Linda Ly and Hannah Bufkin have played together before, but never at this level. Winning the 2026 World Championship Women's Doubles is no easy feat and they did it! Here's their story.
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[00:01:47] Designed and handcrafted in Germany, order online and have it delivered to your door. Visit www.original-leonhardt-usa.com and use promo code Foos Talk to save 10% off your purchase price. And welcome once again. We're back and we're live. Hey there, it's Tom Robinson with Foos Talk Live. And yeah, we're going to talk about foosball like we always do.
[00:02:16] Still recovering from worlds of 2026, but nonetheless, we're going to do this right as we always do. And of course, if you're going to do it right, you're going to talk about foosball. You got to have somebody at your side who loves the game. Not just enough to play, but also to be a top pro ref, which would be our buddy Randy Raposo from the great state of Alabama. What's up, Randy? How are you, ma'am? I thought you were going to have Merriam on, but hey. Hey. What's up?
[00:02:45] Boy, last week we had Ryan Moore on. He was, he, you know what? I think we could have just stepped back and let him do his thing. What do you think? Yeah, Ryan's real good about giving information. Yeah. He's always a good guest. He just, he's really good about letting us know what's going on with the tour, keeping us updated. It's good. It's always good. Yeah. And to get it from his perspective, because he's got a, you know, he sees the good, the bad, the ugly, and all the rest.
[00:03:15] And has to keep on keeping on. Especially raising a family and doing this. Yes. Yeah. I take my hat off to him for what he does, and he keeps on coming back and keeps on getting stronger. So, we're cool. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. Multi-faceted, you know? Oh, yeah. I mean, he has multiple businesses and runs a tour, which I, you know, family man, children, wife.
[00:03:40] I, honestly, I, I think running the tour would probably be the hardest thing because, you know, man, like, like my, I ran my family's business for a while and having employees is tough. And, you know, I have a, I have a family and that's tough. But when you have, you know, thousands of customers that you have to keep happy, I mean, that, that's enough to, I mean. Yeah. So, I'm going, I'm going gray, but I'd be, I'd be bald and white. So, yeah. It ages you rather quickly, for sure.
[00:04:10] Well, you know, there was, there was so much, you know, about the, this, this year's world championships in New Orleans. I mean, of course, we, we, we kind of beat that last week, but you know what? The stories just keep coming. And it's, it's really the, the top players who, who were challenged the most because there was so much talent on, on the table a couple of weeks ago.
[00:04:32] And of course, one of the best stories of all is, is, is women's doubles, which of course, the, the, the victors would be Linda Lee and Hannah Buffkin. So Linda, welcome to, to Foos Talk Live. Thanks for being with us. What's happening in Canada tonight? Well, tonight, Sunday night, I don't know, not too much. Got home a couple hours ago from another round of Foos Bowl. Oh, oh, you played today? We played a little bit today. Cool.
[00:05:01] More, a little more casual on Sundays, but got home in a decent hour. Weather's still decently nice, but it's, it's a nice fall in Canada and right about now. So weather's nice. Yeah, yeah. I will tell you, I'm so much more comfortable in this weather than I am in New Orleans. Understood. That makes sense. Yeah. That makes sense. It, it, it was hot and it was muggy most of the time. That's an, that's an understatement. It was torture hot.
[00:05:30] It was so bad. So says the guy from Alabama. Dude, no, I love winter. I do, man. I'm sorry. Yeah. Like, I can't. I, the older I get, the more like, yeah, like, I like summer as far as daylight savings. And, but you can keep the heat, man. I'm good. I'm all set. So what's, what's the temperature in Alberta right now? Uh, I'll tell you, I don't know. Like 13, 14 Celsius. I have no clue what that is. Really?
[00:06:00] An American. Yeah. Thank you. It's, uh. I don't know. I could, I could Google it. I could, like, I could get on. So could I. So could I. I think it's like 55 degrees, give or take. But it's, it's, it's, uh, just to give you an idea, the upstate New York, we're 58 and cloudy. And, and, uh, it's been raining. I mean, raining. Uh. Oh yeah. You guys got hit with a Northeaster, no? Oh yeah. We got the, uh, the rain actually Rhode Island and, uh, your, your neck of the woods.
[00:06:28] Uh, of course in Fall River, they got the rain they needed because it's been like a drought condition there in Providence. Uh, my sister lives there and she, they've been complaining for a while about not having rain. So they got a bucket full or two, uh, this weekend. But did they, but they still, they still complain. It's too much now. It was too much rain. All right. Yeah. They're never happy. What's the, what's the problem with you people? What's going on? Never happy. No. 50, 57, 57 degrees Fahrenheit, which is nice.
[00:06:56] Cause we, we were, we were, we were touching 90 today. It was like 88, 89. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. But that's, that's nice. Cause for the past like three weeks they're saying the temperature is going to change, but it's been like a hundred degrees every day. Right. So yeah. It's so bad. It's so bad. It's so hot. Oh, it's so hot. I'm too fast. 14 is like, 14 is like 57, 60 range. That's, that's honestly, that's perfect for me. That's perfect. You go outside. Yep. Yep. Just a hoodie and I'll be super comfortable. Yep.
[00:07:26] Hoodie weather, baby. I love it. I got mine on. Yeah. Got my hoodie. Yeah. I learned, I learned from the, I learned from the best when it comes to hoodies. Got the hoodie. Yeah. Play foosball on a hoodie. I love it. Yeah. It's crazy. I still got my air on my ACs on a 68 right now. 68. Now there you go. Yeah. That's what it should be. That's what it should be right there.
[00:07:53] You know, like you say, you know, the older you get, the more sensitive more to this stuff. But, but you know what? Ultimately it's fine. It's fine. Oh, I think Hannah is now joining us. She is, she's always, always welcome to the party, but fashionably late in this case. Hannah, can you hear her? Making an entrance. There she is. Yeah. Ta-da. Sorry guys. No, no, no, no need to apologize. My goodness. You two world champions. Oh my, oh man.
[00:08:21] This is, this is so cool. I got to say. I just always, between me and Randy, I mean, I would hope that you guys to have a little bit more to say than, than Jacob and Eric. Just saying. Is that possible? I might've missed their episodes. So I'm not entirely sure how little or much they said. So I think they got a little camera shy. I'm just saying. No, it was, it was, it was like the, it was like, especially Jacob.
[00:08:50] It was like Jacob had had media training. Yes. Like all his answers were like, they were like media trained answers. They were perfect. Really good answers. And very succinct. Yeah. To the point. And then dead air. Team played great. Yeah. Team played great. You know, fans were good. You know, conditions were great. You know, I want to thank God. And yeah. So anyway. Well, it was great to have them, you know, and we haven't been back anytime, anytime, you know.
[00:09:17] Um, but no, we, we, we had a lot of fun with those guys. So now we, we gotta, this is, this is a story. And by the way, the story is yet to be told with ESPN. You guys are going to be on ESPN, uh, this coming, this coming year, 2027 highlighted like big time. Like we can, we can see the, the, the hairs in your, in your eyebrows and stuff, that kind of coverage, you know? Oh, it just means they can see my gray hairs. That's great.
[00:09:48] But, but, uh, no, congratulations to both of you. Um, just, just great to watch you play. Wow. Just so, so good. Um, so Linda, what, uh, what was going through your mind there? I mean, you know, you're playing forward. Uh, you're playing the, the two toughest competitors in the world when it comes to foosball, Sullivan and Isabel. Uh, you had to be, I mean, and here's the thing about that match. It could have gone either way.
[00:10:16] You, you, uh, those two teams are the probably the closest, closest when it comes to talent. You know, the match was so close. What were you thinking when you're, you're up there and, and just doing your thing? Oh, it depends on which game you're talking about. Yeah. I don't know. Um, I'd say to start, it was more than anything trying to keep the ghosts of 2025 out of my head and just play foosball.
[00:10:47] Uh, otherwise it was try to stay focused, not panic, not get too, you know, out of your system. Uh, cause I don't, I don't think I started out very well. Frankly, I, the entire match was a bit of a struggle. Not going to lie. It was, it was a struggle, but it was a matter of trying to keep my head in it so that I wouldn't let it get away from me or us really. And then at the same time, just like thanking Hannah for blocking everything. Yeah.
[00:11:16] It's like, please, please hold me in there. I swear to God I'll get it done at some point. Just give me a chance. How about you Hannah? What were you thinking? And, and, uh, and, uh, how are you, how are you feeling by the way? Honestly, I mean, I felt pretty good going into it. If we look at the deck and you see who's in it, in our mind, based on seeds and bracket, we had a pretty good idea of who we thought we would match up against. So it wasn't like a surprise.
