Foosball Radio | On the Road | Gold Medalist Sparky Castillo

[00:00:01] The following is a presentation of Foosball Radio. Foosball Radio, On the Road. And it's a great weekend. We're having a blast here. It's one of the bigger turnouts for the Hall of Fame Classic in quite some time. And we're going to be doing some broadcasting this weekend. Just to let you know, we're going to be on a couple of times this weekend, including Foos Talk Live tomorrow night.

[00:00:29] But whether it's going to be 9 o'clock, I'm not sure. Depends upon the schedule here at the tournament, as is always the case. But we'll hope to be with you tomorrow evening live on Twitch TV. And of course, we'll be recording for our podcast. But in the meantime, I got to say, it's always great to come to a tournament like this and run into people that you know, that you've met before and you've become friends.

[00:00:56] And not the least of which would be James Sparky Castillo. Hello, James. What's up? Hey, how you doing, Tom? Would you prefer I just call you Sparky? Yeah, that works. Hi, Sparky. So, Sparky, I got to ask you the question. When you walked into this room this weekend for the Hall of Fame Classic, how many times have you been in the Classic, by the way?

[00:01:16] Um, maybe five or six times. Five or six times. So, it's a few times. Yeah. Out of all those times you have appeared in the Hall of Fame, what do you think of this one so far? Well, it's a new look. Yeah. You have this big old giant thing with cameras hanging down on the tables, which is, you have posters or you have the faces of Moya Tealins, you know. Oh, yeah. Oh.

[00:01:43] Billy Pappas, Tony Spreedman, Flaherty up there. And you see on the other side, there's that wall of fame with all the Hall of Famers? Yes, that's really nice. Isn't that cool? Yes. I would say their sense of continuity, I guess that's the best way to put it when it comes to the graphics and just the way it's designed, it just looks amazing. Yeah, the aesthetics is really nice. Let's talk about the actual tournament itself. So, when did you get here, by the way? Got in Wednesday. Wednesday? Wednesday midday. No kidding.

[00:02:14] Yeah. And how many events so far? That I played. Yeah. Right off the bat, within the hour of getting here, I played senior mix. Okay. Nice. Okay. And how'd that go? Took first with Gina Murray. Nice. Congratulations. Thank you. It's always nice to get especially a first place at the Hall of Fame. Oh, yes. Right? Yes. So special. Now, here's another thing, just a point.

[00:02:39] This is also a very historic year because of the fact that, well, first of all, it's the first World Foosball Tour version of the Classic. Oh, yeah. Of the Hall of Fame Classic. I would say that anybody who wins this weekend, any event, no matter what it is, it's historic. And people will remember this moment because it's brand new. Yes. It's a whole new day. Okay. I've got to ask you the question.

[00:03:05] So when it comes to the tournament itself, is there anything you think, well, we need to adjust or something you'd like to see? Actually, with the new look, everything, it's pretty good. I'm not playing about anything. Yeah. Gotcha. I'm just enjoying the moment. And it's good to have change. Yes. It's good to have change. Oh, absolutely. Now, and the change, of course, people get used to it. What do you think of the actual pit area? What's that like to play in for you?

[00:03:34] The pit area is really nice because it's open. It's an open space as opposed to being roped off. So, but with it being open, the seating there, you have the TV screens up the top so you can watch from the TV screens. Yep. It's really nice. Yeah. To me, I think that this is really what the sport should look like. Right? So when you've got the arena or the center of the arena where everybody can look at the same time, I think that's what foosball should be at all times.

[00:04:04] You know, especially tournament stops like this one, this size of a tournament stop should always look this good. If not, you know, it's not better. But that's what's going to get the attention, I think, of outside people that are wondering, what's this thing all about? Professional foosball. Oh, this is what it looks like. Oh, man, that looks like fun. So, your local scene, what is your local scene, by the way? Our local scene is in Fremont, California. Fremont, yes.

