Foosball Radio | On the Road | Hannah Smith at HOF

[00:00:01] The following is a presentation of Foosball Radio. Foosball Radio, On the Road. Live from Las Vegas. I love saying that. Live from Las Vegas. 2025 Hall of Fame Classic at the Westgate in Las Vegas. This is the first edition of the Classic put on by the World Foosball Tour.

[00:00:27] And it's, I'm running out of ways to describe. But before we get into that, I have to welcome Hannah Smith, or Dr. Hannah Smith. Hello. Back to the microphone. It's been a while since we had, what, the last tournament we were tagged together? I think you and Sullivan. Yeah, yeah, we stopped by for a bit. Yep, we had some conversation going on. Sure. So this has been quite a weekend, and I don't want to pretend like I know what's going on here,

[00:00:57] but you are just lights out this weekend. Lights out. Thank you. So just fill us in. What happened? What came down in women's and, of course, open and things like that? Yeah. How did you do? Well, the first day started out, we played women's classic doubles. Isabel Steli and I played that. We actually played here. We played a couple together.

[00:01:23] We've never managed to make it to the final and win, but we've both been putting in a lot of work on that side of things. So it was really cool to make it to the final and win. So that was day one, and we were both super pumped because we'd never won that one before. That's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. And actually, prior to this, I've only ever won two events in Vegas, so it's always really hard for me to win here. That's it? Well, one was a women's DYP with Maggie Strong.

[00:01:49] I won that two years ago, or three years ago, and then last year I won with Sully in doubles. So, yeah, it was a big deal because I was like, wow, my third one in Vegas. Like, how cool. Yeah. That was great. Then I played some handicap. Me and Jacob didn't do as well as we wanted to, but, you know, we had a tough field. We did well. Singles was next. Singles was a pretty – always a tough field. We had some early round matchups.

[00:02:16] I think seeds were kind of weird this time, but, you know, win championship format, it really doesn't matter. It's like you just have to show up and play whoever's over there, so it's tough. But singles went really well. I had a tough match against Cindy. I had a tough match against Jess to get to the final against Isabel. She played phenomenal. That was a true battle. Yeah. That was a true battle. It is. It is. I mean, we're just getting better.

[00:02:45] Women are just getting better, so it's really cool to, like, have to stay elevated and play at your best and really try to push it, like, just to stay with it, you know? So this, to me, and just at the level, you know, amateur level, I just – I don't know how to maintain focus like you guys do. Yeah. What is it that allows you to focus as well as you do? Like during the match or, like, over the weekend, you'd say?

[00:03:12] Well, I would say, you know, a duration of the weekend, but specific like the finals of singles. I mean, you are highly focused, highly focused. Yeah. It's just having a plan beforehand. You know, it's never like, oh, well, I made it here. It's kind of like, you know, we had that little break right before they called it, so I went up to the room, and, you know, I'm sitting there, and people are like, are you nervous? And I was like, I mean, I'm not nervous. Like, I have the plan. I'm going to do this. This is how it's going to go.

[00:03:39] If it works, great, and I win, great, but I know this is my thing. I know this is what I'm going to do. And just having that plan preset really takes a lot of the pressure off because if it's 3-3, you know what you're going to do. You know, it's like on this timeout, you have a plan. It's like every ball, you just have a lot of intention set into. So I think having that makes me personally feel, one, a lot more focused, and two, it really makes me a lot less stressed.

[00:04:07] There's, like you say, stress, de-stressing. Sure. So, okay, the normal tendency is when you get into a really tough situation and you just want to, you just want to, you set the ball up and you just want to rip it down. You just want to hit it as hard as you can or do whatever that you want to do. You have that mentally. How do you prevent yourself from going too fast or doing it too soon or screwing up your timing? Well, one, you have to practice with pressure.

[00:04:36] You know, you can't practice at speed 3 and expect everything to be fine when you get into a match and try to go speed 8, 9, 10. You know, it's not the same. And that's kind of something that Bracklin really learned at an early age was he was like, I was like, look, when you're learning your pull shots, you got to learn it like this. You know, don't hit it so hard. Don't go so fast. And he was like, but in a game, I'm going to. Yeah. So I don't want to learn it halfway. I want to learn it, how I'm going to play in match.

[00:05:03] And I was like, that was, you know, I wasn't taught that way. I regret that I wasn't taught that way in a sense because, you know, it's true. You know, you have to have that. So I think it's just your mechanics have to be so drilled into your brain that it's just automatic. And you have to practice how you plan to play in a match. And that's that. And it's consistency as well. I mean, you can't deviate much. I mean, that's the other thing I find, especially people that play at your level. It's the consistency. That helps. Yeah.

[00:05:33] Yeah. I mean, as you developed as a player, you had to fight through that. I mean, was there any one person or any one thing that really said to you, hey, Hannah, here's what you need to think about to make the consistency? Getting started and learning how to be consistent, not really. It was more like, okay, well, I'm a girl. And, you know, they are always, whenever you switch and you get up front at your local DYP, because that's the only time I ever played front, was they're just going to camp on the wall and not give the girl the wall. And it's like, oh, okay.

