FoosTalk Live | Ep 298 | Saida Krueger

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[00:01:49] Designed and handcrafted in Germany, order online and have it delivered to your door. Visit www.original-leonhardt-usa.com and use promo code FOOSTALK to save 10% off your purchase price. Hey, it's Tom Robinson. Episode number 298. Getting kind of close to 300.

[00:02:13] But it's 63 degrees and partly sunny here in upstate New York outside the Foos Talk Live studios. And yeah, this is a little unusual timing for us because, well, we usually go live at 9 o'clock Eastern, 8 p.m. Central Time. But today, it's Mother's Day. So happy Mother's Day. And everybody's got something going on, including Randy Raposo, who is enjoying some time with his family this weekend and enjoying Mother's Day.

[00:02:42] And meanwhile, because we're talking about Mother's Day, and this is a special edition of Foos Talk Live, it's about moms and their daughters who play foosball. And of course, the next generation of foosball players. So we want to welcome to the microphone of Foos Talk Live, Sadie Kruger from Appleton, Wisconsin. What's up, Seda? Hi. Happy to be here. Yeah. No, I really appreciate you pulling away.

[00:03:09] I know that you mentioned off air that there's a party going on at your place. Is that true? Yeah. Okay. Now, are they gathered around the computer watching you today? They're probably watching the Brewer game. Oh, God. Oh, yeah. So there are priorities in life. Now, I know your mom's a foosball player, obviously, Amanda Kruger. She's well known for her play and your dad, Teddy Kruger. But so is your mom a sports fan?

[00:03:41] Kinda. I mean, she'll watch the Brewers, and she's a big Vikings fan, but... Yeah, I gotcha. Well, we know she's a fierce foosball player for sure, so we want to wish your mom a happy Mother's Day for sure. And what did you get your mom for Mother's Day? I'm making her a very nice card, and I went and bought her some flowers. Oh. She's kind of hard to give her gifts because she buys herself gifts.

[00:04:11] Oh, okay. Well, good for her, you know. Now, how often do you get a chance to just get on the table and play foosball with your mom? Is that a regular thing? We practice a lot together. We don't play against each other a lot. And we play against my dad a lot, too. So maybe once a day. Once a day. Not bad. Yeah. So this probably explains a lot.

[00:04:37] Now, I know you and I spoke before on Foosball Radio on the Road. This was, well, it'll be two years ago this coming October at the Great Lakes Classic. And at the time we were talking, wow, I got to say, there are very few people of your age group that I find as impressive as just as a person. You just seem to be very together, very poised.

[00:05:03] We found some things out on that the first time we talked that you're not just a foosball player, but you're also quite a singer. Have you always been a singer? Yeah. My mom was a singer, too. So got me singing songs since I was like three years old. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. This is this is great. This is this is I got to say everybody was pretty impressed.

[00:05:28] This last year in New Orleans at the World Foosball Tour World Championships, you sang the the national anthem before the ceremonies, before the whole thing kicked off. What was that like? It was I mean, not really that much out of the ordinary besides the crazy amount of people, because I've sang the national anthem for a bunch of other tournaments before. But nothing like the world championships with that many people.

[00:05:59] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, 700 players there gathered at New Orleans to to compete there. And now, have you done this before as far as acapella is concerned? Because it seemed like, you know, that's got to be kind of scary with no backing instruments. I was in a girls choir at my school, which they call finesse girls choir, where it's just acapella. So it's kind of almost like pentatonics almost. Oh, OK.

[00:06:30] Now, is that something you've always done when it comes to singing? You learn to sing acapella first and then with instruments? No, I used to just sing along with like music and stuff that I find, like look up karaoke versions. Yeah. But then when I switched to my new school and found out about the girls choir and I was like, this is fun. And then I talked to Brett two years ago and I sang the National Anthem at Wisconsin State for the first time. Oh, that was the first time, Wisconsin State.

[00:07:00] OK. Yeah. And how old were you at that time? I think I was. I think I just turned 13, like a little bit after that. That's how many of your friends do something similar who can do that kind of thing? Anybody that you know that also does this? No. So you're unique in so many ways.

[00:07:26] The other thing we probably need to touch base on is because since we spoke last, you've done a lot of playing and a lot of winning. Can we get a total? How many titles have you won since we spoke a couple of years ago? I have no clue. I've won a few at majors. I know we talked a little bit beforehand. We were like, we're just going to have to eyeball it. Yeah. You? A few.

[00:07:54] Yeah, that just dropped out. What was that again? What was the total? Maybe a few? Maybe like 10. 10. Wow. 10. I don't know of anybody save Brady Wierowski, who has won that many titles on the tour. That's pretty impressive, I've got to say. Now, that's obviously you've got some women's titles.

