On March 4, Altoona alumnus Luke Rokosky, along with his family, held an annual air hockey championship in his home.

Rokosky and his family have been holding the tournament for three years.

“It all started when one of my dad’s friends was getting rid of his air hockey table. He offered it to us and with the space that we had available to us, we accepted it,” Rokosky said.

Eleven students competed in the tournament. Among these was junior Leah St. Croix.

“I enjoyed competing very much because I had the chance to play air hockey against many people I have never played or even met. The challenge was thrilling,” St. Croix said.

This was St. Croix’s first year playing in the tournament.

“I decided to enter the tournament because I’ve always enjoyed air hockey. I didn’t think I was the best player by any means, but I knew that I would have fun if I joined,” St. Croix said.

Rokosky’s favorite part of the tournament was the sense of competition it brought out in its participants.

“It is generally a pretty level playing field that allows everyone to feel like they have a chance at the title. This brings out a competitive spirit in everyone, even those who are usually shy,” Rokosky said.

Rokosky did not practice for the event beforehand, instead he decided to take his chances.

“I just wait until the event starts and see how it goes,” Rokosky said.

St. Croix took a similar approach to Rokosky.

“The only practice I had for the tournament was from whenever I would go to arcades throughout the year prior to the event, but that was a rare occurrence,” St. Croix said.

The event had two separate brackets, similar to the popular “March Madness”. One bracket was for those 21 and over, and the other was for anyone younger than 21. St. Croix managed to emerge victorious over all of her opponents. This resulted in her facing off against the winner of the adult bracket: Brian Vanish. St. Croix beat Vanish 7-1, earning her the title of “Red Haired Menace.”

“It didn’t surprise me much,” Vanish said. “Teenagers are good at games, and even my son beats me at air hockey, most of the time.”

“I won a nice goodie bag including some items like ShamWow, keto snacks and Flex Seal. It also came with a homemade trophy,” St. Croix said. “I also received a signed picture of their father, Jim Rokosky.”

Rokosky was the winner of the 2021 tournament.

“Despite being the 2021 champion, I have never taken the tournament too seriously,” Rokosky said.

Rokosky doesn’t remember when he began playing air hockey, but knows it has been a long time.

“We wanted to take a few casual games of air hockey up to the next level. We started by making a bracket, and at the end of the championship we crafted the trophy for the winner,” Rokosky said.