James Folcik’s life has always revolved around sports and engineering. Whether he was in the United States Air Force, at General Motors in Flint, working on subhunters for Lockheed in California or working in a hotel in Hawaii, Folcik has always kept sports close to his heart.
Now Folcik, a retiree from Clarkston, has blended his life’s work with his passion, having invented the Field-O-Matic.
‘I was dozing one afternoon and the idea just came to me,? said Folcik. ‘I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and by the time I woke up I had the entire thing all figured out.?
Folcik coached baseball for a time and played industrial ball with GM and Lockheed. He feels the experience as a player and as a youth league coach in Pasadena gave him the insight needed to create the Field-O-Matic.
‘I love sports. I would even like to get into coaching again, but I doubt anyone would let me,? said Folcik.
While Folcik’s invention is completely diagrammed and blueprinted, the public is not able to see it just yet. Having partnered with Florida-based Inventech, Folcik’s invention’s patent is still pending and they have not yet secured a production deal. The only people, other than Folcik, who have seen the design are his brother and Inventech staff.
‘It’s best for baseball. It will help kids develop hand eye coordination,? said Folcik.
While the exact details of how his invention works are a closely guarded secret, Folcik feels it will be easy to use and helpful to many athletes.
According to Folcik, the Field-O-Matic lets people practice the defensive side of baseball while they are alone. While the market is flooded with products which allow people to practice batting or throwing, Folcik and the people at Inventech feel his product fills a niche heretofore unexplored by solo-training-apparatuses. Folcik also feels his invention will be applicable to a wide range of sports, not just baseball.
‘I’m surprised no one has thought of this before,? said Folcik.
Folcik hopes the Field-O-Matic will go into production in July or August of 2005. Once the invention is in mass production, Folcik has thought about donating one to Clarkston High School.
Folcik’s hopes are high for his invention’s success.
‘Who knows (the whole process) is a crap shoot, but it’s a good crap shoot. If the Field-O-Matic catches on it should be good for everyone,? said Folcik.