired Jake to up his practice time!
• In the end, it is truly the support and encouragement from the Freestyle community that keeps Juliana engaged and motivated to continue her new found passion.

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Deaton Mitchell returns to tell more about his relationship with Jim Schmal and Pat Carrasco.

• Find out how Jim’s move from the Bayou to San Diego in the middle of their 4 consecutive FPA Worlds Open Pair titles was actually good for them.
• Hear about their travels to South Africa and how being dependent on the money drove them to play as much as they could with their eye on the prize.
• Did this ultimately lead to Deaton’s burnout in 1987?
• Deaton shares the REAL story about why Pat stopped competing but over time became one of the best jammers out there.
• Randy and Deaton discuss getting older and how that impacts your game.
• But neither age nor injuries can keep Deaton down as he maintains some of the Bayou Blasters moves from the past.
• By the way, how furry do you like your discs?

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Aunt Lenny, Jeff Felberbaum, and John Dwork – 1977

We continue the conversation with Jeff Felberbaum.

• He tells us about Krae’s Disc Dance which we’d heard of but didn’t know much about.
• The diverse traveling troupe included juggler’s, break-dancers, and slow motion roller skaters.
• The secret, per Jeff, is make it be about the audience, and not yourself.
• Jeff has thoughts on encouraging freestyle to get out its current box by doing good for others and the world.
• Why does Jeff crack up when asked about how it was to play with the talented John Dwork?
• Thanks for the cash Uncle Herman!
• Find out how Jeff hooked up with Evan David, and hear him do some self-reflecting on his partnership with Donnie Rhodes.
• Jeff and his partners have a lot of success, but as we all know, Frisbee Hell (aka spaunch) can happen to anyone at any time.

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After all these years, the story of Bill Wright and Doug Brannigan driving to the 1984 U.S. Open has taken on all sorts for a folk lore. Hear it here, straight from the horse’s mouth, that horse being Bill of course.

• While this road trip goes awry, Bill wouldn’t trade his adventures for anything.
• Bill’s true entrepreneurial spirit shows up early as he sells discs on the road for a little extra pocket change.
• Amazingly, the ‘Grateful Disc’ turns into the ‘Wright Life,’ which still thrives today.
• Freedom was King in Bill’s early years, and he definitely lives by his motto which is “The Most Fun Wins.”

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We got a chance to talk with Deaton Mitchell. He and Jim Schmal (now Jim Benson) won 4 consecutive FPAW pairs titles; 1983-86. Deaton talks about his trajectory through Freestyle Frisbee and how it changed his life.

• A trip to the Louisiana State University Parade Grounds changed how Deaton Mitchell thought about frisbee.
• His Parents, using S&H green stamps (you’ll remember those if you are Randy’s age) purchased him a world class frisbee set.
• Furniture polish is mediocre slick.
• Deaton explains how met the people who eventually become his best friends for life.
• Why did Jim change his name?
• Why do the Ultimate players hate Deaton?
• Deaton and Jim team up through a little bit of chance.
• The Bayou Blasters choose to play with a Whamo instead of the Skystlyer.
• The Bayou Blasters: Deaton Mitchell, Jim Benson, Darryl Allen, Jeff (Getty) Freeman, and Pat Carrasco.

Here are three of Jim and Deaton’s 4 wins:

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Doug E Fresh is back to talk more about some amazing players, and that leads to some interesting banter about the history of the Seattle mob-op scene.

• Jake announces that Frisbee Guru will now be the official home of Heinsville, Shooting the Frizbreeze, and the live stream.
• Frisbee Fashion icons?
• Doug shares his experience about growing up in NYC in the late 70’s and being inspired by seeing dudes jamming in the Bandshell.
• Find out how a mistaken identity benefited Doug’s development as a player.
• Did Randy really drop out of high school to play frisbee and eat?
• Join the lovefest between Randy & Doug and the hear about the impact Doug had when he moved to Seattle.
• Was this the birth of mob-op as we know it, or just an extension?

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In this episode, we continue our conversation with Allen Elliot and Donnie Rhodes.

• Allen Elliott gives us the backstory of the semi’s at the 1981 Rose Bowl. 16 teams experimented with  “Pick Your Poison” to finalize the pools. The strategy was to avoid the Coloradicals. Was Bill Wright was actually trying to pull a fast one?
• Per Donnie, things were much more serious & competitive then,  “Winning was life, freestyle was not a pastime, not a hobby, it was our livelihood.”
• Donny shares his philosophy on the evolution of freestyle.  In his opinion, freestyle has veered away from what makes it beautiful, which is the mere flight of the frisbee and the kinesthetic awareness it creates.
• There is also talk of competitive freestyle needing more experimentation. Hmm, that seems to be a common theme. Fortunately events like Frisbeer, Paganello, and Potlatch are doing just that.

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Jeff Felberbaum was recently inducted into the freestyle hall of fame as part of the initial inductee class. He was also the winner of the 1979 and 1981 Rose Bowl and one of the original Washington Square Wizards.

• Jeff shares how a simple overhand wrist flip caught his eye from a school window and eventually lead him to Washington Square Park where his game matured.
• Jeff shares his fascination with the disc, and gets introspective about his motives for playing.
• He also talks about being part of Krae Van Sickle Disc Dance Project.
• Why did he put down the frisbee for 30 years?

Jeff’s Hall of Fame Induction

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To celebrate episode ten we begin a new segment of the show, Doug E Fresh’s Top Ten. We all like to hang out and talk about our favorite jam, favorite players, favorite events, and so on. This week Doug E Fresh picks ten players to be on his “dream team”.

• Doug E Fresh’s Top 10 (But of course, it is in no particular order…)
• Both Jake and Randy make the list (almost.) Hmm, is it rigged to ensure Doug is a reoccurring guest on the Podcast?
• Hear about Doug’s “Freshian Guidance” on Minimizing and Maximizing and who takes his guidance and who doesn’t. Do Jake & Randy agree with this philosophy?
• Hear who Doug gives extra style points, has deep pockets, a home court advantage, and who falls into the “whipped butter zone.”
• Who would be on your Fantasy Free Style team?

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