SANTA MONICA - A couple weeks ago, Illy Alter traveled to Compton to compete in a Madden 08 competition. He earned his share of wins and losses, some close, others not so.

Alter (pictured, left) best known as Sparkzz in the Madden community, plans to continue his Madden run when "Madden 09" is released next month. This could possibly include a stab at the Gamestop's tournament series.

Alter said the upcoming changes to "Madden 09" are "nothing special," and the whole community will have to adjust in order to be successful in competitive play.

During a break in the action at the Compton tournament, Alter spent a couple minutes talking about his future and the newest Madden game coming out.

You can listen to the interview right here.

Labels: madden, podcast, sparkzz

SANTA MONICA - The feeling all around the Carolina Core is that of jubilation.

As Ryan "Offbeat Ninja" Ward told a friend, "The confetti is so much better this year."

Last year, Carolina was showered with confetti, but they were merely bystanders as they watched the Chicago Chimera win the North American title.

This year, the Core are the champions of North America, and they were happy to soak in all of the festivities that came with it.

Several of the players, along with General Manager Mark Dolven, talked about the nailbiting win over the Dallas Venom. Listen in to what they had to say.

Mark Dolven, general manager: "It's very nice to have our own confetti. it's an amazing feeling.

Andrew "Anomaly" Brock, "FIFA 08" player, the only player to win the North American title twice: "To do it with two great teams feels amazing. I'm at a loss for words."

Mark Torrez, "Counter-Strike Source" player: "When you have Devour and the rest of the team, I'm confident we could win that last round."

Ryan Ward, "Dead or Alive 4" player: "It's surreal. Honestly, it's an awesome feeling. The confetti this year looks better ... I'm just on top of the world right now."

Joe Tackett, "Forza Motorsport 2" player: "About 75 percent of the way through the match, I was having a headache already. I did not want (a loss) to happen again."

Labels: carolina core, championship gaming series, podcast

COMPTON - During last year's Madden Challenge tournament series, Northern California player Michael Degroot became a cult hero.

Whether it was his determination, playstyle or the mustache that earned him the nickname, "Adam Morrison," followers rooted for him whenever he competed.

Unfortunately for Degroot, he didn't win any Madden Challenges in 2007, live or online. He came close several times, including in San Diego, where he led in the finals against Justin Chow before succumbing to the run game.

This past weekend, he showed his skills at a regional event in Compton, and he proved he hasn't dipped one bit -- in one game, he compiled nearly 600 yards on 11 of 12 completions.

Once the new Madden season begins next month with the release of "Madden 09," Degroot plans to finish the job he couldn't. In this interview, he talks about where he's been and what he plans to do.

You can listen to the interview right here.

Labels: adam morrison, madden, podcast