Gold Standard Air Hockey

The 2017 USAA Worlds held at Rice University Oct. 20-22 truly represented a changing of the guard. All eyes were on 18-year-old phenom Colin Cummings of Beaumont, TX. Colin had dominated air hockey for the past 2 and a half years, winning all major tournaments he competed in, including two USAA World championships. Could ANYONE mount a serious challenge to Colin? And would 11-time World Champ Danny Hynes make the Finals again… possibly setting a new USAA record by capturing his 12th title?

All the expert predictions for this tournament went by the wayside because Colin couldn’t even get to the Finals… finishing 3rd. He was defeated twice by surprise finalist Vadim Chiznevskiy of Moscow, Russia. Vadim had finished just outside the top 10 two years earlier. But at Friday night’s Doubles event, it became clear that Vadim was a new force to be reckoned with. Tremendous defense… great puck possession… lightning quick wrist action and releases.

Vadim made it to the Finals against another surprise finalist… Jacob Weissman of Houston. Jacob had always been a strong member of the “next generation” of air hockey competitors, but over the last few years he was overshadowed by Colin’s phenomenal rise to greatness. But this was a different Jacob. Confident… powerful… and with a much improved defense. And screaming right-wall unders that matched those of his famous father in his prime – 10-time USAA champion Tim Weissman.

So 21-year-old Jacob Weissman dispensed with Vadim in the first set of the Finals, 4-0, to win his first major championship, and first World title! Danny Hynes, one of the few remaining members of the “New Old Guard” which had dominated air hockey in the 21st century, ended up 7th. Veteran top-10 player Brian Accrocco of Houston finished 4th, with Dan Meyer of Chicago taking 5th.

The Doubles competition went to Calculated Intensity – Danny Hynes and Brian Accrocco. The Women’s Champion (top finishing female) was Lilo Daher of the University of Houston.

Below are some photos from the tournament, including Vadim and Jacob with the USAA championship belt!

http://www.ahl360.com. Doubles Oct. 20.  Main tournament starting 1 pm Oct. 21 til around 10, Oct. 22 starting at noon.

Go to http://www.airhockey.wixsite.com/home for more info!

The 2017 USAA World Championships are scheduled for October 20-22 at Rice University in Houston, TX! The venue is the “R Room” at the Rice University football stadium. The main tournament, on Saturday and Sunday, is open to players of all skill levels. Friday will feature the traditional Doubles competition, also open to all players. Colin Cummings of Beaumont, TX will be defending his World title and attempting to win his 3rd consecutive USAA crown.

For more information, go to http://www.airhockey.com, email reunion@sbcglobal.net, or call 713-540-8670. Registration will open soon. This event will be the 57th National/World championship sanctioned by the U.S. Air Hockey Association since the first one in 1978. The tournament will determine new USAA World rankings! Look for more details posted here as they become available.

The USAA’s 2016 World Air Hockey Championships were completed on Dec.
2-4 in Houston, TX. The site was the University Wellness Center at the University of Houston.

Colin Cummings, the 17-year-old phenom from Beaumont, TX, continued his
winning ways by defeating veteran contenders decades older than him
enroute to winning his 2nd USAA World title. Putting Colin into the
losers bracket but succumbing in the finals was 11-time World Champion
Danny Hynes of Houston. Danny pulled off an amazing comeback from down 3 games to zero in the winners bracket finals. But Colin upped his level in the finals and Danny was unable to hang with him as Colin rolled off two sets to take the championship. Third place went to Brian Accrocco of Houston, followed by Pedro Otero of Caracas, Venezuela. Rounding out the top 5 was Marcelo Garcia, also of Caracas.

The Friday night Doubles competition was won by Brian Quezada and Dan
Meyer of Chicago, aka Puck Buddies. Sarah Weissman of Houston captured the Women’s title, and Ben Ebers of the University of Houston won the special handicap
(point spot) tournament.

For a complete list of finishers, go to the Forums section of airhockey.com and click on Tournaments and Events.

Top finishers

Colin Cummings

The 2016 USAA World Championships are scheduled for Dec. 2-4 at the University of Houston in Houston, TX. Last year’s championships drew a record turnout, and the top contenders will again descend on Houston to compete for the coveted title of USAA World Champion! The main tournament, on Saturday and Sunday, is open to players of all skill levels. Friday will feature the traditional Doubles competition, also open to all players.

For more information, go to http://www.airhockey.com. Registration will open soon. This event will be the 56th National/World championship sanctioned by USAA since the first one in 1978. Look for more details posted here as they become available.

Air hockey is growing in Oregon thanks to an expanding player base in Eugene and Portland, support from game operating company Amusement Unlimited, and a special promotion conducted by Gold Standard Games! On May 20 YNOT Have Fun Bar & Grill in Portland hosted a “Challenge the Champ” exhibition featuring 2-time world champion Mark Robbins, owner of Gold Standard Games. A good time was had by all as Robbins demonstrated basic techniques of air hockey and wiped out all challengers. YNOT owner Josh Johnson was pleased with the interest in air hockey and may be putting together regular tournaments in the near future. YNOT Have Fun features two USAA-sanctioned Gold Flare Elite tables plus many other games, and excellent food and drink. For directions, hours and other info go to http://www.ynothavefun.com.

Pics: Mark Robbins taking on a challenger; Robbins with Gabe Garboden, a high school student from Eugene who is the top-rated air hockey player in Oregon; and Robbins with the lovely Aerynn Mielke of Amusement Unlimited.

For the second year in a row, Gold Standard Games brought the sport of air hockey to the Midwest Gaming Classic, held in April in Milwaukee. The Gaming Classic features mostly pinball and video games, and attracts thousands of gamers as well as families to the annual event. Air hockey has become very popular at the Classic, with people playing on the two Gold Standard tables virtually non-stop throughout the weekend. “Challenge the Champ” exhibitions were conducted by  Mark Robbins, a 2-time World Champion, and Dan Meyer, the 7th place finisher at last year’s USAA Worlds.

For more info on the event, go to http://www.midwestgamingclassic.com

Dan Meyer (near side) showing how it’s done

Mark Robbins (in Air Hockey shirt) takes on a challenger

Go to http://www.airhockey.com, click on “stream” in the menu at top of page. Sat. Oct. 17, 1 pm to 11 pm CT, Sun. Oct. 18, noon-7 pm.