Entry 3: The Omen of Death
There is an old legend in Ireland, of a creature called a Banshee. A Banshee is said to be a fairy that is a disembodied spirit, which can appear in any of the following forms:
- A beautiful woman wearing a shroud
- A pale woman in a white dress with long red hair
- A woman with a long silver dress and silver hair
- A headless woman carrying a bowl of blood that is naked from the waist up
- An old woman with frightening red eyes, a green dress and long white hair
- An old woman with a veil covering her face, dressed all in black with long grey hair
You may have heard of a Banshee, but all the stories that were told consist of some sort of scream, right? The 'caoine', which means 'keening', is an Irish warning that there will be a death in the family soon. Because of Irish families coming together through marriage, it is said that every family has its own Banshee.
Do I Look Like I Care?
I know that Banshees have nothing to do with card throwing, or do they? Card throwing has become very popular, and because of that one company has decided to make cards dedicated to throwing, guess the name, go on, guess! That's right, they are called Banshee throwing cards, designed and created by Jason Brumbalow, and tested by World Record Holder, Rick Smith Jr. These cards get their name from a clever addition to them, they scream. The cards are built with specifically designed holes, seen in the tip of the arrow in the picture below, in order to make a whistle as they are being thrown, and the holes are made in a way that they do not effect the way the card moves. I got the idea of buying these specific cards after watching a video by the World Record Holder Rick Smith Jr. on throwing cards accurately, in the links below.
Empty Your Wallet
Now, I may be over-exaggerating a tad bit, but $17 is a bit much for cards. I MAY bought them through my mom's Amazon account so there is free shipping, and I MAY have had an Amazon gift card, but I am not rich. The cards are $16.95 on Amazon, with free shipping, for the advanced version, so money well spent. So there you have it folks, I have now officially spent $17 on this project, making my current balance $-17.
Technique
March 6th was my goal date for consistency, meaning I can throw the cards consistently 9/10 times, which I have accomplished with my Air Force Reserve Playing Cards, unfortunately I may have to set my schedule back a bit due to obtaining new cards. My plan was to hit a circular target about 6 inches in diameter 8/10 times by March 13th, but due to the new cards I may have to push it back to another date.
Siblings Can Sometimes Be Awesome
So my little sister, Ellie, has created the best target for throwing cards ever, except that it is made of cardboard. With the cards I am currently using, cardboard is not the greatest material, as it has broken about 3 of my new fancy cards. She has been addicted to DIY projects for a while now, especially with Harry Potter. So naturally, she made me a target (see below) to throw cards into. I need to ask all the readers, how should I tell her that I cannot use the target due to the material? This will either go great, or more money will be spent on a gravestone, if anyone is good with kids then tell me how to not die, thank you.
No Shortcuts
I have been researching for a while now about ways to improve my card throwing, but I cannot find anything. The only thing on the internet about card throwing is the history, the grips, and trick shots. Even Rick Smith Jr.'s online card throwing explanation just says: take these basic techniques and practice. Card throwing has no hidden technique to make it work, just practice, so this may be harder than I thought.
Overview
So, I am planning on getting some Styrofoam in the next few days to throw cards into, as it will not break my cards, but until then, I will be using the Air Force Cards. I also will be moving each of my goals back 3 days, temporarily, until I get used to the new cards, when I do, each goal will be back to normal. This means my new accuracy goal will be the 16th of March, instead of the 13th. Finally, I need some help on not dying from my sister, and as always, I hope you enjoyed reading.
Sources
This blog was great. I loved how you included your sister in your project--it's great that you guys are collaborating! Also, I think it's worth a mention that the most that I've ever spent on a deck of cards was $5. Your cards are more than three times that price. That's absolutely crazy. Naturally, after hearing about these fancy schmancy new cards, I am excited to see your progress to your next blog post!
ReplyDeleteWhoa! I never knew that card throwing was so competitive that people would make custom cards! That's pretty cool. Maybe you could go around and trade your cards like pokemon cards and then be like I've got the legendary banshee so bow down in my presence. Also, you've got to be dude perfect and do like a trickshot sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing! I really liked the narrative in the beginning to introduce us to the new cards; good job! With the cards that make sounds, you can finally have a chance to dominate your sister over making more noise! Have fun with the new cards, I'm excited to see them in action.
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During badminton camp, a lot of people bring cards because it is just really boring otherwise. Once, someone had the brilliant idea of throwing cards. Everyone started trying to throw them throwing the "proper" way and they all manage to throw it somewhat far. Then my badminton coach comes over and flings the card halfway across the gym just flicking it with his wrist like a Frisbee. He just says that its "all in the wrist." I think it is really cool to see how my coach actually should've done it compared to how he actually throws cards.
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