FoosTalk Live | Ep 297 | Vivienne Marschke

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[00:01:49] Designed and handcrafted in Germany, order online and have it delivered to your door. Visit www.original.com and use promo code foosball.com to save 10% off your purchase price. On Foos Talk Live, welcome once again. This is episode number 297. Hey there, I'm Tom Robinson. It's clear and 46 degrees.

[00:02:16] Just outside of the Foos Talk Live studios in upstate New York. Just a lovely evening. Of course, one of those nights where a sweater would come in handy, no doubt. Well, we're going to talk about foosball. And man, are we going to talk about foosball. And of course, if you're going to talk about foosball, it's always good to have somebody nearby who wants to talk about foosball. Who would be, well, Randy Raposa from the great state of Alabama. What's up, Randy? Tom, what are we talking about? We're talking about foosball.

[00:02:43] Bro, you watched the Open Doubles final in Florida? I'm still kind of like, oh, that was intense. Truly. Yeah. Nail-biter. Woof. I mean, Balkos has arrived. I think we've known that since, what, TKO? No. He's been around for a while. The kid grabs loose balls. Oh. I mean, Jacob's just really good. There's no question.

[00:03:10] I think when he turned master, a lot of people were like, well, let's see if he can hang now. And that question's been answered for a long time. No doubt. No doubt. Jeff. Jeff. Jeff Pippen Jr. Mm-hmm. Jeff played really well. He got his blocks. He cleared well. He ate a couple. Yep. True. But Eric Block well. I mean, they played 15 games. 15. Between the Kingsley match and the final. So, you know, Tony. I don't.

[00:03:40] I don't. Tony. You know, Tony. Tony played great. Won singles. He doubled it, Brandon. Yeah. The turnout there seemed. It's. I mean, it seemed awesome. Everybody said the hotel was amazing. Mm-hmm. Wow. Stream was awesome. Yep. Yeah, dude. Florida, if you missed it, you missed a good one. So. Yeah. Shout out to Rob Cato. I know he was just on recently. Did a great job tournament.

[00:04:10] It looks like they're actually wrapping up. So, I know they had some issues with people getting to the table earlier in the weekend. But. Yeah. Hopefully they got that sorted out. No doubt. I know you said it's, what, like 18 degrees and rainy in New York? Yeah. Uh. In Florida, it's nice and sunny. So. We had a nice day here. So, you know, the weather's turning. Oh, yeah. Spring. Spring's coming. So. I don't know. I don't know what the weather's like.

[00:04:40] Where our guest is at. But. Well, guess what? We'll find out. Yeah. We're going to be highlighting. It's pretty nice. We're going to be. We're going to be highlighting some. Some. Some of our rising stars. Putting some shine on our. Our junior players. Yes. Over the next few weeks. And our guest tonight. Has been carrying. Some of the top players. To some open mix wins. So. Let's. Let's see how she does it. Well. Vivian. Marschke. Marsky. Marsky. I've been.

[00:05:10] I've been. I've been practicing. Vivian. Marsky. Did I get that correct? Yes. Vivian. Marsky. Oh, there you go. Okay. Yeah. Out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A great center of foosball. No question about it. Yes. Yeah. So. Yeah. Welcome to your first appearance. And not your last. On Foos Talk Live. I have a feeling. Thank you guys for having me. Sure. Yeah. Wow. So. Okay. What's the weather in Milwaukee? Cheesy. A lot of cheese. Cheese everywhere. What?

[00:05:41] It was pretty nice today. I think when I was out. I didn't go out too much today. I think it was like. Maybe in the 40s, 50s. It's getting a little nicer. But. The weather here has been crazy. We just got like a whole lot of rain. And a lot of flooding. But. A lot of tornadoes. But it's getting a little nicer. Well. When I was there for Wisconsin State. You guys had just gotten hit with like. A bunch of snow. You guys still have snow on the ground?

[00:06:12] No. No. It's all gone? Yeah. Finally. That's good. Finally. I know. It's about time. That's good. Yeah. Spring's coming. Weather's turning around. That's good. So. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I haven't played since. I usually take like a week off after every tournament. Because I'm just kind of burnt out. But yeah. I'm recovered. I'm recovered. It's tough getting old.

[00:06:42] You know. Right. And having a grind. Grind through a weekend. And then letting your bones kind of catch up. And letting your muscles settle down after winning. And so. I get it. I get it. I get it. So how'd you do? How'd you do? I thought I played pretty good. My two bar has definitely been pretty good recently. So I was scoring good out of the back. I was blocking pretty good.

[00:07:09] I was just playing Tom before we got on. Like my three bar lately has been a little inconsistent. Um. So my singles. Like. Like weren't that great. But. Bubbles I think I played pretty good. So overall. Like. From Wisconsin. To Vegas. To Illinois. Like. It's getting better. But. Still just a little. Like my three bar is just a little off. Okay.

[00:07:37] Sounds like a season pro to me. That's for sure. When someone is talking about. They're just a little off on there. And probably killing it. You know. Probably. Nailing. You know. 80% of the shots instead of 90. Well. It's called humility Tom. Well. Okay. Just saying. So. So tell me kid. When. When did you start playing? Like. How old were you when you started? Who influenced you? Like. Break it down for us. Tell us a little bit about your foosball career. And your path. And how it started. Well. My dad.

[00:08:06] Has played since he was. Like. Teenager. Um. So I've always been around. Foosball. There's always been a table in my house. So I've always kind of knew what it was. Um. I didn't really play. Too much though. Until. My dad. Won. Worlds. Rookie doubles. In 2022. Wow. And. Now. Now. Who's. Who's your dad? In case people don't know. James Marschke. Shout him out. That's right. Yes.