[00:08:23] You've got some junior championship titles. What other aspects of the game? I won rookie singles at Wisconsin. Nice. Expert mix. That was a runner-up. I played with the TD Brett at Wisconsin State, and I played bird and expert mix. We made it to the finals. Choked a little bit. We lost. But it was still really fun. Still, yeah. So you're there right there in the finals.

[00:08:52] So that's all that matters, right? You get there. You get to go to the show, so to speak, as they say. Yeah. I mean, what do you attribute to that? What's your secret to success when it comes to winning so much on the foosball table? You just got to give it your all. And my mom always tells me to have fun. So you give it your all, and you have fun. And if you lose, as long as you played your best, then there's nothing you can regret about it. Yeah.

[00:09:20] You had fun, and you did the best that you could. And you can only do the best that you can do. So have you always been competitive as a person? Yes. Okay. Pray tell, what other kinds of things are you competitive at? What do you like to compete in other than foosball? I did dance for probably in total my whole life, about like eight years. Wow.

[00:09:44] But I've done competition dance for two years, and I'm going to do cheer for my high school next year. And they go to nationals and stuff. Nice. Yeah, the cheering thing, that's a whole other level of performance, right? So you've got to really be in shape for stuff like that. So what kind of dance do you like to do? What's your favorite style? Palm. Palm-type dances, more upbeat, cheering.

[00:10:14] Mm-hmm. Got it. Got it, got it. Have you ever thought about ballroom dancing, that kind of thing? Never, really. I think it's really cool. I've seen videos and stuff. I'd totally be down to try it. Another type of dance that I want to try someday is like two-stepping. Two-stepping. I see like Lindsay Elbert posts about it and stuff, and I was like, that looks really fun. Yeah, you're probably good at it right away. You know, you'd probably be one of those people that can learn the steps and then immediately be an expert. Just saying. That's probably the way it would be, right?

[00:10:45] Thank you. Yeah. So let's talk a bit about your origins when it comes to foosball. Obviously, we know your folks, Amanda and Teddy Kruger, both really exceptional foosball players. When was the first time you actually got on a foosball table in your memory? What was the first time you got introduced to the game? Maybe five years old. There's a video that my mom posted where my dad was teaching me how to tic-tac, and I kept looking at like the TV in the background and stuff.

[00:11:15] And it was really funny because that was probably the first time that I touched a table. Interesting. Five years of age. Were you standing on a box or something like that to see the top of the table? Yeah, stepstool. Yeah, so many kids do that, right? A lot of the, like we always like to tease Sam Dijon because he and his sister would show up at our local tournaments with their dad, and they would have their custom-made stepstools.

[00:11:42] And, of course, within a pretty short period of time, you know, playing the local DYPs and stuff, Sam and his sister Hannah were a force to be reckoned with. They were beating us up pretty good, got to say. So when was the first time you stepped out and played in your local DYP or your local scene? In 2021. It was a couple weeks before Nationals, I know. Oh.

[00:12:08] Because it was like two weeks before Nationals when my parents were talking about they were going to go to, that was when it was in Denver, Colorado. They were like, oh, we're going to go to Denver. Like maybe your grandma's going to come and watch you when we go. He's like, you've never played foosball before. And I was like, I kind of want to try this. And they're like, well, you at least got to come to a few locals. Sure. And then you're probably not going to play anything because the Nationals Cup was their stuff too. Got it. So they gave me a shirt, and I just kind of got to watch.

[00:12:35] But the locals, I definitely went out to the locals a few times. I got beat up on a lot. You had to take your lumps, I guess, right? Now, one of the things that we find, especially with people who are just starting out when they come to, let's say, our local DYP, they first of all, they'll watch us. And some of them might say something like, hey, you know, I played at home a lot when I was younger and really enjoyed playing foosball.

[00:13:02] So, hey, I didn't know you guys existed, but love to try it out. And then, of course, they try, and then they never come back. So after you lost a few times, what kept you coming back? I mean, the first time that I touched a foosball table and went to a tournament, I couldn't imagine my life without it. It just made me feel so at home, and I had so much fun with it.

[00:13:29] And at our locals and stuff, we charge new players $0 to play in their first tournament. There you go. So we kind of give them a chance to learn and stuff. Because I feel like whenever, especially kids these days, if you show them a foosball table and they play a little bit, just like me, they'll have a hard time not thinking about it. Yeah. Because in school, we have a foosball club. And a lot of kids, like one of the kids walked up to me a couple weeks ago and was like,

[00:13:58] I was just thinking about a shot idea last night before I went to bed. And I was like, oh, really? Uh-oh. There's a future addict right there. Someone who may be menacing you on the table sometime soon. Now, you mentioned your foosball club at school. How many people in the foosball club? 15 to 20 people. We work through boys and girls clubs.