[00:11:45] We had to play this team. We, we'd planned on playing this team, you know, like we'd prepared to play this team as we did several other ones. And like I said, 2025 was our first go around, like playing together. And you know, when you play with somebody, people talk about team chemistry and all this. And I don't really believe in too much of that. Like if you put the two best on the side of the table, they're probably going to win, you know? Okay, fine. But like for that, I guess it just meant more for us because 202,
[00:12:13] 202, we did have to kind of learn like how to talk to each other, how to coach each other through things, like how it worked. And so we settled in through that through 25, but we made a lot of changes, I think, on our end of like mentality and you know, how we go into things like prepared and just trust. And like, I guess our main thing, and we said it a couple of times, like if we were mic'd up, they'd probably get tired of us saying this, but it's just like, stay together. Like just stay together.
[00:12:41] Like I got you, like you got me, like stay together as a team. That's our number one focus. So, I mean, it was really cool. Like I said, if you had us mic'd up, I think it would have been like, it would have given you chills because it gave me like chills, like, man, like this is a huge moment. And that's what she had to say to me. Like she really believes in me. Like, man, like that's so cool. You know? So it was just about the mental preparation, I think. And, and the shift in mindset versus the first go round of, of matchups, I think.
[00:13:12] So playing them, were you guys surprised at all that they didn't switch at some point in that match? I was surprised a little bit, but at the same time, like the match itself didn't necessarily go in any way that said, okay, this is a clear time to switch. Like none of us were playing bad. I think it was, you know, defensively Hannah was playing well, defensively. So Isabel was playing hell. Well, Sully was shooting while our five hour was fine.
[00:13:40] Like we were all playing well and nothing was really tipping the scales to one way or the other. I didn't think it was. So yes, I, you could have switched at any given time. We could have switched at any given time and it wouldn't have been a surprising thing, but it didn't, it didn't seem odd that they wouldn't switch. No, not necessarily for you guys. Cause honestly, Linda, like, you know, it's, it's funny. Well, it's kind of strange to hear you say that you were struggling cause it didn't seem like you were struggling. Yeah. I didn't show that.
[00:14:11] You were getting the ball. You were, you were shooting, you were shooting really well. Um, it just seemed kind of like they, they might've been struggling. I think, I mean, they, it went four games, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Like, but the game, I mean, it just seemed like at some point standing there, I was like, I was waiting for them to switch. I was like, are they going to switch? And the switch never came. And I was like, okay. Okay. So I was just waiting for, cause I mean, they've been playing together. You guys know that.
[00:14:41] I mean, and they're, you know, they're a great team. They're super dynamic. They're both good in either position. I was just waiting for some change to try to disrupt what you guys were doing. Cause it really seemed like you guys controlled the pace, the momentum. Like, I mean, you guys really controlled the majority of what was going on in that match. You really did. No doubt about it. You played great. It was, yeah, but, but you guys really controlled what was going on in that match. So, yeah. Yeah. Hannah, kudos because you are all over Sullivan's push shot.
[00:15:10] That's a tough thing. I felt like, I felt like that match went like, like Linda said, I don't think that they warrant if you take the match and look at it for what it is, I don't think there was ever a time where it's like, man, what are they doing? They got to switch. Like Sully, I blocked Sully well. I haven't went back and watched the match, but just like vaguely remembering some of it. I felt like I blocked her well. Oh, yeah. And then I think she made a really good adjustment. And then I got on it back again and then she made a really good adjustment. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:15:40] No, I don't feel like, oh my gosh, you just shut her down because it wasn't that way. I mean, I could feel the shift in her mindset and see her thinking through my defense. And it was just about like, how long can we weather this storm? Because in the three out of five, you have to prepare for the length. You got to, you got to prepare to go five, right? Yep. So you don't want to show all your tricks in game one because then you're out of them by two and then she's scoring 100%. Yeah. So it's like, it's mental. You know, so much of it just goes around mental.
[00:16:07] But like Linda said, you know, it's cool when you have two teams that are so versatile. You know, I feel like I can win worlds with, you know, me playing forward or me playing goalie and Linda playing forward or Linda playing goalie. And I feel like they could win worlds with Isabel playing forward and Sully playing goalie or switch. It doesn't matter. So like, it's really cool to see that kind of firepower and those like options all on the table at the same time. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:16:34] And we had matches where we did have to switch, but against Izzy and Sully, like it, like I say, I didn't think I played well. Like I knew in the moment while I was doing wrong, but I say, yeah, we didn't feel like we were out of control. But I don't feel like either team ever actually got to a point where there was clear momentum. Yes. That was true. That was true. Absolutely.
[00:16:57] It was difficult to manage momentum too because of the intense delay, like the eight second delay. It's really tough. Like if you're not prepared for that, because you're like, yeah, come on, we just scored. Let's go. You ready? Ready. Like, you know, but like now it's like, oh, hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Okay. Go ahead. Okay. And then you're like, dang, and I was ready. It's such a, it's such a double-edged sword to have that pause for, for the media break. Cause at the same time, it's like a free timeout.
[00:17:27] So if you need to settle your nerves, it's great to have, but if you're trying to gain momentum, it's such a killer. Oh. And like towards the second game, we started using them to like talk about the last point. Like, and it was so helpful. Cause it's like, Hey, you see this? We need to do that. We got to do that. You know, like it was really like, Hey, next time I get it, I'm going to do that or whatever. You know, it's like you could use those. So it's a completely different, I guess, like you said, it's almost like a mini timeout. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:17:54] No, I, I was just curious because like, like Sullivan, like Sullivan had her runs. Like you guys, you guys play each other so much. I, you know, you kind of figured that the adjustments are going to come and kind of the same on the other end where Isabel would get blocks and Linda would adjust. But I, like I said, I just assumed at some point they were going to make some kind of switch for defense or just for, you know, because I seen them do it so many times and it just, especially in that fourth game and it just never came.
[00:18:22] So I wasn't sure if you guys were, were considering it, thinking about it, what your plan was for it. Um, but I, I really like to ask you about the match before. Hmm. And then enjoy. Yeah. Favorite match of the weekend. Yes. Favorite match. Wow. Yeah, for sure. Um, we had studied to enjoy a bit. We had a solid game plan. I think we had a good idea about things. Um, once again, you know, I don't think we played our best foosball.
[00:18:51] I actually think we played probably the worst foosball all weekend in that match. I know I did. I know I did. But I mean, they, they made adjustments. Like I said, game four, I think they made a great adjustment. They're just so smart. And, um, and, you know, it made us kind of like some of the adjustments made us overthink things. I think we weren't really doing in the beginning when we were kind of rolling. And then, you know, it just, it was a long match. It was so long.
[00:19:19] But no, they, they, uh, they came on the show, uh, before the, the world and, uh, to, to, to see them back together again after what? 12 years. That that's extraordinary. And there was a feeling in the air. I think that those two were the dark horse team that, that they could do maybe a lot of damage, which they did. You can't count them out like so experienced and they've won so much together. So even if they have been away and foosball is one of those things, even if you're away,
[00:19:49] you're, you're still dabbling in it too. And if you really focus on a little bit beforehand, you might not necessarily be at the same levels before, but you don't lose the smarts. Like you still think the game very well. Like you might lose a bit physically here or there, but half the game is keeping your head straight and thinking it well and strategy and things like that. So. And I think they did great. You know, like there were no errors were like, Oh, that was terrible execution. It just went in like, no, they executed everything they wanted.
[00:20:18] They didn't overshoot. You know, they're both very smooth. Both got great games. Um, I tipped my hat to both of them. You know, I was like, man, I just freaking love you guys. Like they're one of my favorite teams. I love them so much. Dan was actually my neighbor the whole time at world. So we were, we were there a bit, but just great people, crazy match. I mean, crazy match. You know, if you were watching the semi matches, it was us versus Jane and joy. And it was Sully versus Jess and Yvette. And both of them could have went either way. Yep. Like if you were watching overtime.
[00:20:48] Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was wild. It was crazy. Those were, those were, those two were some of the best matches of the weekend too. So, I mean, the final was great. Yeah, sure. But those, if you're a foosball lover, I really hope you get to see those too. Yeah. And they're out there on YouTube. You know, you can go back and watch those matches, you know, especially if you're subscribing to the world foosball tour YouTube channel. And that's the kind of stuff that's going to get a lot of views, a lot of views in the next few months here for sure.