[00:04:33] Outside of San Francisco? South of San Francisco. Okay, got it. And how many players do you have in your local scene? Local scene, you get anywhere from 10 to 20 players. Nice. That's not bad. So, you're a pro or pro master? Just a pro. Pro. So, any other pros in your scene? We have Serge, he's a master. Serge, yeah. Okay. Adrian Zemore is a master. Right, right, right. Another pro, we have Greg Mindell. Oh, well, Greg is one of ours, by the way.

[00:05:03] Yes, he's come over to ours, I doubt. He's a, you know what, I have to say something about Greg, because the reason I'm actually sitting here and the reason I'm actually playing foosball is because he was my teacher. Okay. So, when I came back into the sport in 2011, he was running, and he was actually out every week in our local DYP. And he was one of the first people to actually pull me aside and say, dude, some things you need to work on. But, yeah, he's always been like that. He was a good teacher.

[00:05:33] We also have Mohamed Udin. Oh, gotcha. We have Zeke Cervantes on Real Foos Shoutout. Gotcha. Right, right, right. Okay. Well, you've got a great scene. And retired Chris Andrew. Yeah, right. Okay. And for you, I'm very curious. When did you begin to play foosball? What was the first time you saw foosball table, and what kind of table was it? It was a dynamo table in the 80s, mid-80s. Mid-80s, okay. In junior high. Junior high. Yes.

[00:06:02] And so, was it in the school itself, or was it? It was at the local arcade, Keystone Arcade. Oh, gotcha. And were there a lot of people playing in those days? Yes. There was all the big names were Phil Schlafer, Scott Stewart. Right. Steve Corioso. I saw Phil Schlafer here this weekend, in fact. I just said, hey, just a couple hours ago. He's doing really well, I guess, with his comic book thing. Yes. His rare comics.

[00:06:31] So, who was the person who actually took you aside and said, Sparky, got some things to work on? Who was that person? Well, my initial person that taught me how to play, his name was Tony Levigner. Ah, got it. Got it. Okay. And so, was he a pro, full level? He was a novice player. Oh, he was? Yes. Okay. So, what was the first thing he showed you how to do? It was actually catching loose balls. Oh, nice. On the table.

[00:06:59] So, he would toss it around the table from the goalie area. Gotcha. And I practiced catching them. And how often were you doing that? I mean, was it every day? Was it every other week? I mean, what was going on? It wasn't every day. It was just, you know, once in a while he'd come over and practice. Oh, gotcha. So, what was the first time you went to a regular tournament where he had to compete in baseball? It was a local tournament that we had. Okay. And we got smacked around.

[00:07:29] We were just beginners. Right. And then you get hooked right away. Exactly. You get addicted. So, even if you're getting beat, you're still getting beat up, but you're still coming back. When it came to that person who's showing you how to play and you went to your first tournament, you know, you're getting beat up pretty badly. How long was it before you actually won a tournament? Long while. Long while. Long while. Okay, gotcha. And what tournament was it that you actually won something?

[00:07:59] I drew one of the top players and, you know, they're able to carry you. Gotcha. So, it was a local tournament. Yeah. And then once you win with somebody that's good, you get even more hooked and you want to play more and more and more. And your evolution, I mean, how many years have you been playing all together now? I've been playing since 85, 86. 85. So, let's see. But not all the way through. Yeah. There's gaps where I didn't play for almost 10 years. Right. So, it seems like that's the case, right?

[00:08:28] People start playing the sport of foosball and then something happens in life. You get married, you have kids, whatever, and then you walk away briefly, but then you always come back. Yes. So, when you came back, what, so that was 10 years later? Well, not 10 years later from there. Actually, I played, the biggest tournament I played in was 95 Nationals. Nice. Okay. And I was an expert at the time. Got it. And I partnered up with a guy named Ron Escobar. Okay. We partnered up at the tournament.