[00:06:02] So when I was like 12, I learned that if I had a really good lane pass, I would get it every time. So it was like I had to go and make that. But I build my confidence with reps. Okay. Anytime I'm low on confidence, I build it with reps. So I'll do like 30 of every pass. And the last 10 have to be in a row. And if they're not in a row, I start over at one. And it's just like that's kind of like that's one of the sets of training that I do leading up to big tournaments when I'm really locked in and really putting a lot of time on the table. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:06:32] I have to ask you now about women's doubles. Yes. That was great. That was amazing. I mean, you had two legendary players on the other side of the table. Absolutely. I mean, legends. Cindy and Tracy Brubaker. Tracy Brubaker. I mean, wow. Wow. Yeah. Tracy's. I've had very few opportunities to be in the same room to watch her live. Oh. Has she always been like that? Tracy is a gift sent from God above. Yeah. She is a fabulous human.

[00:07:01] I cannot say anything nicer about that lady. Yeah. She is a fierce competitor. Oh. And I love the fight. We have a lot of the same energy. Yeah. You know, she really brings it. But, you know, off the table, she is a blessing. Okay. One of my best friends on the tour. Yeah. She's a joy. And, you know, Cindy is just in herself the goat. So, it's like going into that match, we have to kind of reassess because, man, we're playing the greatest player of all time. It's like, man, she is the most decorated player. It is. Yeah.

[00:07:30] So, you have to have your hat on straight for that, you know. But we had a plan. You know, Sully and I have played a lot together. And we've had a – we talk a lot about teams and who we play against in the moment and how to deal with those moments. So, we're really well versed in that situation, I think. Was there any video watching of Cindy and Tracy? No. No? No. I didn't really prep any much for this tournament. I'm just kind of here doing the best I can. Okay.

[00:07:59] All right. But, you know, we've played these ladies a lot, you know. Yeah. I played Cindy in singles. Singles, I'm not sure if Sully matched up with Tracy this weekend in singles, but I know they played recently. So, you know, these ladies are at the top of the game and somehow we always run across each other a couple times. So, no, I didn't scout any video this particular tournament, but I usually do and I'll stay brushed up on it and definitely go watch content from here and from kickoff, you know, now that I'm kind of back in grinding mode to push towards the end of the goal.

[00:08:29] Grinding mode. I like that term. I think that definitely fits the bill. So, I'm really curious now. You have a lot of significant things going on in the very near future. Not the least of which is getting married. Yay! Yes. So, and that's, it's in May? Yeah. It's like 30 days. Wow. 35 days or something. It's right before World Series. How do you play foosball and not think about that in the back of your mind the whole time when you're trying to focus? I'm just so excited. Yeah.

[00:08:58] It's so nice to get to marry somebody you just love. He's just a joy. He's a great guy. He's great. He's a, he's just a treat. Incidentally, you can tell him from me that, that I don't hold the grudge. It's okay that he beat the pants off us. Oh gosh. Last night and experts. I'll handle it for you Tom. Don't worry. I know where he sleeps. I'll get him for you. Oh man. His, uh, his two row. Just stunning. Stunning. That's what I'm saying. I'm like, and you don't always get to see it, but the mental aspect of foosball is what

[00:09:28] he is so good at. And it's like, you know, he's coaching the women's team this year. Is he? Yes. Him and Jerry Todd are coaching the U S women's team. Okay. And I'm just so thankful that the team gets him. You know, it's like I get him all the time. He's always my coach. He's always helping me mentally. He is so smart and I get so much from him, but man, I'm so glad that these women are going to have him as like an asset to us taking on the world. Yeah. That's exciting. I don't know. I'm excited for them. I guess. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:09:58] Well, I mean, it's, uh, the other thing too, is that he is super talented with the camera. Yeah. I mean, he makes us look good. Every time now, recently, if I've been looking on Facebook and I see pictures, I know it's him. Yeah, me too. I know his work versus other pictures. So it's like, and it's not just your regular phone camera. I mean, he's got the real deal. How long has he been into photography by the way? He hasn't been into photography for very long. I would probably say like a year, probably like two and a half years, almost three.

[00:10:28] Wait, wait, wait. He's only been like messing around with photography for two and a half years. Yeah. He opened his own business after COVID. Okay. And, uh, he bought a camera, a different one that he has now started taking some sports action shots and he decided he didn't like the quality of the camera and how it grabbed action and how it would freeze frames and things. So he decided to change cameras, get a new one. He started doing some videography for like hunting videography. Yeah. And that's kind of where it started. And he learned how to edit.

[00:10:56] You know, that's really what he's so good at is once he learned to edit, he would know like, oh, well, like that photo there is not going to look good because the lighting of this is going to bounce off that and it's going to look a certain way. So when he would go to edit it, it would make things harder or easier to edit. Yeah. It's, um, it, it, it's not just pointing and shooting. No. Right. It's not just that. No. You've got to have the right moment. Absolutely. You have to capture it. And he's done that every, every single time.

