Illustration by Ryan Greis
Pinball machines might seem to some mere quarter-eating, noisy boxes of bright plastic. But to tournament competitors, these games are their chance at stardom.
On November 22, 60 ballers of all skill levels and from as far as Ohio will convene at CP Pinball in Roxana, Ill., for a chance to claim the title of best flipper. CP—a two-building space owned by self-taught “pinball repair guy” Chuck Sanderson—houses 70 machines (some dating back to 1979), any number of which may be used in the tourney. While a handful of players have dozens of world competitions under their belts and are officially ranked by the International Flipper Pinball Association, whose raison d’être is “to bring the sport of competitive pinball back into the spotlight,” other competitors will lack the drop-catching, trapping, and post-passing chops mastered by their idols.
A word of advice from Steve Walker, ranked No. 4 in Missouri and No. 189 in the world: Stay calm, even if the purse is thousands of dollars. Walker describes pinball as a game of “risk management” that’s “80 percent skill and 20 percent luck.” At times, he even talks to his flashy competitor, congratulating it by saying, “Nice shot, machine.”
“Attitude is important,” he says.