[00:08:37] That's my dad. James Marschke. All right. Go ahead. Um. So yeah. He won. I think it was 2022. And. I remember just watching it. Because I didn't go. But I watched it on the computer. Or whatever. And I was like. Wow. Like. That's actually like. Really cool. Like. I don't know. Maybe be able to do something like that one day. And I remember I then started like practicing more. And then my first tournament was a year later. Worlds 2023.

[00:09:06] And that's I guess when I started getting the bug. Just wanting to play more and whatever. And then. So that was what? Three years ago was. Yeah. Three years ago. First tournament. But I'd say like. Competitively playing. Maybe like. Two and a half. Years. Ish. Wow. For a short period of time. I was 13 when I started. 13. Wow. Nice. Yes. Nice. That's a good time to start playing. Do you play any other sports competitively?

[00:09:36] Um. I did soccer for a long time. Like that was like my main sport when I was. Growing up. But now I don't play that anymore. I do golf. I like golf a lot. Golf. Nice. Very nice. Yeah. Nice. Are you on the golf team in school? Yes. Oh. Very cool. Cool. What's your. What's your. What's your handicap? I don't even keep track of that. To be honest with you. Okay. I just play. Okay. I don't really play to like. Competitive. I.

[00:10:05] Because I was just on JV this year. Because I. Didn't play for like a while. But then. I just play in the summers. And I just thought. Why not? I might as well play. Yeah. That's what. That's what somebody who's either really good or really bad says. Like. I don't keep track of my handicap. I don't do that. I don't do that. You know. Yeah. But this is the thing. People listening. If. If Vivian Marschke ever asked you to play golf for money. Look out. You. You know. You know what her handicap is. Anyway. Yeah. My school. My school.

[00:10:34] We didn't have a golf team in my school. We had. We had other teams. We couldn't afford a golf team. So. Good for you. That's. That's nice. Very cool. Golf. I like playing golf. I'm not. I'm not too good at it. But it's fun. It's fun. It's frustrating. But. It's fun. Uh-huh. Do you think foosball is frustrating? Oh. One hundred percent. Yes. Yes. Very frustrating. Very frustrating. But. You know. Again. It's frustrating. But. Like. For you.

[00:11:03] Having started playing a couple years ago. And now. Being very competitive. Especially in. In open events. I mean. You just won. You just won open mix. In Wisconsin. And then you just won open mix. Last week. And you won open mix. In Wisconsin. With Tony. Right? Uh-huh. Nice. So you carried Tony. And then last week. You carried Paul. So you carried. Two of the top. Five players in the world. To a mixed title. I mean. That's hard work. That's incredible. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

[00:11:33] Wow. How does playing with those level of players. At this stage. In your foosball career. Like. How does. How does that go? How does that work? What type of information. Are those guys giving you? Or what are you giving them? Well. I think. They just want me to play. My game. They're trying not to. Teach me. Too much. Unless I'm doing something. Really wrong. But they just kind of. Just let me. Play my game. Play my game.

[00:12:03] It's. Playing with Tony. For sure. Was. Like. I was. I was nervous. Because. I would. Whenever I would make a mistake. I would be like. Oh crap. Like. I just did that in front of Tony. Like. What am I doing right now? But. No. I think. Playing with them. Like. It's a whole different. Ball game. Because it's like. They're. I'm just pulling chips. Like. They're doing. Most of the work. Like. I'm just there. Pulling chips.

[00:12:33] Like. Making a few blocks. Maybe scoring here and there. But. It's just a lot of fun. It's. Um. It's. Yeah. It's been really fun. Just. Learning a bunch of stuff. And just seeing. A whole lot of different things. I've never. Even thought. Like. Could be. Capable of being. You know. Like. I was like. Holy crap. Um. But. Two. Also. Like. Getting used to. Playing against. Top players. Like. Brandon and Hannah. Me and Paul.

[00:13:03] Had to play them. Illinois. Wow. At Wisconsin. We had to play. Tommy and Hannah. In the final. Like. We had to play. Paul and Sully. Like. These. Top teams. And. It's like. Different. Because they're. Like. Their zones are so good. And I'm not. Used to shooting on. That good zones. So I was. Got stuffed. A few times. And like. Just. Different. Whole. Different. Level of play. That I wasn't used to. So now I'm getting used to it. A little more. That's good.

[00:13:32] You're developing experience. Building confidence. And then. You know. You're seeing. Like you said. The zones are different. So. You're understanding now. How to maybe. Set up passes. Right. And. And. And. Again. Playing with these top. I don't think people understand. When you play with these. Like. Guys like Tony. Or. Or Paul. Or Brandon. And people just assume. You're going to win. It's doubles. I mean. They can't play both positions. So you. To win. You still. You still have to play good foosball. So. Yeah. You know. You still have to play your part.

[00:14:02] You have to get your blocks. You have to clear the ball. So. You know. You still have to play at a certain level. In order to be competitive. Or even win these mixed events. When you're playing against teams that are. I mean. Tommy and Hannah. Reigning world champs in mixed. So. Right. Yep. That's a. That's a tough team buddy. That's a tough team. So that's. That's a big win. A big win. Yeah. Absolutely. Now. Speaking of Brandon. You know. Speed wraps. I see you're wearing a speed wrap shirt. Are you.

[00:14:31] Are you a sponsored speed wrap fooser? I am a sponsored speed wrap fooser. Awesome. That's awesome. I am. Congratulations. So. Thank you. You were their. Their second or third sponsored player? Wow. I. Yeah. I think so. Yeah. It was me. Brady. Izzy. And Jacob. And Jacob. I know you were like. It was like Izzy. And then. Jacob. Jacob and you. Or Brady. I know you were in there. Obviously.