[00:11:25] Of course he's editing his own stuff, but every time I see one of his photos, this guy was waiting for that moment. He got that moment and captured it beautifully. Yeah. He takes a lot of pride in his work. You know, that's the way he does that in everything in life, but it's just like, he doesn't want them to look at their picture and think, man, that looks bad or any aspect of them looks bad. So he tries to like envision from their view, like how would they feel about this picture? Not just like, no, they look good, whatever. You know, it's like, so I like that. And that's just how he is in life. Really?

[00:11:54] It's clearly his foosball game and his pictures illustrate that he is definitely, he is a human being to be hanging around with for sure. He's a good one. He's good company for sure. So what are your plans? Are you going on a honeymoon? What's, what's, what's going on? We're not doing a honeymoon this year, so it'll have our wedding. And then I'm having a couple of my friends from Germany come to my wedding, somewhere in my wedding. So they're going to come and stay and we're going to hang out and after the wedding, and then we're all going to go to World Series together. Yeah.

[00:12:24] And then they're going to head out from World Series and then we'll come home and we'll have, you know, a weekend or two or three or whatever. And then we'll, we're all going to World Cup. Yes. So we're going to World Cup. And then after World Cup, I'm staying to go be in Lily's wedding. Oh man. So I'm staying an extra week or two or three or whenever for a while there. So with just so much traveling in that little short span and us finishing the house and the wedding, we said, let's just wait on the honeymoon since we kind of have a honeymoon

[00:12:52] getting to go to Spain and play foosball and, you know, see everything. So we're going to hold off for a bit. It's, it's, um, it's all good time. You know, you'll, you'll get there. Yeah. And we're excited. It's like, we, we travel so much. It feels like every trip's a honeymoon. So you're, you're, you're seasoned traveler. So where would you like to go? You haven't been before. We talked about it. Some different places. Um, I don't know. I kind of wanted to do Australia or New Zealand.

[00:13:19] So that might be something I've already been to Australia once and I loved it, but I really want them to, I wanted him to experience too. Yeah. Yeah. So maybe that, I don't know. Okay. Talked about, you know, Saskatchewan or somewhere fun to go on like a hunting trip or like see something fun or like maybe like a cool fishing trip. We haven't really even scratched the surface on location yet. Does it have to have a foosball table? Absolutely not. Absolutely not. Okay. Yeah. Sorry. We were happily ever after before foosball was a thing. Foosball is just a bonus for us.

[00:13:49] So I always, uh, I find it intriguing when, uh, Jerry Todd and, um, and his partner, they were, they were over in Asia, I think it was. Yeah. And they just cruised around playing foosball. Yeah. That's cool. That sounds like a pretty good vacation. Yeah. It's nice. I like playing foosball. I like playing foosball internationally, but it's not like a requirement. Like I'm also, I just love traveling. I love the people I choose to be around and they're just such a joy that, you know, I'm more than just foosball. I don't have to have a foosball table involved to play. Yeah.

[00:14:19] Just a little bit more. I know it doesn't seem that way, but foosball is also just a hobby for now. It's, um, one of the things that that's always been very remarkable things that you notice from the outside looking in is that the top, top players like yourself, uh, Sullivan, um, you know, name anybody who's in the top 20 players of, of what other men or women, they have really unique backgrounds. Yeah. And they're highly intelligent people. Okay.

[00:14:48] So it's, uh, it's, it's gratifying to know that this is not just a physical sport. You've got to have what's between the ears to succeed. Yeah. It's a beautiful thing. That's what the first thing that Brackland really realized was this isn't, you know, anybody can be good at foosball. I don't care if you're a woman. I don't care if you're a man. I don't care if you're in a wheelchair. I don't care if you don't, you know, it doesn't matter. Anybody can be so good and so dominant and that's what makes foosball so special and it

[00:15:17] can be special to so many different people. And that's what I think is super different about this and most other, um, most other, you know, sports or anything that, that you can really kind of get into. Yeah. I, now I have to ask you the question. Yeah. You walked into this, this floor, this, uh, this tournament this weekend, when you first walked through the door, what, what hit you the most? What was the first impression? Um, well, it was a lot different. It was actually a different room. So I got to follow the signage to find where the new room was.

[00:15:45] It was pretty close, but I was like, oh, that's so nice. Like, look, this looks so official. Um, I love, I love the look. I love the color scheme. You know, all of the signage looks really great. But when you walk in and you see this pits area, it's just nice. Yeah. And you know, that's something that I, I really wanted to this tournament. My goal was to make the final, make a final because you know, my mom's here with me. Yeah. She's never seen me win a title. Never? Uh, not outside of like 17 and under stuff. Like when I was a kid, she's never seen me win an open title in any way.

[00:16:14] So I was, I told her, I was like, man, kickoff was so cool. The final was so cool. They cut the lights off. Everyone focuses on like the game. Like it's so cool. Yeah. And she was like, yeah, all right, cool. And you know, but she's never seen them. She didn't know. So what a great place to start. Yeah. And I was like, I really want to make the final for you this weekend just so you can see it. Oh. And she was like, okay. You know? And then I made the final and she was like, wow, this is so awesome.

