Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Des Moines Iowa, raised in a little bit of everywhere.  My family lives in Texas, but i've spent time in Germany, Japan, Nebraska, California, and Oregon.
I’ve resided in NC for the last 16 years. 

 

How old were you when you first started playing seriously?
I was around 15, hanging out at the mall with some friends, when I started to play foosball competitively.  I enjoyed competing head to head with the opponent across the table.

 

Was there anyone you started with?
In San Antonio I had a friend who took me under his wing.  For 2 consecutive tournaments I won the winners bracket and he came back and double dipped me.  The next tournament his partner didn’t show up and my partner was injured performing normal chores.  We teamed up and ended up being a pretty good team in the area for a couple of years.  His name was Keith Maynard and he taught me quite a bit about the game.

 

What is your primary position?
I used to play the forward, mainly because of my strong passing series.  My weakness is my shot, but I get the ball often, so sometimes my game plan is to tire my opponent and maybe they’ll let me win.

What is your favorite passing series?
My primary pass is a hard near wall stick series. Out of desperation I sometimes switch to a far wall brush series, you’d be amazed at how many people have trouble with this.

 

What is a good passing series for beginners to learn?
I would encourage beginners to start with a brush pass.  Tornado tables are more so now than in the past, built for the brush.

 

How many tables have you played on?
I’ve probably played on at least a dozen different types of tables.

 

What’s the first table you ever played on?
I played on a Deuscher-Meister when I was around 12 in Germany.  After that I played on a Dynamo green top, the old Texas players used to play on that type of table, it was actually similar to the original Tornado.

 

In your mind, what is the hardest shot to defend?
Any shot is hard if the opponent is shooting his options well.  If an opponent has consistent options, then you have to respect all of them, and it becomes a guessing game.  Some forwards insist on shooting only certain options, and this type of tunnel vision plays back into the goalies hand, making them much easier to defend.  Pulls and rollovers can be difficult.  A good push kick is tough to defend, especially if they’re using the long in combination with a nice dink.  The good shots will force you to take chances and play the percentages.

 

What is your favorite event?
I used to like Singles, but now that I’m older I prefer doubles events.  I like DYPs, there’s something about drawing someone you know nothing about and I usually adjust well.  I’m not the easiest person to play with but I’ve toned down as I’ve gotten older.

 

What is your favorite shot?
Anything that works?   The pull is my primary shot up front. My secondary front shot is a push kick. I also shoot a push from the back.

 

When did the snake shot originate?
Supposedly from what I’ve heard the shot started with a player in North Carolina in the mid eighties.  In Texas, John Smith saw the same guy shooting the shot, and someone nicknamed the shot the “Julio Wrist Pin”.  The comment was often made that it was a novelty shot and that no one would ever win a major title shooting it.

Is the snake the easiest shot to learn?
Depending on the individual.  In some ways it’s great and in some ways it’s sad because so many players learn the snake, and they learn a pass, and that’s all they learn.  If they have trouble passing or scoring then they have to move to goalie and end up looking foolish back there.  They just didn’t learn the fundamentals.

There are many pro-masters that disapprove of the rollover.  The primary reason seems to be that there is no learning curve, and that snake shooters have an unfair advantage over players that shoot more difficult shots.  What do you make of all this?
Well, it pretty much comes down to you either accept it or quit.  It can be frustrating, especially for a player like me who has been working on a pull shot for over 20 years, and a rookie who has played for 6 months with a snake and a brush pass can hang with you shot for shot.  It has definitely changed the game, for better and for worse.  Many of the great goalies of the past have trouble blocking the snake.  It’s a different mentality, going through your whole career, blocking from one side to the other, and then switching to worrying about the center as well as the corners.  The good rollover shooters shoot 3 holes, the center and the two corners.  The great shooters shoot 5 holes, working the inside too.

It’s been especially frustrating for me because my shot is my weakness, and haven’t quite picked up the snake and maybe I’m a bit jealous with all the good snake shooters out there.