[00:21:15] And, and, and rightfully so, because you guys put on such a, such an incredible performance in all the matches you played. We're, we're, we're, we're grateful to say the least. And I got to say, um, and we had this discussion before, but the, the time that we are currently in, in the history of foosball, I don't think there have been this many talented players, uh, of your, of your, uh, gender, but also of, of your age group, your age group. I mean, you guys are under 40, correct?
[00:21:47] No, Linda, I thought you're not, no. So you mean Hannah's age group and Isabella's? Okay. It's actually not Hannah's age group because I'm like 10 years older than every one of them. So maybe like a young gun. Okay. I never would have guessed that. I never would have, never would have thought that, but no, it's, uh, it is, uh, it's truly a remarkable. And, uh, this is, this is, this is a time that I think we'll be looking back and going,
[00:22:12] yep, this is when things started to really go, uh, accelerate when it comes to the talent on the table, especially, uh, for your division of women's. I mean, it's just incredible. There's so much talent and there's more to come. Yeah. Terrifying. Two of the, two of the open winners this weekend have been playing foosball less than five years, six years. So yes, that's the, that's the part that terrifies me.
[00:22:41] Like, so like, like Isabel at the time of the final, she hadn't turned 20, she hadn't turned 22 yet. So I was double her age in that final. Oh, okay. I could do some math here. So the thing. Yeah. But it's honestly terrifying. Girl math. I love that. No, but like just thinking of it, like people who are playing second generation foosers who are playing from when they're five, six, seven years old.
[00:23:09] You got Isabel, Jacob, these, these kids in essence, but they've been playing forever. Yeah. They're so talented. So you get the innate skills early on. And I'm like, just to have more and more of them coming up. Like there's so many in the field right now too. Like there's, there's no easy match. It's. And like, especially I find like a lot of the youth players these days, there's no fear. Like get onto a table. Yeah. Yeah. No fear. Past you floor. Like there's no head games. There's no whatever.
[00:23:38] It's just like, Hey, I'm just going to be here and play. It's pure. Think about this. Think about this, right? They're there. It's a free trip. They're hanging out with their friends or playing the game. They love. They don't have to worry about going to work Monday. You don't have to worry about paying the mortgage. All they got to worry about is playing foosball. That's it. Oh, what a time. Yeah. Right. I wish. Yeah. Some of these kids, some of these kids are scary. Yeah. So you have to adult. Yeah.
[00:24:06] But it's cool to see how they come up because I guess I was the same way. You know, I was younger getting into things. I watched my friends, how they kind of came up through it. And you see like the Uber talent, excellent execution, no brain stage. And then it kind of goes like, oh, we're getting a little smarter here. And then you see like the full potential of that. And it's like, as I take a step back and look at the foosball group right now, when you
[00:24:32] play certain people, you kind of categorize them of like, man, tons of talent, no brain. But like when they figure it out, it's going to be crazy. And then you see them like three tour stops later and you're like, wow, they've gotten smarter. They have learned some things. Matured. So like, it's cool to see that side of it too. You know, you're like, man, you're learning. And I just remember like Daniel Coulter when he was like 17. Right. Tons of talent, no brain, you know, absolutely no brain. Just does what he does. Hopes it works. That shape looks like I should shoot this shot. Let's do it.
[00:25:01] But then like, as he got a little bit older, you kind of started to see him mature just a bit, you know? And it was like, okay, I can think a little now. But like, it was just cool to see him kind of go through that phase. And these kids are the same way. There was two kids that I came up against in different divisions. Andy Spear was one of them. And Kelton Grissel. Now these kids are... Kelton. Kelton Grissel. Under the age of 15.
[00:25:29] And just, just basically smeared us across the table. Just, we don't, you know, no biggie. We got you. We got you guys. No big deal. And I walked away with my, my tail between my legs, man. I mean, I, I congratulated him, of course, begrudgingly. But man. Wow. Kelton, when... This makes you feel good. Like, the sport's going to be okay. Oh, yeah. Like, if I quit tomorrow, you know, if I quit tomorrow, it's going to be all right. We got great players coming up. So, that's great.
[00:25:59] Kelton, when Kelton, when Kelton hits a growth spurt, it's going to, he's going to... Oh, look out. He's going to do some damage. Yeah. Yeah. But it's, it's, I mean, Isabel's been playing for like five years. Jacob's, is he 19 yet? Yeah. Yeah. Just now. He's been playing for like five years. Yeah. So, it's like, you know, to think that you can get into foosball and in five years be a world champion. One of the best players in the world. Yeah. So. Yeah. That should motivate everybody to come play foosball.
[00:26:29] Come on. We should use that inner, come play foosball pitch. Oh, what? Absolutely. You can be a world champion in five years. Yeah. Or, or three, maybe three. Who knows? Now there's a... Five year plan. It's, it's, it's extraordinary. And of course, now the, finally the, the, the prize money is starting to get better. Um, it's got a ways to go yet, but it's getting better. Um, by the way, uh, what'd you guys do with your prize money?
[00:26:58] Did you, uh, did you do anything special? Did you go out to dinner? You got tables. You got tables. You got tables. You got tables, right? And some tables. Yep. Tables and cash. My, my stuff to sort out that table situation. Hmm. A little challenging. Yeah. Ugh. I just got a new one. So like. Oh, you already had a new one? Terrible timing. Yeah. I just got a new one. Like, it's probably three months ago. Yeah. Oh man.
[00:27:26] It's, you know, there is, uh, there's a lot of motivation to play at a high level in any sport. But I think with foosball, it's kind of like, it seems like an even split, especially with Americans that there's got to be some sort of financial reward in order for that other, the other part of it to, uh, to really take effect as well. People, they want to play for the glory. Yes. They want to be the best. They want to be, you know, as, as good as, as anybody else in the world. But that money does make a difference, I think, for Americans.
[00:27:56] Just saying. Yeah. Higher entry fees. That's what you get. The higher you go, the more you pay. Let's go. And that's a huge factor in like how this year went for me too. Like, you have to understand almost everything that I did at a foosball tournament was profit. Yeah. Because Ryan, like paying entry fees and like jerseys and like, man, that helped so much when you're looking at a financial statement of like what you did this year. So super cool. You know, it's a great way to think like this is, this thing is going this direction.
[00:28:22] So, I mean, this was a great year, you know, just because of him doing that. And you go to a tournament, like a state tournament, you have to pay your entry fees and you're like, dang, like, yeah, I would be so like, I help this out so much. So that was, that was pretty cool. Yeah. And you're both, you're both, you're, you're both top tens, right? You were both sponsored this year. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. Awesome. And like, I wouldn't have even played some of the events that I won this year and last year, if he wouldn't have been spawned.
[00:28:50] It's like pro singles at nationals last year. I wasn't even going to play. Okay. It's free. Like, you know, I'm sponsored. I can play. And then ended up winning is like, yeah. And I wasn't even going to play yesterday. Just the last minute signed up because I could. So just cool. Yeah. It's cool. Thank you. And we've, we've mentioned this a few times, but maybe in four or five years, maybe there will be players who just do this for a living. Possibly.
[00:29:20] I mean, it'll be cool. I'm all for it. Would love to see it happen. Yeah. Just, you know, I'm, I'm also glasses half empty type. So we'll see. Yeah. That's a smart thing in foosball. I'm, I'm the Debbie Downer half the time. So apologize in advance. You're good. You're good. Gotta have it. A good dose of reality. It's never a bad thing, but you know, the financial help does make a big difference.
[00:29:49] So it's not like, like for a lot of us, it's not like we can't afford to go to these tournaments. It's just a matter of whether or not we should. Right. How financially responsible do I want to be? Yeah. I want to go to this tournament, but you know, I, I also want to take a three week vacation with my friends. I'm like, which one? Oh, you want to, you want to have a life? Wait a second. Yeah. That's, that's not part of the deal. Some semblance. Some semblance. But like, but the, the sponsorships helped a ton. I was like, I was only able to hit up two tournaments this year.
[00:30:18] So between the jerseys and the entry fees, like this year was more than reasonable in terms of managing finances. Oh, good. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's especially with a Canadian dollar is not as great. So getting paid in us dollars is very nice. How does that affect when you're, when you're crossing back into Canada? Is that, I mean, were you, obviously if you're, you're carrying cash, that's one thing, but. Yeah. It's not an issue. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Yeah. Not an issue. That was nice. Nah, she just.
