I Have a Dream ... and a Nightmare

If your heart is in your dream

No request is too extreme

When you wish upon a star

As dreamers do

Disney - When You Wish Upon A Star

I have over the years had the most annoying foosball nightmare. I am excited to be finally at a big event. I have an anxious feeling inside, the butterflies which seem to start to bubble up whenever I am going to play foosball. Over my 41 years of playing while the scenery changes and the tables come and go, one thing which is undeniable is the great feeling I get when I am heading to see my extended family of foosers both young and old. 2^nd and 3^rd generation’s gathering at the event for the competitive spirit, as well as the chance to reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in a while.

Sadly our sport is not underwritten by corporate sponsors and the money we play for is our own. We are even ok with paying someone out of our winnings to organize and run the event just so we get the chance to show up in what for me has become my church.

The Nightmare always begins the same at an event somewhere and just minutes away from playing my first match, when something goes horribly wrong. A door leads to the outside and I am unable to find a way back, or the tables are missing parts and I am unable to get the endorphin rush of grabbing my mistress by her handles and letting her know how much I have missed her.

I awake disappointed that there is no tourney to rush to no communion with my foos family. I am instead in the moment thankful feeling for being able to play the sport which has become for me the very core of who I am. It identifies me and when people ask what do you do for a living I enjoy telling them I play foosball for living and I do whichever job offers me the ability to leave home as often as possible to commune with what has become some of the best friends I could ever wish for .

Having a son at 20 there was seldom the money to afford to go play as I wanted yet often I would push bill paying off and go play on borrowed money just to get my fix of my drug of choice foos fueled adrenaline. Knowing full well that even if, I exceed all my expectations for play, I would have a hard time breaking even yet alone coming out ahead. It was ok more work when I get back more planning for the next event and hoping that somehow the money would work its way out. It seldom did but what can I say its lure was too strong to resist.

I have sometimes put the game before responsibilities to family and career but, I had a dream that one day there would be a return to the heyday of the sport where thousands traveled and competed in events paying out cars and big money and all I had to do was keep heading towards that goal with the childlike faith of people much smarter than me. To push my foosball dream forward, when others roll their eyes, I would begin to preach my foosball gospel to anyone who would listen. The benefits of the sport / the equality between size and gender and some incredible people I have met along the way.

People like Stan Palowski a fierce competitor who I have had the pleasure of battling with in the northeast part of our country for many years now. Stan possesses a high level of skill and a heart and determination which strikes fear in many players. Despite the fact that he rolls up to the table in a wheelchair he designed to allow him to compete. Anyone who witnesses the way Stan handles himself both on and off the table comes away with admiration and respect.  I feel lucky to have him as a friend.

When you start to play on tour is can be a very lonely and difficult task in order to get good players to partner with you. They have to know you are a good player and for most of the players, they also require you be a good person. We can’t afford to hire people to referee so we for the most part use the honor system. If a penalty occurs most players are quick to agree instead of the childish antics which television seems to showcase to garner ratings. 

We have been given a thousand reasons why it won’t work on TV and a hundred obituaries for foosball and how it soon will be over, finding tournaments and competition will have gone the way of stone tablets. I have a few words I would like to express now  in fact just 4 for the naysayers and critics.

OVER MY DEAD BODY

I am writing this now as I begin my journey representing Team Warrior at the 2014 $25000 Colorado State Championships. I am not sweating how I will pay for it or which Peter will be robbed to pay Paul. I am happy to be able to work at foosball 24/7. I am proud to be a part of the team which will change the face of foosball forever. I am going to the tournament with some great partners in place and one primary objective for the weekend. Expose the foosball public to a table that is a great value and lowers the bar to entry for families around the world.

Imagine that, not trying to impress a better player with my toolbox of trick shots hoping I can somehow partner up and return with more money than I left with. Not traveling with a grill and blender and scurrying around to find a place to shop to keep the budget low. Not being disappointed by finding out the “maybe if I don’t find a better player” partner has in fact found a better player. Now my boss wants me to have a good time enjoy the fruits of my half days of work

(9 am to 9 pm is a half day isn't it?)

Act as an ambassador of the sport ,enjoy the Colorado air and have one primary objective one goal one focus for the event.

FOOSBALL GROWTH

NIGHTMARES AND DREAMS

I met a man who shared with me his foosball nightmare. A nightmare so different from mine it is astounding to me how destiny has put us on a collision course to an improved foosball future.

This man’s nightmare is much like my reality. He goes to the room to play in a tournament and tries to get a partner for an event. Problem is that no one will play with him. He is brash and confident and doesn't understand why nobody will play with him. He has skill; he has talent, quick hands, and grabs the ball like nobody’s business. He even tries to get a hotel staffer to play and gets the same reply. Not only NO but what kind of alternate universe do you live in roll of the eyes. Checking from one to another he asks everyone to no avail and wakes in a cold sweat.

Thankful he is still who he is his, hands are still able to grab the rods again he lives to play again.  He is able to return to the life of having people ask him to play. Players beg him to play, agreeing to carry his bags, and even offering to sponsor him to play. Yeah,his reality is not the one I have been living in.  I am often begging people who can’t play to play just so I get to practice to get better. 

While our nightmares differ wildly, both of us feel the same sense of loss and emptiness when we wake up and realize there is no event to play. 

