Guess who's going to be there?!
You got it! Andy, Monkey and Gypsy are driving down to hang with the pack tonight. *excited!!*
You got it! Andy, Monkey and Gypsy are driving down to hang with the pack tonight. *excited!!*
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Texas
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Re: ASTB
Wed, June 25, 2008 - 2:21 PMOMG yay! The Fez shall see you there... after work! -
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 9:57 AMHey guys, I'm going to this again tomorrow night, and I wanted to throw this out there:
I don't know what 's happened to the old guard in the DFW fire community....their tribe has grown cobwebs and I don't know what's become of folks like Puck and Alchemy who used to be the leaders. Creative Motion is the only active group I know of, and now you guys have safety-minded Rangers (me, RoadRash, and Eeyore) among you who may not have a lot of experience spinning ourselves, but we've attended and volunteered at MANY events where our firey bretheren performed. So.....
WHAT CAN WE DO to ensure that folks are spinning safely at ATSB or anywhere else in DFW??? Wednesday nights are becoming a fun tradition that I'd hate to see go away because people are being careless. When RoadRash and I went out there, we were appalled at the lack of spotters, towels, etc. Not cool!! I heard that Eeyore went up with towels last week, so that's a step in the right direction. . I've been getting a lot of good info from y'all and from www.nafaa.org and Home of Poi, and I don't mind helping to organize an educational aspect. What if we brought our projector and arranged a showing of Home of Poi's fire safety DVD at ATSB on the third Wednesday of the month? (I'm still waiting for mine to arrive or else I'd do it this week.) That could also do double duty to hype Spinfest the following Saturday.
I'm just wanting to throw some ideas out....I like going to ATSB and think it's a great opportunity for meeting folks from a variety of circles in DFW, but I don't want to see people get hurt because they're not following the most BASIC safety rules, and I can only assume ATSB lets it go on because they're not educated themselves. Step one might be to talk to ATSB and feel them out, which I can do if no one has yet. -
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 11:52 AMI've said for a long time we need someone to play firefly at ATSB. Maybe a schedule of shifts and a standing set safety equipment can be arranged? -
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 12:25 PMGeo, the best things to have are
1. a fire extinguisher (i have an ABC one.. its silver and was like $15 at Lowes) this is mainly to put out the fuel station if it happens to light.
2. Duvetyne or commando cloth (or a wet cotton towel, but once trained with duvetyne it is a better option since you don't have to worry about mold or mildew)
3. a secure spot for a fueling station (and fuel buckets with lids)
4. a secure spin off area. (using catch cans are the best, since it keeps the fuel off the ground and ends up saving a lot of fuel which equals $$$ in the end.)
5. a secure performance area.
oh and lets not forget a good spotter!!
A good spotter knows when to act.
When its appropriate to just tell the performer what going on and when to rush in and put them/the wicks out. Personally I would much rather a spotter tell me my leg is on fire than rush in with the cloth and try to put me out, putting both of us in harms way. If its something as simple as my leg being on fire I just need to know so I can put it out myself. Now if I tangle the chains around my hands and cant get them loose I would want the spotter there to put them out when i drop my hands to the ground. You also need a spotter there encase of equipment malfunction. For example if someone lets go of their poi or if a wick flies off (seems to be a frequent occurance with a lot of fire hoops) The spotter also acts as crowd control. There seem to be a lot of young children and teenagers running around as well as drunken people. The spotter is there to keep them out of harms way.
-Mediocre Matt -
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 2:49 PMwell spoken i couln't have said it better myself,
Mat touched on a point i think is very important, the spotter should try to remain level headed. they must remeber that we somewhat know what we are doing, we've acepted the risk to ourself and "hopefully" the responsibility to others. If am in trouble you will know cause i will be screaming for a Tech(my word for saftey). They must remeber that comunication is key.
just my thoughts,
Monkey
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 9:30 PMShifts would totally work because it would be tit-for-tat. You spot me, then I spot you! Now I just need to bring my ass and my poi to meet all these firespinners so that we can scratch each other's proverbial backs. -
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Re: ASTB
Wed, July 16, 2008 - 7:19 AMjust remember if you are going to go the shift rout that a spinner needs to wait about five mins after spinning to be considered a good safety/tech. right after you get out of a good flow your disoriented and your not going to be coherent enough to be a competent Safety.
