If you’re ever walking past the Explorer Lounge you will hear two things: People yelling at the TV, and some other racket in the background as if someone were throwing rocks at the wall. Along with that, there is a smaller crowd surrounding something that resembles a table as they watch closely and wait for their turn. 

 

But before we actually get to know the foosball club, let's take a look at what foosball is and the history behind it. Foosball, also known as table soccer, is played on a table that mimics the look of a soccer field with multiple medal rods going through the table with little figures attached. This allows the player to spin these rods, which rotates the little people in order to hit the ball into the goal.         
 

Now that you know what foosball is and how it works, let's take a look at how this club started in the first place. It all started when the father of Alex, the future president of the foosball club, introduced him to foosball at 7 years old. Alex immediately fell in love with the game and would play with his family nearly everyday. Everything was great, and Alex got to play his favorite game everyday because he had a foosball table at home. 

 

Unfortunately, Alex’s foosball passion would come to an end when Alex had to sell his foosball table, which would be the end of Alex’s foosball passion, at least for now. It wouldn’t be until the second semester of Alex’s freshman year that his passion would be reborn when he enrolled in Westlake Charter High School (WCHS) and noticed that there was a foosball table.

 

Alex would continue to play foosball for the rest of the semester while developing new techniques and skills that would help him dominate student-run foosball tournaments. The following year is when the foosball would continue to get more competitive, causing the skill gap to grow. Now at this point, foosball wasn’t actually a club yet, just a small group of friends which consisted of Alex, as well as Liam and Areez, who were the original foosball players before Alex enrolled in WCHS.

 

When club rush came around, Alex decided it was time to take foosball to another level by turning it into a club. Alex did this for a couple of reasons. First of all, Alex wanted foosball to grow and get more people involved. He also wanted foosball to continue to get more competitive and become more of a sport as opposed to a club while also getting more schools involved.

 

When people started developing more complex techniques and hitting the ball harder, one of the rods snapped in half!  Luckily, Alex was able to make a proposal to Ms. McIver, and successfully obtained a much higher-grade table that was donated to Westlake. The professional foosball table would allow the foosball club to continue to progress at a more competitive level.

 

Unlike other clubs, there aren’t really any official club members. Instead, it is a group that meets at the foosball table every lunch, with some newcomers who come and go, so feel free to try it out during lunch or meet with the foosball club after school on Mondays. Everyone is welcome! As of right now the club consists of the following people: Udham, Liam, Sriom, Will, Areez, Elias, and of course, Alex, who is now the president of the foosball club.

 

In the future, Alex is looking to start a fundraiser for a brand-new table without school funding, by selling popcorn during Westlake movie nights. That’s an event that doesn’t exist yet, which means that Alex would organize with Ms. McIver, the principal. Even though they had a professional table, it had some minor imperfections, which limited the foosball club’s ability to continue to grow. So if you ever want to help support the Westlake foosball club, make sure to stop by at a movie night and buy some popcorn!

If you are interested in trying it out, feel free to jump into a game during lunch or meet with the foosball club after school on Mondays from 3:45 to 5:00. Make sure to stay tuned to The Expedition for more information on clubs and interests.