[00:14:22] So if there's ever kids there that have never tried before, they can just come in and give it a try. We do what me and Mike Stahl named it the foosball social. Yeah. Where we have two tables. So we have two lines, one for each table. And then every three points, they switch out. And then after a half an hour, we have the two tables battle each other. Nice. So you can get back in the line after you lose and just keep going. Oh, so you have to rotate through.

[00:14:52] So you've got to wait your turn each time. That kind of, you know, it's kind of reminiscent of what we used to do when we were just starting out, too. We'd go to the local. We had a place not too far from where we lived that there was more of a, well, it's more of a nightclub bar kind of thing. But they had four tables. And there was lines and lines of quarters always, you know. So you had to wait your turn and hope that you would win that particular game.

[00:15:18] But if you didn't, you had to go right back to the beginning of the line again and start all over. So is that basically the scene where you play in school? Oh, yeah. I play in school and, of course, at my locals a little bit, at home with my parents. But I'd like to prioritize teaching the kids at school because they're the next of our generation. Yeah, absolutely. So starting out as a teacher this early. I mean, you're 14, right? Yeah.

[00:15:47] Are there any other students like you that want to teach foosball at this age? I think there's one other kid in our foosball club that's just anything foosball. Okay. And they, like, once they learn shots from, like, me or my dad, they'll try and, like, show their peers and stuff, which is nice because next year I'm going to end up switching schools to go to the high school because I'm in the middle school right now. Gotcha. And then I'm still going to come back and teach, like, during Wednesday.

[00:16:16] Like, we do it every Wednesday. Okay. So me and my dad are still going to come back and teach, but it'd be nice to have, like, a student representative at the school that can kind of, like, manage specific things while I'm away, do, like, announcements, slideshows, and stuff. Oh, yeah. Now, do you have, do you show the students videos of how to play? Do they get any kind of visual aids that way? Yeah. So Michael Stahl is working on, I think he just finished, like, some of the lessons or whatever.

[00:16:44] They're, like, video lessons where you can put on, like, a projector for the kids because Mike Stahl just came a few weeks ago. Like, the weekend before Wisconsin State, he came and played with the kids, did a Beat the Pro. We're going to hand out some T-shirts that I just got for them. Nice. So he's, he is working on setting up lessons and stuff, and he took some videos for, of our kids for the lessons in the future, too.

[00:17:11] But otherwise, my dad gives, like, a quick three to five minute lesson before they get to go off and play of, like, tips to use today and stuff. Okay. Yeah, some things to try. It's interesting how, you know, when you think about the basics of what people do on a foosball table to start out with, well, number one would be what? No spinning. Yeah. So let's begin there. Then what's your, what's your biggest advice for somebody beyond no spinning? What's your first piece of advice?

[00:17:43] Um, I mean, it depends as in, like, rule-wise. I would say make sure you ask your opponent if they're ready and touch three guys. But the hardest thing about the game, I would say, is the mental state. You got to know not to give up, and you got to know what things are hard and what things you have to work on. Because I think ball control is such a hard thing to master. Yes. But once you start getting good on it, it changes your whole game. Yeah. Well, it allows you more possessions and more opportunities to score, obviously.

[00:18:12] Um, where does the, when you think about teaching somebody brand new, where does the whole idea of shooting, where does that come in? Is that later? Is that earlier? What, uh, what part of the stage does that occur? I would say towards the beginning, when I started teaching my little cousins about foosball, um, I just kind of, like, asked, I showed them a few shots, had them try a few shots, and them tell me what they're most comfortable with.

[00:18:40] Push kick, pull kick, pull shot, push shot, whatever they feel most comfortable with. I think it's really important to develop a primary shot. Yes. And at least, my thing was, I actually started with a pull shot, um, which is what my dad thought would be a good idea, which I agree, because then it helps develop your two bar as a goalie. Mm-hmm. Um, and to get, starting out with a wrist shot, not just a rollover. Right. Like, that can be really confusing to people. Yeah. So, I started with a pull shot, then I started shooting a rollover, kind of.

[00:19:10] Now I shoot a push shot and a rollover, so. A push and a rollover. Very, very different. Nice. Nice, nice. So, you have, you have options, for sure. Yeah. Now, when it comes to, you know, aside from your dad showing you what to do, was there anybody early on, especially, uh, other, other women players, was there anybody that used to watch videos of, or someone that you would emulate or try to, try to imitate? When you're first starting out? Well, of course, Tony. Yeah.

