World Footbag Co. (and Hall of Fame) Located Right Here in Steamboat.
Think you’re a good hacky-sacker (or to be more correct, footbagger)? You’re in good company. The World Footbag Hall of Fame and World Footbag Co. are located right here in Steamboat, at 2673 Jacobs Circle, now with a new owner carrying the torch.
Greyson Herdman didn’t have to say “Can I hack in?” when he purchased the company last April. He had the inside track, buying it from his father-in-law and company founder Bruce Guettich. “I’m fired up and having a really good time with it,” says Herdman, who moved here three years ago from Bellingham, Wash., to work for the company. “I always played footbag and even made them, so to be running World Footbag Co. is a dream.”
As for the hobby, pastime, sport, game or whatever you call it, he loves the camaraderie it evokes. “I love that it augments any sport, from skiing and hiking to biking, paddling and climbing,” he says. “And how it brings a community together and that so many different age groups can do it.” As for the footbag scene in Steamboat, in a town full of outdoor athletes and Olympians, he says it’s on solid footing as well. “The footbag scene here is great,” he says. “You can find circles all the time at all our free summer concerts. And it bodes well with the active, healthy lifestyle we all have here.”
World Footbag History 101
Founded by Bruce Guettich and Greg Cortopassi, the World Footbag Association (WFA) opened its doors in Oregon in 1983 as nonprofit players’ organization funded by memberships, product sales, subscriptions to the defunct Footbag World magazine, and sponsorships. Embracing the game’s competitive and non-competitive sides, it established rules for competition and hosted player workshops, training camps, demonstrations at YMCAs, schools, even NBA half-times, and more. It quickly became the Johnny Apple Seed of footbagging, covered by everyone from MTV and ESPN to Good Morning America, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and People magazine. In 1984, it moved to Golden, Colo., and in 1996 made the move to Steamboat, acquiring a 5,000-square-foot warehouse harboring the Hall of Fame Museum, offices, and a retail outlet. Its online catalog carries more than 130 products, with a 120,000-strong member list from 80 countries. Info: www.worldfootbag.com.