[00:16:41] So that's, that was a goal of me just because of the production quality. Yeah. I mean, last night, I mean, you know, the ceremony, the hall of fame ceremony, then the finals, you know, women's doubles and open doubles. No, there was a huge crowd just watching you guys. That's awesome. I mean that I was so impressed about it. I just kind of like, this is the way it should be. Yeah. And I actually met a bunch of people that were just walking in, like the doors are open here. Yep. A lot of people were just walking in. They're like, what's going on right now?

[00:17:10] And I was like, these are the best players in the world playing, you know, go check them out. Yep. And they were kind of asking me like, is it free to come in? Like, can I come in and watch? And I said, yeah, go get a, go get a seat, go check it out. They'll kind of commentate and keep you updated. And if you want to play after, just find somebody. Yeah. And they'll hit some balls with you. And they were like, this is so cool. Like, this is so welcoming. And who doesn't know? Like, maybe we find our next top player this way. Like, or maybe we add four people to this that gets the experience from foosball that I've got. Or looks into their local scene. Anything.

[00:17:40] You know, to build, you know, find out who plays in their area. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's exciting. I mean, I think if this is the beginning, just the beginning of the World Foosball Tour, what's it going to be like in a year? They're doing a phenomenal job. Yeah. The promotion with the focus on the players. They're just doing so, so great. I really can't say anything better about them. I think they're doing an awesome job compared to what we had. It's refreshing. It's absolutely refreshing. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:08] There are obviously things that are going to be tweaked and changed. What's just off the top of your head? What do you think you'd like to see more of or something change? Um, I don't know. I know just talking with them a couple of times, I had some issues with, you know, brackets. They were stressed about this or that. I know they mentioned maybe having a media booth, like just for all of the media team, because there's so much that goes on. Like, I'm nothing with the media team, but I hear, you know, Bracklin and them talking and trying to get together and discuss things.

[00:18:36] And they really, I think, need a booth just for those, that crew kind of working and having things like set up for the whole time so you can pop in and out of interviews easier. So you're not moving around as much. But that's just one of the things that I heard. You know, I think they're doing really great. I think it was super cool that they sponsored players. Yeah. I think the giveaways are fun. It gets everybody in the tournament room and wants to be in the room. But I really don't have any complaints. You know, I hate championship format for certain events.

[00:19:03] I understand it for some, but I feel that we could make a shift of that and make your open events what they are and should be. And it's double LM and make the lower, you know, the lower ranks, maybe championship format for some of them, not all of them. Okay. And just a test drive. Like, I think that would be kind of cool. But, you know, it is what it is. And in whatever format it is, I'm going to learn how to win either way. It's just something I've kind of got over. But that's my only.

[00:19:30] Of course, when you go to World Cup and, of course, when you play in the Bundesliga. Yes. Is that what you call it? The Bundesliga? Yes. It's what? Swiss format, right? Yep. Yep. And that, I mean, that's been introduced now to the United States this last year and the ITSF in Texas. I really dug that format. Man, I love it. And I love it because, like, even Isabel and I were talking and we were like, man, or I think it was yesterday, and we were like, man, it's so nice, like, at World Series, whenever you wake up and you know you have one event today.

[00:20:00] Yep. You get qualifying rounds. You get to work out your kinks and everything. You get enough foosball so you're not just, like, going 0-2 and be like, oh, gosh, what happened? You have enough foosball. You get to determine your seat. I love that. Yeah. You get to determine your seat as is. And then, you know, you get to focus on that one event, and then you're done. And you're done in a relative time, you know? That's great. And you know about when you're going to end. Exactly. I love it. I love that. You start 10 in the morning. You have a break at 2 in the afternoon. You take lunch. You come back, and then you're refreshed, and you're going at the semifinals at that point

[00:20:30] or the elimination rounds, I guess they call it. Yeah. Yeah. That's a great format. I wonder if American players can kind of cozy up to that more. Yeah. I'm not sure. You know, I don't know if everybody's... I would love to know the percentage of people in this room right now who have played in a Swiss tournament. Right. Like, that format. Some don't know it. Some don't... You know, there's... With change, you're always going to have pushback. Good, bad, ugly. Oh, sure. It's just a thing. You know, like, when we switch from double to championship, you're going to have pushback. And I get it. It's just, like, we have to figure out the middle ground.

[00:21:00] Yeah. And I think they're working hard to figure that out, and they're doing a great job. I don't really... That's the thing I can complain about. That's kind of, like, nothing to it. It's like, yeah, well, whatever. It's incidental. You know, I get to complain about something, right? I have to find something good. As long as you're playing foosball and winning, what's the difference? Yeah. So... But that's, you know, mental thing I had to kind of... I love to double a limb, too. It's what I grew up playing since I was 12, you know? And it's like... But it's kind of like a reality check of, like, figure it out. Get over it. Get over yourself of what you're used to.

