Don’t tell the founders of the Foothills Foosball Federation their pastime is just a game.
They will tell you it’s a sport and one they want other people to come out and enjoy. They want foothills residents who haven’t played since their college days or who just want to give it a try, to come on out.
“Foosball is a sport,” said Paul Teskey, one of the five founders of the federation. “You need timing -skills, hand-eye coordination and you need to practice to get better.”
Foosball, or tabletop soccer, was a staple in bars and college dorms 25 years ago, but has gone the way of Pac-man. HoweverBut now, it is back in Okotoks.
The Foothills Foosball Federation meets every Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at Grand Central Station Bar and Grill in Okotoks.
Teskey, a Foothills Composite grad, caught the foosball bug approximately four years ago from his friend, Karl McBee, who had a table in his coffee shop in Black Diamond.
“We would go there and Karl would have all sorts of practice and beat us pretty badly,” Teskey said.
As a result the five founders, McBee, Teskey, Brandon LaGrange, Stephen Parrill and Andy Court bought a foosball table for their mechanical shop in High River where they all work.
“We were like ‘We got to beat him’ and we were practicing every day at lunch and we started to get better,” said Teskey, who lives in Millarville. “We started going to Calgary, where there is a foosball league.”
They didn’t want to play in Calgary. They wanted something close to home.
Grand Central was chosen as the home of the federation because of its proximity to the communities of High River, Black Diamond-Turner Valley and Okotoks. The federation is informal — just some singles and doubles play with maybe a pint and some nachos to be shared among friends.
Our goal isn’t to have the federation be competitive, it’s to have a casual atmosphere,” Parrill said.
A handicap system is used for doubles. An expert may be a 10, and intermediate a five, and beginners are a one with various levels in between. The handicapped numbers of two players are added together. They would then play with players with a similar total.
“So you can have a beginner playing with an expert,” he explained.
The table at Grand Central is top-of-the-line. However, unlike the tables of yesteryear, there are three men on the goalie handle, rather than one. As well, the corners are flat, they are no longer banked.
The one main rule is no “spinsies” — you can’t spin the knob so you soccer men are spinning like an out-of-control Cirque Du Soleil performer.
“If you are a beginner and one of your men goes 370 (degrees) around, we’re not going to worry,” LaGrange said.
These guys are pretty good. LaGrange has a fast shot with the accuracy of his cousin James LaGrange’s jump shot with the Holy Trinity Knights.
A foosball match is best of five and it takes approximately seven minutes to complete a game.
There is further proof that foosball is a sport, according to Parrill.
“I think there are four of us who have had wrist injuries,” he said.
There is no cost to join the federation other than the loonie to put into the table for the ball.
For more information concerning the Foothills Foosball Federation send your questions to [email protected]
Foosball terms
Following are some shots used in foosball1.The stuff: "The goalie tries to blast the ball out and your opponent's offensive player stuffs it back in the net. It is very demoralizing when it happens to you." 2. The rollover: "You start with your wrist on the bottom of the handle and then move your hand up. Your man nearly does a full circle (before hitting the ball). It's also called the snake shot, because your hand looks like a snake's tail when a snake is hanging from a tree branch." 3. The pull shot : "You have one player lined up to shoot and then you pull over and have another player take it. "