[00:15:00] You're one of their first ones. But. So. If you could just tell us. Like. What is. What is being a sponsored player? What does that mean? I mean. Everybody knows. You walk into a room. You're. You're wearing speed wrap stuff. Like. That's kind of a big deal. Vivian. You're kind of a big deal in the foosball world. I think so. If I'm being honest. So. It's. Yeah. It's. Just playing for. Like. Brandon Munoz's brand. Like. Just his honor.

[00:15:30] Because he's one of the best. It's. It's really cool. Um. Obviously. I really like the wraps. If you haven't. Gotten the chance to play with them yet. There you go. I would. There's a bunch of different. I don't know how many. There's different. You know. Styles. Like. Thicker ones. That are. That are tacky. Five. Five different varieties. From what. Brandon was telling us. Yeah. Yeah. It's just. It's just an honor. Um. You know. Being. Like. Sponsored with.

[00:15:59] Jacob. Izzy. Brady. They've all been playing a lot longer than me. And they have a lot more experience. And they're all. Really good players. So. To be. Sponsored with them. In the first. You know. Batch of. His sponsored players. Is an honor. I mean. I was. Really shocked. When he asked me. About it. But. Yeah. I'm just really honored. To be. A part of it. You're saying all the right things. I like it. That's good. Where's. Where's the script?

[00:16:29] We need to see the script. Make a few edits. No. Yeah. Yeah. She. She's been. She's been through. She's been through PR training. Um. So. So. Now. If we could talk further. Like. You know. Obviously. We're. We're highlighting some junior players. What do you think about. Like. You know. The state of. Of juniors in foosball. The junior level of foosball. Because I feel like for a while. The. The level of junior competition. There was a couple of players. Like. Jacob was a junior. For a while. Sam was a junior. You know. There were some good junior players.

[00:16:59] But I feel like juniors now. Like. There's a lot of really good junior players. Yes. Talk to us about some of these juniors. Yes. There is tough competition for sure. Um. And what. Like. Michael Stahl is doing with like foosball clubs and all that. Yeah. Like. Like. More kids into it. Like. Putting tables in schools. Like. All of that. Is just making it bigger. I mean. Obviously. Like. We're the next generation. You know. And. We. Um. Definitely.

[00:17:28] Very strong field though. I mean. Like. I'm just like. From Wisconsin. Seda. She's getting really good. Um. You know. Maya. I'm just thinking girl players. Like. Maya. Shayla. Um. All of them. It's just tough. And. Like. I don't know what it was like before. Like. We came or whatever. But. Like. It's just. It's a tough field. It's definitely. Like. Junior events are not just like. A freebie. You know. Like.

[00:17:58] You gotta. Be focused. And you gotta play. You know. Hard to win. I mean. Me and Elena lost. We got double dipped. Like. Last year. Whatever. In the final. Of. Junior doubles. It was like. 10 a.m. In the morning. Like. We were. You know. It's tough. It's definitely a tough field. And it. Um. It's almost tiring. In a way. Like. Junior events tire me out. To be honest with you. More than like. Any other event.

[00:18:26] And I don't know why that is. But. I. I. Can't tell you why. But. Like. Junior events always seem to tire me out. More than like. Other events. Well. That makes sense though. Sure. Everybody's trying really hard. That's. That makes sense. There's a. There's a lot more energy. Being expelled on the table. No question about that. Not to say that there's no energy for. For a Tony Sprayton and the old man. But yeah. It's. You guys. Are. Are. On it. And there's a lot of competition. Where you are right now.

[00:18:56] Mm-hmm. That's. Yeah. Yeah. That's. That's a great class to grow up in by the way. I got a quick question. I'm always curious about this because. You know. You're. You're a top player. You're doing really really well. And yet you're. You're a freshman. In high school. Sophomore. Sophomore. Sorry. So. So. A sophomore in high school. Now. What do your. What do your friends think? Because you. Obviously you have a crowd you hang out with in school. Does anybody else play foosball?

[00:19:26] At school? No. They all think it's pretty cool though. Like I told them I was going to be on here. And they were like. Oh. Where can I watch it? Like they're all interested in it. Um. They all think. They've all never heard of it before though. Until I said something about it. Um. But they. I've played with them a couple times. Um. I think. Just. We need to get it more accessible. To kids.

[00:19:56] So they can like get into it. Because. Like. Like I said. With the stuff. What Stahl's doing. But I don't think. Many people would have like heard about foosball. If. Their parents. Were involved. But now. The stuff. What Stahl's doing is great. Getting in schools. I think is what. Needs to happen. Um. My teachers. All. I think it's really cool. Um. Like they all. Ask about it all the time. And ask when's my next tournament. And all that stuff. Um. But yeah.

[00:20:25] Elena Kachara. She's my best friend. And we met through foosball. So. Cool. It's. It's fun. It's fun. Maybe what you. And how does. You know. I was just going to make a suggestion. That maybe what you should do. Is go to the. Uh. The varsity foosball team. And say. Okay guys. Uh. If you can beat me. I'll. Uh. I'll buy you. Um. I don't know. I'll. I'll buy you a coke. They're not going to beat her. That's not going to happen. Yeah. Yeah. Now. Now. Your best friend Elena.

[00:20:55] How did you meet her? I wonder. Through foosball. Where did we even meet? I can't even remember now. We met with. Um. Well. I met her through Seda. Because they were friends. Before. And then. We just got really close. Started playing. And. I mean. You know Randy. You see us at tournaments. I know. I know. We're together all the time. I know. We never leave each other's side. I know. And she plays.

[00:21:24] Because her mama plays. Yes. Shout out to Renee. I know. I know. I know. All good people man. Those Wisconsin people. They're. They're outstanding people. So. Yes. They're all very nice. They just want to feed you. It's amazing. Yeah. Well not. So when I. When I started playing in the early 2000s. They didn't have junior events. They. Well. That's a lie. They had. Like. Now it's a little different. They got like you 14. You 16. You 18. Right. They had. They had 17 and under.

