The Silver Ballroom will be full of pinball wizards this Saturday, February 8. The International Flipper Pinball Association is hosting the state championship, with a ticket to the national championship on the line.
The pinball association was resurrected by Josh Sharpe in 2005, after devising a ranking system similar to marathon running, tennis, or golf. The rankings take into account recent tournament play and are based on a rolling point system. The organization started with 500 players, but it's since swelled to 22,000 players across the globe.
Although pinball is a world-wide game, IFPA vice president (and Josh's brother) Zach Sharpe says the group was looking for "a way for people to be recognized as a really good pinball player, but on the local scene," which paved way for the state tournaments.
Brian Bannon, the IFPA's Missouri representative, is organizing the festivities this weekend. The top 16 Missouri players will be on hand, and the winner will be eligible for the national championships.
Bannon noted a few of the silver-ball assassins to watch this weekend. Second-seeded player John Miller has experience playing internationally and finished third in the world championships a few years ago. Steve Walker also has played internationally. And the top-seeded Andrew Hrdlicka won a tournament at The Silver Ballroom last November. "I think he’s one of the improving players," says Bannon, "and he’s kind of run on quantity."
All of the IFPA state championships will include a charity challenge to benefit Kids Fight Cancer. Stern Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball will match all contributions.
Click here for more information on the tournament rules and current world rankings.
