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INSIDE FOOS Newsletter NO. 2  May 2003
Published By Inside Foos Productions    Huntington Beach, California    http://www.insidefoos.com

CONTENTS:
From the Editor
Inside The Pro Tour...
Inside Foos Special Offers...
Inside The Numbers...
Upcoming Events
Foos Sites


TOP REGIONAL PROMOTERS KEEP FOOSBALL NATION BUSY
America's top table-soccer promoters are making sure that the next couple of months are busy ones in the  world of foosball with a number of exciting state and regional competitions marking the national schedule. More than $55,000 in combined prize money will be offered in these events which are being presented by some of the nation's hardest-working foosball people. This lucrative list of upcoming regional tournaments includes the "pro tour's 4th major" also known as the $25,000 Texas State Championships, which takes place over Memorial Day weekend just south of DFW Airport in the city of Irving. As we make our way towards July 4th and the National Championships in Minneapolis, this string of late spring events gives foosball players of every skill level the opportunity to hone their skills and test their talents in preparation for that great annual event.

In the foosball-crazy upper midwest, promoter Dan Doubler is offering more than $8500 in regional competitions in the state of Iowa, while Phil Gootee, Jarred Taggert and company are following-up the success of their recent $9000 Liberty National event in the twin cities with a four-grander beginning May 30th in Duluth. South Dakota promoter Loyd Mandel will also be offering players the chance to compete, with three scheduled events, two in South Dakota and one in Mankato, Minnesota, offering-up more than $12,000 in prize money.

Mary Moore and her Independant Foosball Promotions are hosting a $3500 Warm up event  on the weekend of June 16, in anticipation of the always well-attended Kentucky State Championships in Lexington at the end of July. Up north, our old friend Jim McKenney is busy preparing for his $2500 Western New York Championships on the 16th of June, as he continues to work as hard as anyone at promoting the sport. The foosball-rich state of Colorado will also host a solid regional event,  the Mile High Open, on June 6th. See the "Upcoming Events" section below for more details on all these upcoming tournaments.

With the Texas State Championships only weeks away, the foosball world turns it's collective attention to the Lone Star State where Steve Murray, David Radack and their hard-working crew are preparing for what is looking like a record turnout for this traditional event. More than any other regional championship, "Texas States" has both the feel and the field of a major pro tour competition. Most of the sport's elite players are expected to attend this big-money event, which has grown into an unparalleled $25,000 table-soccer spectacular. Names like Moore, Loffredo, Yore, Diaz, Zamora, Park, Cartwright, McMillin, Sipiora, Rosa, Tielens and Mares are expected to attend, all hoping to dethrone 2002 doubles champions Mike Archer and Brandon Moreland. Inside Foos Productions will also be in attendance to cover and record all the exciting foosball actvity.

Just five weeks after Texas, the center of the foosball world will be downtown Minneapolis, where the Hyatt Regency Hotel will host the $55,000 U.S.T.S.A. National Championships, as the major pro tour returns to Minnesota for the first time since 1998. Along with the normally scheduled rookie, semi pro, pro and Open events, the Nationals also feature one of the tour's annual favorites, the Masters Singles event. This pro-only, single elimination battle for the green jacket never fails to give us some of the season's most entertaining action. Both Todd Loffredo and Robert Mares will be looking to become the first three-time winner of the competition, which starts on Saturday evening at the Hyatt.

Attention Promoters! You can use the Inside Foos Newsletter to help spread the word of foosball to the table-soccer masses. If you are involved with the promotion of the sport or are simply looking for a place to express an opinion, write an article or letter, or bring attention to an upcoming event, please email me with your submissions and I will include it in next month's edition. We now have a mailing list well into four figures (and growing) and will be glad to publish your contributions or publicize your events.    

On a video note, those of you who ordered the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic DVDs or Videos can expect them soon. They have all been shipped and you should receive them any day, if you haven't already.

Be sure and check out the "Special Offers" section below for specially discounted DVD deals, including the new  Classic World Championship DVD Set which includes all the World events held from 1994 through 1998 available at one low package price.

Thanks for your continued support,

Jim Stevens
Inside Foos Productions
http://www.insidefoos.com


INSIDE THE PRO TOUR...

Clearing-out my left-over notes from the Hall of Fame Classic...