[00:21:54] So like Jeff Pipkin. Jeff. Jeff Pipkin Jr. Was in the finals of open doubles tonight. Right. It might have been. Oh four. Oh five. But him and his brother Alex. They were winning. 17 and under doubles. Back then. And. Mike Swagger. Shout out to Mike. Mike's back playing. Mike's back playing now. But I remember. It was. Might have been worlds. Oh four. Worlds. I think it was worlds. Oh four. It was like the last one they did at DFW. But Mike Swagger beat the Pipkins. For a 17 and under.

[00:22:25] And I remember dude had cowboy boots on. He had a cowboy hat on. He was like. He was like 16 or 17. They called him Midwest Mike. And. The kid was good. And then. You know. Obviously he grew up. Family and all that stuff. And now he's back playing. And Mike's. Mike's really good. He's been good. Getting good. And then they used to. Yeah. Dude. Smooth. Good five. Good shot. Mike's got good hands. He's. He's really. He's really good. He's really good.

[00:22:54] He's really good. And doing some damage. But. Like all the masters. Who could get a junior partner. Were playing these events. So. There was a kid. I hopefully. I don't. Jack his name up.

[00:23:24] But I think it was. His name was Joe Rombolo. And he was from somewhere. Maybe in Missouri. I think. But him and Terry Moore. They were. Like this kid Joe was a forward. Terry played goalie. And they used to win those 17 and 35s. All the time. But. Dude. It would. I mean. I wish they would bring stuff like that back. I love. Yeah. I like. I love the junior stuff. I love what Mike is doing. With Foosball Clubs USA. I would love to see like. Like a junior.

[00:23:55] Master DYP. Or a junior. And a pro slash. Like. Something to incorporate. Like the top players. With the junior players. So the juniors can learn. But. That's actually a good idea. Yeah. That actually sounds really fun. Yeah. In your master DYP. I'll like. Basically. How many kids do we have? This. We got 16 kids. Okay. Let's take the top. The top 16 players at the tournament. And let's have a draw. There you go.

[00:24:24] And then. Whatever. Put the money. You know. Obviously. You know. The top guys want to make money. But. Let's put some of it towards. Foosball Clubs USA. And then pay out the top team. Good fundraiser. That'd be awesome. Yeah. Yeah. But at the same time. Like. Now. The juniors are getting exposure. And. And. I just. Again. Like. Like Viv said. This is our next generation of player. Right. We need. We need these kids to want to love to play foosball. So.

[00:24:56] It's. It's. Foosball is great. I love it. And. And. And I love what's happening with these kids. So. Are you. Are you planning to go to the World Cup for the junior team? Is that a goal of yours? Is that something you're hoping to do? For sure. Wait. When is the next one? Is that 2028? 2027. I think. Oh. 2027? I think. Next year. I'd love to. I'd love to. Yeah. I actually got. Like. Well. It was confusing.

[00:25:25] Last year. Yeah. Last year. I got. I won. Women's Open. At. Michigan. Like the Great Lakes Classic. Whatever. Mm-hmm. And that was a qualifier. But then. Vera. Wasn't able to go. Or something. So. I just didn't go. I remember. I was there. Yeah. You and Vera. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's not. I mean. That's not fair. Right?

[00:25:55] I don't know. Should be able to go anyway. Still. But yeah. For sure. Like that would be so cool to go to the World Cup. Do you play on any other tables? Do you play on any other tables besides Tornado? Uh. No. I've played on. The. Leo. Yeah. One time. Okay. Okay. But I've never played on anything else. And you loved it? It was amazing? It was different. But. It was just. The ball was like lighter. So it was. Like felt weird.

[00:26:25] But it was fine. It's good different. It's good different. It's fine. Yeah. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. It's not everything's Tornado. Especially if you're going to go over there. You got to. You know. And this is the. And this is the time to learn on those other tables. Yeah. While you're young enough to absorb that. But. You know. It's when you get later in your career. Changing from Tornado to something else is more challenging for sure. Yeah. I bet. Well. And the junior scene in Europe is. It's crazy. Yep. It's crazy.

[00:26:55] It's crazy. It's the audiences that show up in Europe. They have. You know. A thousand people show up just to watch. Yeah. And they're not all players. They're there to watch the competition. Yeah. I couldn't imagine. Yeah. I couldn't imagine. Nope. Nope. So besides foosball, what do you got going on? Like what's. What do you want to do after high school? Like what do you want to do with yourself? I want to go to college to be a nurse. I want to be. There you go. My goal is a NICU nurse. Nice.

[00:27:24] Because I was in the NICU for two and a half, three. Yeah. Because I was like two and a half, three months early. Oh, wow. So I wanted to go like. What is a NICU. Full circle. What is a NICU nurse, by the way? NICU nurse is neonatal ICU. Oh, got it. Okay. So it's for the little premature babies. Got it. So yeah, I want to go to college. Definitely want to try to get out of state to go somewhere warm. Mm-hmm.

[00:27:54] Um. Yeah, that's my goal. That's my goal. UAB. UAB is one of the best nursing schools in the country, in case you're curious. University of Alabama. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I heard that. I heard that. Our winters get cold, but our summers get hot. So. Yeah. I'm just saying. Maybe also check that one out. We need better foosball players here. So. There you go. We have. We already have like a slew of mediocre players. We need some good players here. So.

[00:28:24] Shout out to all. Because wait, you're in Alabama, right, Randy? Yeah. I'm 30 minutes south of Birmingham. UAB is like. It's in. It's right in downtown Birmingham. And is the foosball scene in Birmingham? It's trash. There's. Yeah. It sucks. Yeah. Like I said, shout out to all the mediocre foosball players in Alabama. Let's go. Good school. So. Not so much foosball. But. But. No. No. So. So. No. This is the thing. And this is why I love being in Alabama.