[00:08:57] We played open doubles. We took out the number one seed, Terry Moore and Bobby Diaz. Wow. That's a tough team. We beat Horton and Biney. You beat Horton and Biney? Yes. Really? We ended up as experts meeting on the spot at the tournament. We took fifth in the open doubles. No kidding. Wow. That's pretty amazing. What an accomplishment that is. And so, at that point, you probably felt like, well, we can beat anybody. It felt like it. That's amazing.

[00:09:25] So, when it comes to your overall career, and like you say, you're a pro, you've been to the World Cup. Yes. So, how many times have you gone to a World Cup in Europe? One time. Just one time? Just once. And that was the last time it was held, what, two years ago, correct? Twenty, twenty-two. Yeah. Twenty-two, twenty-two. So, it's been three years. So, it's happening again this year. You're going to World Cup? Yes. Nice.

[00:10:02] Incredible. So, when you say wow, do you mean just the way it was built, or? The amount of foosball tables that you see is never imagined. So, we're talking about a couple of hundred? I mean, how many? You're looking at maybe four or five hundred tables. Tables. Wow. That's a wow. That's absolutely a wow. Well, let me see. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe close to two, three hundred something.

[00:10:30] But seeing those many tables at one point is kind of insane. Yeah, I can imagine. And I want to understand, too, and I've only seen clips of it, but it looks like they have a pretty big arena with seating. A lot of people watching. It's a giant sports arena with the skybox, with the videos being replayed. Yeah. So, what's that like? As an American player, you're used to our format, the way we do things here.

[00:11:00] And you go there. I mean, do you wonder whether or not we're ever going to get to that point? That's the dream goal. Yeah. To get to that. That's so incredible and insane. It's going to take some work. I think we have a shot now. Yes. With Ryan and his company, World Foosball Tour. I think it's probably one of the better opportunities we've seen in a long time for the sport. Yes, I agree. So, we'll see.

[00:11:28] I'm curious when it comes to now this year, how many tournaments are you going to be doing altogether? Actually, just this and the World Cup, let's see. That's it. Wow. Well, the World Cup, I guess we'll accept that for you. All right. We'll take that. And are you going to make a vacation out of it? Are you going early? What's going on? No, just going to stop by real early just to get over the jet lag. Gotcha. Now, are you taking the whole family? No, just me. Just? Ah, gotcha. Are they jealous?

[00:11:58] Not really. Not really. Are you saying that they're happy to have you out of the house for a while? Well, actually, I offered my wife to come along with me. She said, you know, you're going to be playing foosball the whole time. Oh, yeah. Well, that would be the case. You know what? We have patient wives. They put up with our obsession, right? But that's the way it works.

[00:12:25] And if you didn't have that support, what would you do? Have you got a large family? I have my wife and two kids. Two kids. Son and daughter. Yeah. And how old are they? My son's 26. You have a 26-year-old son? And my daughter's 24. And you started having kids, what, when you were eight, nine? No. I'm on the senior squad. Remember now? Well, you don't look it. Let's put it that way. Thank you. I would say mid-30s.

[00:12:54] Actually, I had them when I was in the early 20s. Okay, gotcha. And so do they have an interest in foosball? No, they don't. Really? So they weren't curious about dad going out there? No, they enjoy watching the highlights. Oh, they do? Yeah, they enjoy it. Gotcha. They get hyped up. Do they ever play in the house at home? Yeah, they play a role once in a while. Gotcha. Yeah, it's, I think, one of the things you notice about the really good players that are

[00:13:23] kids that are coming up in the ranks, not the least of which would be, you know, people like Sam Dijon and Jacob Balcos and some of the other younger people. They started out when they were like five, six, seven, eight years of age, and their parents put them on a box and said, let's play some foosball. I mean, look at the Rue family. They raised their kids on the table. And look at the results, you know. It seems like that's what has to happen sometimes.