[00:30:48] She's been here before. Yeah. Yeah. No, and I'm not, it's not like I'm winning stacks of cash either. I'm not bringing home brick. I'm not bringing home bricks like Jacob and Eritar. Well, we had a conversation about that. Loonies and toonies, Tom. Loonies and toonies. Yeah. No, no. We had a conversation about the, the, the thing on the camera, you know, the, the cash, it's all brick together and it just looked like, oh my God, it's a big pile of money. But it was all ones. So that's part of it.
[00:31:17] And I get, I get the image. I mean, you got to do that for the cameras. So, but pack that into your, your bag and go through TSA with a stack like that. Could be an issue. Just saying. Yeah. Yeah. If it's under 10K, you're good. See? If it's under 10K or less, you're good. Is it? Okay. But they got to count it out. They're like, make sure. Can you imagine? In Canada? In Canada? All the ones. Yeah.
[00:31:49] I think the equivalent currency you have to declare is 10K or less. 10K or more. Oh, is it? Okay. So I think you're good. Okay. Could you imagine though, trying to take 10K and like on dollar bills and like, guys, I missed my flight because it took a little too long. Sorry. Yeah. You know, we don't have one of those counting machines. It's just, yeah. We've got to do it by hand. Like this? Yeah. One. Yeah. Two. Exactly. No, no, no, no, no. Who knows what you're getting off of them dollars too. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no.
[00:32:18] A lot of dollars to be risky there. Ugh. In your mouth, you know? Ugh. If you didn't get sick from worlds before, you might get sick now. Oh, for sure. Everybody gets sick from worlds. I actually didn't. Yeah, nobody didn't. I didn't have a voice for three weeks. Really? Oh, wow. I didn't have a voice for two weeks. When you asked me to do this the first time, I was like, I'm going to have to tell them no. One, because I'm on a flight. But two, because I can't talk. Oh, dang. That's not good. I had strep. It was just fabulous. I love it. You had strep? Oh. Uh-oh. Yep. Geez. Wow.
[00:32:49] No. Like, here's your prize. Yeah. By the end of Sunday. But I got it on Sunday. Like, I was getting sick on Sunday. And like, I'm over here. Like, gosh, I got finals to play. And then I had to play designated. And by the end of the night, designated, like saying ready. I was like. And so I was like, what did you say? I'm like, I said ready. I said ready. Just play. I'll figure it out. One of the side benefits of being a sponsored player, like after our final, I walked up to Brandon. Me and Brandon were like, do you want to play designated?
[00:33:19] Do you want to play designated? And we're both like, no. We were done. Yeah. I get it. Just take us out. We're good. Well, I mean, you both played a lot. I mean, Hannah, I mean, you're when you played, you played mixed with with Tommy. Is that what happened? Did you win that? Yes, we did. Yeah. Back to back. Yeah. And she won pro doubles. And she won pro doubles. And pro doubles. Gallum. Yeah. So. And with Ryan. And with Ryan.
[00:33:49] And does it good. Yeah. Dang. Have you ever done that before? Has that ever happened to you before? I've won four at a tournament. I've never. I think I've only got five one time. Okay. Worlds. I've never done it ever. Worlds. Yeah. That's hard. Because I went handicap. And I was like. Yeah. Or a couple singles. And I didn't do that. So. But it was cool. I mean, I focused on doubles. And I won four doubles titles. So. Check. There you go. And you got.
[00:34:18] And you got bumped. And you got bumped up. Congratulations. Master. Thanks. That's. First lady to be a master. And traditional points. Wow. That's a big deal. That is huge. It's cool. But I hope things change. Well, that's. That's what I was going to ask. Are you. Yeah. Are you allowed to play open doubles now? No. I can't play open doubles. No. And for me. It's like. Is it really open doubles. If there's limitations on who can enter the event? It's not. That's the first I've heard of that. You want all of the top ranked women to say.
[00:34:47] We're not playing women's. We'll play open. Because I think a lot of us are really considering that. And. That's not going to be cool. Because whoever plays women's is going to win. And they're going to be like. Well, where's all the competition? Yeah. This isn't. It'll deserve to win. Huh. But like I said. Spoke to Ryan about it a bit at worlds. He said he's pretty open to like pitching some ideas. Maybe you have to shift the schedule around. Just because like. You think about how my weekend goes. Like I literally get to show up and play mixed. Singles and doubles.
[00:35:18] Right. That's it. Like maybe handicap or designated. But like. No pro singles. No pro doubles. Like. No expert doubles. It's no different for the male masters too though. So it's like. Ooh. But at least they get to play their rank. Yeah. That's right. They get to play open. I know that you get like conflicts. Cause girls play both. And we're doing good. But like. It shouldn't be taken out on the player. And he was really like receptive to that. And. If there's going to be one exception. I feel like that would be pretty reasonable. Yeah. Well.
[00:35:47] And it's a problem they've never. There's a problem they've never had. Sure. And like I said. He was really open to it. He's like. I'm going to pitch some ideas. And let you guys kind of vote on what you want to do. Whether like. Finish out mixed on Thursday. Or like start singles on Friday. And just run all Friday singles. Or just. And then have to play the final on like Saturday. Or something like that. So he had a couple of different options. But. I know he's all over the place with. You know. The Vienna tournament. And stuff right now. But. I do plan to talk to him about it again.
[00:36:17] And hopefully get something coming. You're always messing things up. You know. Come on. What? It's up man. It's like. Oh. Boy. It is a kind of a tough spot to be in though. Right? That's. That kind of sucks in a way. But. But being a master. I mean. That's huge. That's. That. There's nothing wrong. Yeah. I mean. I'm super. Super proud of it. It's cool. And I feel like I've done my damage in pro. I mean. I've won it with six different partners. And it's like. Okay. Okay. I mean. How much longer. Like.
[00:36:45] What else do I need to keep getting out of it? It's. It's. I want to play open. Yeah. You know. I was like. I want to push myself. Do I think I'm competitive in open doubles? Maybe. But. Who knows? I haven't played open doubles in. A year. Yeah. Yeah. It would be cool. I think the last one I played was with you, Randy. At Worlds last year. Last year. Yeah. We got. We got a. We got a top 20. That was a big field. Beautiful. Yeah. Yeah. No surprise there. Yeah. No. This is. This is just the beginning really. I want to think about what's about to happen for 2027.
[00:37:16] First of all. Linda. What. What's. What are your plans for next year? What are you going to be doing? Are you going to be hitting a lot of tour stops? I. Ideally. I'm hitting the majors. Okay. So. For. Ideally. That's Vegas. Nationals. Worlds. Whether or not it's. Just those three. Or less. Or more. Is still. To be determined. I'm throwing around the idea of TKO. But I honestly don't. No. Because like I said. I kind of want to have a life too. And vacation. Yeah.
[00:37:46] Takes two three weeks out of it. And things like that. So. I also have to figure out some. Physical stuff too. So. I don't know what's going on. Gotcha. Gotcha. Gotcha. Well. Yeah. Right. I'm getting old. Plus 40. Dern lumbago. I still have to wait and figure out. The knee surgery. Potentially. So I have no idea when that's going to happen. Oh boy. We'll see. Best of luck with that. For sure. Or. We'll see. It's still in the future. I could probably put it off too. If I really wanted to. I'm like.
[00:38:16] Can I schedule this around my foosball schedule? Absolutely. It's like. Yeah. Foosball first. I'm going to try to. Yeah. Don't get me wrong. I'm going to try to schedule it around the foosball tour. But. We'll see. I've heard. I've heard knees aren't that bad. Like it sucks. But they're not that bad. Yeah. Well. I've. I've already done one. And this is the other one. Oh. Okay. So you've been through it. People who say. People who say they're not that bad. Just haven't been through it. Well. I. Like I said. That's why. Look. I've. I've been to rehab a lot of times.
[00:38:45] So I'm in there with like older people. Who've had like knee replacements. And they're like. Yeah. Not that. It's not that bad. Okay. It's not that bad. Yeah. I mean. They're high. They're high on Percocet. So it's not that bad. It's not that bad. Yeah. So. There's that. Yeah. Whatever. I wouldn't complain either. That's fine. Yeah. And I mean. Here's. Hannah. How about yourself? What. What. What. What does 2027 look like for you so far? Huh.
[00:39:15] Well. We still got a lot in 26. That I got to get through. So. Yeah. We're going to Leo Worlds in a couple weeks. And then. I'll probably do Louisiana State as my last one. If I'm still functioning by then. Yeah. And then. Probably. Hoping Champions League to kick off. Or after kickoff. Probably Champions League would be my. My neck. My first one. Because I want to go back. Play with Bears. Yes.