[00:28:52] There's actually a lot of really good foosball players in Alabama. But. Like Georgia has a good scene. Mississippi has a good scene. Tennessee has a good scene. Florida is a few hours away. Like I can drive a few hours and play really, really good foosball. So that's the good thing about being in the south. So. You know. I. When I was in the northeast. It was tough. There's a lot of good players out there. Um. But. It's kind of. You know. There's groups. But.

[00:29:21] I've always felt like you're only as good as your weakest player. And there's a lot of groups that have really good expert level players. There's only a few pros scattered around. And now Albany. Where Tom is. Always been a shark tank. Always been great players out of Albany. Albany was three and a half hours from where I lived. So we would try to go out there as much as we could. But. Mm-hmm. You know. So like where you're at. How far is. The tournament was in.

[00:29:51] Where was. Appleton. Appleton. And then you're in Milwaukee. How far away is that? Um. I think that's like an hour. 20. Hour 30 away from me. Not too far. Yeah. So how's the scene. And how's the scene in Milwaukee? Milwaukee has a good scene. Um. Like we have a bunch of pro. Players. Because Tony obviously lived here. But. He moved way before I ever. Yeah. Um. He was like the master. But yeah.

[00:30:20] We have like Greg rushing. I think they were all on here actually. Oh sure. One time. Yep. They were very recently. Greg rushing. Yep. Jeff Kimmerling. Roman. Um. Eric Weishar. My dad. A bunch of other people. Yep. Yeah. We have a good scene. Yeah. That's good. That's good. Again. Iron sharpens iron. Foosball. Foosball is one of those things. One of those things where. Like I said. You're only as good as your weakest player. So when you have a group of. You know. Of.

[00:30:49] When you have a group of touring players. Guys that are going out and gaining experience. And getting better. And then coming home. And obviously. Working on things. You know. Together. They're going to improve as a group. When you have a group of players. And one guy goes out and tours. And comes back. That guy is going to grow. Right. And then that group is going to stay the same. That guy is going to keep beating on that group. And that group is going to stay right where they're at. So. It's. It's. It's kind of. It's kind of hard. When you have. You know. One person traveling.

[00:31:19] And everybody else not. It's. When everybody. When everybody's growing as a whole. It makes everybody better. So. Like in Albany. That you know. Tommy's there. Sam's there. Walker's there. You know. They have. They have a bunch of players that have. A ton of experience touring. And they just. You know. They feed each other. They help each other grow. So. That's good. Especially for players like you. You're playing. You're playing experienced pro players. All the time. You're going to get better faster. You're going to get better faster. So. Right. I mean.

[00:31:48] You probably have more open titles at this point. Than most of the guys in your group. Probably. Maybe. There you go. I think so. That's. Yeah. I guarantee. They all. They all talk trash about you behind your back. I guarantee it. Probably. So. All things. All things being equal. You know. When you look out there in the field of players. And the people you've already played with. Who do you want to play with next? Who would you most like to team up with? When it comes to. Nice.

[00:32:18] Tom. Any player. Yes. Dream partner. Dream partner. Dream partner. Um. Hmm. And do. Do two. Do male and female. Mm-hmm. Male and female. Okay. Um. Male player. Probably. Billy Paffas. Let's go. Good choice. He's like. Yeah. He's probably. He's my favorite player. I just. I love how creative he is. Mm-hmm. He can. He has so much talent. I would say the most talented player. Like. Ever. To walk the planet.

[00:32:48] You're saying all the right stuff, kid. God. You're saying all the right stuff. Go ahead. Um. Yeah. He's so good. Um. I'd love to play with him. And then. Girl player. Hannah. I just love how scruffy she is. Yes. He's. Never quits. Um. I. Yeah. I'd love to play with her. So. Hannah. Yeah. Hannah's got that dog in her. She ain't got no boy. Yeah. That's for sure. Oh, yeah. He's so good. And Billy. You know.

[00:33:18] You know what's funny? Billy's actually so much fun to play with. Like. He's just. Oh, yeah. He's so laid back, man. Billy's awesome. And then when you're sitting back there. And he does something. He does something crazy. And you kind of giggle. It's hard not to giggle. You know. But. Yeah. That's. That's a good answer. Billy. I'll talk to him. I'll tell him he's got to play with you. There you go. Okay. Put in a good word. I'll try to set you up. Make it happen. Put in a good word for me. Okay. Yeah. I'll try to set you up. We got to figure out where you guys are going to be at the same time. But I'll try to set you up.

[00:33:48] Okay. Are you going to Worlds? Are you going to Worlds? Um. I don't know. My dad doesn't like to fly. Oh. Come on. So. I. I'm not too sure. But we're going to Nationals for sure. Okay. Because that's. That's in Louisville. So that's like. I think six. Six and a half hours away from us. So we're. We'll drive to that. But. I don't know. Maybe Worlds. Please dad. If you're watching this. We're putting a good. A good word in for you. You know. Come on. The Worlds is.

[00:34:17] This is where it's all at. You know. Okay. Could be 800 players this year. You never know. Okay. You never know. I'll see what I can do. I don't know. I don't know about eight. I don't know about eight. Yeah. Maybe. It's good. Maybe six. What did we hit last year? 750. We didn't hit 750 last year. 7. 7. 40 and change. Something like that. But close to 750. Have I been asleep. For all these months? I think so. You weren't there. Oh boy. Yeah. Maybe we.