[00:21:29] If this is what we're doing, and you want to win, figure it out. Yeah. So... And how many other sports are actually using a double elimination now? I don't know... College softball, baseball. Okay. Tournaments, they do. Oh, softball? Yeah, they can double dip in the, like, regional tournaments. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay. So you have to beat them twice if you lose in the top. Same way. Which is cool to me. Let's talk about softball. Okay. Let's do it. Because that's your... I mean, aside from, well, traveling the world as a top foosball player, you also play softball. Now, you're a coach. Is that what's happening?

[00:21:59] Yes. I coach a 12 and under premier softball team. Okay. Yep. We travel everywhere. So, like, two weekends ago, we were in Hot Springs. We were in Alexandria, Louisiana. Wow. We're all over. And we have a great time doing that, coaching those kids. They're really great kids. 12 and under. So... 12 and under. Like, they're just coming into their awkward moments of life. Oh, yeah. Oh, they're amazing. Great kids. Great athletes. They're turning 13. So it would really be...

[00:22:28] In June, we'll play 14 and under. So we're going up. Yeah. Yeah. But they're ready for it. And it's fun. And I have a great time coaching them. Are they doing well on the trail? Are they doing okay? Oh, they're doing phenomenal. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Phenomenal. We've been crushing it. How do you build champions that way? Individual work. Really? Yep. Okay. Individualized work. So something I implemented since I got... I've started coming to help coach the team was weekly requirements. Yep. So you must video everything or nothing counts. Oh. Because we all live so far apart. Okay.

[00:22:57] I've got kids in Tennessee. I've got kids in North Mississippi, South Mississippi. Okay. All over. And so it's like, how are we going to hold you accountable? Yeah. Well, we have weekly requirements. They're sent. We're in a group chat. They write in there. They send their videos. If they don't do it, they don't, you know, everybody gets to see it. So... That's a great idea. And I mean, here's the other thing. Like with foosball, with kids that are just, you know, coming into their own and they're learning about something, they can participate in team activities. Yeah.

[00:23:25] But also be really good at what they do. They have to put the phone down. Yeah. The phone has to be... And they're great with that. They're great with that. We're not on our phones during games. So one of our kids doesn't even have a phone, but her mom sends in her requirements for it. It's great. All right. But no, the kids are great. They don't... They don't... They work hard. They're motivated individually. If they don't have a good weekend, they work even harder the next go around. They're great kids. And it's really just teaching them to have a little bit more confidence in themselves.

[00:23:54] That's what I'm kind of here for. Yeah. You know what? It makes sense to me. Knowing you, that's what you would do. Yeah. Especially paying it forward that way and bringing new players into the field. Do you play still? Yes, I do play. Okay. Yes. My team played this weekend, actually. Nice. They won the first duel outright. They beat everybody. And then the second duel, which is double a limb, they lost for the top of winners. And then they double dipped to win the second duel, too. So... Wow.

[00:24:24] Woo-hoo. Wow. Yeah. Nice. That's my team. Yeah. It's... If you had to compare... Let's say you had two choices. Okay. Softball and foosball. Mm-hmm. Would you be able to choose if you had to lose one? Um... They both just bring different things, so... Yeah. Probably not. It's a totally different mindset for me. Okay. Yeah. Okay. I mean, you're outdoors when you're playing softball.

[00:24:52] I mean, you're outdoors, you're with a whole team, and you've got to learn how to work with that team. Yeah. Yeah. Right now, it's a really good outlet for me. You know, working out, getting in better shape, running, pushing myself, being on a team that's good and pushes you to be better. I really like that aspect of things mentally, physically. Okay. I mean, the reality is I'll probably be able to play foosball much longer than I am able to play softball, and that's fine. I'm attestive to that, yeah. And it's like, that's okay. I love that. But I'm still pretty lit up right now for softball. I really want to...

[00:25:21] Good. ...win a major World Series, and then I'd have to think about things and, you know, see. But I'm going to do it until I can't anymore is kind of the plan. The physical conditioning of doing something like softball certainly has to prepare you for what you do on the table in foosball, right? I mean, you have more energy. You have more endurance. Sure. And, you know, that's just like lifestyle-wise, I think. You know, we don't really drink. We don't smoke, do anything. So our bodies are in pretty good shape just as is outside of, you know, regular foosballer

[00:25:52] diet plan, I guess. But we work out. We eat good. We do our best. And that's what it's about, you know. But I definitely think it helps. I know there's a lot of times when I go work out first, and then I'm like, oh, we got to go play foosball. We got to practice or whatever. We got to play our two out of three for the night. Yeah. I'm like, oh my gosh, my arms are so tired. But, you know, I don't hurt. Like, it's day four of this, I guess. Yeah. And I'm not hurt. Nothing bothers me. Nothing. You know, it's like... Good to know. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So I'm feeling pretty fresh, I guess.

