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BillyBoy Administrator Posts: 1397
12/31/2016
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The dramatic rise of foosball in Arizona coinciding with the fall of the sport nationally has not been an accident.
Those who run regular events know this very well. It takes considerable effort and energy to run a single event, even when you are particularly inspired to manage the event and play some matches. But it’s another thing altogether to do it on a regular basis, even when you are not so inspired or overwhelmed with other things in life. And they do it for the love of the game, with very little compensation, and often none at all.
I've been with Arizona Foosball since its inception in 2004, when it was nearly a full time job simply to keep the game alive and produce a single weekly event with enough players to launch a tournament. A lot has happened since then. And from that moment to this, I would like to thank a short list of people who have been instrumental along the way. The following people are not listed in any particular order...
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Brad Chamberlain has worked his a*# off for years, with little compensation, to really make a lot of things happen. And if you know Brad at all, you’d know that this is not something new to him. He’s made a career out of giving his time to build things for the community, teaching and coaching on a regular basis. So when you and I go home after a long tournament to crash out, Brad is up doing it again for some kids in Maricopa. Arizona's premiere foosball venue, Duke's Sports Bar in Scottsdale, would not be here today if not for his efforts. Neither would Arizona's reputation on the national scene. And more about that later.
Ken Oglesby has been there from the beginning. He helped me start Arizona Foosball, both financially and physically. When I say "physically", I mean it literally. The amount of energy and horsepower that goes into setting up and maintaining a full circuit of 500 pound Tornado tables all around the valley is off the charts. Ken has done that, and he's done it more than once.
Every player in Phoenix knows and loves "Kenny" off the table (and every player in Phoenix knows and loves being knocked around on the table by him as well). In all the years I’ve known him, I don’t think there has ever been a foosball “emergency” that Ken was not able or available to solve (and there were many of them!).
Jesse Rhode has been instrumental in Arizona Foosball from day one, starting on a Friday night in 2003 at Hazelwoods First Place, when we both decided that we were going to take the game by the horns and go for a ride. And, like Mike Lawrence, Jesse has probably single-handedly preserved what all of us has worked for over the years by keeping me going during the many, many times that any sensible person would have thrown in the towel. Although Jesse has stepped away temporarily due to health and family concerns, his influence has already proliferated in ways both seen (he launched the original league, e.g.) and unseen.
 
Gary Cooper and Adrienne McCormack have added an incredible facet to Phoenix foosball. In fact, they’ve managed to successfully pull of something that no one had been able to do previously – a regular tournament that draws (and keeps drawing) a steady stream of rookie and beginner players. There isn’t a lot more that needs to be said on this one; it’s that simple.
Mike Lawrence has probably single-handedly preserved what Brad worked so hard at developing in Mesa/Scottsdale. He has not only kept Duke's running strong at times that Brad was unable to show, but has managed to score higher than any other TD on the player's favorability scale. How he does this and still finishes on time is a miracle.
Rulon Smith has proven to be a monster asset of AZ Foosball - a monster with a voracious appetite. In addition to managing weekly league results and statistics, Rulon also is intimately involved in rules discussion and the design of future league objectives, both on the field and in the codebase. He is also the author of the fine tournament software application that we often use to run the Interim League events, as well as a beta version of our league scoring software.
Rick Weirman is a man who is not easy to encapsulate in a short paragraph. He's one of those people who seizes his passion and does not let it go until he gets every last ounce out of it, and gets it to work for him. Invaluable for his work in league player recruitment, scheduling, design, and the rules committee, Rick has also been the primary tournament director for the new Saturday Scrimmages events in Peoria - an event that is modeled after the highly successful Interim League events on the east side of town and likely the source of our next big boon to the player base. He has also recently become an operator, opening our most recent addition to AZ Foosball Leagues in a much needed section of the valley - the Hangar, in North Scottsdale.
Jim King has helped to put Arizona Foosball in the sights (and laps) of thousands of potential new players and sponsors with his monthly column, the Foos Pulse, which appears in the Arizona Foosball & Darts magazine, as well as around the internet. His novel insights to the game, its strategies, statistics and psychology are delivered with a personable style that hits readers as genuine and funny, and elicits nothing but good reviews. Well, nothing but that and bigger attendance.
Nolan Gorney has worked closely with many of our venues and sponsors, both inside and outside of Arizona Foosball. He also maintains a close relationship with companies such as Warrior Custom Golf, and has been instrumental in putting AZ Foosball on a national stage.
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Those of you who know me well may be aware of some of my long term objectives. I’ve always looked at the big picture with respect to the foosball scene. And I’ve always thought the key to growing the game was to make it available and attractive to everyone, and in particular to create vehicles to continually gain new players. And we’ve seen this unfold in an incredible way in recent years. Phoenix is quickly becoming the center of attention for foosball nationwide.
But there is even better news: this is only the tip of the iceberg. With new people onboard, a soon-to-be-launched national league system, new sponsors, promotions and technology, the "big picture" is about to hit the screen.
Working together, we can say assuredly "you ain't seen nothing yet".
Bill Nolan
Arizona Foosball
edited by BillyBoy on 12/31/2016
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jimking Posts: 8
12/31/2016
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Thanks for the kind words Billy and, more importantly, I wholeheartedly agree with the recognition given to those mentioned. We're truly blessed to have such a dedicated group of friends, players, and volunteers willing to dedicate their time, energy and heart into keeping our sport growing. Thanks to all of you!
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