[00:19:40] Because when, this is also, like, a kind of my dad thing as well, but, um, my dad always grew up, like, I mean, he raised me kind of talking about Tony. Yeah. He's always talking about Tony's game and stuff, so I was like, when I started playing, the only logical thing for me to do was a firewall tic-tac. Nice. And I did watch a lot of Cindy Head. I liked, like, um, I think my first real introduction to foosball was the Foosballers movie. Yes. And I love Cindy's, come on, Cindy!

[00:20:08] I love the spirit and energy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's, uh, she's so unique and still at it, you know? Um, do you see yourself at, uh, at Cindy's age still doing this thing? Absolutely. Oh, good to know. Good to know. So, you know, we've got a bit of a runway here, you know, to kind of get to, to where Cindy is. I mean, she is the winningest player of all time, right? She's won more than anybody else. Yeah.

[00:20:34] So, I mean, there's a, there's an aspiration right there, but you've got a pretty good lead on it, right? You've already, uh, started that process with all the, what, 10, 10 titles in the last couple of years here. That's, uh, pretty extraordinary. Gotta say. Okay. So what, uh, what's your game plan this year? What, uh, what are you planning on doing as far as, uh, tournaments are concerned? What's your next one?

[00:20:58] For sure, nationals and worlds, um, might throw in a few state tournaments because my dad's dealing with some, like, physical therapy hand problems and stuff. Okay. Right now. But, and like my mom's just like her company just got bought. So that's going to be a work transition. So right now we're going to kind of like take a step back, just go to the majors. But next year we'll be back at it harder than ever. So. Very nice. Definitely nationals and worlds and some state tournaments, hopefully Michigan State.

[00:21:27] Oh yes. Michigan State. Well, of course, you know, Great Lakes Classic is now, uh, is kind of like etched permanently in my schedule. I have to go. It's just, you know, uh, Michael's such a great host and, and I really enjoy the, the team there, the guys that run the, the, run the whole process. And, and, you know, it's always been a good hotel.

[00:21:48] That's always a positive, but I've seen that the Great Lakes Classic grow, uh, over the last five years to, to what it is now, which is really a very, very, very good time. Um, now how does, I know Wisconsin is probably your favorite, right? When it comes to state tournaments. Yeah. It's a little biased, but like, um, they have the, I think the coolest venue. You know, maybe it's like, I think it's also really practical for people because you get the bar feeling of foosball, like back in the day.

[00:22:18] Right. And you get like a hotel. You also have a connected hotel bar feeling. Like I said, the staff are really, they're really efficient and stuff. Like you can order food while you're watching matches and stuff. That's great. So that's, that's definitely a bonus. That's, that's something, you know, when you go to a hotel ballroom, there's not much of that going on. You know, I mean, they might have a concession stand where you can go and get some, some food, but a hot dog. Yeah. Yeah. Right.

[00:22:44] I mean, it's, it's, it's okay, but you know, uh, a good foosball player sustained on good food. Right. Well, their menu is great too. Like I love their menu. Yeah. We, we were talking about this recently with, uh, Jeff Kimmerling and crowd, uh, those guys. And they were talking about, yeah, man, you know, you got to try some things on the menu. And I, and, uh, they, they told us about a few really, really tasty items. And of course the mad, the mad apple, I mean, you know, it's, uh, it's, it's got a legend to it.

[00:23:14] Uh, it's, uh, it's been there for a while. I take it. Yeah. So when it comes to the idea of gathering together and you go to foosball tournaments, and of course, there's a lot of people, let's say two, 300 people. Um, how does it feel to be 14 among, well, old people like me? What is that? How does that feel for you? I mean, you look around and you see these graying, uh, foosball players that are, that are of a different generation.

[00:23:43] Is that, uh, is that an odd thing for you to do? Not really. I mean, it, at first, I guess it kind of was, but it's a tricky question because I've always just, it's been like five years since I started playing. So it's just become natural to, Hey guys, what's up? Not even think about the 20 different, the 20 year age gap between me and half the people I'm talking to.

[00:24:09] I mean, 20 or 40 years, whatever it is. Yeah, it's crazy, but wow. Yeah. Well, it's, it's, it's so encouraging that someone like yourself is, is, uh, pursuing this and, and really taking it seriously. And of course, uh, I mean, you've got so many other, uh, other interests too. Now, when it comes down, down to the, to the, to the, the brass tacks, once you get to, let's say high school graduation, where do you want to step, step into next?

[00:24:37] As far as let's say a profession, what, what would you like to do? I think that I want to be a doctor. Yeah. I think I want to be specifically a cardiologist. I was looking into, um, I know last time that I was on here, Michigan state, I said, I said that I wanted to be a lawyer, but like, I kind of realized that that's so not flexible to be a foosball player. So, yeah. Um, I would talk to, uh, to Terry Rue obviously about the medicine thing.

