NEW YEAR, NEW LEAGUE, NEW PLAYERS…
Happy New Year and welcome to 2019!
2018 was a great year for foosball and we’re looking forward to
an even better year for all Valley of Sun and statewide foosers.
There are a few new events being planned for the year and many of the
same great activities we’ve enjoyed for many years.
Foosball Table Giveaway
Once again, our own Steve Taylor
will be giving away a foosball table to some lucky fooser on Sunday,
January 27th, at The Loft Again. The table is a Tornado
Whirlwind (home model) table and is due to Steve wanting to give a
little something back to our foosball community as result of getting
so much…friendships, camaraderie, good times, etc. from us,
and as it’s also Steve’s birthday weekend, it’ll be
time to celebrate. Eligible candidates will receive a ticket for
playing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, which means the more you play
the better chance of winning. Make sure you get these dates marked
on your calendar so you can be in attendance.
2019 Spring Arizona Foosball
League
Signup has begun for the
2019
Spring Arizona Foosball League
and is scheduled to start January
15th. Just in case you missed the email that was sent out to active
players, “it's time to dig out the wraps and line up with your
favorite teammates for another great league season! League
coordinators and sponsors have been working hard in the off season
and are excited to open the doors to the latest version of the
Arizona Foosball League! Here are just some of the things to
look forward to in the new season:
16 game season featuring East and West conferences to minimize
travel
Cash prizes &
medals awarded for winners of all team & individual categories
Conference
Championships AND League Championships for individual titles this
season
Unparalleled
online statistics, scheduling and match support
New venues &
sponsors
Lots of
new players
Although challenging to convey
exactly what league play entails, here’s a summary that has
appeared in past editions of the Foos Pulse.
For those of you not familiar with
the league, that’s a darn shame since each season brings 16
weeks of competitive play for 3-person teams, followed by a couple
weeks of wildcard/conference playoffs, and culminating with
individual title matches and this season’s
Foos Bowl XVIII
Championship
. First and foremost, this is a handicap league
which ensures each and every player, whether beginning or veteran,
has an even shot at winning.
You might be asking yourself how well can a beginner fare against the
more experienced player. Well, that has been remedied by the
handicap system used to level the playing field for all players.
Each new competitor gets evaluated to establish a baseline by other
veteran players or the league director. True beginners may
start at a rating of 1.0 or below and work their way up as their
skills and winning improve. For example, if a player with a 0.5
handicap is playing against a 3.5 caliber player (a ratings
difference of 3) the lower handicapper will be spotted 3 points in
their individual games with the winner being the first to reach 7.
Combined team events are calculated by averaging the player’s
handicaps and then doing the math. Handicaps are recalculated
after each week’s matches and this continues through week 14,
whereby they are locked for the remainder of the 16 week season and
playoffs.
Each
week’s matches are comprised of the following rounds:
Doubles
:
3 games of doubles alternating with teammates
1
on 1 Battle
:
2 games of Singles; 2 games of Goalie War; 1 game of 5 Bar War; &
1 game of Forward Shoot-out
Rollerball
:
Rollerball indicates that the ball(s) must be kept moving at all
times. One game of 3 on 3 two-ball rollerball and one game of 2 on
2 one-ball rollerball
Team
ROTO
:
ROTO indicates that as one team scores they rotate a player into the
game and one out of the game. There is one game of singles and one
game of doubles.
Point
Champion
:
Summation of the total points per game scored. The team with the
most points wins this round.
The
winner of the weekly match is determined by the total rounds won. If
teams are tied, which can happen, there is a one game playoff whereby
the home team get the choice of selecting either the game or players
while the visitors end up choosing alternative, if applicable.
Since we’re in the gestational
period of assembling teams there’s definitely a lot of strategy
going into the formation of them. While on the surface it might seem
better to have more well rounded and experienced players…let’s
say higher handicaps… you shouldn’t overlook the
possible importance of having one/some lower ranked players that
could be a handicap competitive advantage in these league matches.
The expectation here is that the lower handicapper(s) will be able to
beat the higher rated opponent(s) since they’re spotted points.
All I can say is that sometimes this philosophy works and sometimes
it doesn’t. However, looking at the past few season’s
results there have been quite a few upsets by the lower handicapped
player(s). So, those of you still putting your teams together might
want to quickly take advantage of some of the lower ranked players
that are still available.
Upcoming Majors…
Following is a summary of upcoming
major national/state tourneys that are sure to attract all levels of
players.
Kentucky State
$25,000: January 24th – 27th in
Lexington, KY
19th
Bart O’Hearn $10,000 Celebration: February 7th –
10th in Austin, TX
$7,500 Florida
State Championships: February 22nd – 24th
in Clearwater, FL
Las Vegas Hall
of Fame Classic: April 3rd – 7th at the
Golden Nugget in downtown Las Vegas
Based on conversations with active
players, it’s sounding like Arizona will have a large
contingent of players attending the Hall of Fame Classic. This event
is always well attended and definitely raises the level of everyone’s
game. I believe last year’s tourney had 562 players
representing 42 countries. Also, this tourney also features this
year’s inductees to the Foosball Hall of Fame.
And finally…
Once
again, if anyone is interested in getting involved in local foosball
in any capacity, visit
www.ArizonaFoosball.com
and register using the current signup sheet, post in our forums, or
contact Bill Nolan at 602-751-8818. In addition, you can get the
latest and greatest details on any foos related activities at this
same awesome site.
Remember…
Keep
Foosin’ Fun!