Who will prevail on the foosball pitch this year?
We’ll find out Wednesday, as will the rest of the Seattle tech community, as 80 participants collide at the GeekWire Anniversary Bash’s annual foosball tournament.
We’ve got some great teams participating, including expert players from Zillow, Brand Verity, Rover, ZipWhip and Placed. And, yes, the 2016 champ from Collinear Group will be back, or least one-half of the dynamic duo. George Barta, who won the title last year with Mohammad Ahmadnia, will be paired with newcomer Vikram Bhatwadekar as they take on the Navigating Cancer team of Skylar Broad and Gene Hsu in a classic first-round match.
General admission tickets are still available for the Bash, and we’ll have extra tables for open play this year, both of the ping pong and foosball variety. We’ll also have video games, virtual reality, adult tricycle races, sumo wrestling, board games and other geeky fun. General admission tickets are on sale here.
Here’s the expert bracket:
And here’s the 26-team intermediate tournament, which promises some classic match-ups.
The GeekWire Bash is taking place March 15 at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle. A quick reminder: Doors open at 3 p.m., and all tournament players must be checked in by 3:30 p.m.
Here’s an FAQ with key details for all of our foosball competitors. Please read this carefully and let us know if you have any questions.
Good luck to all participants, and remember the most important thing about the Bash is to have fun! We announced the official dodgeball bracket and ping pong brackets yesterday.
We’ll be sending out the full list of rules and logistical instructions to all ping pong tournament participants, but here’s a quick FAQ with key details for all of our competitors. Please, read carefully.
Where and when is the event? 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 15, at the CenturyLink Field Event Center in Seattle, just south of CenturyLink Field.
When should I arrive? Doors open at 3 p.m. All foosball players need to be checked in by 3:30 p.m., and play will begin promptly at 4 p.m. We have more than 500 tournament competitors this year, so we’ll need your cooperation to move through the brackets as quickly as possible.
Where should I park? Various parking lots and street parking surround the CenturyLink Field Event Center. All-day parking is available in the CenturyLink Field Garage. Entrance to the garage is located off South Royal Brougham Way, between Occidental Avenue South & Fourth Avenue South. You can also use the address of 330 South Royal Brougham Way in your GPS, although the physical address is not posted on the venue. Also, you can leave your car at home and take a ReachNow BMW or MINI to the GeekWire Bash. ReachNow members can end their trips at the ReachNow Drop Zone located at the NW entrance of CenturyLink Field and Event Center off of Occidental Ave – no circling for parking required!
Where do I check in? Make sure to get your badge and drink tickets at the main registration desk on the west side of the CenturyLink Field Event Center. You’ll then be directed to the foosball tournament check-in desk for your respective tournament.
Who will I be playing? You can see the foosball brackets above.
How will I know when to play my match? Check in with the tournament director for your tournament, and he or she will notify you of your potential match time. Brackets will be displayed prominently and updated as the tournaments progress. Make sure to check them regularly. Additionally, if you are not in the main tournament area, notifications will be sent via text to the mobile phone number provided when you registered.
Are tickets to the event still available? General admission tickets to the anniversary bash are available for your friends and co-workers. Grab those here. All tournament tickets are sold out.
What if I can’t make the tournament next Wednesday? If you can no longer participate in the tournament, please let us know immediately by emailing Cara Kuhlman at cara@geekwire.com.
What about my cheering section? We encourage you to bring one — just make sure your friends, colleagues and family get tickets in advance. Tickets to the party are available here. And, yes, there will once again be an awesome “spirit prize” for the team that best shows its geek pride during the event.
What’s at stake? Glory, and lots of it. You’ll be competing in the middle of a big crowd of more than 1,500 geeks. Most of all, this is a fun event and a chance to meet, connect with (and compete against) a wide variety of people across the tech industry.
What should I wear? Comfortable clothes, and maybe bring a towel to dry off. Feel free to bring an extra shirt if you tend to break out in a sweat during your foosball matches. Headbands are optional?
Foosball tables: We will be playing on Tornado foosball tables.
How will matches be scored? For foosball, it will be a best of three-game series, single elimination tournament. We’ll play games to 5, with a time limit of 18 minutes on each match. Here are some basic rules of foosball. (And NO spinning allowed).
What happens if I lose my first match? You will be eliminated from the tournament, but your tournament registration includes full access to the party, including great activities such as beer pong, sumo wrestling, a classic video game arcade and much more. We also have open play foosball tables for some fun pick-up games.
What happens if I win my match? Make sure to report your win to the table captain, and make sure it is recorded on the big bracket near the tournament desk.
More questions? Email us at events@geekwire.com. See you next Wednesday afternoon, and good luck!
