Last week, we tested for the first time how our costume built skateboard for foosball tables works out. And I can tell you that it works very well!
We had a couple of foosball tournaments lined up in the Unipol. The more participants in a foosball tournament, the more tables should be available so that the players do not need to wait too long between their games. That is why we needed to bring an additional table to the Unipol where we usually have four tables available.
We brought the 120kg Leonhart foosball table that is usually situated in the new Te Rangihiroa Student College to the Unipol. That is a distance of about 450m (according to Google Maps). Instead of using a car for transportation, we used our self-made skateboard designed specifically for transporting foosball tables. Except for loading and un-loading the table onto and from the skateboard where we needed four persons, it was sufficient to have only two persons steering the table from the college to the Unipol along the footpaths. It was easy and went smoothly.
Looking forward to using this skateboard for other occasions. Stay turned, we already have some ideas!
This week, we had two exciting foosball tournaments lined up: one for Zoology and one for Neuroscience students.
On Monday evening, we brought together Zoology students (both undergrads and postgrads) for a thrilling competition, getting to know each other and Zoology staff in a friendly and relaxed environment during the Zoology Postgrad Welcome and Orientation 2024. We first had a short introduction from Mark (the Head of the Zoology department) and pizza and drinks. After Paul explained the most important rules of foosball, the foosball tournament started. We had 19 Zoology students and staff playing on five Leonhart foosball tables. There were fierce battles for the top rankings during the tournament. The tournament style was MonsterDYP, which means that the number of games was not predefined (it can go endlessly and become ‘big as a monster‘) and for each round the partners and opponents were randomly selected (Draw Your Partner) by the tournament software Kickertool.
After 37 games, we congratulate Juliet who was highest ranking student of the tournament and won the book ‘A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of New Zealand’ from Oscar Thomas. Well done!
Then, a day later, we had students from the Neuroscience programme competing against each other. The Neuroscience students had the chance to get to know their peers and some of the Neuroscience lecturers. After an introduction into the neuroscience programme, we had pizza and Paul explained the rules of foosball. Then the Neuroscience foosball tournament started. We had 23 students and staff joining the MonsterDYP tournament. After 36 games, it was Alex who was ranking at the top of the table by winning all his games(!) and as a present he got the book ‘Your brain, explained’. Congratulations!
It seemed that all the students had at least as much fun as we had. We welcome all students and staff that got hooked with foosball to join our weekly foosball practice in the foyer of the Unipol (5 – 8pm).
And stay tuned – we have more tournaments lined up!
The two-times World Champion Alexander Paschin was visiting Dunedin and joined our foosball practice on Wednesday and Friday. Alex played with and against many students and he took his time to observe individual players and then provided feedback on what they could do differently to become better.
Alex happily responded to any question concerning foosball such as about some tips on how to defend better or how to improve a specific shot.
It was a great turnout of players coming to see a World Champion and learn from him. Some students even used the opportunity to take a selfie with the World Champion.
In the coming weeks, we will have Alexander Paschin visiting Dunedin. Alexander won the tablesoccer world championship twice. He will join our foosball practice/free play in the Unipol and will show us how to play like a professional and hopefully some cool trick shots as well. For further details, see below flyer information:
We are moving our Foosball practice / tournaments from Fridays to Wednesdays in the Unipol in Dunedin (next to the stadium).
Everyone is welcome to join us. Whether beginners or professionals, we are always happy to see new faces.
The entry to the Unipol is free for University of Otago students – so bring your Student ID with you if you have one or bring your Unipol membership card. All others will need to bring $7.00 as entry fee to the Unipol.
- Foosball practice / tournaments
- Wednesdays from 5pm
- Ground floor of the Unipol Recreation Center
We hope to see many old and new faces!
This year, the Otago Secondary School Sports Association (OSSSA) ran Have-a-go days. And we, from Foosball Dunedin, offered a foosball tournament for interested pupils.
The foosball tournament was kindly hosted by the Unipol. In total, 50 pupils from 4 Dunedin high schools joined and played on 5 Leonhart Tournament Foosball tables.
