Can somebody pinch me... it's Sunday night nearly 11pm. Normally on Sundays, I pack a couple of rubbish bags and covertly dump them outside people's houses on the way home so they get collected in the morning before the unsuspecting recipeints get out of bed! But for some reason there's about 30 rubbish bags and the fridge is looking worryingly empty. The reason? I've just held the World Pinball Championships here at Pins Anon HQ. How cool is that?
Let's jump in a time machine and go back 5 years. There was pretty much nothing in the way of social pinball in the UK and certainly nothing for the competitive. Now we're 5 years into the UK Pinball Show and just last week we held the European Pinball Championships.
Today I watched Bowen Kerins being crowned World Champion - right here at our little place in the middle of nowhere! Incredible! I'm sure it still really hasn't sunk in! I hadn't realised until afterwards that Bowen was watching my lad play pinball and recording him singing as he played. Then Bowen played the same way and listened to the singing on his iPod - next thing we know - he's the world champion! 
Almost every visitor found me before they left and shook my hand and thanked me - I was an emotional wreck by the time we got down to our last few casual players (who are still here). How often will someone like Todd MacCulloch be asked if he minds playing pinball in the middle of a field with some cows for a TV crew? Not many, but he, like all the other guys were incredibly friendly. I've always wanted to have more than 5 friends on Facebook - and I think now, that just might happen!
64 of the best pinball players on the planet who also happened to be 64 of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet. Names like Bowen, Jorian Engelbrekttson, Patrik Bodin, Trent Augenstein, Cayle George - the list goes on - that even the least competitive among us (like me) will know, now all have faces!I took so many pictures of my lad playing pinball that I ran the battery flat on my phone and didn't get anything of the important stuff - so you might as well have another one!
That's Martin Ayub bottom left, updating the Pinball News report live from the event - I even think he let himself get knocked out of the tournament early on, so he could concentrate on the important stuff!I still haven't really blogged about the UK Pinball Show & EPC last week and now it seems a lifetime ago. I've still got so much to say and hopefully over the coming days I'll have some time.
Josh & Zach Sharpe had faith in the UK pinball folk and I think we showed them we could do it! I even have an 8 foot souvenir, freshly signed by the champion!
Take one of the biggest competitive pinball events on the planet, plonk it in the middle of the countryside and see what happens!Love it!
Congratulations to Bowen!
Cheers
Nick
The Pinball Blog
3 comments:
there can be only one
That was one of the best tournaments of which I've been a part. I loved meeting all of the great, dedicated pinballers, and I'm glad I made the trip. Thank you for opening your facility to us and for providing a fantastic pinball arena.
Steve B. [SSB] (to the immediate left of Koi Morris in the 64 players picture).
One man may have won it, but it takes another to make it all happen. You have transformed pinball in the UK and should be very proud.
Post a Comment