After 30 year hiatus Annex resident is back competing in foosball

by Nicole Miller

 Alan Woods first began playing foosball in high school. A Weiser High School alumni, Woods remembers playing many games on the two foosball tables at Weiser High School.

 In spite of many fun memories of the game, Woods took a 30 year hiatus from the tables until five years ago when he saw a flyer for a local tournament. He kicked in 10 bucks and ended up drawing Brooke Cassidy as a partner and found a desire to not only pick up the game again, but to start competing. 

 Turns out the organizer of the tournament was Brooke’s father Bob. Bob Cassidy also started playing foosball while in school when he was about 13 years old. Nampa High School had five tables. Cassidy won a lot of games in high school and could beat everyone he knew, so he figured he was a pretty good player. Twenty years ago Cassidy saw an opportunity for a tournament in Boise. So he thought he would enter. What he found out was that he had a lot to learn. 

 Through the Boise Tournaments, Cassidy had the opportunity to train with professional world champion Foosball player, Rick Martin. While training and playing with Martin, Cassidy has earned the top three spots in Idaho and Oregon and was able to play doubles at the World Foosball Championships with Martin as well.

 Martin also helped teach Cassidy’s daughter Brooke how to play and mentored her in the game since she was nine. Cassidy said that Brooke did not have any bad habits to have to unteach like he did, and her form and skill is near perfect. According to Cassidy, Brooke is a champion level player, but has been too busy to compete at her level. 

 Woods has competed around the United States as a rookie and a beginner. Cassidy has traveled around the world and has been ranked as a semi pro/expert level player. 

 Foosball is very competitive and popular in Europe, but the USA still has the best players in the world. While the sport was at its peak in the 1970s,  there is still a large community of players across the country, and anyone of any age can get involved. The group gets together to play locally and the first Saturday of every month there is a Super Saturday tournament in Boise. 

 The group  is also working on getting good professional quality tables and a place to have them in Weiser where they could have some workshops teaching youth to play and possibly get involved in competition.