Category: Shootin The FrizBreeze

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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?

Don’t forget to subscribe and check out our other episodes.

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Bill Wright tells us more about the Coloradicals and begins to lead into other topics.

• Was their lighthearted approach the secret to success?
• Bill explains “Pick Your Poison” as a way of seeding the semi-pools before there were rankings.
• He also shares his thoughts on routine length and getting innovative around different formats.
• Bill says, “Different times call for different measures…We should try everything possible to get the sport to grow.”