There was a summer when the Portland crew was determined to find a new jammer. We put up a sign at every jam and made focused efforts to talk to anyone who stopped. Yet for all the effort, no new people became jammers. However, there was some success. We talked to many people. Some people did learn what freestyle was. Another couple borrowed a disc and played catch on their own for 30 minutes or so. I taught at least one boy to air brush a whiz ring. I’m afraid to say that since that summer we’ve lost some of our motivation to talk to those who stop and watch.
This weeks poll: When someone stops to watch the jam, do you stop to engage with them?
[poll id=”6″]
If you are a person who engages, what do you say? Has anyone had success bringing in a new jammer this way?
Always, unless Mike or Beast or somebody beats me. We always try to engage interested watchers.
I would like to say i always do but that would not be true. We get a lot of people watching in Brighton form foreign exchange students to photography students, parents and their kids to local drunks. Obviously not all are going to get involved (i/we have had some success with the exchange students and our local drunk to be fair) so i choose my battles as it where, not that spreading the Jam is a battle, i love it.
What i always do though is if i see someone playing with a disc, is give them a Skystyler to play with, there are a lot of cheap disc’s out there that are not much fun to play with, poor tools. I then watch and gauge where they are at and will then bust their jam and give appropriate advice and positive feed back. When we are done i then tell them where to get more information on freestyle and an open invitation to join in our jams.
I think we have done well in Brighton spreading the Jam but it takes time in fact years for that new person to go form being a freshstyler to a fair weather Jammer to a hard core Jammer.
Peace and Z’s
PS Get your sign out and they will come.
Jim is our unofficial spokesman. He always stops to talk to those who are watching us. If we see the person is interested in playing, one of us always gives a disc to them. I love it when the children stop in awe and and are thrilled to play with one of our HDX’s Thanks Jim for always taking the time to spread the jam. ! For my part, I’ll offer up a disc or throw a few minutes with someone.
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