[00:34:46] Maybe we could hit eight. Yeah. Okay. Oh no. I'm sorry. I think it's entirely possible. I mean the space is going to be. A little bit larger this year. According to what Ryan's been saying. And. Are we going in the room. Room downstairs. The bigger room? I think so. I think so. Yeah. That's 50,000 square feet down there. So. Holy. Yeah. That's a big. It's in the same. It's in New Orleans again. Right. Yeah. Yep. The higher regency. And. I heard it's a really nice hotel. Oh. It's gorgeous. Nah kid. You didn't go last year? I just heard about it. Yeah. Nah. I am.

[00:35:16] Hotel is nice. There's a Chick-fil-A next door. It's live entertainment. Yeah. Crack-ins fight outside. Yeah. Yeah. It's good baby. Let's go. But the hotel. Now the hotel is beautiful. The ballroom was beautiful. It was. It was nice. Hopefully. Hopefully your dad will. Bite the bullet. We'll have to. Get on that plane for you. How about every week on the air. We'll harass him directly. I don't know if that'll help. I don't know if that'll help. You can do it. You can make that. I don't know if that'll help.

[00:35:44] It'll just make him even like say no even more. Yeah. Because that's how I am. I would just get mad and be like, oh, hell no. We ain't going now. So. Okay. So Nationals. Nationals is in July, right? Yeah. It's either. Is it? June or July. It's June or July. The end of June. End of June. I'll be just looking at this tier. I've got it right here in front of me. All right. Well, it's May. It's May 3rd now. National Championships is June 24th through the 28th.

[00:36:13] That's the Caesars Casino in Louisville. Jesus. A casino. Ooh. Okay. What are you hitting? What are you hitting between now and Nationals? Oh, no. I'm not, I'm not going to anything before now. No. Okay. So, so what's your practice regimen look like? Yeah. How many days a week you touch the table? Um, well, I've been so busy with school lately. Like it's just getting really crazy because it's like almost the end of the year for us

[00:36:41] because we get done in like the middle of May. Yeah. So I only got like two more weeks left, but usually, I don't know. I'd say three. I try to get on it every day, but that usually doesn't happen, but I'll like watch something. If I don't play, I'll like watch video, but play wise. I don't know. Maybe like four or five times a week. I don't know. That's good. It depends.

[00:37:08] It depends how busy I am with school because I get a lot of homework at my school. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I mean, look, kid education first again, foosball is great, but it's not going anywhere. You know, you have to, you have to have priorities, right? Go to school, get a career. Foosball is always going to be here. So handle your business. Right. But yes. Summer's coming up. What do you, I mean, what does the typical summer look like for you? A lot of golfing? Or hanging out?

[00:37:37] I'll try to get out to the driving range as much. Well, now I'm able to drive because I got my license last week. Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Ooh, look out. Uh-oh. Congratulations. Kind of scary. Okay. I have a good driver. I promise. You promise. But I think I'm going to get, well, I'm going to get a job this summer. I'll also work. I did last summer. I worked as a golf caddy as a club. So I'll do that again this summer.

[00:38:07] And then, I don't know, I applied to Quick Trip. So we'll see if they get back to me. Nice. Wait, wait. Wait, Quick Trip, like the oil change place? What? The gas station? What is Quick Trip? Oh, is that a gas station? Quick Trip? Yeah. Okay. I'm thinking of something else. Yeah, I thought it was an oil change. Yeah, yeah. Good. Okay. Well, I'll apply a couple other places too. The Target or something. I don't know. Chick-fil-A, bro. Chick-fil-A. My brother worked there.

[00:38:36] Yeah, free chicken sandwich. My pleasure. Right? Okay, Randy, here's a quick question for you. What was your first job as far as- My first taxpaying job? Taxpaying job. Oh, I think I was cutting pizza. Cutting pizza? Yeah, in a pizzeria. Back home, a local mom and pop. I was cutting pizza. Gotcha. My first job, like job job? Yeah. I was lumping forms at like 11 years old. Lumping forms?

[00:39:06] Yeah. My uncle's owned a construction company. Oh. They would do foundations, concrete. So in the summer when my friends were hanging out, I was lumping. I was basically carrying forms and staging forms at like 11 years old. Dang. Yeah. Wow. Guess how much money I made? Zero? Yeah, it was volunteer work, baby. Volunteer work. A pat on the head? Yeah. Yeah. They were making a man out of me. Ooh. And look what happened. Yeah. I don't know if-

[00:39:35] I don't know. Anyway. Yeah. That's why. That's why. Shoulder surgery number three coming up. Yeah. Well, Vivian, we're here to tell you, you never forget that first job. The first time you collect a paycheck. You just never forget that moment. You know? No. It's wonderful. It's wonderful. Yeah. Yeah. When you open that envelope and you go, where the hell's all the money? It's nice. It's a good feeling. Oh, yeah. Well, now it's PayPal and Venmo. So, yeah. Ah, well. It's a good time. Not the same thing. Yeah.

[00:40:05] That's a good time. So, yeah, kid. What else? What else you got? What else am I doing this summer? Yeah. Well, I'm going to Florida. I hope. I think when I get out of school. Is this show just you, like, pitching ideas to your dad on things you want to do? No. Well, my mom's going to take me. And I think Elena might come with. Oh, nice. We'll see. Outstanding.

[00:40:35] It'll be a nice getaway. Just for, like, doing good in school? Like, after the year? Just going to go hang out in Florida for a little bit? Yeah. Hit the beach. And I play some foosball in Florida. You're going to go to Tampa? I go to the beach every day. You're going to go to Tampa? My grandpa lives in Branton. So, that's, I don't know. What is that? Maybe an hour away from Tampa? Close enough. Worth a ride. Yeah. Close enough. Yeah.