[00:25:05] Cause he's, you know, he's, he's, I believe he's, uh, uh, an anesthesiologist. Is that correct? Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, he's probably someone who could give you some good advice in that regard. Um, but of course, uh, Sullivan, who's also now in the medical field. Um, but being a doctor, wow, that's, that's pretty cool. Um, cardiology.

[00:25:27] Now this is, this is, um, is a whole study of just how the circulation system works and how the heart obviously is a part of it. Uh, have you studied any of that so far in, uh, in, in your school studies? Yeah, kind of. Um, I don't take, like, since I'm not in high school yet, we don't have like a biology course and stuff, but like I've taken like a health class and stuff before. Oh yeah. Yeah.

[00:25:57] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[00:26:26] What, what do you do to prepare and stay, stay in it? Um, I'm not really good with this stuff because normally like once I get to tournaments, I'll start out strong like the first day and like wake up. Since you don't have like the best options when you go to foosball tournaments, I'll probably just eat like protein bars, protein shakes. Okay. Go downstairs and then practice. That'll probably go on for like the first two days.

[00:26:52] And the next two days I'll just eat anything that's in the hotel room at that point. Oh, nice. Yeah. No, I, I've heard all kinds of, uh, different, uh, takes on this different, uh, inventive and creative ways of sustaining oneself during a tournament. Um, I think some of the best advice I've ever heard, uh, came from one of our, our masters here in this area, Kevin Walker.

[00:27:15] He said when he, when he goes to compete, he eats very small meals, probably four or five during the, uh, during the day. Uh, but small meals that, in fact, um, when I saw him recently, oh, I'm trying to think now, I think it might've been a TKO or something like that.

[00:27:32] But, uh, he had gone out to the Costco or the, uh, Target or something and bought a bunch of, uh, fruit and also, um, water and, uh, some other, uh, basic food items that were more or less sugar free. And he said, here, man, have some of these. And I, I had some tangerines and a couple of apples and I started just having one before I would, you know, play, uh, like a tangerine.

[00:28:00] And it really did make a difference. You know, the, the, the, the sugar level and the blood goes a little higher, but it's not like a, like a, not like a, an energy drink or something like that. Because energy drinks tend to, uh, be a little, a little much, especially when it comes to caffeine. Make you shaky, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Have you tried any of the, the energy drinks? Have you ever tried any of those? Voila. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not awful with energy drinks.

[00:28:30] I don't drink one like every day, but occasionally I need a little bit of a boost. Oh, sure. Sure. Sure. No, I've been, uh, I've been, uh, guilty as charged. Yeah. Done. Something similar. Uh, somebody, uh, that, that actually used to work with us here on Foos Talk Live, uh, Mike Green from Florida. Do you know Mike at all? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:28:52] So Mike, uh, recommended something called Zip Fizz, which is, uh, it's just a powder that comes in a small, uh, little container. And it's good for one, one 20 ounce bottle of water, but you mix in the powder and, and, uh, shake it up a bit. It's kind of fizzy, but, uh, Zip Fizz, uh, is it, it'll sustain you. Of course, here's the danger about Zip Fizz is you can't drink the whole thing. Yeah. You shouldn't do that.

[00:29:20] So like the, the first time you tried, I would say maybe a third of the bottle at the most, and then maybe slip it a little bit along the way. Because once it gets you up to, there's a certain level that you attain when it comes to your, your energy. But if you go a little further than what you should, then all of a sudden it becomes less controllable. You're not as, um, you're a little too, too, uh, too wired, so to speak. But it's all just nutrients.

[00:29:48] It's, it's, um, uh, it has, uh, 35 minerals and vitamins. And then it has, uh, a little bit of green tea extract or green tea, uh, caffeine, but, and there's no sugar at all. Uh, but it, it can be challenging to, you know, especially if you haven't tried it before. So just saying, you know, if you're, you're, uh, wanting to try it, it's, uh, it's interesting. I just be very careful with it.

[00:30:15] I've been trying like iced coffee and matcha and stuff because I heard, I've heard, I've been hearing bad things about energy drinks and stuff lately. Yeah. Or some cheerleader girl that like died from drinking the Lani's that I saw online. I was like, really? No kidding. Yeah. Yeah. There's always that. There's always that risk of, you know, these are things that are out on the market. There's so many of them out there, so many different kinds and, and, uh, who knows what the, the overall effect is.

[00:30:40] So, uh, yeah, uh, we're just walking experiments piece, basically, especially foosball players. Cause we'll try anything, uh, at least once. So, but anyway, so yeah. So this, uh, this season coming up, I got to ask you the question because now you've been playing since 2021 and we have, um, you know, we have the world foosball tour. Uh, of course in Texas, we have the ITSF coming back.