p.s. we haven't seen you in ages bring your butt out to spinfest on sat1
-Monkey -
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Re: ASTB
Fri, July 18, 2008 - 5:01 PMWell I took the first shift this week. Kind of scary 'cause I've not been formally trained, other than everything I've been reading the last couple of weeks. I didn't feel comfortable lecturing anyone, but anytime someone lit up, I was there with a damp towel. I didn't say anything, just smiled at them and held the towel ready, and when they were done I offered to help put the tools out. Luckily, nothing happened...but I figured they were better off using someone who only kind of had a clue, as opposed to no one at all. I did learn a bit, but I would feel a lot better if I weren't the ONLY one spotting. It's kind of tiring!! I saw one other guy with a blanket spotting one time for one girl, and that was it. The impression I got is a few of them do know better, but they choose to ignore safety for whatever reason. Again, I don't feel right telling them "you can't do that," because I don't know them and it's not my bar (no one there seems to give a damn), but if anyone got hurt I know I'd feel shitty because *I* know better and I would rather do what I can, however small it may be. So I'll be back next week and would love some company.
Leading by example may be the best strategy in this situation. We should arrange to have some pros who are REALLY good, spin at ATSB and knock their fucking socks off. Then we can show them how it's REALLY done.... -
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Re: ASTB
Fri, July 18, 2008 - 5:55 PMi would never claim to be a pro after meeting some truly magnificent spinners in my time, but i think perhaps me and the andy man(posibly gypsy also) will try to make it next week, i'd be glad to give ya a hand.
can't wait till tomorow, i've been doing these events for a year now, but i still get all antys and exited before a meet. i think i'm gonna go outside and spin.
peace
-Monkey
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Re: ASTB
Sat, July 19, 2008 - 11:16 AMI'm way bogged down with grad school coursework right now, but that will be over in about 2 weeks. Then I will be able to come out more. I AM COMING TO SPINFEST TODAY THOUGH! Maybe I'll be able to work something out with y'all then. And you'll be able to put a face and personality with my name.
But yeah, lead by example is egg-cellent -
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Re: ASTB
Sun, July 20, 2008 - 1:26 PMWonderful to meet you! Hope to get to know you more... and if you mean you're getting out of grad school, huge congratulations!
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Re: ASTB
Tue, July 15, 2008 - 9:28 PMAs a new fire spinner, I, too, have been disappointed in the lack of general fire safety I see at non-burn events. Vicki and I spun on a beach down on the gulf on july 4 and there were two guys near us that lit their poi and staff so close to the crowds. They were literally in a crowd of people, just inches away spinning dangerous flaming fuels. We also remarked that that behavior will give fire spinning a really bad name.
I have yet to check out Across the Street Bar, but I would really like to get involved and spin with like-minded (safety minded) spinners who focus on technique rather than shock factor. I just don't want to be present if someone gets hurt because of stupidity, so I stay away from people who are clearly a hazard.
So, basically, if there's anything I could do to help, I would love to get involved. I think showing the HOP fire safety video is a great idea, and I might be able to help with that since I have both a projector and the video(s). Actually, I'm good friends with Rob Tovar, who y'all may know, and he's been my main influence regarding safety. I don't want to volunteer him for anything, but just wanted to name drop to make the connections. Anyway, I'm gaining a lot of spinning experience, and if I can just pry myself away from schoolwork for a few hours, I can become part of the community and maybe realize my goal of joining/starting a fire performance group here in DFW. I've wondered if that could be what is missing, a dedicated group of professionally-minded spinners to set a good example.
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Re: ASTB
Mon, August 4, 2008 - 8:17 AMIs anyone else going to ATSB this week (AUG 6)? I am on break from school and would LOVE to hang out with you guys (and spin some fire!) -
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Re: ASTB
Mon, August 4, 2008 - 2:17 PMI might be out there, not sure yet. If I am, just look for The Fez.
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Re: ASTB
Mon, August 4, 2008 - 8:49 AMFor the newbies - What and where is ASTB? -
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Re: ASTB
Mon, August 4, 2008 - 12:09 PMATSB is "Across the Street Bar" over on Yale in Dallas. They host a weekly drum jam which also has a (weather permitting) fire spinning and dance area. It also appears to act as the ad hoc center of the local burnerverse.
www.acrossthestreetbar.com for more information.
I'll be out there this Wednesday for sure. (the sixth)
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