Foosball club looking to get ball rolling on season

The IU "Foosiers" began their club in 2003. For this reason, it is not surprising the foosball club has remained under the radar. The number of memberships, however, has continued to grow for the past few years and has reached 25 so far this semester. Junior and club president Mike Kasprzyk said there are no barriers regarding membership. In fact, the club consists of a few nonstudents and staff members. \n"(The club) is open for anyone in Bloomington," Kasprzyk said. \nFounded by a small group of students who were studying abroad in Europe, the club helps to introduce a passion for the game that is often found in foreign countries. Graduate student Clemens Matuschek is just one person who is helping do this. Originally from Germany, Matuschek not only plays in the club but also serves as its Web master. He loved playing foosball in Germany, and he found being deeply involved in the club was an ideal way to both meet new people and "keep the wrists flexible." \nLike Matuschek, sophomore Uta Looi found the club's social environment and casual competitiveness a perfect match. \n"It comes as a package," he said.\nThe club meets for 90 minutes once a week at Phi Gamma Delta. Unlike flag football or lacrosse, the game schedule does not include opponents from other teams or clubs. Its "season" simply consists of the games they play among themselves during these sessions. \n"We usually just break up into teams of two or play one-on-one," Kasprzyk said. \nAn average session will usually feature eight to 10 people, but there are often larger turnouts during the winter. This leads to a late-November tournament consisting of every club member and anyone else who wishes to participate. The tournament has no official name as of yet, but this could change soon. Trophies will not be awarded, but winners should not worry about leaving empty handed. More practical rewards, such as gift certificates, will await those who leave the tournament victorious. There is always much anticipation prior to the tournament, but that could be intensified this year, as the 2005 tournament could feature the club's first out-of-state competition. While nothing has been confirmed, a matchup of some of IU's best "Foosiers" against their Northern Michigan counterparts is a definite possibility. \nAlthough an Indiana-Northern Michigan faceoff could become fairly competitive, the group serves more of an educational purpose. \n"It's pretty laid back," said Kasprzyk. "(It's) more of a learning environment." \nBesides new techniques, participants also learn a few commonly unknown rules. For example, it might surprise casual foosball players to know that the ball must be in motion in the midfield before it can be passed to another "player." The club also has its own rules regarding play. \n"Spinning (the rods) is forbidden in the club," Matuschek said. "You can't play like people do in the bars." \nDiversity in ethnicity, age and skill level isn't an issue, but accomplishing a good mixture in gender is proving to be a difficult task. Of the 25 current members, the male to female ratio is 24 to one. Matuschek acknowledged that foosball is "more of a guy's sport," but said the members would "love to have more girls in the club." \nThere are no skill requirements and no limits regarding who can join, and while there might be occasional hand cramps, significant injuries aren't likely. To top it off, foosball is one of the remaining "pure" sports. There's not going to be any steroid use found here. \n"The game itself is a pretty good steroid," Matuschek said.\nFor those who ever had an interest in foosball or even those who just need something to do one night a week, the foosball club could be a perfect fit. \n"We want to get our name out there better than we have," said Kasprzyk.