Todd Loffredo's victory in singles is all the more remarkable when you consider that his first major title came nearly 26 years ago, or right about the time his doubles partner Frederic Collignon was born...

The classy Tracy McMillin had another solid weekend in Las Vegas, finishing 2nd in Mixed Doubles, 3rd in Open Doubles, and 7th in Singles...

Another classy guy and one of the tour's most underrated players, Merlin Arment, teamed with partner Thor "The Hammer" Donovan to  finish 7th in Open Doubles...

If you see Merlin on tour, be sure and ask him to show you some trick shots...

Speaking of trick-shooting, is there a more exciting offensive goalie on the pro tour than Brandon Moreland?

Brandon actually outscored his forward Mike Archer in one of their Las Vegas doubles wins, and seemed to fire up his team with at least one wicked-looking two-rod shot every time I watched him play...

The ultra-consistent Terry Moore has now won at least one event at 10 of the last 11 season-openers...

Veteran Washington state lady-fooser Lotus Chesborough continued her impressive run on the pro tour by finishing 2nd in both Mixed Doubles and Singles, while also placing fourth in Women's Doubles...

Lotus finished 2nd, 5th and 5th at last year's worlds...

>From the Dinosaur Doubles Domination Department: Mike Smith of Michigan claimed the 35 And Over title at the Hall of Fame Classic for the second year in a row, after also winning the old man's event with partner Keith Maurer at last September's World Championships...  

The tough and talented Tony Spredeman continued his climb towards the top with a solid fifth-place Open Doubles result with the underrated Dana Marr...

Tony and Dana's only losses came to world champs Collignon and Loffredo, and eventual winners Moore and Macias, both in tough five game matches...

Spredeman's incredible "Far-Wall Stick-Pass into a Deadman Pull-Kick" shot is one of the sport's most exciting plays...

Put these names on your list of players to keep an eye on: Rob Atha, Frank Balecha,
Rick Moeller, Laszlo Teke, Brian Turman and Cory Wichman...

One of the game's greatest teams ever, Tony Bacon and Don Chalifoux, who played in four world finals together in the 1980's, finished a very respectable 7th in Open Doubles in their Vegas tour comeback ...

Trivia Time: April 1st officially made it three full years that Robert Mares has held the top spot in the pro rankings. Who was the world's top rated player before Rob?

Looking to continue their red-hot run, Mike Archer and Brandon Moreland will have to work hard to defend their Open Doubles title at the upcoming Texas State extravaganza, which features the sport's toughest regional lineup of foosball stars...

It seems like only yesterday that Mike and Brandon were celebrating their 2002 Texas win after defeating Trevor Park and Brandt "Mad Dog" Tarumoto in a tough open final...

Actually, it was less than 6 months ago, the tournament having moved back to its original Memorial Day weekend spot on the schedule after two years at Thanksgiving...

Defending Singles champ Rob Mares and 2002 Mixed Doubles winners Tom Yore and Dusty Bambanek are also expected to attend, along with Women's Singles and Doubles titlist Moya Tielens...     

Last year's field was one of the deepest ever assembled at a regional event and with Californians Adrian Zamora and Fernando Rosa making the trip, the 2003 event should be even stronger...

This year, $5000 has been added to the tournament pot by promoter Steve Murray who also tells me that there will be a light over every one of the event's brand-new tables...

The ballroom facilities at the Holiday Inn Select in Irving also offer a very comfortable, stadium-style movie theater that will carry the live tournament video feed along with recorded pro tour action...

Trivia Answer: Tommy Adkisson from 1998-2000...

The buzz has already started for the July 4th National Championships, being held at the downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis for the first time ever...

Having worked a Valley-sponsored dart tournament at the Hyatt back in 1997, I can tell you that it should be one of the nicest venues to have hosted a pro tour event in recent years...

The state of  Minnesota has always been one of the sport's true hotbeds, spawning such legendary names as Furry, Wiswell, Belz, Bednar and Alwell, along with current stars Dave Gummeson and Steve Mohs...

Food for thought: The luxurious Hyatt Regency is also home to a number of outstanding eateries, including "Manny's", one of America's top 10 rated steakhouses...

Make mine medium-rare...

We'll see y'all in Texas...


INSIDE FOOS SPECIAL OFFERS...