After a short introduction into foosball and some basic rules, the pupils tested their newly gained knowledge via a quick quiz. We then started with a practice tournament until lunch time. And after lunch, the real tournament started. The tournament style was MonsterDYP (Draw Your Partner) where the partner and opponents were always randomly drawn by the tournament software kickertools.
The three winners of the tournament came from King’s High School (1st and 2nd place) and Bayfield High School (3rd place).
Overall, this year’s tournament went very smoothly and we are looking forward to running another foosball tournament for secondary schools again next year.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 has started! During the FIFA Fan Festival in Dunedin, four foosball tables temporarily moved from the Unipol to the Dunedin Townhall. Everybody is welcome to play for free at these tables during the FIFA Fan Festival in Dunedin. Enjoy playing foosball and watching the soccer games!!
The Zoology Postgrad Tournament this April went so well that a couple of participants were hooked wanting to test their skills and battle against players from a different department. Thanks to Neuroscience student Alex inviting a couple of keen foosball players, we had our first Zoology vs Computer Science Tournament in early June 2023. In total, eleven students showed up to fight against each other and help their department to win a trophy.
After 12 rounds, the first challenge cup was won by the Zoology Department with the top four of the table all being from Zoology: 1. Adam, 2. Joshua, 3. Jeremy and 4. Alex B. Congratulation to Zoology!
Computer Science students, be ensured, there will be possibilities for revenge!!
Each year, the Zoology Department of the University of Otago organizes an Orientation event for its Postgraduate students. This is a perfect opportunity for students to get to know each other and Zoology staff in an informal way. This year, the Orientation event was held at the Unipol Recreation Center. After some introductory words from Mark (Head of Department), we had some vegetarian pizza. Soon after, Paul provided information about the rules of foosball and led us through a foosball quiz. The quiz was won by Finn, who can now choose one t-shirt for free from a range of different Zoology t-shirts.
We then started with the actual highlight of the Orientation event – the MonsterDYP foosball tournament. Well prepared due to the quiz, students and staff got excited to have a go at foosball. Each round, the partners and teams were drawn randomly by the Kickertool software. In total, 25 students and staff played a decent number of games on five Leonhard tables. After about two hours and a thrilling last game amongst players from the top of the ranking, the first three winners each received a reptile or marine science book.
According to the excited screams and cheering during the tournament, the students must have had a lot of fun. We hope to see some of them again at our weekly foosball practice and free play that happens each Friday night from 5.30 pm at the entrance area of the Unipol Recreation Center of the University of Otago.
This week Wednesday was a very special day. Why? Because there were 52 pupils from four Otago High Schools which all had a go at Foosball. The tournament was run in collaboration with the Otago Secondary Schools Sports Associations and members of Foosball Dunedin and held at the Unipol in Dunedin.
MonsterDYP was the style of the tournament. The Monster part of the name refers to the fact that the tournament could potentially last infinitely long (there is no predefined number of games and can be finished any time). And the DYP part of the name stands for ‘Draw Your Partner’ meaning that during the tournament, the teammate and the opponents are randomly assigned for each game.
After a short introduction into the rules of Foosball finishing with a small quiz, the pupils started with a practice tournament to get used to the rules, the scoring and the tournament style. After a bit of a chaotic start with delays in kick offs due to missing players, the children more and more self-organized and notified their classmates if they forgot that it’s their turn to play. We used the tournament software Kickertool for random team assignments and tracking of the points for each individual pupil. The current team pairings and the current player rankings were projected onto a screen and soon the kids checked regularly on their current ranks.
After the lunch break, the real tournament started and all points were reset to zero. Now the children took the games a bit more serious than during the practice tournament because there was the possibility to win a foosball tables for their school. After in total 182 foosball games, the winners were determined. The three Leonhart tournament foosball table will go to the Bayfield High School, Logan Park High School and the Kaikorai Valley College.
We are looking forward to running similar tournaments for our community again!
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