[00:26:21] Maybe that plays into it. I don't know. Yeah. No kidding. Were you in open mixed? Yes. And how'd that go? We lost second round to Tony. But we're still in it, so we're doing it. We just had a bad beat. Gotcha. You know. Well, obviously, when the brackets go against you. Oh my gosh. The bracket was a gauntlet. Yeah. So a lot of really good teams are in the losers' bracket right now. No kidding. Yeah. For sure. Wow.

[00:26:47] That's such a weird thing to look at and go, oh, those guys can't actually win the finals? Yeah. I know. That's kind of weird. It's tough because it's like, man, I feel like the fight would be different and the result could be different if we could come back. Yeah. You know? It's like... That's the part I don't like about championship for open mix. Sure. It's an open event. We need the prestige. Yeah. You know, if you want to treat it like an actual open event like we're pushing to do, then you don't want to see finals that are blowouts.

[00:27:17] You want to see the dogs fight. Yeah. And it's like those dogs fight harder when they have a chance to get back and win. No question. It's just a... It's out. You've got to... You've really got to work to get back. I mean, yeah. People like Tony Sprademan are famous for that. Absolutely. You know? Coming back through the brackets. Yeah. And it's like, wow. Yep. And then when they get there and they double dip somebody, then it's even more spectacular. And who doesn't want to watch that? Yeah. Anybody that knows anything about foosball thinks it's crazy when people double dip.

[00:27:46] I've been the victim a few times. Sure. Haven't we all? I just like the idea that if you and I match up and you beat me in the winners, we've played once and you've won. Now we come back and I beat you. I've won once. Yep. Now we've got a two out of three thing going. Makes sense. Like that's the part I like about it. That's true. But it is what it is. I totally get it. I think we are so accustomed to the way things have been done. And it works.

[00:28:16] It's exciting. It's thrilling. It's good for the fans. But change happens. I don't like it being the last event of the weekend. Oh, got it. Okay. No. I would rather it be first. All right. That makes sense. In a perfect world, I would like to play classic women's if there is that or open mix if there's no classic women's and then singles doubles. Yeah. Okay. Well, hey. Just if anyone's listening that wants to make that change for me.

[00:28:45] A little tweaking going on the schedule here. That would be kind of cool. Hannah knows best. Yeah. Just listen to me. Take it from me. So this year is going to be really exciting for you. Congratulations on your wedding. Thank you. World Cup. Let's spend a little time on that because that is huge. What are your, you know, besides being there a little extra time, as you mentioned before, who's the person to beat when you get there to Europe? Who's that? I don't know.

[00:29:15] Or the team, shall I say. The teams? Well, there's a lot of really good teams. And I don't want to count any teams out based on my knowledge of World Cup because I've only been to one. Okay. I know that the Danes are really good. I don't think they were at last World Cup. The Swiss team is good with Sam. You know, I've played with her. She's a beast. Okay. Germany is always very, very tough. Oh, yeah. A lot of them I play with and against on Bears or at Bundesliga. Milan Tran. Yep. There's a great team there. Jamila is there.

[00:29:44] Lily Andres is captain, I think. And, you know, they just got a great squad. A lot of new and up-and-coming faces that are on that team. Yeah. So I'm excited to see how they play. But they're very strong. France is very strong on Bonzini. They have some really great players, too. And several young ones there on that team as well, I believe. But in Bulgaria is always tough. I don't know. Those are just a couple of teams off my head that I'm like, you know, those are really good ones that would be a very tough match.

[00:30:14] But, yeah, you just go over there and do it. I focus on me. I don't focus on them. That's kind of my new thing. So I'm just going to do what we can do. I know we talked about it before. You like Bonzini. I do like Bonzini. Yeah. Are you planning on hitting North Carolina for their Bonzini tournament? I know they in Virginia Beach, they do a Bonzini event. I don't usually play Virginia Beach because they don't let me play the women's events. Oh, really? Or something like that. Like you have to like, I don't know. They made a weird rule.

[00:30:43] Like if you're a pro or something, you can't play. So I was like, all right. Oh, come on. Thanks. Whatever. But I would play the other ones. The Raleigh ones are fun or any of those are a blast. I love it. I might swing by one quick little touch up before World Cup. I mean, it's always good, but it's such a different level of play. Like, you know, like and not even a level like the guys in North Carolina are phenomenal. No kidding. But it's a different style. Yeah.

[00:31:09] It's almost like if you take a tornado player and you dropped them on a Bonzini table, they can play that. But like a lot of those like the old school players that really do have the Bonzini tricks, that's the stuff you need to know. But it's so different. Those tricks are so completely different versus how the Europeans play. Like it's crazy. So it's like, yeah, it helps. It's the American style. Yeah. Yeah. You're right. You're right. And it's like, yeah, it helps, but not as much as you would think. Yeah. Okay. But I love going out there. Yeah.