[00:13:49] If you want to be in the top echelon, you've got to start out in the sport pretty young. But I'm sure there's exceptions to that. But it's certainly something, I think, that you see these young kids and what the kind of talent. So who do you watch the most when it comes to these youngsters? Who do you like most in the field? Jacob Balcos and Sammy Dijon. Those guys are monster killers. They really are amazing. Have you had to play them both?

[00:14:17] Yeah, I haven't beat them yet. Really? Okay. Actually, I played with Sammy Dijon in Pro Doubles at the Worlds. Okay. Okay. Nice. Very cool. In fact, I think I watched you guys play there. Yeah, that was very good. You guys make a good team. Was it the Worlds or the World Series? I can't remember. We played somewhere. I do. I do remember the Worlds. It was the Worlds, yes. It was the Worlds. The Worlds, yeah. And it was great to see you guys together on the table. You did well.

[00:14:45] Yeah, it was really nice playing with Sammy. He's a monster. Oh, my goodness. We still remember Sammy being eight, nine years old, standing on a box, playing foosball at the local DYP. And his dad, I mean, he's really driven him, I think, pretty hard about just getting better and better. But I think he's exceeded everybody's expectations when it comes to playing.

[00:15:12] So, anybody else you can think of that you're worried about when you step onto the table? Who do you not want to see on the other side when it comes to these young kids? Actually, I enjoy playing against them. That's my challenge to see how I fare against the upcoming talent. Right. So, when I play against Belkos, he's gotten me the last few times. Okay. But you still, you're in it. I'm still hanging in. Yeah, that's cool. So, you know what?

[00:15:38] The best thing about this game, too, even though a lot of the really top players, the younger kids are doing really well, it's still not over. I mean, I'm 66 years old, and I feel like I can, at least in some of the lower-ranking events, I can compete. Yeah. But, of course, then again, there's the aches and the pains, you know, when you get up in the morning and kind of go, True, true. Oh, man, I've got to get on the table again. I don't know.

[00:16:03] So, what have you done, as a pro player, what have you done to adjust your game as you've aged? What's changed? A lot of it is mental approach. Okay. And it's actually less practice, but more mental toughness. Yes. Also doing a lot of research on matches online. So, you could scout players and see how they play. So, do you watch a lot of video? Yes.

[00:16:30] And what do you think of the folks at Modern Foods doing the play-by-play? Oh, I love their stuff, what they're doing. Yeah, I mean, they're developing, too. They're learning as they go along. But, yeah, the product is getting really nice, really nice. And the availability of the footage of all the events that are going on, all the tour stops. And so, you've probably had a lot of opportunity to watch yourself in those matches. Yes. And what do you learn when you watch yourself play?

[00:17:00] I see the things that I should be working on, as in the dumb mistakes that I make. Yes. And try to limit those and say, oh, okay, I did this. Let's stop doing that. Let's try to limit those mistakes. Yeah. And I think that's the whole idea. It's like, okay, I made this mistake in this last match. Maybe it was just a slight adjustment that you needed to make. But, I mean, it's all about understanding the inches or, I guess you'd say the millimeters of change that take place on the table.

[00:17:28] How long does it take you to adjust in a, let's say, in a given match, a tough match? Let's say you're down, let's say, 3-2. What kind of adjustments, what kind of mental operations go on to make that change, to turn that around? You're looking at things where, okay, these are his options. Okay. Let's take away one of these options, at least. So you're looking at whatever it is their favorite shot might be? Favorite shot, where are they going pull side? Are they going push? Right.

[00:17:58] And then you could bait them into those options. Do you have a philosophy? I mean, is there something that you use as far, especially in the goal, do you have a philosophy you use when it comes to, when you see somebody step up to the table you've never played before, or do you just let them do their thing to start with to see what they're going to do? Actually, I try to fight for every ball. Okay. I got you. So I know some people, they say, okay, let's sit on the wall and see what they do. Yep. Yep.