We have both awake in a cold sweat because we were kept from our first true love Foosball. 

We smile knowing we will see her and be anxious to grab her handles once again

Who is the holder of this other nightmare?

Who is it whose heart would be broken by only one thing, the inability to play this silly game?

Who is this new for me foosball hero, legend and highly valued newest friend for life?

Tune in next time …..

Please share any foosball nightmares you may have… The best will win a one of a kind special prize

My Name is Tom and I'm a Foosoholic ...

It all began way back in 1973. I wasn't a particularly athletic young boy and found myself more comfortable acting on a stage, or in the pursuit of the attention of young girls. As you can imagine this didn't make me very popular with the "in" crowd. Then, out of nowhere sprang up a tiny little snack bar aptly named My Place just a few steps away from the doors of my high school. The food was standard fare, burgers and such but, in the middle of the floor I found an intoxicating beauty made of wood, metal and plastic which would soon occupy my thoughts. From the first time I grabbed the handles and began manipulating the ball, to the moment I first heard the thwack of the ball disappearing into the back of the goal, I knew I was in deep.

My thoughts soon became filled with all things foos. For those uninitiated, foosball which is also known as table soccer is a sport with a rich history around the world. There is some debate on its origin Frenchman Lucien Rosengart, an engineer from Citroen credited with inventing both the seat belt and front wheel drive, is said to have created the game as a way to keep his grandchildren entertained during the winter months. Also claiming to invent the game was Alexandre de Fiesterra who said he got the idea for the game while rehabilitating from injuries sustained during the Spanish Civil War. The first patent issued for the game which is popular world wide now was submitted by Harold Searles Thornton in 1923. The game was brought to America by Lawrence Patterson who was stationed in Germany during the 1960's. He is said to have fallen in love with the game and imported coin-operated machines and ran the first tournaments in the late 60's.

The table I first fell in love with was named Tournament Soccer and was manufactured by a Montana bar owner by the name of Lee Peppard who also launched high stakes tournaments across the country which propelled the sport into widespread popularity with large payouts and coverage on both television and magazines. Peppard was derailed by both his penchant for gambling on his tournaments with big dollars in prizes to be covered by sales of tables as a result of these tournaments. The advent of video games and some questionable tactics by gaming companies helped to reduce the amount of tables sold from 1500 per month to 150 within months and foosball faded into obscurity and off the radar of the American youth.

From green tops, to blue tops, to brown topped tables with bigger handles I was smitten with a desire to improve and compete. For me it didn't matter what table I played on, only that i played every chance I had. Memories of playing on tables with names like  Hurricane, Dynamo, Bonzini, Garlando, Roberto Sport, and Tornado bring joy to me despite suffering more defeats than victories through the years. You see the thing about foosball is it is a very humbling endeavor. While gaining skills and strategies may help you beat upon your buddies and family, bringing those talents to a bigger stage can be filled with disappointment.

Foosball is the great equalizer where brute strength alone won't bring you much success. It is hard to find another sport where a 13 year old girl weighing in at 86 pounds can bring heartache and pain to a 250 pound adult man bringing him seemingly to his knees with her ability to block him, score on him and embarrass him in front of a crowd of people. Or to have a wheel chair bound person stand toe to toe with a gym rat and soundly conquer him with ease. It is almost like watching chess and boxing mixed together the pain and struggle to adjust and win is addicting for sure. I have to admit I am completely hooked.

I have traveled the country playing in tournaments for many years now and have found an extended family of people I sincerely respect and love. We come together with our own money in the shadows of obscurity, from kids to senior citizens, battling into the wee hours of the night for the love of our sport. Unlike the heyday of the 70's where there were people who could earn a living playing foos, nowadays breaking even at an event is a good goal and for many it is how they choose to spend their vacation time and days off from work. After all a bad day of foosball is better than a good day at work .

In 2002 the International Table Soccer Federation was formed in France with the goal of propelling the sport into the Olympics. While this seems to be a long shot ( The 1991 movie Longshot featuring Lief Garrett was about foosball ) their have been great strides along this path. For the past 7 years in Nantes France countries from around the globe come together to represent their countries in the World Cup Championships. Attended by thousands with television coverage on both Eurosport and ESPN3 the excitement and interest continues to grow. This year brought 23 nations together to compete in both team events as well as Mens, Womens, Juniors, Seniors, and Disabled. The United States was a dominant force this year with Gold Medals in the team event as well as Mens Doubles, Senior Doubles and Senior Singles. The US also scored Silver in Mens Singles and Senior Singles.

2014 promises to bring more excitement to our sport. Oscar winning director Juan Jose Campanella released his 3D animated film Metegol in Argentina and broke box office records. While distribution rights in America have yet to be announced the success it has had worldwide seems to make it inevitable. There is also some noise of bigger tournaments and sponsorship money being pumped into the sport this year but time alone will tell. For me I will continue to hone my skills and compete every chance I get and dream of the opportunity to represent my country in the next World Cup. I have also decided to dedicate my time to promoting and popularizing my sport on a regular basis via this blog and welcome your feedback and suggestions.

Nelson Mandela has been quoted to say " There is no passion in playing small, in living a life that is less than the one you are capable of living " while I never met him I am almost certain he wasn't talking about the size of the ball being played with.