[00:31:07] Um, now ITSF has their own kind of modified Swiss format. And of course now it's flight format for, uh, for the W, uh, FT. Um, where do you, where do you stand when it comes to the kind of tournaments? What do you like best? Uh, do you have anything that you like about any of these different formats? What's, uh, what's your favorite? I love flight format. I think that it, it's, it's kind of tricky. It was kind of tricky for them to kind of like figure out at first. And I know Vegas, they had problems.

[00:31:36] TKO, they had registration problems. Um, the website had problems at Wisconsin state. So they have some problems here and there, but once that stuff all gets ironed out, I think that that's the most efficient way that also pleases all foosball players. Yes. Yep. It's a, it's a grand experiment, right? So we're, we're going through these phases of, okay, we're going to try this, see what happens. Then we're going to try this and see what happens.

[00:32:02] And I know championship format was not as well received. Not the favorite. Yeah. Yeah. But, uh, now flight format, I'm hearing good things mostly, uh, that people really like it. I mean, there's a couple of, uh, detractors I'm sure. Uh, but yeah, it's, uh, uh, now it's funny because this is all leading to expanding foosball.

[00:32:28] And if it brings more people into the game because it's easier to understand, or you don't have to worry about, um, you know, playing till three o'clock in the morning, half the time, maybe that'll, that'll really help a lot. But again, we know, time will tell as to how this is going to go. Um, so when it comes to, you know, your, your, your particular game, um, do you play front or back? Mostly.

[00:32:56] I play front most of the time. And I like, I'll play a little back depending upon the person. Cause like if I, my dad's played pro and open with me before and I'll play goalie frame, of course, open makes them play goalie for my dad. Okay. Um, and if I'm playing like rookie doubles, normally I'll play with my mom and I'll play, um, forward for my mom. Hmm. Okay. Wow. That's interesting. So what, what, uh, what position do you prefer? What do you, what would you rather play? Forward. My two bar is not looking the best right now.

[00:33:27] Oh, no kidding. Um, yeah, it's, I think there's a, there's a certain way of looking at this, right there. Some people are just, just happy like me, uh, just hanging out in the, in the pit, you know, just that's, that's kind of like where I'm happiest. Uh, but that forward position requires so much more strategy and it also requires more, uh, uh, it seems up more, um, uh, options, right? So you have to have more options.

[00:33:56] Uh, now are you a far wall or near wall passer? What, what do you prefer? Uh, far wall tic-tac. Ooh. I think one of my biggest inspirations besides my dad and Tony is Tommy. Yes. Cause I love his far wall series. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. He doesn't give anything away and he has so many different passes. Yeah, he really does. I think it's just a great passing series. Have you seen that one that he's doing lately?

[00:34:23] It's kind of like a, a very slow sort of like brush up on the, on the far wall. It's very slow, but he, you know, normally he's very, very quick. He's just, you know, he's lightning is there, but now he does this kind of off speed thing. Have you seen that? It's always the slow ones though. So I mean, I understand. It's always the slow ones that like you circle it like 12 times before you get there. Yep. What a challenge that is. And to see somebody like that, of course, Tommy's like everybody else. He's always adjusting.

[00:34:52] He's always making changes and things. What, what's, well, to be fair, you have, you have strengths, obviously. What is your, what is your strongest shot? What do you do best? Um, my rollover. Yeah.

[00:35:34] Um, yeah. 3D printing stuff. He'll still do a little bit of 3D printing, but. Yeah. The, the style he, he came up with, we had a Jersey a couple of years ago that he came up with and, uh, for us at foosball radio. And we were like, wow, this is, this is awesome. In fact, I think we're, me and Jay are going to have to talk again. We had time to, time to upgrade. Um, but no. Oh yeah. He's, he rocks. He's just really, really good at what he does. And he does it just because he loves to do it.

[00:36:01] Uh, so if you don't know Jay Teal, you should, you know, if you want. He's the man. And also, well, I guess while we're at it, I'll, I want to shout out Boise Foosworks. Yes. He's awesome too. Ball man, Archangel. Mm-hmm. He's playing. He also does for, um, the junior foosball clubs. He'll send you free balls, like 10 free balls. I think it is. Really? For your club. So yeah, he's awesome too. And I think that he's doing some, um, all refurbishing for the world foosball tour at TKO.

[00:36:31] Ryan had like some announcements saying he's partnering with Mike. Yes. Yep. I noticed that. Uh, you know, Mike has been very good with us, uh, at the 518, uh, our foosball club. We, we have acquired some, some of his, uh, A plus 4-0 balls. Uh, his, his, his stuff is really good. I mean, I, and, and of course we've all been talking about it. I guess you've probably noticed the, the, uh, the new balls that were coming out what a year ago or so were kind of eh.