[00:18:27] I like to try to see, actually try to fight every possession. Wow. I have a different approach where. Yeah. Different philosophy. I scramble every ball. I try to see what I can do. So you scrap for every single inch. Yes. I mean, that makes a champion right there for sure. So how far are you from Master, by the way? Actually, Master, I believe, is 5,000 points. I'm sitting at 4,200 and like 4,500.

[00:18:54] So maybe a few more tour stops and a couple of good victories. And now, did you play pro doubles this weekend? I did. We won maybe three matches and then lost to Dieter Thiel. The guys from Germany. Yeah, the guys from Germany. They're great players. Yes. Wow. Chris Marks. Yeah. No kidding. I mean, I guess in their country, they're considered what? Top pros? Yeah, they're top players. And Dieter's like the legend there.

[00:19:24] Right, exactly. He still plays like a beast. He's still pretty good. How old is he, do you think? I don't know. Yeah. But he plays like he's still young. He's still got it. No kidding. Wouldn't it be great someday if people like Freddy Colignone decided to come back from retirement? Oh, that would be awesome. Right? Yeah. That would, I think, especially in Europe, but I think, for foosball overall, it'd be great just to have him show up at a tournament like this. And that would draw a lot of players, I'm sure. Have you ever played Freddy Colignone?

[00:19:55] I played him in the past, a long, long time ago. Okay. Early 2000, in the draw your partner, lost to a meatball. I remember that. Wow, meatball. Yeah. Against Freddy. Yeah. Well, it was a draw your partner. Yeah, yeah. But that was a time when you had to actually drop the ball through the hole. I got you. So you had to foos it. You had to foos it, yeah. The other time I drew, it was a pro-pro-master draw, I believe. And I drew Todd and Rico had somebody else in.

[00:20:25] So you were playing with Lafredo. Yeah. And you're facing Freddy Colignone. Now Todd knows Freddy's game. Yeah. And vice versa. But, you know, I don't think Todd's going to try as much, as hard. But he's coming from across the country. Right. Across the ocean. Okay. So. Okay. And, you know. Freddy's. Freddy's tough. Yeah, he's one of the best.

[00:20:50] Has anybody else that you know of in the States used that open-hand shot that he uses? That open-hand. And I don't see too many players using that. Yeah. I think it's too difficult for people to learn. It's hard. They'd rather learn the snake, which is a lot easier. Right, right, right. It's hard to do because you have to time the ball so precisely. But nobody else seems to be able to match that. It's hard to block as well.

[00:21:16] You know, I'm surprised sometimes when you think, okay, here's your top player in the world. If you want to be better, you watch what he does and try to imitate him. But nobody seems to be able to do that. Yeah. Interesting. I think it's also the playing field compared to the tables out there. Yep. The European or that front toe is a lot easier to shoot. Right. Understood. Okay. So when you go to World Cup, you're going to play on what? Five different tables? I believe so, yes. Five. So what?

[00:21:46] Besides Tornado, if they took Tornado away, what would be your favorite table? I actually like the Bonzini. You do? Yes. Dude, you rock. I love Bonzini. That's what I played on as a kid, you know, back in the 70s. Most people hate it. I don't know why. It's a great game. The challenge for me on that, I realized when you learn how to finesse and move the ball around, you can play on any other table. Yeah. For me. Okay. So it's really helped your game on Tornado.

[00:22:16] Yes. Well, that and playing on the other tables. So playing on Roberto Sport, playing on Leon Hart. Just being able to, I call it finesse the ball itself. Yes. Yeah. A lot of people think of it as just kind of a, it's very rough because the men are metal. They have a smaller foot and they, generally speaking, the surface of the table is not very good. So it's, the ball's flying all over the place. But that's, hey, you adjust to that. Yes. Get used to it.

[00:22:45] Do you, when you're playing Bonzini, do you like to play forward? Yes. I like both aspects because I'm naturally a goalie. Gotcha. At the World Cup last year, we won a men's doubles match on Bonzini with me playing forward shooting a pull shot. Wow. That's very, and a pull shot on that table is not easy. I found a technique on there that works pretty well. Okay. Very cool. What, how do you practice on Bonzini? Do you have one at home? Yes, I have one at home. Oh, you do. Got it.