[00:41:05] Let them know you're coming. Yep. I'm sure they'll, I mean, for you, they'll set it up. Right? Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I'll tell Lindsey. Yep. See, there you go. There you go. Lindsey will set it up. Yep. She runs it down there. So, that's it, kid. Look, you've been killing it, man. Again, you know, I told your dad, you've been killing it. You're going to keep killing it. So, who are you playing with at Nationals?

[00:41:32] I'm not too sure yet, because I haven't even thought, to be honest, I haven't even really thought about who I'm going to play with. I know I asked Elena. I'll think I'll play with her in Women's Amateur Devils, because we've got to win something. Mm-hmm. Okay. So, hopefully I can do that with her. I have to see for Mix, though, I'll have to ask Tony, because I know he was wanting to play with me or something. Oh, nice.

[00:42:02] That's tough, right? It takes a long time. Yeah. I don't know for sure yet. I'm not saying anything, but we'll see. You know, let me check my Rolodex. Yeah. We'll see. Mm-hmm. Okay. Well, I'll put out a word for you. I'll send a message. I'll see what I can find out and see if I can't set you up.

[00:42:27] But we'll see if we can't sort something out for Worlds, because if I get you hooked up for Worlds, then you almost have to go. I just got to go to Worlds. No excuse. Like, yeah. I got to go. Do not. What even is it this year? Is it end of September? It's first weekend of September. Same. Labor Day weekend. Yeah. Same. Same. End of August, beginning of September. I got to go. Yes, you do. Yes, you do. That'll be my next one. Do not disappoint Randy. Just don't do it.

[00:42:57] No, you could disappoint me. I get disappointed all the time. That's fine. You won't hurt my feelings. So, yep. Yep. That's it, kid. What else you got? You got anything you want to throw out there? Any shout outs? Anybody you want to shout out? Anybody from school? Any teachers? Anybody? Anything you want to say? I'm trying to think. I think I've said everything. You said your piece. Wow. I just... Elena, come on. Let's lock in at Nationals.

[00:43:27] Get the W. Let's lock in, okay? Let's go, Elena. Lock in, Elena. Jeez, Elena. Yeah. I don't know. It's probably her mom. You should... It's her mom's fault. You should probably yell at her mom. I think you will. No, it's never... Renee? Oh, my goodness. Renee is the best. Renee is... It's never Renee. I have a Renee story. It's pretty funny. But anyway, it's for off-air. It's not an on-air story. No, you need to tell me no. No, off-air. No, it's really funny.

[00:43:56] Now you set it up. You got to talk. You got to talk. No, Renee is funny. She cracks me up. She had had a drink or two, and then she thought I was Billy, and she kept calling me Billy. She's like, Billy, Billy. And I was like, who are you talking to? She's like, you, Billy. I'm like, bro. I was like... And then I went and got Billy. I was like, this is Billy. She's like, huh? Like, she was legitimately confused.

[00:44:27] I was like, oh, my God. Yeah. It was pretty funny. And then every time she sees me after that, she's like, hey, Billy. I'm like, bro. Yeah. How do you live that down? Man. Renee's funny. Renee's funny. Yeah, but Wisconsin people are all great. They're all so sweet. Every... Listen. Oh, yeah. I have nothing bad to say about any of them. They are wonderful people. Every single one. Look, Wisconsin State next year. Oh, yeah. You've got to go. The fire's not out. Yeah. You've got to go. You've got to go. It's the best state tournament. Best state tournament.

[00:44:56] Hands down. Well, listen. I'm just going to tell you. I mean, they might have a little competition with Florida right now. Hmm. Yeah. It's been a busy weekend. Yeah. I was looking really good. A lot of people there. A lot of people there. It's a big weekend. I mean, California State and the Canadian Hall of Fame all on the same weekend with Florida? Yeah. Yeah. Man. So I heard Florida Thursday night had over 200, like 206 on Thursday. Yep.

[00:45:26] Oh, wow. Yep. Kind of crazy. Nice turnout. That is awesome. Very nice. And they're right there on the beach. I think that was one of the biggest appeals this year is they had a new location. And, you know, well, you can't beat that with a hammer, for God's sake. Adam and Clay said you could open the back door and throw a foosball and hit the water. Like, that's how close it would be. Really? Oh, that sounds so nice. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Well, you know, I was there. Well, this is a good thing, Viv. You have your license now.

[00:45:56] Next year, just get in the car, drive down there. Who's going to stop you? Yeah. Wait. That's such a good idea. How many hours is that, though, for me? For you? It's only like 24 straight hours of driving. Only like 24 hours straight. It's nothing. You're a young kid. I got it. I got it. You don't drink a couple monsters, get in the car. Yeah. Bring my bubbler. Hey. Your bubbler. Think about this. You want to lay down there? Yeah. Think about the stories.

[00:46:23] You know, back in the 70s and 80s, to get in a car with a bunch of stinky guys and drive wherever to a foosball tournament was just the thing, man. You had to do it. You weren't a foosball player unless you did it at least once. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I think this is my time. Yep. This is your time. That's right. See? You're putting it together. Mm-hmm. So, listen, kid. Thank you for coming on. This was a blast. I'm super excited for you. You're doing wonderful.

[00:46:51] You're a rising star in foosball. Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm going to send my guy a message for you, see if I can set you up. Yep. And, you know, just lock in, finish out the school year, and if there's anything you need, again, you're always welcome to come back on. You just let us know. Absolutely. Come back on here, and we'll talk some more. How about this? The next big victory, next open mixed or whatever, you know, big title you get, you're back on immediately. How's that sound? Let's do it. That sounds great.

[00:47:20] There's motivation for you right there. You got to win, though. Just saying. Yeah. Whoever you carry. You and whoever you carry. We'll get them back on. Oh, I guess. Whatever I carry. Yeah. Lock it. Lock it. I got to say, you're the best. I mean, we're so happy to have you come on and join us tonight. And even despite the fact that Randy's here, just saying, you know. But, hey, we do appreciate it.

