Foosball and chicken wings: Club hosts third annual tournament
The smell of Buffalo Wild Wings filled the third floor of the Taggart Student Center on Wednesday evening as 40 Utah State University students and faculty crowded around four foosball tables, competing for the title of “foosball champion.”
According to Jacob Olsen, the vice president of the club, there were about 40 students in attendance, and it was the third annual campus-wide foosball tournament at USU.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed the USU Foosball Club, and it has given me the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people,” Olsen said. “It’s a great way to add to your involvement here at USU.”
Claudia Schwabe, the president of the club and an assistant professor of German in the Department of Languages, Philosophy and Communication Studies, started the tournament in 2013.
“Basically I grew up with a foosball table in my home and within the past seven years I got really into playing with my dad back home in Germany,” Schwabe said. “Then, when I accepted the job as assistant professor of German in 2012 and moved to Logan, I just wanted to continue to play and share my love for foosball with others. When I saw the old tables and in how bad of a shape they were I decided to find sponsors to finance tournament style tables.”
The first year, the students played the tournament on two old foosball tables. The second year, they enjoyed the accumulation of two new tables, which were sponsored by CHaSS Dean John Allen with the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and James Morales, the vice president of Student Services. Each table cost about $2,000.
In addition to the donation and sponsorship made by Morales and Allen, each year the tournament has been sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings, which provided free chicken wings and fries for the participants. Other sponsors, such as the USU Bookstore and Pizza Pie Café, have provided gift cards.
Schwabe and Olsen said the club also participates in an internal tournament in the spring, in addition to weekly practice sessions every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the TSC.
“I think the USU Foosball Club is a great and easy way for students to make new friends and have a lot of fun,” Schwabe said. “Everyone can learn it within a short period of time and play it since it is a team sport. There is no cost involved — one does not have to buy expensive equipment or learn lots of rules — just come by and play. We all started out at the beginner’s level so all levels of players are welcome. It is also great way to release some stress during a busy day.”
Schwabe said the club fosters students getting together with faculty and staff. She wanted to be involved in a club other than the German Club to meet with students outside of her discipline.
“I encourage faculty to join and see myself as a bridge between students and faculty,” Schwabe said.
Because the foosball tables are right next to the international center, the Foosball Club will often have various international students joining the practice sessions as well.
“One day we play against students from France, the Near East, the Far East or from somewhere else,” Schwabe said. “This fosters international exchange and friendship among the students as well. And because foosball is so easy to learn and globally known, it attracts a wide variety of students from different backgrounds.”
There are no fees associated with joining the club and all skill levels are welcome. For more information about the USU Foosball Club, Claudia Schwabe can be contacted at claudia.schwabe@usu.edu.
“There are loads of students in the club,” Olsen said. “Usually around 10 to 20 people come every Wednesday, but when we have tournaments, we have had over 60 come. The USU Foosball Club is super fun, and everyone is welcome.”
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