[00:23:14] And a Lincoln Hart and a Tornado. So you have those three tables. Nice. Slick view. Yeah, the inner core. Yes. Well, it's nice, especially because going to World Cup, you've got to get practiced up on these tables. Very true, yes. So when are you leaving for Europe, by the way? It's going to be June 18th. June 18th. Yes. And you're there for how many days? I'm going to be there until July 2nd. Wow.

[00:23:43] That's a long time. Yes. Wow. I understand that I've heard from some of the other team members from Team USA, they go there with extra t-shirts and jackets to trade? Yes. So have you done that? Who have you traded with and what did you get? I've traded with, I'm going to forget these names. There's Mark Dose. Okay. And what country is it? I believe it's Netherlands, I believe. Netherlands. Yes. Who's got the best jersey there? The best jersey?

[00:24:12] Actually, they had my favorite color, which is the orange color. Yes. So that was my favorite. Excellent. Well, it's, you know, the look of playing foosball. You notice here, there are a lot of people who are playing foosball, just like you, are wearing really nice, really nice official clothing. Yes. And that's, I think it's so important to the sport to really promote this. The Europeans all seem to have, you know, they dress alike and they all have their uniforms.

[00:24:42] Now, do you think there should be a dress code? I believe there should be a dress code. If we want to make this a game of professional sport, we have to present it as a professional sport. Gotcha. I totally concur. I think that it makes a huge difference in the way people perceive the sport from the outside, especially. Yes. So, James, what's left for this weekend? You got any more events to play? I'm actually done. I'm tapped out. You are tapped out. Yes. Wow.

[00:25:09] Well, hey, at least we got a chance to hang out, talk a bit. Looking forward to the future. Again, you're going to be going to the Worlds, obviously. Yes. Well, the World Cup, yeah, World Champion. World Cup, but that's it for the rest of the year. For now. For now. We'll play by ear after that and we'll see. We'll see if we can drag you out for another tournament this weekend. At least one more, anyway. But I've got to say, James Marky Castillo joining us for an episode of Fauxball Radio on the Road.

[00:25:37] And again, we have been coming to you live this entire time from the location here in the middle of Las Vegas. By the way, I forgot to ask you, how many times have you been to Vegas before? Have you been there? Um, it's been roughly around five times for the Hall of Fame stuff. Okay. And have you had a chance to walk around Vegas at all? Um, actually, yeah. Okay. I have some friends and family that live out here, so. Oh, very cool.

[00:26:06] So you know the town a bit? A little bit, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Actually, I got some military buddies that live out here, too. Oh, very cool. Yes. Awesome. Well, James, again, thank you so much for joining us today. I mean, there's more to come here. We're still waiting on the Hall of Fame ceremonies. Then we have the women's open doubles and open doubles for tonight. And we're a little behind schedule, but I think it's going to happen. By the way, what do you think? We're going to all be gathered together. Everybody's going to stop play. Yes. And we're all going to be watching.

[00:26:36] How do you feel about that, stopping all the play? Oh, it's out of respect for the Hall of Fame candidates, you know. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. It has to be done. Tony and Billy going in tonight. Yes. Can't wait. So, again, James Sparky Castillo joining us from the middle of this amazing arena for the Hall of Fame Classic 2025, brought to you by the World Foosball Tour.

[00:27:01] Again, kudos and thanks to Iveta and Ryan Moore for doing what they're doing and all the hard work they're putting in. And for Modern Foos being here to do the play-by-play action, we really enjoy it. It makes a huge difference in how we perceive foosball. We have lots more to come this weekend with Foosball Radio on the Road and Foos Talk Live. But for now, that will do. Foosball Radio on the Road.

[00:27:28] This has been a presentation of Foosball Radio.