The
Vegas Strip has became a "foosball magnet" drawing the largest number
of tournament participants since the sport was at its peak in the
70's. The Riviera Hotel & Casino has evolved into the home base for
foosers around the world to gather and display their talents to the
foosball community. VIVA Las Vegas! has been transformed to "VIFA"
Las Vegas! The Valley International Foosball Association (VIFA), had
set the stage for what was going to be the greatest amateur foosball
event in the history of the sport...
The Full Team Division (4 on 4) was the final event of the championships. The competition for a piece of this $9,200 purse was foos-tastic. It came down to two great teams who had battled their way through this double elimination event. Still Baggin' from Table Soccer Ltd. in California and Bean Town from Action Jackson Amusement in Malden, Massachusetts, two teams from opposite sides of the nation with one common goal, would decide this championship. Team members for Still Baggin', who by the way placed second last year, were Darren Kurose, Jim Seimas, Ted Brockman (Defending Singles Champ), Ron Matsuura and Tom Greenquist. The team of Bean Town consisted league newcomers Mike Philbrook, John Batista, John Garcia and Jeff Rebello. When the match got underway, it more than lived up to its billing as it saw Still Baggin' proving their desire for a championship along with an enlarged check in the amount of $2,600 while the graciously defeated team of Bean Town managed $1,900 for their work.