[00:37:00] Um, they weren't of the, of the, the greatest quality. So my dad has a lot to say about the balls. Oh, no doubt. We have a lot to say. Um, Mike Veidt, uh, we, we love his balls. Like we buy, we like to use his, but at the same time, my dad's a big, use what you're going to play with. Sure. So like, if he's doing new stuff and like, just wants a good steady ball to like practice things on, he'll use Mike Veidt.

[00:37:30] Preparing for a competition, he'll use the crappy tornado balls to like, he's like, you should practice with what you're going to play on. Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I understand. I think that that certainly makes a whole lot of sense because we are all, we all have conditions we have to deal with. Right. And it's not like I've, I'm just going to have my ball for myself and your ball you can have for yourself. And that's not the way it works. You, you bring a ball to the table and everybody has to use it. And yeah. Yeah. That makes sense.

[00:37:59] Now we, um, we've been very happy with, uh, with Boise Foods works and, and what Mike does. And it does, I mean, if, if you have a need, if you'd like to have, uh, some, some good, um, table, um, table use foos balls, uh, for your club, I would contact Mike Veidt. He's, uh, he's on Facebook. And, uh. Yeah. And another practice tool that I really love is Foos Gadgets, the Speed Bridge. Oh, right. We love Aaron Croft too. He's awesome.

[00:38:27] He came to my school with Mike Veidt as well. Um, he gave me a Speed Bridge and stuff. And the kids like using that at the school where you can see how fast your shot is. Oh, I have to ask you now. What's, what's your best speed? Um, I actually don't really look at the speed that much. I mean, me and my dad have been, me and my dad normally, whenever we look at the speed, me and my dad always compare who can do it faster. Because one time I walked away from the table and he was practicing, he walked away from the table. I came back and he had like 49 miles per hour.

[00:38:57] And I was like, what is he doing? 49. I was like, what is he doing? That's crazy. I, I, I don't. I think the fastest that I've had is like 36. That's great. That's really good. Um, the one time I've, I've got a Foos Bridge as well. And I think my best was like 19 miles an hour or something, but I'm a pull shooter too. So I don't have that. Oh yeah. No, that's not quite the same, but yeah, it's, uh, that's astounding. Well, that's, that's a, that's pretty good speed for, uh, for someone of your vintage.

[00:39:27] No question. It helps when you shoot a rollover too. So right, right, right. Of course. A lot faster. So what are, what do your friends think? Now you, you know, obviously you have the foosball club in your school, but there must be people that you hang out with that, that don't play foosball. Um, how do they feel about it? Do they have an opinion about what you do? A lot of my friends support me and stuff and they like, um, check out my social media all the time. They like my stuff. They talk to me.

[00:39:57] Um, they don't have anything negative to say about it. I've tried getting some of my friends interested. They just don't think that they would be good at it and they just rather would spectate and stuff. So, okay. Yeah. Some of my friends have seen me play before and stuff. So like, um, yeah, no, thanks. Not playing, not going to play against you. Um, well, I mean, here's the thing too. I mean, you're, you're, uh, you're, you're an exceptional player at the age of 14 years

[00:40:25] of age and to be, uh, even 10, 11, 12 and think about, okay, I'd like to be there someday. It looks like quite a steep hill to climb to get to your level. No doubt. Just saying. Thank you. Yeah. Well, I mean, you've done exceptional and, and we're, uh, we're really excited for you. In fact, we are, we're looking forward to the future here because, well, I, I gotta ask you now, this kind of brings to mind a question.

[00:40:53] There are other people, other foosball players that are starting to, to make waves in their, in their career in foosball. Um, anybody that you notice right now is really exceptional, especially in your age group. Brady Weirowski, me and Brady have played junior mix and stuff before we've played open mix before. Yeah. Um, at Minnesota state, we almost like we came, we didn't, we weren't almost, I'd say we took Isabel and Brandon to a third game. Did you? In overtime. Wow. At Minnesota state a few years ago.

[00:41:23] So that was really, that was really cool. And me and Brady played at the world cup together. So Brady's been hitting it hard. He beat Tony at Wisconsin state in singles. Okay. Yeah. Looking good. People that I was thinking of ahead of time about this question. I know for sure. Um, like I said, Brady, I think I saw Natalia. She's getting a lot better too. Natalia.

[00:41:53] And Vivian. Vivian's looking pretty good too. Yeah. She was with us last week. Yeah. Yeah. She was with us last week and she seems like a pretty exceptional, uh, individual as well, just like you, but she's what? Two years older. Yeah. So that would make you what the youngest on the, uh, on the tour when it comes to playing regular events. I think so. Yeah. I can't think of anybody really, I mean, Asher Darby, but yeah. Well, yeah. Right.

