2008 VA State Foosball Championships
7th Annual Thunder in the Mt. Foosball Spectacular
$2,500.00 in Cash, Prizes and Trophies
I.T.S.F. Pro Series Event
Byers St. Bistro
Staunton, Virginia
Designated Charity: Hospice of the Shenandoah Valley
Events Added:
Ladies Singles
Ladies Doubles
So come on out Ladies and get those I.T.S.F. points.
If time permits, we will have a special Mixed Doubles event also.
VA Foosball History
We will be celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the VA State Foosball Championships this year. Virginia and the impact the state has had on the game of foosball is quite rich in tradition. I met with Mr. Bill Kassir a few years ago and was able to journey back with him to the pinnacle of foosball fever in the very early 1970’s. Mr. Kassir was the importer and distributor for Rene Pierre in the early 70’s and had imported nearly 10,000 RP units over a 4 year period. As an avid fooser himself, Mr. Kassir helped populate the Virginia Beach area with tables in local foos halls visited by local and tourist. His company, Peabody’s, was known throughout the U.S. for their foosball business. Today, Mr. Kassir is an owner of a realty company and Sharx Surf Bar and Grille. He is credited with being the Father of French Style Foos in the U.S.
And as with any table there has to be a top dog and during the early 70’s that title went to Mr. John Hayes. John was winner of 2 of the most prestigious foosball events on the East Coast during the early 70’s. These 2 events were the Tidewater Footsball Championships and the Greater Tidewater Footsball Championships. Singles competition was the prominent event for players in the 70’s and John dominated both events winning a motorcycle and a Dodge Dart Demon. From my early foosball career, John Hayes’s name was legendary. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Hayes in 1999 at Hammerheads in Virginia Beach at a Bonzini U.S.A. tour event. And even at age 39 then, I was a little awestruck by his presence. John resides in Illinois and we still occasionally exchange a few e-mails.
Some of the interesting facts about foosball tournaments back then were that no entry fee could be charged for these 2 grand events and the participants could not pay for the games. Due to the fact that each of these tournaments was a promotional event the city permit would not allow the organizers to gain profit from the participants.
Virginia Beach, with its abundant military facilities and vacation destination appeal allowed foosball to grow at a tremendous rate in the early 70’s. Today, Virginia Beach local bars and taverns are dotted with a concentration of foosball tables.
Just a few notes about Virginia foosball and some of its prominent figures:
Legendary foosball locations: Choosie Mothers, Hot Foots of Richmond, The Raven, Tiki
Club, Rogues Gallery, Wide Open, and Hammerheads
Legendary Foosers:
John Hayes- Winner of both Tidewater Footsball Championship Singles title
Jimmy Little- At one time held the Virginia State title for 10 consecutive years in either Singles or Doubles.
Kenny Caughorn- Partnered with Jimmy Little to win many of the VA State Doubles titles.
Jeff Jones, John Bradley, Maurice Schemtaub, Pete Toski, and Jimmy DeMartino: All local VA Beach Foosers that help keep the foos hopping at the beach.
Doris Little- She is the first lady to achieve Master Rated status on the Bonzini U.S.A. Foosball Tour. More importantly, Doris has maintained the organization of fooser in the VB area for the past 15 years. Her dedication to the game is unparalleled in many aspects.
Today, she is still a lethal scoring and defender from the goalie position.
Dana Kitchen and Bobby Dodson: These guys resurrected the Richmond foosball scene in the early 80’s with some great tournament events held at New Gate Prison Bar.
Kenny Kniceley, Russell Mabus, and Tim Andrews: This trio, along with a few others kept the VA foosball tradition alive in Petersburg, VA at Joe’s Place. Joe’s Place hosted some of the best VA foosball events ever.
John (J.R.) Riley: John was the owner of Hammerheads and gave us (Bonzini U.S.A.) a chance to get tournament action going again in the late 90’s. Ask any player on the Bonzini U.S.A. foosball tour about Hammerheads and watch a smile come over their face. John was an excellent host and a great help breathing life back into foosball in the Tidewater area.
Steve Johnson and Scotty Long: These guys birthed vafoosball.com and went on to promote many successful foosball events in the Northern VA region.
Dave Pelny: Dave’s the president of the Shenandoah Valley Foosball Association. Most importantly, Dave represents the good things that foosball creates and that is friendship. He is an intricate partner in growing Bonzini U.S.A. and its player base.
Gio Cannata: Gio is the General Manger of Byers St. Bistro. An avid fooser also, Gio is an incredible host to either the VA Open or VA State foosball events on the Bonzini U.S.A. Foosball Tour.
More information to be added.
AC
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