Very few great events have occured in Hoboken, shy of the birth of Frank Sinatra. On Saturday, April 28th, a great event did actually occur: The Connect Four for Charity Tournament.
We all know and love Connect Four, but the brilliant team of
Godfrey and Rachel Chan put together a tournament in which we played Final Four bracket style until one winner took all.
Naturally, I was knocked out in the first round, but that didn't stop me from
taking the snaps until the very end.
First off: Ambiance. Old skool snacks suchs as Oreos and M&M's were plentiful and offered a much-needed sugar rush. Background music was 1980s classics such as "You're the Best Around" from the
Karate Kid soundtrack and Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger."
This led to some heated matches, some lasting close to half an hour. Sara was my first opponent and the gal who knocked me out of the tourney. She knew how to give a good skunk eye. I shiver.
The guy on the left, Alex, showed early prowess at the tender age of 19. More on him later.
Playas:
Hoboken guys who were not friends or family of Godfrey or Rachel. They came for the pure sport of Connect Four. Awesome!
Obligatory Godfrey/Pauline shot
Obligatory Velazquez/Pauline shot
Sure, there were prizes, but pride was at stake as well.
It didn't take long for everyone to notice that "the kid with the iPod" was beating everyone. Curious, indeed.
Including Mike B., who made it all the way to the Final Four, only to be knocked out by the young samurai.
The Final Two came down to Alex, a local college student, and Karen, a friend of Godfrey's.
The final games were played on this board, in the main bar.
It was a true game of skill. The suspense was killing me.
Spectators were everywhere.
It was a nail-biter...
...but Alex emerged victorious!
Prizes were handed out and we all went home to train for next year.
Kids, it all starts with some checkers, and a dream...