[00:31:38] It's one of my favorite trips of the year. And aside from that, you're probably going to be hitting some of the other major tour stops, obviously. Tornado Worlds. Yes. I will be at Tornado Worlds. Okay. God willing. Nationals? I'm going to Nationals, too. We have that on the radar. It's in New Orleans. This is my first time at Nationals in probably three years, I think. Or maybe, I don't know. I missed a couple of years there when it was Colorado. How do you feel about the choice? Nationals is in Nashville, right? I'm sorry. That's right.

[00:32:07] Nationals is in Nashville. Tornado Worlds is in New Orleans. Yeah. That's cool, man. I can drive it. Nothing to it. I think Nashville is going to be an awesome time. I love Nashville. Really cool. Yeah. I have to tell you, I got a chance to sit down the other day, very much like you and I are doing right now. Okay. And I talked to one of my all-time idols in music. Oh. Dan Tominsky. My guy. Wow. Okay. I think he's done a few interviews. Yeah. He's fabulous.

[00:32:34] We were walking around the room the other day and like, Hey Brother was playing and he was singing it. And I was like, Hey man, you heard this song? And he was like, and I was like, it's pretty good, huh? Got pretty good. Decent. And he was like, I got to go. I'm leaving. And it happened like twice. I was like, how crazy is it that this man literally wrote and is singing the song and is playing it right now in the tournament room? I was so geeked. I'm such a fangirl. He told a great story about another song he's had a lot of success with, like 16 million downloads or something.

[00:33:03] And it was something that it was an artist that he had never heard of. And I forgot. It was like a single name artist begins, I think with the letter A or something. Avicii. Avicii. Yeah. That's it. Yeah. And he said his daughter, who's 19, knew all about Avicii. Bracklin knows all about it. Yeah. Yeah. And she said, if you don't do this, I'm out. Oh, that is so funny. I'm out. I'm like, your daughter's out? What do you mean? She's out. She's like, oh, she won't speak to me if I don't do this song. Oh my gosh.

[00:33:32] So he did. He looked into Avicii and did the song. I heard it last night here. It was actually the song that I'm talking about. That song was playing whenever I was like, bro, what do you think about this song? It's really good. It's great. And it's so different from, you know, he's a bluegrass guy. Yeah. So talk about talent. Man. I know. I'm such a fangirl of him. He plays it so cool and acts like he's not a big deal. And I'm like, bro, you are a Grammy winner. You are so cool. He is truly a gifted artist. He is.

[00:34:02] And a delight to be around. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Super nice guy. We played a couple matches against him. He's a fighter on the foosball table. Yeah. But man, he is just so chill. Yep. And he said that when Nationals happen in Nashville, that he's not going to be there. Oh, no. And that's in his backyard. Aw. Dang. Which is a bummer. But tonight, or was it, no, I'm sorry, last night at 530, he was playing locally in Las Vegas. I know. I wanted to go. I had a match. Right? Oh.

[00:34:31] Oh. I said, man, I'm really sorry. I was, I'd like to be right there, you know. Yeah. But truth be told, he's actually from New England originally. He's a Vermonter. Okay. He's one of ours. Sorry. That's okay. Y'all did great. You made a good one. You ever heard of the name Jerry Jeff Walker? Maybe. Mr. Bojangles. You ever heard that song? Yes, yes, I have. Yes, I have.

[00:34:59] Jerry Jeff was huge in Nashville, and of course he was a kind of, I guess you'd say a folky in a way. Okay. But giant name in that part of the country, in the south. Yeah. He was born in my hometown. That is nice. Upstate New York. Look at there. Real name is Ron Crosby, go figure. Okay, Ron. But, yeah. Sometimes, there are people from the north that actually get country music. They actually understand it. Nice. Right? That's awesome. Good to know.

[00:35:27] I just wanted to take that stereotype and throw it aside. Thank you for doing that. We get it. Perfect. We understand why southern music is so damn good. It is. It's a good time. Who's your favorite artist? Favorite artist? Oh, Merle Haggard. Easy. Merle Haggard? Yeah. Really? Yeah. Wow. And how did you come to like Merle Haggard? My dad. We used to ride around, and we had CDs and this book thing, and he would let me pick which one. Yes.

[00:35:54] And Merle had a blue one, and I was like, oh, this is blue. This is cute. And I put it in, and we would sing all the songs. So I know almost every Merle Haggard song. That's. I'm impressed. I'm impressed. I'm so impressed. And you're just now turning 30. Yeah. So it's like, okay, I have to ask you this question. Pardon me for saying this, but have you ever tried to use a rotary dial phone? My parents, my, we work at a phone company. We own a phone. A phone company? An independent phone company.

[00:36:24] So yes, I'm very well versed in rotary dial phones. Oh, you got me. You got me on that. I'm an old soul, Tom. Give me a break. I guess so. Oh, dang. Wow. Okay. All right. You're the best. What can I tell you? I can hang so far. Have you seen the YouTube videos? Seriously, the YouTube videos where they tip a couple of kids who are in like middle school. They sit down and they put an old style rotary dial phone in front of them and say, make a phone call. And they kind of go, they pick it up and they look at it.