[00:39:45] Oh yeah. And then. All the majors. I mean. Next. This weekend is softball. World Series for me. So. Depending on how that goes. I might. You know. If we win it all. I might retire at the top. Jeez. Have more time for foosball. But really. I'm not sure. I guess we just got. I'm still kind of up in the air. Seeing how things go. Seeing how this year shakes out. But. Planning to play a good bit. I tried a lot of new tournaments last season. Like this year. That I've never been to. And some of those I really. Really liked.
[00:40:15] And some of them. I really didn't. So. Looking to. You know. Kind of nix those. I didn't enjoy. And maybe try. A different. A new one. If I. You know. Another state tournament. I haven't really hit before. But planning all the majors for sure. And then. We'll see. About the rest. How it kind of goes. So. This World Series. What do you. What do you. What are you talking about? What do you got going on? Softball? Yeah. What. What is this? Like a college World Series? Or what is it? No. I play conference softball. So it's like.
[00:40:45] Pro slow pitch. Basically. Okay. And we go to. You know. Like the top 16. You have different ranks. Like pro, master, beginner. Whatever. And like you have. Like E is like beginner. And like major is master. So you work your way up. And like the major World Series. The top 16 teams in the nation. Like qualify. And you go down to Florida. And you play in like a double limb bracket. Cool. And then. You win that. You win the worlds. You get a big custom ring. And you've accomplished all your life goals. Nice. Nice. Nice. All your life goals. Let's go.
[00:41:15] What are the odds? No. That's the last goal ever in life. So that's it. Wow. That's what I've been. That's what I've been missing. I had no idea. That's it. That's what I've been missing. It's weekend. Come on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Is it televised on ESPN? That's what I want to know. Not ESPN. I don't know where they put it somewhere. I think. I know they have it on YouTube or something. But we just share the live stream on US. USSSA. But yeah. I just saw. That's awesome. Yeah. I just saw. And we were talking about this last week on ESPN. I just saw a pickleball tournament.
[00:41:44] An open doubles pickleball. Yeah. But there was nobody there. It was. Yeah. It was not very well attended. I mean. You know. There was pickleball players. But our crowd for Worlds was 10 times the size. 10 times. For sure. For sure. So. I got to ask you. How you both felt about that. Because it was loud. It was crazy. It was so loud. I did not understand how loud it was going to be. Until we got into the arena.
[00:42:14] After the intros. Like. You couldn't hear yourself think at the beginning. Right. No. Yeah. And like. No offense. I think the women's final was way more lit than the men's. And like. Everybody. He started earlier. Which is nice. Kind of blew it for the women's. Yeah. Like. Oh. Come on. Good job. For the. Like men's. But I love it. I love the energy. I love the. The cheering against me. Like. I want you to do that. Like. That fires me up. I want to look you in your face.
[00:42:42] And I know you're cheering against me. Like. I don't know. It just brings out the best in me. I guess. Like. The competitor. Like. You know. But. It's really cool too. To get to share that with the people who are cheering for us. Like. Of course. That was. Have them. Have them in your corner. Like. Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Whether they were in the corner or in the stands cheering. Like. Yeah. Like. I'm not like. I'm not going to like look out and see for it. But hearing it and knowing that it's there. It does help. It's like very encouraging.
[00:43:11] Their VIP was like right here. So whenever I had to look up to say ready. All I had to do is this. And like. All of them are sitting there like cheering against him. I didn't even know that. But like. You're on this. So you didn't have to see it. But for me. I'm just like. Okay. I'm going to try hard. You. You. You. You could have just stared at Randy. Huh? You could have just stared at Randy. He would have been in your line of view to wear the corner too. That's fair. That's fair. That's fair. Is he. I've got to ask you guys. He was so loud though. Is Randy a distraction?
[00:43:41] Just to complain. Every time. Every time. His pre-match talk is like. Hey. Don't shoot anybody. But. You need to take somebody out. I will. Don't say that out loud. We're on the air. Punch him in the throat. So professional. Let people know. They're not messing with us. Not with Randy around. No. That's definitely not happening. No. That's definitely not happening. Correct. Correct. It's. No. I need to. I need. I need to know who chose. Who chose the walkout song. Oh. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:44:11] Did you know it? Let's start there. Absolutely not. No. I have no idea what that was. I feel like half the audience was so confused. Yes. People were like. Should we get hyped for this? Or not? I don't know. And then me and Linda were like. Let's go. I can't remember. I can't remember who threw out the idea. I don't remember if it was me or Hannah. But like. Me and Hannah have like different music tastes. Generally speaking. So she threw out one song. I threw out another.
[00:44:40] And then somehow Pokemon came up. And we basically told Reed. Here are your options. Pick one for us. And he picked that. We texted him all three. We said look. I picked one. Linda got the other one. But we're fine with either of these. And he was like. And then we. Okay. And then we knew pretty much. Well. We were going to walk out to. We should. We would. Frankly. Yeah. When you let Reed make that pick. I'm like. Like. Yeah. It's going to be Pokemon. You already knew. You already knew. You already knew. Pokemon rocks. Come on. You know. It rocks. It probably.
[00:45:10] It helped. You know. See. We walk into that final. With that music. I'm like. We were already in a good mood. I think this helps. This was nice. And fun insider fact. I'm going to slide this in here. We are Pokemon nerds. Okay. You are. We did forget to trade. We did forget to trade. So we started this thing. Probably like. Three years ago. Maybe. Maybe. I don't know. And so like. You have Pokemon go on your phone. Well. If Linda beats me in singles. That means.
[00:45:40] I get to take. Any of the Pokemon. That she has on her phone. It's like. Pick something for trade. Oh. You have to pick it. And she has to give it to you. And so like. Oh. You just lost a match. But like. You get a Pokemon. So here. Here's your consolation. Whoa. Oh. That's. Switch. Like. She gets any of my Pokemon. So like. We've been going back and forth. Doing this for like three years. Where every tournament. Like she beats me in singles. I get a Pokemon. Or I beat her in singles. And she'll just hand the phone over. And I'm like. But like. Man.
[00:46:09] I just lost. But give me that Pokemon. That's. You know. It was. It was kind of like a. You know. A cool end of the story. To like. Play the Pokemon song man. And the people who know us. And know we like nerd out about this. We're like. This is the best song. Like this has been so good. I had that theme song. Stuck in my head. The entire week. After I got home. Did you really? Same. It has to be. Yeah. You can't make it without. It getting stuck in your head. That's good. You're not human. That's called an earworm. By the way. The earworm. Yes. And it's. When it gets in there.
[00:46:39] It doesn't want to come out. So. But that's a good thing for you guys. Right. It was. That's your. That's your theme. And now. You know. I got to say man. Randy. This is some really cool inside stuff. That. That nobody knew. And of course. You'd have to listen to this podcast. To know that now. Because. You know. Of course. That's vital. That's huge. We're. We're. We're asking. All the hard questions. That's right. That's right. Yeah. You're getting a grill in here. Yeah. I have to kind of divert a little bit.
[00:47:09] Because. There's also. A really emotional moment. In women's singles. With. With Isabel Staley. And Solomon playing. That was. Unbelievable. That Isabel. Pulled. I mean. She just was. I don't think I've ever seen her play that well. What happened? What. She was. Plays like that all the time. She does? She does. I don't watch football. Oh. Okay. I. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I don't know.
[00:47:38] I played Isabel in the semifinal. To get to the final. We went to overtime. Yeah. And. I think. Me and Isabel. We basically trade wins. Back and forth. Like. I think it's the same thing. Between myself. Hannah. Isabel. Sully. Like. We'll go back and forth. All the time. We. Me and Isabel. Went overtime. In our match. And she played really well. Really solid. Super focused. In our match. And then. I. Her focus went to another level. In that final. From what I saw. Yes. Like. She was determined. It really did.
[00:48:08] Yeah. Yeah. Especially with the two rod. Just. Oh. I. I. I talked to her that morning. She was warming up. And I. I asked her. I was like. I was like. You got this? I was like. You finally. You're going to do this? She's like. Yeah. She's like. It's going to happen today. I was like. All right. And I could see. Like. In her eyes. She just. Like. She really. Just felt confident about it. She was determined. She was focused. And. She. You know. I mean. She. She played Sullivan. Really tough. Really. Really tough.
