Topic: ITSF announces Fireball as the fifth official table, Tornado drops out

[BradLaurine]

Today the ITSF announces the five official table manufactures.

Tornado drops out of the ITSF.

Date: Monday, September 12, 2011, 6:46 AM
Dear partner,
 
The vote for sanctioning the 5 Official Tables for the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 registration periods has occurred this week end.
 
So, we are glad to inform you that the manufacturers that have been sanctioned as Official Table for these periods are :
- Bonzini
- Fireball
- Garlando
- Leonhart
- Roberto Sport
 
Congratulations for this great news !
 
On top of that, Fireball is sanctioned as Official Table for the 2011-2012 registration period because Tornado wishes to withdraw from the ITSF from now.
 
With the arrival of the new conditions of partnership, we hope that everyone is going to play the game so as to develop and promote the table soccer throughout the world as best we could.
 
To begin, with the departure of Tornado, you must name a new president at the head of the Committee of Tables.
 
Finally, we inform you that the deadline to send us the date of your 2012 WCS is December 31, 2011.
 
We wish you a good season.
 
Best regards.
 
 
Audrey ROLLAND
International Table Soccer Federation


This is big news for Fireball and Tornado players.
The Europeans will like this shift because they can actually perform their shots on a Fireball table. Tornado has been tough for them to transition over for a European game/style.

[garabdorje]

WOW! That's really good news!! Congratulations Brad and to all the Fireball team!!!

Today the ITSF announces the five official table manufactures.

Tornado drops out of the ITSF.

I wonder why Tornado is dropping out.

On top of that, Fireball is sanctioned as Official Table for the 2011-2012 registration period because Tornado wishes to withdraw from the ITSF from now.

Why would Tornado make a move like that?

[thebodygroove]

The Europeans will like this shift because they can actually perform their shots on a Fireball table. Tornado has been tough for them to transition over for a European game/style.

Not surprising, since the Fireball is a German table. Somehow everyone seems to have forgotten that over all the Dennis Jiang here, Dennis Jiang there...

.

[BradLaurine]

BodyGroove, Oh, so correct.

Point that out to the hundreds of thousands of potential buyers in Europe. The only thing is the German owners had no clue how to advise Dennis on making it the best made table for North American standards. Now, for the world.
Thanks to Dennis and his ability to listen did the table improve to the level that it is today. It takes a team to increase the product. The product is getting better through the team. The Germans were a part of the team in the beginning and they will benefit from all our efforts to make it the best playing table in the world.
Brad Laurine

[foozkillah]

The Europeans will like this shift because they can actually perform their shots on a Fireball table. Tornado has been tough for them to transition over for a European game/style.

Not surprising, since the Fireball is a German table. Somehow everyone seems to have forgotten that over all the Dennis Jiang here, Dennis Jiang there...

1. On a world foosball championship front, I don't see major changes.. Spredey, Thermo, Coulter, Blake and others will still do as well against many European non-UK players.  Spredey's a Fireballer for one, anyway... if I recall.  With 1 goal figure, or 3 or 11.. still shouldn't matter.  Perhaps if Belgium inducted Todd as an honorary Belgian ..
2. Tornado has pretty much decided on going back to spreading its Table overseas.. beyond the North American continent. I'm sure that includes Europe.  That's the other announcement that is obviously part and parcel of Tornado's decisions.  Tornado prolly wouldn't want to lose its foothold in Malaysia, the seat of the Asian championships.. and Dubai where Asia's best player is..  And those were Tornado countries..  Who knows if their new resurgence overseas will work or not?

The big question, with all the millions of potential players in Asia... will they consider the ITSF championships (that the US seem to do pretty well in) or the Tornado US and eventually the Fireball USA or Warrior USA world championships (if ever) as the pinnacle of world foosball?  My drift feels that ITSF Tables and their countries AND Tornado AND Fireball/Warrior (in Asia) will become major championships in their own right, much as the four majors in Pro Golf and ATP Grand Prix tennis are.  I have no problem with that..  That works and has worked for a long time... so I don't see why it shouldn't develop that way.

[gitablok]

WOW! That's really good news!! Congratulations Brad and to all the Fireball team!!!

Today the ITSF announces the five official table manufactures.

Tornado drops out of the ITSF.

I wonder why Tornado is dropping out.

On top of that, Fireball is sanctioned as Official Table for the 2011-2012 registration period because Tornado wishes to withdraw from the ITSF from now.

Why would Tornado make a move like that?