[00:36:54] Like, well, how do you? That's funny. You can't figure, you know. They're seeing one. Yeah. No, it's a very real thing. I actually still have one in my grandmother's house. The one that hangs and you pick up the little small receiver thing. Yes. And you have it. Yeah. Wow. It's probably worth some money. Probably is. Super cool. And it still works? Yeah, it works. Okay. Yeah. You know. All right. Hannah, you are so much, much more of a worldly person. Than anyone would ever guess.

[00:37:22] Thank you for highlighting my best features, Tom. Anytime. It's my pleasure. But no, it's great to get together. I think this, we've said it thousands of times. A foosball tournament. Yes, it's a competition. But it's also a family gathering. Yeah, of course. It's like going to that picnic with all your uncles and aunts and everybody's, you know, showing up and doing stuff and getting crazy and doing weird things. Yeah.

[00:37:51] That crazy uncle. We've all got that one weird uncle. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That's funny. But we invite him anyway. Yeah, he's got to come. Why not? Yeah. It's not going to hurt anything. There's something to be said for the camaraderie, just the bonding that people go through when they battle each other two and a half feet away. Absolutely. They don't get mad. Yeah. I got to say, I was not happy with Bracklin. Oh, no. But, you know, I got over it. Thank you.

[00:38:20] I'm glad y'all could move past it. No, it's an absolute honor to hang out with you. Congratulations on all the things that have been happening. It's just so exciting. Thank you. Thank you so much. I have a feeling it's going to keep happening. Yeah, I hope so. Okay. All right. I think there's every reason to expect that. And so, wow, I'm trying to think the next time we're going to see you in person. Nashville? Nashville. Okay. Yeah, probably. All right. We'll have to sit down again. Are you doing World Series?

[00:38:52] Quick story. It was on the docket. I was ready to go. I told Steve Murray, yeah, man, I'm going to be there. And about three weeks ago, my wife is a huge gardener. She loves veggies, flowers, the whole nine. And she's part of a group. It's a garden group or garden club. And every year, they take a trip to another country and they tour formal gardens. Okay. And this year is England. Oh, nice. Very nice.

[00:39:21] But they were sold out. They were sold out six months ago. Okay. But then she got a call about three weeks ago from the person that runs it. And they said, by the way, we just got an opening. Somebody canceled. Are you still interested in going? Nice. Guess what weekend it is. Yeah. She's going to England the same weekend as the ITSF in Texas. Gotcha. We have animals, so we have to have somebody there. Sure. Sure, I get it. So I had to apologize to Steve.

[00:39:50] But I know it's going to be a great event. Yeah. Steve said that since the wedding was right before, that we're going to have a big reception party. Oh, I'm going to miss that. After party. Yeah. Maybe when I get home, I'll have a conversation with my wife. Do you really want to go to England? Do you really want to? She's, you know, she works too hard. She's been in the same job 33 years. She deserves to do something. To go to England and see the mountains. Yeah. Yeah. That'd be great. Yeah, absolutely. But anyway, so we will see each other later this year. For sure.

[00:40:20] After you're married. Yes. Oh, man. Okay. Traditionally, you're going to be known as Mrs. Mrs. Good luck. Come on. You can try it. Try. Mrs. Bracklin. Bufkin. Yeah. You got it. Yeah. Actually, I cheated. So when we were making my jerseys, I told Iveta, I was like, just go ahead and put Hannah

[00:40:50] Bufkin on them. Oh. Because if not, we're going to have to redo all of them in 30 days anyways. So I played the whole weekend with my jerseys with Hannah Bufkin on the back. That's awesome. Yeah. That's very cool. Yeah. Well, that's a little foreshadowing. A little bit. A little bit. It's all right. Nobody asked me about it, so it's fine. We're good with that. Yeah. It's such a happy thing when you see this kind of thing come together, especially over Flusball, you know. It's going to be a happy life. We wish you all the best. Yeah.

[00:41:18] And thank you so much for just taking some time out of your weekend. You must be ready to collapse anyway. Yeah. I'm good. I've got some more mixed matches, and I think we're going to dinner tonight. Nice. All good. Very cool. Well, Hannah, thanks for being here. Yeah. Thank you for having me. Always a blast. Oh, and congratulations. Thank you, Tom. On so many levels. I don't know. Where do we go? But yeah, it's been an absolute pleasure. And looking forward to the rest of the weekend, we're wrapping things up. We are. Yep.

[00:41:48] We're doing it. So next year at this time, World Foosball Tour, the second edition of the Classic. I can't wait to see what that's going to look like. Yeah, me either. It's just getting bigger and better every time. So that's super, super cool. So once again, Dr. Hannah Smith, not much longer. Not much longer. Dr. Hannah Bufkin? Hey. Okay. All right. We'll take that. And of course, we've been listening to Foosball Radio on the Road, and we've been live here

[00:42:18] all weekend at the World Foosball Tour 2025 Hall of Fame Classic, and we'll be back again in the very near future. This has been a presentation of Foosball Radio, all rights reserved. Our sincere thanks to all our Patreon supporters. Foosball Radio on the Road.