[00:48:38] Boy. Now. Sullivan. If. If her three rod. Would have got going. That whole match. Could have just flipped real quick. But. Yeah. Isabel. Isabel just played great. She did. She played great. Aggressive. And. Self-assured. Yeah. You don't win like that. Without. Without some kind of confidence. And. You know. She. Yeah. She shot the ball. With a lot of confidence. Like. I think that. I think that was the difference. Was. How she shot the ball.
[00:49:08] I've seen her. Play Sullivan. In singles. I've seen her play. Hannah. In singles. And shoot the ball. And be kind of tentative. She really shot the ball. With a lot of confidence. And just. I think that was the thing. That really put her over. So. I mean. It's. You know. Like I said. She's been playing for five years. Yeah. And she's. You know. Won singles. So. Kid's good. She's good. Well. It's. Again. It's a sign of the times. What's. What's. What's yet to be.
[00:49:38] And. So. So. All kinds of. All kinds of. Possibilities here for. For. For the sport of foosball. Man. It's just. It's just good stuff. And. Especially. You know. When you've got a story like. Like. Like Hannah. Linda. This is. This is great. I mean. You don't get any better than this. Plain and simple. It's a. It's a story we want to follow. It's a story. We can't wait for. You know. Next year. Yeah. Yeah. Like she said. Hopefully we do. You know. It's like. 25 was our first trial. Like year.
[00:50:08] Trying to figure out. How do I need to be coached? You tell me this. And like the first time we played at nationals. At the end of it. She was like. I don't think we completed one pass. And then I was like. That was. I think that was. No. The first one at nationals. And then the next time at worlds. You called so many passes. I was like. Bro. You've got like three passes this tournament. We are turning up. And then. At worlds. We went. And she's like. Yeah. Good job. She's like. Once again. We did that. And did not complete a single pass.
[00:50:38] Zero passes. Wow. That was like. Wow. Great. What are the odds? But. But it's just so cool. And it's like such a different mix. To play with different people. How you get to talk. How you get to interact with your partner. Like. How. I kind of learned how to say things to Linda. That would like not stress her out. And like make her chill. And like. She kind of learned how to say things to me. That like make me lock in. And. Also like. It's okay. Like. You know. Like we're the worst with like. Self-deprecating jokes. Or like. Oh. That was really good.
[00:51:08] I had a good job. Or after I just get stuck. Or something. And Linda just like. Hey. It's okay. What are you going to do? I'm like. It's fine. I swear. If some people could hear the inner monologue. That's going through my brain. Partway through matches sometimes. We'd love to hear that. No. It'll stay in my head. It's fine. You'll hear bits and pieces of it. But generally. It'll stay in my head. And like. At Nationals. They took a picture of us. And we're standing there. And my face is like this. And when she's like talking to me. Like.
[00:51:37] It's the biggest RBF ever. And then the second. The like. Point five seconds later. I'm like. Like. And it's like. The same picture. I like screenshot it. I was like. One second. Point two seconds later. After Linda cracks. A really self-deprecating joke. And I was like. Yep. This is. This is how we. Interact. You know. But it's cool. It's a cool mix. Definitely more comfortable. This year than last year. I feel like. We're trying to like. Trying to tiptoe around each other. A little bit last year. Sure. And then. I played awful.
[00:52:07] Last year too. So it was just like. Oh. Sorry Hannah. You sure you want to play with me again? It's fine. If you want to know. It's such a team thing. Like even when we struggled this year. We're like. Stay together. Like in the Jan and Joy match. It was like. There was a point in that match. Where Linda. Like kind of. We were both kind of like. We're not letting this happen again. We're not letting this slip away right now. Like. We better make a change now. Because we're not doing this again. And she was like. Yeah. We're not. And I was like. And. Determination. We didn't do. We definitely didn't do that last year. Like.
[00:52:37] When things were going bad. It was like. You know. Last year. You know. If things are really going bad. That's when you call for a switch or whatever. I don't think any of us. Either of us were like. Okay. Yeah. Now let's do it. Or very. For firm about it. Yep. Or confidence. Which is now. It's just like. Okay. We're not letting anything get way too ahead of ourselves. Like. If this is going downhill. We're stopping it now. Last year. It was just. A train wreck. That just kept going. Yeah. And I think the Joy Jan match is like. The epitome of like. Us watching what happened in 25. And like.
[00:53:07] Like. In the moment. You can't really tell. Especially playing with somebody first. Like. You kind of are a little bit hesitant to be like. Hey bro. It's 4-1. And you didn't have 82 shots. Like. Get in the back. You know. Or whatever. But like. We would never like. In the moment. You're like. Oh. She's alright. She's got it. You know. We up 4-1. Who cares? Like. I'm blocking. I ain't gonna score. You'll figure it out. But like. This year. We were much more like. Assertive. When like. On our switches. Or like. I'm not scoring. Like. Switch. Who cares? Make a change. And like. Switch. And it starts working. And you're just like. Okay. Cool.
[00:53:37] That just. You know. Reaffirms our decision making was right. Yeah. And the Joy Jan. We had some really cool switches there. Especially in like. The last game. I think. Like. Defensively. Like. You really stepped up. And like. Shut it down. Which kind of gave me the confidence. To like. Just play forward. Like. My thigh was a little shaky at first. And then it kind of like. Started clicking when I was like. Oh. She got it. It's okay. So it was just. It's really like. A sweet story. To. If you watch 25. And then you come and watch the Joy Jan match.
[00:54:06] Just the amount of like. Team. Understanding. And like. Communication. And like. We need to switch now. Like. I feel like we figured that part out. So well. With the amount of. Table time we've had together. You know. Like. Me and Sully. We're really good with that. Like. We don't even have to talk about it. I know when we switch. I know this. I know you're going to shoot that. Like. We just know. Because we played. 800 tournaments together. You know. But like. I think Linda and I. To have played four. I think from the first one. To the last one. It was like. Insane. Glow up. Of.
[00:54:36] How we talk. How we communicate. Like. How I like to be talked to. And like. How. How. Like. Hit me with the real stuff. You know. I don't want to lose either. I'd be pissed. You know. Like. Get me out of here. Like. Help. So. It was really cool. Really bittersweet. There doesn't seem to be a shred of ego. Between the two of you. I mean. You. You have a. A really. Both of you have a very down to earth. Viewpoint. About. Being. You know. Striving to be the best. Is there anybody on the tour. That we can even. Well.
[00:55:06] We wouldn't mention a name. But is there anybody you can think of. That does have an ego that way? Say a name. Say a bunch of names. Go ahead. I'll say a name. I can't. No. I'm just kidding. Any for personal. That dude. That dude. That dude. Somebody needs to punch him in the face. For real. Yeah. He has a knife. Chill. A bunch. I'm just kidding. I got. I got. I got two. I got two right here. You got two right here. Oh no. Everybody on tour has.
[00:55:36] Everybody on tour has a little bit of ego. You can't play this game at a competitive level and not. Okay. I agree. It's just a matter of like. Does it get in your way or does it help or does it hinder? But. It's not on display though. For me and Hannah I was like. No. But like for me and Hannah. Like I know between the two of us is like you can't hurt my feelings. Like tell me what I need to hear. Yeah. So that we can play better. Yeah. And don't be afraid to hurt my feelings. It's fine. I can handle it. I'm a big girl. That's important. That's really important. It's so rare. You don't have a lot of people that can do that. Yes.
[00:56:05] And me and Isabel kind of briefly talked about that as well. Because like when I play with my German friends. Like they're very straightforward. Like they will literally rip your heart out and be like. If you go push that one more time. You're getting in the back. Because push is never there. Like this is a terrible decision. Like do not shoot anything outside of middle and pull. And you're like. Oh. That was some straight stuff. You know what I mean? Good. Man, thanks. But like certain people see it that way. And can really take like. Like tough criticism in the moment. Because you want to win.
[00:56:34] And we mentioned like maybe being parts of like sports teams. Or like having like a coach in your life. Like if you've ever had like a coach. That just gets on and you're like. But he wants you to win. You know. And it's just. And we talked about maybe like growing up. And most of our friends being like dudes. And they're just tough on you. Like we were playing earlier today. And if I was soft. Half the things they said in there would have made me like. Oh my gosh. Like am I even good at foosball? You know. But it's just cool to know. And I think like. We just have so much heart.
