Zach Sharpe claims world No. 1 rank
In the history of the World Pinball Player Rankings, through the evolution of the formula that we've used to track the best pinball players in the world, only 3 players had ever actively been ranked in the top spot. Those players were [player]Jorian Engelbrektsson[/player], [player]Daniele Celestino Acciari[/player] and [player]Keith Elwin[/player].
The IFPA is excited to announce that following a sweep at the NW Pinball Championships in both the Open and Classics divisions, [player]Zach Sharpe[/player] has jumped both Acciari and Elwin to join those two gentleman in the prestigious club of being able to say they are the top ranked pinball player in the world.
Since becoming an Uncle to the toddler-to-be-future-hopeful-champion Colin Sharpe, Zach has been on quite a hot streak, earning victories at the following events: 2013 NW Pinball Championships (Main and Classics), 2013 Lyons Pinball Spring Classic (Main and Side tournament), 2013 Michigan Pinball Expo (Main and Classics II), 2013 Strawberry Hill Strike Out (Main and Classics), 2013 Amusement Expo IFPA Championships, 2013 Rose City Showdown, 2013 Pinball at the Zoo (Classics), 2012 Pinnesota National Championships (Charity Division), 2012 GameWorks Chicago Tournament of Champions (both Spring and Fall edition), 2012 Pre-Expo Gameworks Fall Classic, 2012 PinWars Tournament, and the 2012 Midwest Gaming Classic. In addition, Zach finished as runner up at the IFPA10 World Pinball Championship, along with earning a 3rd place finish in the A-division at the PAPA 15 World Pinball Championships, having won both the Classics I and Classics III divisions during the PAPA weekend.
No single tournament result will ever propel a player to the #1 ranking in the world, so a huge congratulations to Zach for this solid and consistent performance, as it's the only way to ever reach the top of the World Pinball Player Rankings mountain.
With plenty of pinball action to go in 2013, including both the PAPA World Pinball Championships in August, and the European Pinball Championship in September, the race for the 2013 "World's Greatest Pinball Player" has never been closer, or included more players! At this point it's safe to say it's a four man race between Zach, Keith, Daniele and current IFPA World Pinball Champion Jörgen Holm, who currently sits in the #4 spot.