 

When and why did you start refereeing?
I wanted good seats!  I started refereeing about 18 years ago. A lot of it was to get a birds eye view of the game, and also to learn what wins.  Most of what I’ve learned has been from watching, not from being taught.  I would have loved to had a great player teach me the game when I was younger, but that time has passed now.  For example take Frederico, at his young age to have an all time great like Todd teaching him the tricks of the trade, that is a golden opportunity. 
As a ref you learn a lot about the people on and off the table.  You have to differentiate between who takes the rules  to the limit, and who crosses the line.  There are a lot of people out there that will cross the line with no remorse.  If you say nothing then they’ll say nothing.
Being a ref can earn you a little extra money, and soften the blow if you had a bad weekend at a tournament.
It’s good to have short memory and when it comes to reffing no one is perfect.  No matter how good you are, you’re going to miss some calls, no matter what sport.

Whatever happens, you keep your personal feelings out of the match.  I try to get along with everybody. 

 

 

When did officiating start with foosball?
Refs have been around for a while, but enforcement has just started to pick up recently.  To take foosball from a bar game to the next level that has to happen.  A lot of players still have bar room habits, and they believe part of the game is pulling the sheet over the officials head.  Some players actually practice these techniques, and to me, if you get caught doing that you should be forfeited right there on the spot – that fear should be there to keep the game honest.

 

Do you think officiating should be mandatory in Majors?
There’s more on the line so emotions are higher and you need to set the tone.  Players are more aggressive and may do something they normally wouldn’t do just because there’s more on the line.  Most players don’t want a tarnished match and an official helps insure a clean victory.  The players don’t want to have to worry about whether an opponent is taking too much time or resetting.

What do you enjoy more, officiating or playing?
Playing, definitely.

How have some of the rules changed since you started?
Some rules were added for the rollover.  For a while you had to wait for a full second in shooting position before shooting the ball.  Then you didn’t.  Then you did.  Then you didn’t.  It was so tough to call, and eventually it was decided that you didn’t.  I personally liked the one second rule for the rollover.

 

When did the time limits start on each rod?
I believe they started in the late 70's.  Back in the old days your opponent would just wait you out.  When I first started playing the time limit on the 3-rod was 20 seconds.  There’s actually a big difference between 15 and 20.  When I started playing you couldn’t switch positions during timeouts either.

 

How often do you practice before a big tournament?
I’m probably one of the worst when it comes to practicing.  At a worlds in the late eighties I practiced hard and every day before the tournament, and I was just tired the whole tournament and it didn’t help me a bit.  There’s no shame in practicing hard, but I just don’t have the drive. 

For practice I might go to a draw but nothing spectacular.  I’ve had a table at home for 20 years but I hardly ever practice on it or have people come over and play on it.  I usually just hang my jackets on it.  I’ve had people offer to buy it, but I guess it has sentimental value.  I’d rather be playing at a tournament than practicing.  There’s so many flaws in my game that I could improve, but I just don’t have the desire.  I’ve given a lot of people fits, even with my inconsistency.  Sometimes it can be amusing to play someone that practices so hard and you can stumble in and actually give them a run for their money and beat them, it’s a good feeling.

 

How did you and Terry decide to team up?
Process of elimination.  He had the pick of several great players and picked me over all of them!  At an IFP Kentucky tournament Terry asked if I was going to Vegas and I told him I hadn’t really planned on it unless someone good was going to give me a phone call.  Later he called me on a Sunday 3 weeks after Kentucky, and said that Todd Loffredo, Bobby Diaz and Louis Cartwright had all endorsed me over his other picks.  When Terry Moore asks you to play with him it’s hard to pass that up.  It certainly worked out for the best.

 

 

How were you and Terry able to double dip Mike and Brandon?
For one, we played within ourselves.  We didn’t give up, even when we were down 2-0 in the first set, we just fought through it.  Terry and I were both struggling, I think we were trying to do too much, but we managed to fight through it.  There was some luck involved, a few breaks.  Once we got past the first set, we just put the heat on them and rode the momentum.  After scratching and clawing in the first set we had gained a lot of confidence.  They had been in a commanding position, including having a shot to win.  After losing that set they were probably down and frustrated and had lost their momentum.  Even though it didn’t happen, they were certainly deserving of the victory because of their play and beating some great teams on the way to the finals.