[00:42:21] Or, uh, Kelton, uh, Gristle who, uh, we talked to him last time at, uh, the, the, believe it or not, he's my age. Is he really? No kidding. Yeah. He's his sister. Oh, you know, Kelton seems younger. You know, he seems, uh, of course it's hard to tell because everybody looks younger to me, but, um, but I had no idea. I thought he was younger than you. Huh? It helps. Yeah. I'm taller for my age as well. So. Right. Right. Exactly.

[00:42:48] Well, you know, it's, uh, as time goes on, it all comes out in the wash. We all kind of, uh, we, we age and, and, uh, and grow at our own, our own pacing. But, uh, I gotta say, you know, by the time you're, let's say, you know, crossing the threshold from high school into, into college, my goodness, have you maintained the same pace that you've got right now? Um, you're going to be on that, that, uh, top 10 echelon of, uh, of women players or for that matter, foosball players in general. Thank you.

[00:43:17] Yeah, absolutely. We're, uh, we're looking forward to that. But, uh, meanwhile, uh, what's, what are you doing for your mom today? What, what was you, I think you mentioned earlier making our card and then, but are you guys going out to eat or anything like that? Or what's, what's happening? We're cooking out here. Like we're having a little mother's day party and we're doing a cookout with my kind of extended family on my mom's sisters and stuff, grandparents. And we have a bunch of flowers that me and my dad bought her that we put around.

[00:43:47] Cause she is a huge flower person. Got it. Oh, very nice. Well, I want to wish, uh, your, your mom, Amanda, uh, a happy mother's day and, and any other mom that might be listening currently, you know, happy mother's day. Anything you'd like to say to your mom directly right now? Mom, I love you. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for taking me to tournaments. Best mom in the world. Yeah. And she plays foosball. Big spot at it too.

[00:44:15] So yeah, but, uh, it's, it's great. Even though we, we aired a little earlier today, we've had some, some people joining us on Twitch TV and, uh, we want to, we want to thank, uh, by the way, Louis, Louis T 42 says that, uh, you beat up on, on the locals on a regular basis. I know who that is. Okay. No, he beats up on me too. Okay. All right.

[00:44:41] Well, but Hey, uh, at least you got that. That's, that's great. That's very cool. Yeah. If you don't mind real quick, shout out to my locals and stuff for making me as good as I am now. Shout out to all my sponsors, Aaron Croft, Mike Thayton, JTL. Thank you guys for making me awesome. There you go. I think, I think that basically sums it up. And, uh, and again, you know, keep up the good work. Uh, we'll be seeing you out on the tour. No question about it.

[00:45:10] Uh, if not nationals for sure worlds and, and the great lakes classic, if we could get together there, that would be awesome too. Awesome. Okay. Well, Sadie Kruger, you are, you're an exceptional person. You're, you're, uh, you're a star and you're, you're moving right up the ranks here quickly. And we're so happy that you can take a little time out of your mother's day celebration today to, um, to talk to us about this. Thank you. You're welcome.

[00:45:36] And, uh, meanwhile, uh, we will be back next week with another episode of Foos Talk Live. And of course, uh, happy mother's day to all the moms, uh, whether they be with us or not. Uh, we're thinking about mom today and this is mom's day, but, uh, regardless, thanks for tuning in to Foos Talk Live episode number 298 with Sadie Kruger of Appleton, Wisconsin. Uh, we'll be back again soon, but stick around now. We've got Foos Talk Live's tournament beat coming your way next.

[00:46:03] 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, high fidelity foosballs are soft, quiet, with a

[00:46:33] true role 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. Their goal is to make your foosball practice more fun and effective.

[00:47:02] 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.

[00:47:27] Foos Talk Live proudly presents a weekly update of events near you with the Foos Talk Live tournament beat. Here's what's up. The ITSF presents the Tornado World Series and Texas State Championship May 22nd through May 25th at the Westin DFW Airport Hotel, Dallas, Texas. 5-1-8 Foosball presents the Jam in June Smashdown. Saturday, June 6th, Trick Shots Billiards and Wicked Eatery, Clifton Park, New York.

[00:47:56] The World Foosball Tour presents the 2026 National Championships and North American Cup. 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.

[00:48:23] July 30th through August 2nd, Columbus, Ohio. More details coming up. 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.

[00:48:50] It's the 2026 Great Lakes Classic, now scheduled for October 15th through the 18th. We'll keep you posted on the details. 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.

[00:49:19] If you have an event you'd like to add, send us all the details at foosballradio at gmail.com. Tune in every week for the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat. The Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat 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 Foosball Radio.

[00:49:49] With gratitude, we recognize our Foosball Radio Patreons. Our Foos Talk Live sponsor, original-leonheart-usa.com. Tune in again next week for another episode of Foos Talk Live. In the meantime, we'll see you at Foosin'.