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Footbag Accomplishments
Founder of http://www.footbag.com (1994).
Author/Illustrator of "Footbag Dance" published in
hard cover in 1984 (published online in 1996): a beginners' instruction book to
freestyle kicking in a balanced style for safety and long term development of
control of back, side, and front kicks in a 360 degree territory around one's
body.
Developer of Bloughchi™ style of freestyle footbag kicking.
Developed Corporate Stress Management Program (corporate
sponsored footbag kicking for stress reduction).
Inventor of Spyro-Dancer (patent pending) a corkscrew one panel
footbag. He has marketed his friend, Chris Walker's, Sundancer footbag in footbag.com since 2000.
Seven years on the footbag competition circuit
Sponsored by Adidas to the 1982 National Hacky Sack
Championships;Trainer and participant of the Proton Kicking Team at Chicago IL
Sports Exposition 1987 (sponsored by the Proton footbag); Team Leader at the
Anaheim CA Sports Exposition 1987; multiple TV appearances and radio interviews
in Mendocino County and Sacramento CA, Spokane WA, Los Angeles CA, San Francisco
CA; Founder of the Western Association of Footbag Dance; in 1983 featured in
photo layout and story in Sacramento Union Newspaper; in 1985 hosted 4 Willits
Invitational Freestyle Tournaments; from 1983 to 1986 Captain/Founder of the
Elite Feet Precision Kicking Team; school demonstrations 1983-92 in Albuquerque
NM, Spokane WA, Willits-Laytonville-Leggett & Ukiah CA; Willits Invitational
1st place freestyle kicker in 1985; San Diego Freestyle Tournament - top 10 in
the world; introduced by John Stalberger as "The best freestyle kicker in
the world."
Trainer activities
1. Sono Carrigg: 1987 Doubles champion CA State Footbag
Tournament, Texas State doubles champion 1987, 2nd in singles 1987, 5th place
world's championships doubles 1987, CA State championships 1st place (rated one
of top 3 net kickers in the world), 1st place doubles net Sonoma State 1985.
2. River Blough: undefeated intermediate net kicker at
retirement, 1st place Novice singles net, featured on the cover of "Footbagging"
1988.
3. Heather Blough: Sonoma State 1985 1st place women's net
singles and 3rd place women's net doubles.
4. Taught footbag classes for Willits Recreation Program.
5. Taught, informally, dozens of persons in communities of
residence.
Military Service
Enlisted US Navy 12/65 - Honorable Discharge 9/69 1966-67:
Vietnam: US Seabees, MCB-1, 30th NCR, 3rd Naval Construction
Brigade. 1968-69: Fleet Intelligence (Pacific), Ford Island, Hawaii - FICPAC -
(Top Secret clearance).
Commendations and Medals: US Marine Corps Combat Insignia
Vietnam Service Medal with 3 Bronze Campaign Stars, Combat Action Ribbon, Navy
Unit Commendations, (3) Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations, (3) Republic of
Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Republic of Vietnam Civic Action Unit Citation,
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Navy Marksmanship Ribbon.
Education
High School Diploma - Alamogordo NM, 1965.
Colleges, Fine Arts Major 1970-73:
CA College of Arts and Crafts 1974-75.
CA State U at Chico 1988.
UNM at Albuquerque NM 1990-91.
Mendocino College at Willits CA.
Employment
Solar Engineer, L. M. Dearing Associates, Studio City CA
1979-89: Self employed builder, Willits CA 1979-89: Public Housing Management
and HUD Housing Inspector, Community Development Commission, 1076 N. State,
Ukiah CA 1989-1996.
About the Development of the Bloughchi Style
One day, about 20 years ago, a passing circus performer taught
Steve about kicking a footbag. He made one with a sock filled with rice. The
performer left town and had not much instruction to give Steve. So, Steve just
kicked, and he kicked, and he kicked. He became entranced with the discipline.
Many people in Willits began to join him in the park to kick and
he was by far the best kicker. Then they heard of something called a footbag
tournament. They went; they held some in Willits; they won awards. But then,
that was that. It seemed a dead end.
Still they kicked, especially Steve. He tried new things,
studied the history of kicking an object. This revealed that in other cultures
it was treated as a martial art. He began to explore the dimension of the thing.
He learned that he could kick behind himself, spin with kicks, and generally
control the footbag within a 360 degree circle of territory around himself.
Steve got beyond net kicking (forward kicks, mostly inside
kicks, and highly competitive) and began to only compete with himself (focusing
more on the side kicks). He also kicked in circles with others and they all
found this immensely rewarding. A happy, healthy, gentle rapport was built as
they kicked.
Being an artist, Steve was acutely aware of the human form as it
made the stance and moves necessary to kick rainbows, spins, and so forth. He
used this talent to illustrate a beginning book of instruction,
"Footbag Dance". Later he wrote a scholarly paper on the
benefits of eye/foot coordination and non-competitive social interaction, the
hallmark of the
Bloughchi style (what his cohorts called his kicking
style).
Steve discovered the internet and www.footbag.com was born. He
is now able to begin to communicate to a vast number of kickers what he has
learned in these 20 years of development. He can actually talk to kickers all
over the world now!
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