This past Saturday marked some significant milestones in the proud history of the AADL-GT series. We had our first real workout of the new library Wiis while moving our official Smash Bros. competition up to Brawl. We also had our first online competition with other libraries, playing in a small elimination tournament against the Detroit Public Library and the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County. New clans were the order of the day as the newly formed Whole Famn Damily racked up the points. Even with changes, traditional powers found their way to the top of the leaderboard.

It's the opening weekend of the 2008 GT season, and it all kicks off with a BONUS Brawl open play this Friday from 11 AM - 6 PM at the Downtown Library! We've got 8 new Wiis and we need to get some serious unlocking done. We won't have any food, but please come on down and help us get as much unlocked as possible for the tournament. Then, Friday night sees our next Revolution Hero tournament for all ages: try to win the Guitar Hero 2 or DDR brackets, or go for the double crown. Saturday features the Smashkart championship series season opener for Grades 6-12 (sorry lain) kicking off at High Noon with Brawl Singles. Full details follow below, but Saturday will also include our first ever gtsystem exhibition match, where the winners of our Smash Singles will face off online against the best players that Detroit Public Library and Columbus Public Library have to offer! Then, opening weekend wraps up with a Rock Band tournament for All Ages Sunday from 1-4pm, and then the last Pokémondays of the summer on Monday from 1-5.

Hope to see you all there, and read on for tourney specifics!

WOW. The offseason is finally over. The doors to that temple of videogame prowess that is the Downtown Library Multipurpose Room are about to swing open for AADL-GT Season FIVE! Lots of big changes await this year, some right around the corner and some down the road, but here's the entire season schedule and some info about this weekend's tournaments, featuring Guitar Hero, DDR, Rock Band, Super Smash and Kart! First we've got our first ever Revolution Hero tournament, with simultaneous DDR and Guitar Hero tournaments for all ages, this Friday Night from 6-8:30 pm. Then, this Saturday welcomes the return of the SmashKart Championship Series for grades 6-12 to our annual Preseason event. Recruit for clans, test out rulesets; and Graduated Seniors get one more shot at glory. Then, Sunday sees our first ever Rock Band Tournament for 4-player teams of all ages. Then, Monday sees the next round of the racous battlefest Pokémondays from 1-5pm, all at the Downtown Library. Check it out! And read on for full details.

Sasuke is an irresistable Japanese television event that happens twice a year. 100 competitors take on a brutal 4-stage obstacle course. In the 20 times the contest has been held, the course has only been completed twice. Sasuke now airs in the US as Ninja Warrior on G4, and for the past two Sasuke competitions, G4 has selected American contenders (via the American Ninja Challenge) to travel to Japan to appear on the show alongside the Japanese competitors. Both times, Ann Arbor has been represented in Japan; last fall, Ann Arbor native and Michigan State student Colin Bell appeared on the show, but failed on the Spider Jump of the first stage. This spring, Traverse City native and current Ann Arbor Resident Levi Meeuwenberg traveled to Japan and outlasted all the Japanese competitors to be the last man standing!

Levi is a freerunning (Parkour) expert; he's appeared in commercials, music videos, and toured with Madonna. His performance on Ninja Warrior was flat-out awesome and he is certain to be back in the fall to attempt the daunting course again. AADL is very proud to welcome Levi to the Downtown Library on Monday, June 9 at 7 PM to talk about his experiences as a freerunner, stunt double, and his trip to Japan. Levi is a class act and we're thrilled to bring him to you! Hope to see you there!

Bored this week? Come to the downtown library for open play this Tuesday, April 8, Wednesday, April 9th, and Thursday, April 10 for gamecube, ps2, and Wii open play! Each day, we'll welcome Kids from Noon until 3 PM and Teens from 3 to 6 PM. Will there be Brawl, you ask? OF COURSE there will be Brawl. Winner stays. How long can you stay in command? Come find out.

No school Friday! So, what to do? How about a high score contest across 8 vintage videogames at our third annual Retro Octathlon? How about a 42" TV in the back of the room running nothing but Super Smash Brothers Brawl ALL DAY LONG? You can have both in the MP Room at the Downtown Library Friday, from 1-8 pm. And, just in case that's not enough smash for you, there will also be open Melee during the Wii Tennis Doubles Tournament, Saturday from 1-5 pm. Prizes for Retro High Total Scorers and for Wii Sports, plus snacks. See you there! Read on for full Retro Octathlon Details.

Bring a partner or find one here and play in our Doubles Tennis Tournament on the Wii console. Show off your backhand or serve up an ace. Prizes will be awarded to the top two teams. See you on Saturday, March 22nd at 1 PM at the Downtown Library Multipurpose Room. All ages are welcome. We’ll battle across the net until 5 PM.

The off-season. Cold. Lonely. Lugubrious. Will it ever end? Of course it will, and there's no better evidence for this assertion than the upcoming GT Game & Plan Meetup and Super Smash Brothers Regulation Throwdown, Tuesday 2/26 starting at 3 PM at the Malletts Creek Branch. We'll start with a healthy dash of open play to shake out the melee cobwebs before getting into the big questions about the 2008 GT Season. Then, from 6 - 8:30, we'll have a Super Smash Bros. Melee Regulation throwdown for grades 6 and up. Don't miss these events; with the age of Melee drawing to a close, there's a lot to talk about for next season, and perhaps a parting farewell to the game that's enthralled us all for so long. See you tuesday!

Join the Pokemon Frenzy! Bring your DS and your copy of Pokemon Diamond or Pearl to battle in such places as the Pokemon Union Room or the Hoenn Underground! Prizes will be award to the top two finishers each day. Come at the beginning of the event to register to be in the tournament.

December 26: Level 50 & Under Tournament
Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 1-5 PM

December 27: Level 51 & Over Tournament
Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 1-5 PM

December 28: Pokemania Championship
Downtown Library Multipurpose Room, 1-5 PM

Don’t have a Nintendo DS? Don’t worry about it. Come anyway and battle using our house Pokemon. Or bring your XD and have impromtu matches with friends at the event. Hope to see you there!