The IFPA is excited to announce that Stern has added Star Wars Pro and Premium models to the rewards program. A reminder that the 2016 rewards earned by players expire December 31st, 2017.

The following games are now available under the program: Wrestlemania Pro, Ghostbusters Premium, Aerosmith Premium, Star Wars Pro, Star Wars Premium

Detailed rules for the $tern Rewards Program, including an updated list of qualifiers, and updated list of rewards available can be found HERE.

Here are the September and October IFPA winners for Player of the Month and Biggest Movers:

Player of the Month:
September 2017 –> Germain Mariolle (113.77 WPPR’s)
October 2017 –> Steven Bowden (137.59 WPPR’s)

Biggest Movers:
September 2017 –> Bill Baggett (+12,800 spots), Lane Topletz (+12,438 spots) and Mike Burgess (+11,581 spots)
October 2017 –> Joe Sterkowicz (+21,401 spots), Calvin Elwin (+13,182 spots) and Jon Stoddard (+11,595 spots)

These players have now all qualified for the Stern Rewards Program for 2017. Congrats to everyone!

blog post courtesy of John Geiger

Our friend, and long time league member Aaron received some devastating news this past week. After a period of not feeling well, he has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of brain cancer.

Aaron has had a huge, positive impact on our pinball family since we started. He came in and practiced regularly, putting his name up on nearly every machine in town. He was consistently in our top division after only playing competitively for a short time. He has travelled throughout Ohio to tournaments and expos, making new friends wherever he goes, always sharing his techniques and enthusiasm with other players. His vibrant personality and overall positivity and kindness are part of the fabric of our pinball community.

We are donating our league dues and tournament fees to help him in his fight against cancer.  His family has set up a Go Fund Me. If you can, please read his story and possibly contribute to helping a fellow pinballer face an incredibly difficult situation.

https://www.gofundme.com/aaronklamut

Mark Steinman of Replay Foundation and historian Steve Paschen are working on a new history of pinball. The heart of the project will be the personal stories of people who have a passion for the game. This includes not only players who rank in the top echelons of competitive tournaments, but also the players who just like to compete. You can be part of this project by answering a few questions relating to your own experience in tournaments, local pinball leagues, playing games you own, or operating a pinball-related business. Whatever your age, level of play, or background, we are interested in your story.

Click HERE to learn more.

In May 2017 we announced that there will be EIGHT Wild Card spots up for grabs for the 2018 IFPA Women’s World Pinball Championship based on the Women’s World Pinball Player Rankings system, increasing the field to 24 players. The 2018 IFPA Women’s World Pinball Championship will happen in conjunction with the IFPA US National Pinball Championship on March 1st, 2018 in Las Vegas.

These Wild Card spots will go to the 8 highest ranked women in the Women’s WPPR ranking that haven’t already qualified for a spot in the championship through the Main WPPR ranking system.

If qualifying were to end today, here’s what the qualifying list would look like:

OPEN SPOTS (based on World Ranking):
1st  Robin Lassonde 377.47
2nd  Helena Walter Higgins 309.7
3rd  Zoe Vrabel 256.58
4th  Louise Wagensonner 255.27
5th  Sunshine Bon 248.4
6th  Danielle Peck 231.84
7th  Julie Gray 196.17
8th  Hannah Holmberg 157.51
9th  Keri Wing 156.9
10th  Sara Little 142.15
11th  Priyanka Kochhar 141.55
12th  Jessie Carduner 135.06
13th  Anna Wolk 133.81
14th  Snow Galvin 130.85
15th  Allison ONeill 129.98
16th  Sarah Schudel 121.85
——–CUT LINE——–
17th  Karyn Kiser 120.47
18th  Michelle McCleester 116.63
19th  Maya Nigrosh 111.64
20th  Theresa Nessel 111.55

WILD CARD SPOTS (based on Women’s World Ranking):
1st  Megan Brown 102.23
2nd  Alexa Philbeck 100.86
3rd  Echa Schneider 85.03
4th  Ellen Frankel 70.65
5th  Maureen Hendrix 62.89
6th  Jodine Hatfield 51.11
7th  Tracy Lindbergh 44.87
8th  Amanda Case 43.3
———CUT LINE——–
9th  AJ Replogle 41.29
10th  Sara Urban 40.22
11th  Nycole Hyatt 36.55

The Women’s WPPR ranking used for these Wild Card spots are available here:

https://www.ifpapinball.com/rankings/women.php?type=w

The highest ranked women under the Main WPPR ranking system can be found here:

https://www.ifpapinball.com/rankings/women.php

The Washington Post, courtesy of Adam Ruben, ran a piece on the recent growth of Women’s only competitive pinball events. Click HERE to read the article.

Lehigh Valley Live posted an article on the Penn Skate Arcade Monthly tournament out in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Click HERE to read the article.

blog post courtesy of Adam Ruben

For some, pinball is just a game from the past. For humor writer Adam Ruben, it’s a lifelong obsession that all started with a rousing game at Funland amusement park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware when he was a kid. As Adam grew older, he began playing competitively, joining pinball leagues, competing for more than a decade and rising as high as the 80^th-ranked player in the world. Then he had kids. Now in 9938^th place, Ruben tries to re-enter the boisterous and wacky world of competitive pinball.

Pinball Wizards: Jackpots, Drains, and the Cult of the Silver Ball (Chicago Review Press, November 2017) by Adam Ruben tells the dynamic story about America’s quintessential arcade game. By visiting pinball museums, gaming conventions, pinball machine designers and even pinball factories, Adam attempts to discover what makes the world’s best players so good. The book also explores the history of the game, as well as its invention, defeat and recent resurgence in American culture today. He presents the four faces on pinball’s Mount Rushmore, if there were one, and includes a chapter on Fiorello La Guardia, the New York City mayor who was obsessed with cracking down on any activity he deemed evil and smashed pinball machines with a sledgehammer because the game offended him.

This hilarious guide to the cult of the silver ball also traces how the game has changed throughout the years, and how even though the game has gone in and out of style, its presence remains constant. Pinball didn’t just stick around — it grows and continues to evolve with the times, reflecting the zeitgeist of every era it passes through. Pinball Wizards is a fun romp through the flashing lights and swirling ramps of a unique hobby packed with wacky characters. It is the perfect book for anyone interested in the quirky subculture that has survived to enjoy yet another renaissance.

NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt ran a piece on the resurgence of pinball. Check out the video HERE.