Well when a manufacturer decides to become an ITSF table member and decides to have a WCS, world championship series tourney, it is required to pay certain fees and also is required to have certain requirements at said tourneys. Ex., you will be required to hire a full broadcast quality film crew to film the tourney, and there are fees to be paid to being an ITSF table member as well. These are only two of the required things.
 
Tornado was recently purchased away from the Brunswick corp. and the new owner does not see these fees to be an asset in the direction he wants to take the company.

That's the condensed version

[BradLaurine]

Nice, the condense version is completely correct.
Gitablok, is on the money and this is only a part of the fees.

The fees are what makes the ITSF function. Fees are what helps the USTSF function.

Man, I wish everyone had a name. I am willing to bet I know almost everyone on this board, at least by face.

Oh well, I am just an ugly face with a name in the crowd...

Brad Laurine

[garabdorje]

Tornado was recently purchased away from the Brunswick corp. and the new owner does not see these fees to be an asset in the direction he wants to take the company.

That's the condensed version

Now I think I undestand...

Gitablok, is on the money and this is only a part of the fees.

Now I totally understand.

I just hope that decision doesn't hurt the sport.

Man, I wish everyone had a name. I am willing to bet I know almost everyone on this board, at least by face.

Oh well, I am just an ugly face with a name in the crowd...

Brad Laurine

You don't know me by face, but we talked by phone maybe a week or to ago, I am Thai from Ensenada, Mexico. Actually my hole name is Thai Garab Dorje Beamonte Romero (garabdorje) So I do have a name hahaha

The best of luck for the upcoming season 

[thebodygroove]

BodyGroove, Oh, so correct.

Point that out to the hundreds of thousands of potential buyers in Europe. The only thing is the German owners had no clue how to advise Dennis on making it the best made table for North American standards. Now, for the world.
Thanks to Dennis and his ability to listen did the table improve to the level that it is today. It takes a team to increase the product. The product is getting better through the team. The Germans were a part of the team in the beginning and they will benefit from all our efforts to make it the best playing table in the world.
Brad Laurine

Alright, if this is what you want to communicate, we should better leave it at that...

In Germany, every player knows who developed the Fireball, partly because the owners were working their butts off to improve the table on the basis of costumer feedback. The result was pretty much the table that got sanctioned by the ITSF now. Of course, such a process is always teamwork. But we should still give credit where credit is due, don't you think?

All of this of course doesn't change the fact that the Fireball is an excellent table! It's the first real "world table", because it supports every playing style. I'm pretty excited about being the owner of an ITSF-table now...

.

[gitablok]

Quote from Brad..."Man, I wish everyone had a name. I am willing to bet I know almost everyone on this board, at least by face.

Oh well, I am just an ugly face with a name in the crowd..."

Oh you know me for sure, hehe. We were at the first world cup in Hamburg and I have been over several times since then as well. Have met most of the who's who in the " world " of Foos, especially Dennis. I actually played on a fireball back in 2007, I can say the table has made vast and drastic improvements. Dennis actually has vid of me on the FB having a little fun.... Tony who?
The ugly face comment.... You said it I didn't

[Old Meister]

Hey Ice, nobody said you were ugly, oops, that was Brad I guess (sorry Brad) . But what is beautiful is the direction Fireball is going! Happy for you and Dennis, Brad. Keep the head of steam going, you got the table to do it with. Looking forward to the Western Open in Portland OR. Anyone want to step out of the norm and do a west coast tournament in the heart and home of American foosball? Check it out on www.portlandfoosball.com . BBtuna, you need a vacation. Come on out, I'll play back for you;) I'll even find a bit of that green stuff, Absinthe,,,

[bbtuna]

om, i really wish I could, I would really love to make a personal vaca out of it but i am trying to just keep my head above water right now...i have been out of foosball wraps for several MONTHS and have been able to order replacements...i spent $12 a month ago for 12 cheap wraps from Walmart and i felt guilty...but, i can tell you that when daylight breaks again on the Tuna family, I will make plans to get out to see you

hopefully, that will before either of us is dead or unable to play any longer even if our walkers have wheels

[Old Meister]

Bbtuna,  I hear you about finances in today's world. But a bucket list is a bucket list. If you make it some day I'll throw in a deep sea fishing trip, buddy. And some Absinthe,,,

[bbtuna]

good idea, a bucket list...you are on and its Charteruse...better have some barf bags handy, i heaved last time i did an ocean thing but I am game...only live once and i would love to do that and see if I could get myself smoothed out because i love the ocean