Kelsey Cook kills at comedy and foosball

If it weren’t for comedy, Kelsey Cook would probably eke out an existence as a foosball shark. “Foosball is my sport,” Cook said. “Outside of tournament play, I’m undefeated. Whenever I want to make some extra money I hustle people. I’ll be all giggly and play badly at first and then I’ll ask if we can play for money.”

The game of foosball is in Cook’s blood. Her parents actually met at a foosball tournament. “You can’t make stuff like that up,” Cook said. “So I guess it was just meant to be that I would end up playing foosball.”

Fortunately entertainment is also part of Cook’s genes. Her father, Chris Cook, is a trumpet player for the Spokane Symphony. He’s also Spokane’s poet laureate. Who would have guessed that comedy would make for a more respectable living for Cook?

“But comedy is what I do,” Cook said. “I just shot my special a month and a half ago and it’s really exciting to record that material,” Cook said.

Some of the bits from Cook’s upcoming special, which doesn’t have a name or a home yet, will be delivered this weekend at the Spokane Comedy Club. Expect Cook to riff about getting a divorce a week before the COVID lockdown and adjusting to the world of dating. “I was with my ex-husband for eight years,” Cook said. “Dating was a big adjustment. I met my husband when I was very young so it was a whole new world I entered.”

Cook laughed when noting that she was part of a celebrity dating app. “Who would ever guess that there is such a thing but there is such an app,” Cook said. “There are actually some notable celebrities on the app. I went on a ridiculous date with a celebrity.”

Unfortunately the date was not ridiculously good. “It was bad, very bad,” Cook said. “But the silver lining for a comedian is that a date can’t be completely bad because the silver lining is that I take notes during bad dates and use it for material. Dating apps are bizarre.”

Cook loves FaceTime dating. “That saves people a lot of time on awkward dinners,” Cook said. “You can tell early on if there is potential. You do your best judging who is good for you and you take a chance.”

The Cheney High School graduate, class of 2007, took a chance by opting for comedy over the corporate or conventional world. Cook was a math major at Washington State University before transferring to communications. “I love math, but I was super unhappy as a math major in my junior year,” Cook said. “I saw what math classes I had to take just to teach, and it wasn’t very appealing.”

Cook switched gears by embracing comedy and never looked back. “I discovered what I was meant to do with my life,” Cook said. “I couldn’t be happier.”

Perhaps the only thing that excites Cook as much as comedy is foosball. “I love competing and I still do that with foosball,” Cook said. “I used to play high school basketball and volleyball at Cheney. I love going up against anybody. I competed in the Hall of Fame Foosball tournament in Las Vegas in April. I won a few matches and I lost a few playing against the best players in the country.”

Does dating and foosball domination mix?

“No, Cook said. “Guys don’t like being beaten by girls. That’s just the way it is. But I have no problem beating some random guy for money.”