[00:57:04] And like passion. And we want to win so bad. And we know what it's like to not win. And so like. Like if you can tell me some real stuff. That's going to make us not lose. Hit me. Rip my heart out and step on it. If it'll make me win. I don't care. You know. I want to win for this. So. There's a lot of people on tour that don't have that. And when you find the right mix of that. I think it's. It's kind of special. Yeah. There's. There's a lot of. There's a lot of really really good players. That are not good partners. Right.
[00:57:35] Agreed. Like. One of my biggest things as. Like. For my partners and for me. It's like. Your delivery matters. Like how you tell somebody something. Oh sure. Like I could tell Hannah one thing one way. Or another partner something. But it has to be phrased. In a certain different. Like a certain way. With a certain tone or whatever. And that's just a matter of. Getting to know your partner better. Like. Told Hannah. I'm like. If you see me like laughing in a match. It's a good thing. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. Okay.
[00:58:05] Okay. It all makes a difference. It does. Like in the. Like I wish we had the mic'd up version of game. Oh. One game. The third game of the final. They're up 3-1. Like what we talked about. Like before. Like after that little situation there. Because that was some cool stuff. Man. Mm-hmm. We'd love to hear it too. Oh. So cool. So cool. Just like focusing on like staying together. And like we're in this for five. And like we're going to do it. Like I believe in you. Like stay good on your five. Like.
[00:58:33] Like just having such a strong mental plan. Like to me that was like the highlight of the whole weekend. Like she knows I got her back. And she's up there doing it. And like either way we're going to get a trophy. And we're proud. And we're going to make this thing happen. And it's like just believe in that somebody else believes in you just as much as you believe in them. And like in that moment. You're down 3-1. Like and they went up 3-1 quick. You know. And so it was like hmm. Things aren't good here. But hey we've been down worse. So let's go buddy. But. Yeah you never give up.
[00:59:03] It's cool. Never give up. It's cool. Remember that stuff. Yeah. I think you both are the most. Two of the most tenacious players I think I've ever seen. Just because you don't. You don't get rattled. You just push forward. And do it. You know. A target on your back for 2027. You're going to be defending champs next year. What's the plan? What are you going to do to.
[00:59:32] Shall we say reclaim the title yet again. Or defend it. I don't know. I feel like there's always a target on our back. I mean. When you're at the top. There's always a target on you. I mean. So nothing really changes. I mean. They knew that we were going to play this year together. And they know that we're going to play next year. It's not really a secret for anybody on the tour. Mm-hmm. But. I mean. Just focusing on our execution. Building our game plans. Because we still have a lot of layers of things. That we haven't really got to. Or had to use yet.
[01:00:02] Which is scary. Cool. Because we're like. Or even. Or even plan. Because it's not like we see each other very often either. Yeah. Right. You can talk a lot about a lot of things. But it's kind of hard to. To really. Develop a further plan. Without being on a table with each other. Okay. Okay. I mean. Think about the table time. Us on a table. Like hours clocked. Versus Isabel Sully hours clocked. It's like. Right. They got to sell that one. Uh-huh. But. But it's okay. You know.
[01:00:32] It's just kind of like putting faith in Linda. To like know that. She's going to be up there. Getting her stuff done. Be able to execute. Have a strong plan. Work. You know. All there's catch. Execution. Worker five. And like me having a plan. Making sure that I have a couple different options. And then we come together. And do what we do. So. Nothing really changes. I don't think. Cool. I don't. Yeah. I don't think that's the case for a lot of people. You. You do what you can do. You prep as best you can. And then. It's just a matter of whether or not your game shows up. On the day. Yeah. It's. Learning how to win. You know.
[01:01:01] You think about. You can be super prepared. And then it just. You can be super prepared. And then it just falls apart. Like. No doubt. Yeah. 25. Yeah. No doubt. It happens. It happens. Well. I went into 2025 worlds thinking I'd been the best prepared I've been in a long time. And I played my absolute worst match in. I don't know how long. Oh boy. Ouch. So you really don't know how things are going to pan out until you get on the table and play. Yeah. Yeah. And it's. It's cool with the format change too. Because. Yeah. You got to beat them once. You know.
[01:01:31] Like. Back in the day. Like. It kind of was the first change in championship. When I was playing a lot of singles. Like. I would show up with a new trick. And I would just drag Sully. And then she would go back and watch the match. And be like. Duh. Never giving her that again. And then the next time. She has a new trick. And so she gets that title. Because. You know. Like. All you had to do was just stop handing from hitting straight. Or. Or whatever. And it's so simple to see. But. It's crazy. Because you only get once. You know. If you don't figure it out. If I could somehow handle it through the first game.
[01:02:00] Use my new trick on the second and the third. I win the title. But you only have to get it right once. Whereas before. If I use my cool trick on Sully the first time. And beat her in the winners. It's like. Yay. And then here she comes through the losers. Like. Never getting that again. Dummy. Like. Let's go. You know. So. It's just like having a lengthier plan. It's a different strategy. But I like it. And it's cool. It's just a different way to kind of like. Think about it. And having the event start and finish on the same day. Makes a big difference too. Yeah. If you don't have time.
[01:02:29] You have less time to stew on something overnight. If you're scouting matches. Or if you were playing championship or double limb. Like. You have less time to sit on it. And you just play. Right. See I kind of wish that we did like. If we could change anything. I would do all of like. The flights. The. Get to the semis basically. And then the next day. Do. Or quarter semis final. The finals. Yeah. The next day. Yeah. I mean I like it on the same day. But if I have to make some kind of like change. I guess that would be. Well. Okay.
[01:03:00] I want my first one to be a. Semifinal match. A final. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well then you get back to the media thing too. Right. The media has to have a certain set schedule too. So that's. An adjustment to make there. I'm sorry Linda. I interrupted you. What were you going to say? Nope. No. Yeah. I don't know. Hannah might prefer the two day thing. I would rather. I'd rather not. Go cold. Quote unquote. Into eliminations on the next day. So even if it was quarter semis. Yeah. Like depending on how big your field is.
[01:03:29] Be around a 16 quarter semis. I mean. I like everything in one day. You're playing. You're playing well. You want to keep playing. I do too. It's just like. I'm like with the open doubles thing. If he was to change it. So he could play open. I don't know how it would work. For like what people. Even want. Yeah. Very true. I just don't want to play. I liked it one day. The scheduling was a tad rough. Like having to wait for the men's doubles. Yeah. To play out. Before we got our final. That was a tad rough. Yeah. I think.
[01:03:58] I don't know how many hours we have to wait between. Like four. Because it was a lot. It was a while. It was a lot. It was a while. No. And Ryan talked about that last weekend when he was on the show. That. That. You know. That's the thing that they really have to work on the most. Is. Yeah. How this all falls. You know. Because. Waiting four hours to. To play. Just. You know. Sorry. Like. It hurts. It hurts us. But it hurts his production schedule. It hurts the media. Yeah. It's not. Just the players. So. Yeah. And yeah.
[01:04:28] Like you said. Ryan's. Ryan's aware of it. So that's a good thing. But. Whether it's. Starting open doubles elimination. Two hours before the women's. Or something like that. Who knows. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Well. I mean. The. The elimination brackets. The open doubles elimination bracket. Was twice as big as the women's open double elimination. There was 32 teams. And. On that side. 16 on your side. So. Obviously. It's definitely going to be impacted. Yeah. Yeah. Like. Our. Our semifinals. Our. Both semifinals. Went like. An hour. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[01:04:58] The open doubles matches are all going five sets. So those are all like an hour each too. So. Yeah. Well. And then there was. There was table maintenance. There was officials. Oh yeah. Like. A lot of the matches got delayed. Ryan said. Some of the matches weren't starting for 40 minutes to an hour. Because of. You know. Whatever. Like I said. Table maintenance. Officials. So. You know. Software. All that impacts. Yeah. All that impacts. So. You know. It's. It's. He understands though. You know. He's. He's been really good about making these.
[01:05:28] Adjustments and corrections. So. Mm-hmm. It's like. And whatever shape it comes. Whether it's in his face. Or maybe. Gossipy. On. On some. Some. Instagram channel or something. But yeah. He gets it all. And. I. I think he's. He's. He's doing pretty well.
[01:05:57] I think he's handling it okay. Nothing's perfect. Of course. But. It seems to be. Moving forward. The way it should be. By the way. There's a. We have a viewer on. Twitch tonight. And. Thanks for tuning on. Twitch and YouTube. But. Foos Chess. Has a question for you both. I can't go. But. Out of curiosity. Are either of you planning on going to Vienna? If somebody would like to throw a sponsorship. My package. You're my way. Yeah. Same. If you would like to sponsor me and Linda. We'll go play the event.