Inside Foos has been the official video production company of the Tornado Professional Foosball Tour for more than 10 years. Our videos and DVDs are digitally recorded using a multi-camera set-up and feature the play-by-play of "The World's Only Fooscaster" Jim Stevens, with expert commentary provided by some of the sport's top players.

NEW ---> The Classic World Championship DVD Package 1994-98.
This 10 DVD set of Pro Tour classics includes all the World Championships held from 1994 through 1998. It contains such classics as Tom Spear and his masterful 1994 singles performance, Tommy Adkisson's 2nd career singles win in Dallas and the first of Loffredo and Collignon's five world titles together. While the picture quality doesn't approach our current standards, there is a lot of historical footage and interesting commentary in this economically priced DVD set. Get all five world event sets for the low price of $100. Individual titles are $35 each. Email worldclassics@insidefoos.com for ordering details or call 877-833-3603.
Limited sets available ORDER NOW!!!


Order the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic VHS version and receive a free upgrade to DVD! Try out our new high-quality DVD format for the VHS price of only $40. This six-hour-long, 3-Disc DVD set was recorded this past March in Las Vegas and features the game's top foosers in action on the major pro tour. Highlights include Todd Loffredo's spectacular singles performance against the smooth shooting Fernando Rosa, and Terry Moore and Rick Macias's narrow victory over rising stars Mike Archer and Brandon Moreland in the Open Doubles final. There are also appearances from tour regulars like Louis Cartwright, Don Swan, Ron Sipiora, Dave Gummeson, Tony Spredeman, and Tracy McMillin, along with Thor Donovan and his hammering long pull-kick. Gritty Hawaiian Frank Balecha makes his Inside Foos debut, shooting a push-kick on the way to his best finish ever. To purchase this special DVD set, Just order the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic VHS version ($40) on the homepage at  http://www.insidefoos.com and you will automatically receive the DVD upgrade.

Order any 2003 DVD full-season Package and receive the 2003 Texas State DVD free!
Stay up to date on all the pro tour happenings by owning the entire 2003 season on DVD! Order a 2003 DVD Package and receive The Hall of Fame Classic, The Nationals and the World Championships, along with the added bonus of the upcoming Texas State Championships, all for one discounted low price. Go to "Special 2003 DVD/Video Packages" on the home page at http://www.insidefoos.com to place your order and save $50 off individual event pricing. DVD sets are shipped 4-6 weeks after the completion of each event.

Buy the 2002 National Finals DVD
and receive the 2002 World Finals DVD Free!
Just place an order for the 2002 National Finals DVD (see: "Economy DVDs" on the insidefoos.com homepage), and receive the World Finals DVD (valued at $35) at no charge. Get the 2002 National Singles and Doubles finals, the Masters Singles final, along with the Open Singles and Doubles finals from last year's worlds all for only $35.

The offers listed above expire June 15, 2003.

All 2002 Events are now available on DVD.
You can now own the 2002 Hall of Fame Classic, National Championships and World Championships in high-quality DVD. Just go to the http://www.insidefoos.com home page and scroll down to place your order for individual events or seasonal packages.

Please call Toll free 877-833-3603 if you have any questions.



INSIDE THE NUMBERS...

Frederic Collignon won 3 National titles at last year's event in
Atlanta in his first-ever appearance. Here is a list of the top
all-time title winners at the Tornado National Championships.

MEN
1. Todd Loffredo           11
2. Terry Moore               9
3. Scott Wydman            5
4. Rob Mares                  3
5. Tommy Adkisson        2
5. Frederic Collignon       2
5. Dave Gummeson         2

WOMEN
1. Cindy Head               11
2. Liz (Hill) Helstern       8
3. Melanee Tosh             5
4. Tiffany Moore            4
5. Christina Fuchs          3


Todd Loffredo's victory in Las Vegas was his 14th major
singles title in the last 13 years, including 2 Masters wins.
Here is a list of the top major singles winners since 1990.