[00:47:50] And here's to a great year, a great season, and go get them. Go get them. Yes. Let's go. Lock in. Let's go, Elena. Lock in. That's it. Come on, Elena. Lock in. Lock in, Elena. All right. Well, I understand next week, possibly, we might even have Seda come on. Anything you'd like to, you know, just give Seda a little heads up? I mean, you want to let her know how this goes? Yeah, I'll let her know. Okay.

[00:48:20] Not to be afraid of us. We're okay. Well, sorry. Only Randy is a little. She's not scared. Sassy Pants ain't scared. She knows what's up. Sassy Pants? Seda, Sassy Pants. She's not scared. Is that the nickname? No. Oh, Sassy. No, she's not scared. We'll put that in the promo. That's right. Foos Talk Live, Sassy Pants. I can see it now. That's right. Yeah. It's in lights. Yeah. Wow. We'll pack them in.

[00:48:50] Well, anyway, if there's anything we can help you with, anything at all, just let us know. We're always happy to. All right. Will do. Yeah. Well, in the meantime, enjoy your career as a foosball player and go get them. And hey, you only live once, right? So a road trip. Road trip. Road trip. Yep. Yep. I could go with Elena. We could pack so much bubbler. We'd go down to Florida. I don't know what that is. I don't know what bubbler is. What?

[00:49:20] What is bubbler? I don't know what that is. It's energy drink. Oh, okay. Well, there you go. Look it up. Look it up. Google it, Randy. God, get with it. Jeez. Tom, I'm 45 years old, man. I can't keep up with these kids. I have no idea. Oh, Lord. So now, meanwhile, Vivian's dad's got a hit out on us. We'll just have to lay low for a little while. Anyway. Hit out on you. Not me. James likes me. Yeah.

[00:49:50] Yeah. So, you've been listening to episode number 297 with Vivian Marschke. What a great time this has been. I really appreciate you jumping on. And, of course, we're going to have you back soon. And you're going to have a great season. So, meanwhile, stick around because we've got Foos Talk Live's Tournament Beat coming your way next. Thanks again, Vivian. Thank you.

[00:50:14] Time now for the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat, brought to you in part by FoosGadgets.com. Using technology to create a better foosball experience. And by Boise Foosworks. High Fidelity Refurbished Foosballs. Professional foosball is a game of precision. A matter of accuracy. Consistency. Boise Foosworks presents the High Fidelity Refurbished Foosball. Meeting the highest tornado ball standards.

[00:50:41] High Fidelity Foosballs are soft, quiet, with a true roll and good durability. Exchange your balls for the High Fidelity Foosball at the best price with a money-back guarantee. Contact Mike Veidt on Facebook Messenger or look for him at your next tour stop. Boise Foosworks. Saving the planet one ball at a time. Since 2019, FoosGadgets has used innovative ideas to build foosball training tools and accessories.

[00:51:10] Their goal is to make your foosball practice more fun and effective. Hey Foosers, the Foos Gadgets Speed Bridge is a great tool for all of you practice-holics out there like I am. From the Foos Gadgets Speed Bridge to the Tornado Gold Guard to the Gold Guard Plus. Visit the site for a great selection and pricing. FoosGadgets.com. Using technology to create a better foosball experience. Foosball tournaments are everywhere.

[00:51:37] Foos Talk Live proudly presents a weekly update of events near you. With the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat. Here's what's up. Wyco Foos presents the Spring Tournament at Farm Craft Brewery. Saturday, May 16th at Farm Craft Brewery, Strikersville, New York. The 2026 $1,000 Arkansas State Championships. May 16th at Little Rock, Arkansas.

[00:52:02] The ITSF presents the Tornado World Series and Texas State Championship. May 22nd through May 25th at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel, Dallas, Texas. 518 Foosball presents the Jam in June Smashdown. Saturday, June 6th. Trick Shots Billiards and Wicked Eatery, Clifton Park, New York. The World Foosball Tour presents the 2026 National Championships and North American Cup.

[00:52:30] June 24th through the 28th, Caesars Casino and Hotel Elizabeth, Indiana. Don't miss the 2026 Mississippi State Foosball Championships. July 23rd through the 26th, Pearl, Mississippi. Stay tuned for more details. It's the 2026 Ohio State Championships. July 30th through August 2nd, Columbus, Ohio. More details coming up.

[00:52:56] Canada Foosball presents the 2026 Vancouver Island Foosball Championships. August 14th through the 16th, Courtenay Legion, Courtenay, British Columbia. The World Foosball Tour presents the 2026 World Foosball Championships. September 2nd through the 6th at the Hyatt Regency, New Orleans, Louisiana. It's the 2026 Great Lakes Classic. Now scheduled for October 15th through the 18th. We'll keep you posted on the details.

[00:53:25] The North Carolina State Championships. Scheduled for November 26th through the 29th. More details soon to be released. It's the 20th Annual 2026 Louisiana State Championships. December 3rd through the 6th. Stay tuned for lots more details. Each week, we do our best to give you the most up-to-date listing of foosball tournaments near you. If you have an event you'd like to add, send us all the details at foosballradio at gmail.com.

[00:53:52] Tune in every week for the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat. The Foos Talk Live Tournament Beats is brought to you in part by foosgadgets.com. Using technology to create a better foosball experience. And by Boise Foos Works, high-fidelity refurbished foosballs. Foos Talk Live is a product of Foos Ball Radio. With gratitude, we recognize our Foos Ball Radio Patreons. Our Foos Talk Live sponsor.

[00:54:22] Original-Leonhard-USA.com Tune in again next week for another episode of Foos Talk Live. In the meantime... We'll see you foosin'. We'll see you next week.