 

How did that feel, finally winning your first major?
It was a great feeling.  I had already resigned myself to the fact that I wasn’t going to win a major because I felt my game wasn’t consistent enough, so achieving what I thought I couldn’t was a great feeling.  One of my major goals had been attained, there are others but this was an important one for me.

 

Who are some of your favorite players?
I have to put Todd at the top of the list. He’s a natural.  Awesome player, and a pretty good guy.  Real laid back, and he has nothing to prove.  He’s also not afraid to share knowledge, which is a rare quality with many great players.

Terry.  He’s a student of the game and the model of consistency.  Any major tournament, the road is going to run through Terry.

Rico, for his talent and what he’s done with it.

AZ and Ron Sipiora.  Two solid players, but also two classy guys, those guys don’t get the credit they deserve.

 

How about the female players?
Cindy Head, she’s in a category all by herself.

Moya, she has come a long way.

April Devito was a good player out of NY who shot a rollover.

Lotus, a really steady player. 

Tina Roton out of Colorado, a great player.

Cami Carter, a great player to play with, really had the fire.

Liz Hill and Tiffany Moore, very consistent players.

How has the foosball scene changed since you started.  Was it bigger back in the 70s and 80s?
There was a pro tour in the 70s.  The exposure was great.  People swear by the old Tournament Soccer tables, but they were an inferior product.  They had huge tournament back then, the tournaments now can’t compare.  Players now have more talent and skill, but the raw size of the scene was just bigger back then. I think some things could be done that could help the game.  Endorsements, lower entry fees, bigger payouts, changing mixed doubles from 2/3 to 3/5.  Later start times for Open events.  More majors spread throughout the country.

 

Why do you think foosball isn’t an Olympic sport yet?
They have had foosball tables at the Olympic villages and even the Olympic athletes playing around with the foosball tables have asked that same question.  I think one of the biggest problems is that it’s hard for foosball to be a spectator sport.  With ping pong you have 2 people spaced apart and it’s easy to see the action.  With foosball you have four people cramped in a small area.  The players hide a lot of the action.  There are many other reasons, but the spectator issue is one that comes to mind.

 

Which players do you think have the best Forward shooting?
Terry Moore, Tracy Mcmillin, Rico, Gummeson

 

Goalie shooting?
Todd, Brandon-after what I saw at the HoFC Brandon impressed me.  Billy Caylor- you couldn’t ask for a classier player.

 

5-bar offense
Terry and Rico have a really smooth 5-bar.  Spredeman has his own style, and Tom Spear to name a few.

 

Singles game
Terry, Todd, Rico, Mares.  They’ve all butted heads through the years, when any of them is on they’re a threat to win any title.

Who do you think in the next 5 years will be a threat to the Mares, Macias, Todd and Terry of today?
You can leave Macias out of that group .  I can see Brandon and Spredeman getting better.  Sometimes you wonder how good they can get.  Right now Spredeman is where Billy Pappas was a few years ago.  Billy is a great pro master, but at his level now it’s a lot tougher and there’s a lot more pressure.  That’s why it’s amazing when a player like Todd, who has had a bullseye painted on his chest for ages, is still at the top of the game.

 

I’ve known Todd for 18 years, met him at the US Open in Oklahoma City in 1985. He acknowledged me! He beat me twice in singles, he put me in the loser’s bracket and also knocked me out.  I’ll never forget the first match because he scored the first 10 goals.  That was when I was actually fairly good, and was able to come back and take the match to a 5th game.  The next match against him in the losers bracket also went to a fifth game.  I just ran out of gas.  He ended up winning and I placed 3rd.  5 years later in the US Open in Denver, the same thing happened with Todd and I taking 1st and 3rd in singles.