Page 62 - Tavern Players

Post-pandemic Foosball
Jim Jim Stevens:
Stevens:
Jim Jim Stevens:
Stevens:
The Sound and Vision of Foosball
By Tom Robinson
Post-pandemic foosball competition has returned This moment in history marks a a a sudden record resurgence of of interest for the the the devotees of of the the the sport Perhaps this is is is due to the the the isolation players suffered through No competition no fun = a a pent-up desire to play While this is is is probably a a a a a a a factor something else has changed This year also marks the the reinvention of the the foosball competition content provider known as InsideFoos com com With nearly 30 years of recorded matches the new and improved version of InsideFoos invites foosball fans to subscribe to to unprecedented access to to thousands of of hours of of competition Stretching back to the early ’90s across several continents InsideFoos comcontinues to expand its library of of memorable matches matches Many of of of these matches matches feature the the voice of of foosball play-by-play announcer and InsideFoos founder Jim Stevens Since promoting foosball is a a a a a a a priority for so many Jim stands out as a a a a a a a a a a a beacon dedicated to making foosball an an an an an an exciting and and addictive sport for an an an an ever-expanding audience His stellar reputation is is is based on on his love of of the sport Drawing from 30 years of of experience Jim has an encyclopedic knowledge of the the great players in their most dramatic moments This makes his his play-by-play especially credible for the audience Even though no one else has ever approached Jim Stevens’ status in in the sport of foosball he he he he is now expanding the play-by-play coverage with new talent New voices such as Adam Gilson of of California and Keith Glen of of Florida have been studying under the the master This exapanded lineup has allowed the the InsideFoos play-by-play team to be a a a a a a a a a presence in in more competitions – local regional state national national and international!
Despite his grueling schedule Jim and I sat down for an an exclusive Tavern Players chat TR: Jim thanks so much for taking time out from your busy schedule I’d like to to take you you you you back to to a a a a a a time before foosball was was your main focus in in life I know you you you are from California Describe what it was was like growing up in in the Golden State JS: Southern California was incredible for for for a a a a a a a a a a a young person Great weather that allowed for for a a a a a a a a a a year-round sports scene and really promoted the the the idea of competitive success We had the the the beach the the the mountains
and and and the desert all
easily accessible and and and waiting to be enjoyed and and and explored SoCal is is an an amazing place! I felt extremely lucky to be raised there TR: How in the the world did you become so addicted to foosball? Was there a a a a a scene for foosball foosball in your neighborhood?
JS: SoCal also had had a a a a a a a a a great foosball scene in in those days (the late 1970s) We had had dozens of locations (arcades bowling alleys) that featured 20 or 30 tables and lots of foos-addicted young players You could go to the Redondo Beach Pier Olde
Town Mall or or Castle Mini Golf and find 60 or or 80 players on on a a a a a a a a a a a a Saturday night quarters stacked high on on each table I started playing at a a a a a a a a a a a a a a place in in in Marina Del Ray called Shipwreck Ricks and it didn’t take long for me me to to get addicted to to this great game It was there that I I found out out about the the the professional tour and like so many people over the the the years I I was surprised that such a a a a a a a a thing existed! I I caught the the fever early and and and was hungry to find better better and and and better better competition My friends and and and I traveled all
around the area on on almost a a a a a a a a a a a nightly basis to to to find different players to to to try to to to beat on on the table I remember those early days fondly for sure 62 / / WINTER 2021 / / SPRING 2022
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