MEN

1. Todd Loffredo           14
2. Terry Moore              11
3. Tommy Adkisson         5
3. Louis Cartwright         5
5. Frederic Collignon        5
6. Robert Mares              4
6. Johnny Horton             4
8. Don Swan                    3
8. Gregg Perrie               3
10. John Smith                2
10. Adrian Zamora          2
11. Dave Gummeson        2
11. Charles Britt             2

WOMEN

1. Cindy Head                 21
2. Liz (Hill) Helstern       12
3. Tiffany Moore              7
4. Moya Tielens                4


Nine years ago at the U.S. Open in Minneapolis, Chris Dube
became the only forward in recent history to win a major
title shooting a Pull-Kick. Here is a list of the shots that
have won all of the major
Men and Women's U.S.T.S.A.
titles since 1991.

1. Pull Shot                               171 Wins
2. Roll-Over Snake                      80
3. European Style Front-Pin        15
4. Push Shot                               5
4. Push-Kick                                5
6. Pull-Kick                                  1

When considering only Open Doubles, Singles and
Mixed Doubles (without women's event results)
the list of winning shots since '91 reads like this:

1. Pull Shot                              78
2. Roll-Over Snake                    72
3. European Style Front Pin      15
4. Push-Kick                               5
5. Pull-Kick                                 1

Since 1997 the list shows a different trend:

1. Roll-Over Snake                      40
2. Pull Shot                                20
3. European Style Front Pin        15

NOTE: Amazingly, Front-Pin shots (Snakes + Euros)
have won 73% of the three major open titles since 1997.


UPCOMING EVENTS...


May 16-18th   
$3000 Lincoln City Championships  
Big Red Keno
Lincoln, NE   
Loyd Mandel
605-352-5827

May 16-18th    

$3500 Kentucky State Warm-Up    
FLYER: http://foosballworld.com/ifp.html
Rack Club
Lexington, KY
Mary Moore
ifpfoos@aol.com
859-268-8502

May 16-17th

$2500 Western New York Championships    
Classic Cue Billiards
Depew, NY
Jim McKenney
foosnut2@aol.com
716-444-1051


May 23-25
$25,000 2003 Texas State Championships        

Holiday Inn Select
Irving, TX
Flyer: http://home.swbell.net/dradack/TSFlyer2003.pdf
David Radack
dradack@swbell.net
*An Inside Foos Event*
PRE-ORDER YOUR TEXAS STATE DVD at http://www.insidefoos.com

May 30-June 1st

$4000 Twin Ports Championships
FLYER:
http://natsa.org/downloads/03_twin_ports.pdf   
Mr. D's Bar & Grill
Duluth, MN
Jared Taggart

http://jared@foosline.com

June 6-8th   
European Jupiter Championship   
Belgium - TBA
Frederico Collignon
frederic.collignon@skynet.be

June 6-8th    

$6000 Iowa Foos Fest  
Eagle's Club
Waterloo, IA
http://www.wfpfoos.com    
Dan Doubler
wfpfoos@hurleycomputers.com
920-988-9891

June 6-8th    

$3500 Mile High Open   
PinkE's
Westminster, CO
Jeff Grasser
fr.foosball@attbi.com
303-429-9173

June 15-18th   

$6000 Heartland Open   
Staurolite Inn
Brookings, SD   
Loyd Mandel
605-352-5827

June 20-22nd    

$4000  Nationals Warm-up    
TBA
Dallas, TX
David Radack
DRadack@swbell.net

June 21st

Blinky's Nationals Warmup    
Blinky's Bowl
Waterloo, WI
http://www.wfpfoos.com
Dan Doubler
wfpfoos@hurleycomputers.com
920-988-9891


July 2-6
$55,000 U.S.T.S.A. National Championships
Hyatt Regency

Minneapolis, MN
info@vifa.com
800-544-1346
*
An Inside Foos Event*



Also Check Out These Foosball Sites...


http://www.vifa.com For info on the major pro tour and VIFA leagues. The Official Site of the U.S.T.S.A., V.I.F.A. and Table Talk Magazine.

http://www.natsa.com   For complete schedules and results.

http://www.foosball.com   For anything and everything pertaining to foosball.

http://ocfoosball.com  Orange County, California foosball site.

http://foosballworld.com/ifp.html   Independant Foosball Promotions.

http://www.dfwfoosball.com  Dallas/Fort Worth foosball.

http://pub86.ezboard.com/bfoosball6358   Foosball EZ Board newsgroup.

http://www.sdfoos.com   San Diego, California Foosball site.

http://www.nwfoosball.com   Northwest Foosball site.


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http://www.insidefoos.com


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