Steven Godfrey kept hearing and seeing online that footbag had made a comeback, but he didn’t believe it.
That was until he saw a group of students at the Mississippi University for Women kicking around a hacky sack in May.
Inspiration struck, and Godfrey decided to try and get a footbag community going locally with what he believes will be Mississippi’s first footbag tournament.
“I always wanted to try and kind of teach (footbag) … but I had trouble even getting that anywhere,” Godfrey told The Dispatch. “… (Now) the kids, for some mysterious reason, have made it the biggest it’s ever been overnight.”
Godfrey, 53, moved to Columbus three months ago from San Francisco, after an old friend who lives in town offered him a job as his personal assistant. Godfrey, who was working as a Pedicab driver at the time, leapt at the opportunity. He said that ever since electric scooters took off in the Bay Area a few years ago, he had been struggling as a Pedicab driver.
As someone new to Columbus, still looking for opportunities to connect with people, Godfrey thought footbag could help him put his best foot forward.
Growing up in Pineville, Louisiana, in the late 1980s, Godfrey felt like an outsider, but playing footbag made him feel like a superhero.
“I wasn’t bullied. I was just sort of not there,” he said. “… (My friends and I) none of the three of us had ever been on sports teams in our lives, and yet here we were getting the biggest records. We all went into the 100s in a row.”
Some of Godfrey’s favorite memories growing up were practicing footbag in his driveway and trying to get as many consecutive kicks as he could.
In 1987, Godfrey was ready for his first tournament. Then 15, Godfrey traveled with his parents from Pineville to Houston, Texas, for southern regionals.
“(I had) poor parents, they were like middle class, lower-middle class. So it was a big thing for them to bring me all the way to Houston and back,” Godfrey said.
Since traveling out of state was hard for his family and Louisiana didn’t have any footbag competitions, Godfrey started his own at 16 years old. He hosted the tournament for seven years.
Now Godfrey wants to do the same thing in Columbus.
Humble beginnings
In June, Godfrey created the Mississippi Footbag Facebook and Instagram pages to drum up interest in his first tournament.
Godfrey’s tournament is set for July 18-19 in his boss’s backyard at 424 Seventh St. S.
Though he’s received some interest already, Godfrey said he has humble expectations for the inaugural competition, hoping that at least six people, including himself, show up.
Serving as a kickoff to gauge interest for the group, Godfrey hosted a tryout for the tournament on June 27. Liz Kennedy, an alumna of The W, was his only attendee, but she still had a great time.
“I thought it was cool,” Kennedy said. “… (Godfrey) is very passionate about it so he was a good coach.”
Kennedy saw the flyer on Facebook and showed up hoping that footbag would facilitate new friendships after moving back to the area.
While Kennedy is currently the only official sign-up, Godfrey said he is seeing a lot of engagement online, including more than 90 followers between his Facebook and Instagram accounts. He hopes more people will sign up before the tournament.
Godfrey’s optimism means that he has already ordered the first-place trophies.
If the first tournament is a success, Godfrey hopes to host monthly tournaments with each one getting bigger than the last.
“I have this vision of starting small, with The Columbus Championship … then October, when the kids get back, it will be time for Mississippi (Championship),” Godfrey said.
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 28 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
