Tricia George
Tricia George is considered one of the greatest footbag players of all time. With a career spanning five decades, Tricia won multiple footbag events in the net, freestyle, and consecutive divisions. She also belongs to the longest running footbag group ever, the Portland footbag club, which has had many names over the years (Footbag Pioneers, Sole Purpose, and FLoP, to name a few). She is considered by many to be the overall greatest female footbag player in the sport, thanks to her long history of achievements in multiple disciplines.
Tricia started playing footbag in 1980. Her brother, Terry, while away at college for soccer, picked up the sport and gave her her first official Hacky Sack, made in Haiti.
She started playing in Ashland, Oregon by herself, or with other family members. She then moved to Eugene where she began playing with other people.
Tricia loved footbag so much that she played every discipline, including footbag net, freestyle footbag, footbag golf, and footbag consecutives, which she practiced a great deal in the beginning. She became obsessed with kicking higher and higher numbers. Since freestyle was in its infancy at the time, she only did a few tricks, focusing her time mainly on consecutives as an avenue for fitness.
The great Jim Fitzgerald taught her how to play footbag net, and was her first partner at the Awesome Aubin Open in 1983. Once she started playing net, she became obsessed with it. She played mixed doubles (female and male team) with Dave Robinson at the first World Footbag Championships in 1983, as well as playing singles net where she beat Nancy Reynolds to place third behind the formidable Cheryl Hughes and Lori Jean Tarr (Conover).
From there, she learned footbag golf and sped up her consecutive kicks, as well as learning many more freestyle tricks.
Tricia founded the FREE FLOE footbag club in Eugene, Oregon in 1983. She was also a member of the Sole Purpose Footbag Club in Portland for many years.
She has claimed many inspirations for footbag in her numerous years in the sport. Tricia met Pam Millar and Dave Robinson on a trip to Mexico to study Spanish through the University of Oregon in Eugene. They were hitching a ride down to the border in the same truck when she pulled out a footbag and started kicking it. They were excited and told her that she had to go to the Beaver Open in Eugene, another long-running footbag event. Tricia, Pam, and Dave played together for the rest of the summer, and as soon as they returned to Eugene she was introduced to Reed Gray, Jim “Toes” Fitzgerald, Dennis Ross, and many other legends of the sport. Since then, her laser focus on footbag has never wavered.
She credits the footbag company Flying Clipper as her greatest influence for footbag. Tricia considered their bag design to be artwork, being spherical, beautiful, and super fun to kick. They had an indoor kicking space where she spent much of her time. Flying Clipper went on to sponsor her for the entirety of her footbag career. Their generosity, enthusiasm, and support are the reasons she continues to play today.
Tricia was fortunate to have played with many amazing athletes. For years she played freestyle and net with Jody Welch, and continues to kick with her today! She also played freestyle and net for several years with Becca English.
Her formative net years were playing mixed doubles net with Dave Robinson, an incredible coach and athlete. They have two World Championship titles together. She also has a World Championship title with Chris ‘Gator’ Routh.
The person Tricia has kicked with more than any other is Paul Vorvick, for whom she has had a longtime friendship. Gary Lautt also ranks high for people she has kicked the most with. She currently holds World Records with both players.
Here are some of Tricia’s greatest accomplishments from over the years:
Setting the first Guinness Book singles consecutive world record on the Record Breakers show in Ireland (1984)
Performing Live on the Late Late Show in Ireland (Christmas 1984)
Closing down Grafton Street in Dublin, Ireland for a live performance and teaching session of Footbag (1985)
Touring all over the UK in 1984/1985 (schools, trade shows, soccer games)
Playing in some of the biggest soccer stadiums in the world in the UK in 1984/1985
Many, many world Championships throughout the decades
Being a part of the World Footbag Association Tour Team, Staffing Training Camps, Hacky Sack and Frisbee Festivals, School Assemblies from the late 80s to early 2000s
Hosting (as part of the staff) the World Footbag Championships in Portland Oregon 1997, 2007, 2017
Hosting (as part of the staff) multiple US Open Footbag Championships in Portland, Oregon throughout 90s and 2000s
Current holder of the Guinness Record for the longest footbag consecutive rally with Gary Lautt (132,001)
Current holder of the Guinness World Record for fastest Doubles 10 minute timed consecutive rally with Paul Vorvick (1,415)
Current holder of the Guinness World Record for Women’s Doubles Consecutive rally with Constance Constable (34,543)
Current holder of the Guinness World Record for the longest Women’s 10” Doubles Distance One Pass Rally with Jolene Welch
For her many, many, many accomplishments in footbag, Tricia George was inducted into the Footbag Hall of Fame in 2000 in Vancouver BC.
Tricia George