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FCM presents Oliver's interview with veteran fooser Jack Hii aka Countryman. Founder and administrator of Foosball.info, Jack too shares FCM's passion to promote foosball in Malaysia.
Oliver Yong: Before the email interview starts.. Do give us a quick explanation of your old nickname "Countryman"..
Jack Hii: The name I used, "countryman", originated from Wasteland. How many of you remembers Wasteland?
Anyways, how that came about was that I used to blab and yak a lot when playing a game. Always jesting and yakking away and annoying the hell out of the other player. And my favourite quote was from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, when Mark Anthony makes his speech after the death of Caesar. It goes, "Friends, Romans (I substituted Malaysian) and country man..." I would use that phrase when they score a goal on me. Later, I just called my opponents, "Country man, why you like that... blah, blah, blah". And since then I have been tagged as such... a countryman :-)
OY: Where were you born & raised?
JH: Born in good ole watery Sibu, Sarawak, land of hornbills and beautiful people... :-)
OY: How old were you when you first started foosing and where was the place?
JH: It was in a video arcade joint in Singapore, inside the shopping centre called Peace Centre I think. I believe it was in 1979.
OY: What was your first major tournament ever played?
JH: Wow... if I were to define "major" as the most exciting and frustrating, it would have to be in West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, playing this unbeatable guy!!! Could not sleep for days after. If only I could... LOL...
The first major tournament would have to be Foosball Malaysia's Northern Region Tournament held in Penang, where I partnered Bernard Leong in the Rookie Doubles where we got 3rd placing or 2nd runner-up.
OY: What was your first Major title ever won?
JH: The first would have to be the FM Rookies Double. But the one I am proudest of would have to be the 3rd placing in the Mild Seven Nationals Finals both singles and doubles (partnered with Cyrus)
OY: What is your primary position?
JH: Front or back, both are ok with me. It would really depend on who I am partnering with.
OY: Which do you like better?
JH: That would depend on who I am playing against. But generally, I like the front, but five men sucks... so what to do... LOL... have to go back also one... LOL...
OY: What are your primary & secondary shot as a forward? As a goalie?
JH: As a forward, primary would have to be Push Kick and secondary would have to be Back Pin series combinations. As a keeper, primary would be Back Pin and Push Kick combinations second.
OY: How about your passing series. What is your primary? Do you have more than one?
JH: As Ray Ng likes to put it... "still using that chicken pass ah?" What he meant is my angle pass.... it's still my favourite... even though it irritates the heck out of Snake Eyes... LOL number 99, foosball Wayne Gretzky of Malaysia.
OY: What would you like to advice the future champions?
JH: That would have to be "practice for consistency, creative in delivery".
OY: Where do you see foosball heading to in 5 or 10 years time?
JH: With your organisation's passion and determination, I will not be surprised if foosball in Malaysia is "institutionalised" as a sports worthy of everyone's attention and participation.
OY: Why did you foos anyway? What was the reason?
JH: For the fun and the challenge. But most importantly, it's the valuable friends we meet and gotten to know.
OY: As a promoter/enthusiast yourself, what would your advise to FCM?
JH: Be patient, be modest, most importantly, keep the passion,.. :-)
OY: How can we as a fooser, to assist the community to grow?
JH: One way could be to choose and champion a charitable cause in the community you target. You can looking into Youth development, Or organise tournaments where part of the proceeds goes to your chosen charity.
OY: In your personal opinion, how can foosball reach higher growth? more tournaments? pls give us your idea.
JH: I have been out of the foosball scene since 2004, I am not sure what are the major tournaments in the calendar year any more. But having more tournaments is without a doubt a necessity... :-)
But to reach "higher growth" would mean more than just tournaments, it would mean promoting foosball as a healthy sports for all including families. I know it will not be easy to accomplish this but here are some thoughts:
- Sponsorship (model after Le Tour de Langkawi, where it is known as Telekom Malaysia's tour...). Sponsors should not be associated with any negative imagery
- Similar to the French foosball table (cannot remember the name, Bonzini??), allow players to personalise their players by wearing caps, shirt, dress, etc. Allow the "dressing-up" of the Tornado (wo)men. (Hey, give lah the chance for the guys (Cyrus, I know what you did last summer) to make use of their barbie doll dresses which they kept secretly... hehhehe.)
- But seriously, allow for that, this is where the family element comes in.
- Have a foosball (wo)men apparel contest.
- This will be the first ever for Tornado... LOL
Better stop my ranting... LOL
OY: As a fooser/enthusiast, what have you contributed in the sport?
JH: I dun think I have contributed to the sport per se, except for playing and sharing past experiences with others.
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