All Star Thursday Chronicles: July 28th, 2011

Hey, Hey, Hey…

The summer is moving way too fast for my tastes. Its already August and the days are getting just a bit shorter. That means we have to Jam better/harder/faster for the rest of the 2011 A*T season.

The temperature was high, but the humidity was reasonable as I strolled across the Meadow. Mr. President and the First Lady were already light-tossing the disc, while Ralphy-Boy and Chris Heaver were flingin’ that thing with abandon. I was feeling a bit queasy for reasons unknown, but heck if I was gonna be Yella because of a belly ache. Next to arrive was Fearless Lou, followed in short order by Bradford T. Young Daniel, The Ageless Trevor Brown, Capt. Mike Bohn, Ben Heaver, JB, Jestin Heaver, Chuck, Mojito Jay, Robbie-Rob, Roger, Kevin, TedShred and TLC, and our newest Padwan Learners Andre and Kevin all came out for some fun.

Barak went out to throw long with Chris and Ralph while I nailed up. Jestin wandered in, subbing for Ralph, who got me up after he hydrated. As always, we locked in quickly and had a nice flow. By the time I was ready to Jam, Barak, Fearless Lou and Young Daniel were already having at it. Roger and Robbie Rob went for a duo while Forever Trevor and Bradford T. did the same. The Jams were typically solid, though my recollection for the day is a bit ephemeral. Not sure why but I was really lightheaded and kind of out of it. During one of my frequent breaks, TLC bestowed a specially made All*Star Thursday shirt upon Robbie-Rob. He had made it plain that he was sick and tired of all of the L and XL shirts, so Chrissy made sure he would have one to his liking. He looked adorable when he sported it, let me tell you. After this moment of levity, I slid in with Lou, Barak, and Daniel and kept playing when Lou, then Danny-Boy broke for fluids. I stopped to do the same, and then decided I would adhere to Freshian Philosophy’s Rule #23: Boot and Jam.

I felt better immediately and jumped in with TedShred and Young Daniel. We really got things going, inspiring Trevor to join the fun. That’s when things went out of control. After we completed a 6-pass O’Malachy Co-op (all brushes, rolls, taps, no delay) Trevor did a 7 kick-brush combo that was thisclose to an Around-the-World. This got us all amped up, but what followed was insane. He dropped into a full front split while trying to seal an errant pass. He then popped right up and kept Jamming. You may wonder why this is a big deal? At the age of 71 (Forever) Trevor is a true Elder Statesman. He plays hard whether he is Heavin’ or Jammin’, and actually has improved his game a great deal over the past few years. This was the Last Jam Standing for the day, and we everyone hit their Onus seals as the sun faded in the West.

In closing, I want to wish all everyone heading to the Freestyle Players Association World Championships in Prague, the Hat Tournament in Berlin, and any other gathering of our Brethren and Sistren. There are several members of the tribe going over to Represent. Personally, I am pulling hard for Young Daniel, Young James, and Emma (Big Dog Inside!) to do well, and the Reliable One himself too. Seeing the next generation of Jammers embrace our sport has been a true Blessing. I wish everyone the very best of luck, and keep Spreading the Jam!!!

Peace!

TP-TJH