[01:06:27] Nice. And we'll wear your jersey. Just go ahead and message us. On Facebook. Let's get the pool going here. PayPal. Cash app. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's. No. I'm probably not. No. Okay. I mean. Honestly. The flyer got out a bit late for me. I'm already going for. You know. Two weeks for. For Leo Worlds. I like to hunt ducks. So. I got to get back home. That's right. I've got Thanksgiving in my house. So.
[01:06:56] Probably. Not. For me. A little too last minute. For me. Yeah. Vacation. Availability. Money. All that kind of stuff. I'm like. I'll save the time for next year. When I can plan a little better. Right. Yeah. I'd be. I'd. I'd be willing to update my passport. If they would like to sponsor me. I'm just throwing that out there. Oh. We could all three go. On sponsorship. There you go. I mean. No. My wife. No. I got. I mean. I couldn't go without my wife. I mean. I mean. I mean.
[01:07:27] I mean. I mean. I mean. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. There you go. Right. That's it. Right. That's. Hey. Hey. Tom. Foosball radio. Any chance of throwing some love my way? Oh. Hey. You know. We'll see if we can. We'll tap our Patreons and say. Hey guys. You know. This guy. He. He. He needs financing. Let's do it. Come on. Let's make it happen. I'm a. I'm a. I'm a Patreon. I know that. Myself.
[01:07:56] I was going to say. Good night. Go fund me. Earthworks wonders. Go fund me. There you go. I've had this idea. And I'm going to leave a Randy's trip to Vienna. I've had this idea. And I'm not even going to say it out loud. Because I don't want anybody to steal the idea. But I'm telling you. I'm going to put legs under this thing. Boy. Anyway. Don't forget about us when you're at the top. Okay. I'll never be at the top. That's the problem. I'll never be at the top. Yeah. No. If I ever win the lottery. That I do.
[01:08:26] No. You're absolutely right. Debbie Downer. And I'm right there with you. Okay. Y'all two can't play together. All are not allowed. No. So. I'll need a red sunshine to play with one of you guys. I play with both of you. Tell me about it. Anyway. So. Yeah. By the way. Randy made the front cover of Honorable Mention Magazine. I don't know if you guys are aware of that. But it's for those people who are happy with second place. Just saying. Just saying. Tom. You're lucky we're not in the same room right now.
[01:08:56] You're so lucky we're not in the same room. See. I know that. So. I love you. I do love you. I love you too, buddy. I love you too. So much you want to kill me right about now. No. That's fine. But. No. It's. I got to say, guys. It's so cool to just get your perspective. Because this thing called foosball. It's taken off. It's. This is like a perfect storm. The future is so incredibly bright.
[01:09:26] And most of it has to do with people like yourselves. You're so dedicated to making this sport as good as it can be. And just playing your hearts out and really caring about it. That's. That's huge. We really appreciate that. You get what you want from foosball. You know? That's true. You want to go to a foosball tournament and be miserable? You can. That's right. You want to go there and have a fun time and party? You can. So it's like. All right.
[01:09:55] Get what you put into it for sure. I guess. That's right. That's one of my goals for 27. Would you guys be heartbroken if we didn't do Worlds in New Orleans again? I mean, was it. Do you like the venue? I wouldn't be. I love the venue. Yeah. I just wouldn't be opposed to flying shorter distance to get to Worlds. Right. Yes. That's me. It benefits Hannah greatly having it in New Orleans. Yeah. I get to drive. So I can bring the whole. I have like seven bags of stuff I brought to Worlds.
[01:10:25] There you go. But I would. I wouldn't get on that. I would not be mad if it was back in New Orleans again. The venue is great. Hotel is great. Yeah. It's amazing. Hotel is great. I'm down anywhere that's on that caliber of hotel. I'll go anywhere to play it because it's just such like a nice end to the year being able to show up to a hotel. Really, really nice hotel. And everything is just so enjoyable versus, you know, some of the hotels we've stayed at before. Oh, well. So it's like, how refreshing.
[01:10:55] Let's go do this. It has Starbucks. It has Chick-fil-A right outside. Oh, yeah. It had everything. It was just a really, really great spot. And music. I don't care where it is, but it was really cool. Yeah. We went out to, it was called Frenchman Street. Not too far from Bourbon Street. And spent three hours watching some incredible music on that strip. And just, you know, had a blast. And I love that feature about New Orleans. It just has so much going for it.
[01:11:25] The Big Easy, as they call it. But yeah, I mean, I'd be down for it for sure. But yeah, you know, there's so many other places, I suppose. I think somebody recently took a poll to see where they would prefer to have worlds. And I think near the top was New Orleans, but also Atlanta. Los Angeles, I think, made the top 10. Oh, nobody's going there. Not one of my favorites, I can tell you that. But there.
[01:11:55] Nobody wants to fly to LAX. Right. Nobody wants to do that. Yeah. It's terrible. It is brutal. But anyway, it is something to consider. I think hopefully this next year, if, and Ryan did intimate that he's been having some very positive discussions with that hotel in New Orleans for next year. So fingers crossed. We'll see what happens. Yeah, it's cool. Yeah.
[01:12:20] So Randy, before we let these guys get back to their lives and actually get some sleep, what do you want to ask him? Anything? Any other questions come to mind? No. No. Thank you for coming on. Congratulations on your world championship. Hannah, congratulations on your quadruple at Worlds, turning master. Yep. Ladies, we thank you for your time. Always appreciate you. You're always welcome. And hopefully I'll see you guys out there. Thanks for having us.
[01:12:50] This was fun. Oh, absolutely. Our pleasure. The door is wide open. And Hannah's on old hat at this. I mean, she used to hang out with us a little too much, I think. Maybe we were rubbing her the wrong way or something. But it's great. No. The schedule was terrible for me. Yeah, I know. Well, I mean, that's the other problem. You have a life and you've got other things, so many other things happening. So we totally get it. But yeah, thanks both of you for making the time to be here. This is valuable stuff.
[01:13:17] And we always appreciate getting the perspective of top players. So, once again, you've been watching episode number 315 of Foos Talk Live on Twitch TV and YouTube. Thanks for tuning in. And of course, looking forward to next week. We always have something different coming your way. But looking forward to that. Meanwhile, stick around. We've got Foos Talk Live's Tournament Beat coming your way next.
[01:13:41] 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,
[01:14:11] 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. Their goal is to make your foosball practice more fun and effective.
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[01:15:04] Foos Talk Live proudly presents a weekly update of events near you with the Foos Talk Live tournament beat. Here's what's up. Get ready for the fourth annual Youper Championships of Foosball. Great Lakes Classic Warm-Up Saturday, October 3rd at River Rock Lanes, Ishpeming, Michigan.
[01:15:24] The John Sniper Jellison Memorial Foosball Tournament is being held Saturday, October 3rd at Eddie's Tavern, San Antonio, Texas. The Akron Foosball Tournament is being held Saturday, October 10th at Station 300, Akron, Ohio. Here comes the 2026 Great Lakes Classic Regional Championship, October 15th through the 18th at the Doubletree Inn by Hilton, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
[01:15:52] The third annual Interstate AD Nebraska Shootout 26, October 16th through the 18th at the other side, Kearney, Nebraska. OKC Foos presents the OKC Halloween Open Foosball Championship 2026, October 30th through November 1st, Mr. Seas, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
[01:16:15] The ITSF presents the 2026 Quebec Leonhardt Open, November 13th through the 15th, Hotel Voyager, Quebec, Canada. Buffalo Foosball presents the 10th Anniversary Tournament, November 20th through the 22nd, Bison Billiards, Buffalo, New York. World Foosball Tour presents the International Championships of Foosball, November 25th through the 29th in Vienna, Austria.
[01:16:42] 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 at the Holiday Inn, Metairie, Louisiana. Looking ahead to 2027, the World Foosball Tour presents the Tour Kickoff, February 4th through the 7th, Nashville, Tennessee.
[01:17:09] The World Foosball Tour presents the 2027 Hall of Fame Classic, April 7th through the 11th in Las Vegas, Nevada. More exciting details soon to come. 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. Tune in every week for the Foos Talk Live Tournament Beat.
[01:17:36] 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 Foos Ball Radio. With gratitude, we recognize our Foosball Radio Patreons. Our Foos Talk Live sponsor, original-leonhart-usa.com.
[01:18:06] Tune in again next week for another episode of Foos Talk Live. In the meantime, we'll see you foosin'. Foos Talk Live. Thank you.