Lake Zurich High School students aim at human foosball record

A popular tabletop game could land Lake Zurich High School in the Guinness Book of World Records Saturday - and raise some cash for charity.

Organizers want to assemble 1,000 students and community members for the largest game of human table soccer, also known as foosball. Instead of two players facing off over a foosball table in a bar or club, participants will form two teams on the Lake Zurich High football field.

It would be a record in a new category established especially for the event, said Lake Zurich High band Director Josh Thompson, who's heading the activity and has already spoken with Guinness Book officials about it.

"Right now, we're at 391 (participants)," Thompson said Friday. "We're pretty excited about that."

Tabletop soccer teams consist of small figures attached to horizontal bars. Using handles, human players turn the bars and move the figures to kick a small ball into opposing goals.

For the human version, participants will form horizontal lines and hold hands. They will try to kick large exercise balls into the opposing team's goal.

Players will not be allowed to use their hands.

Thompson has played the game before.

"We played it at band camp with 200 kids, and they loved it," he said. "It's a lot of fun."

The game will begin at 7 p.m. at the field, 300 Church St., Lake Zurich. It will cost $2 to play or watch, and all proceeds will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Participants should be at the field at 6:30 p.m., Thompson said.

A dance called the Charity Bash will follow at 8 p.m. Admission to the game and the dance is $5.