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At Skill Shot Arcade, Iron Man, Hot Wheels, KISS, Sylvester Stallone and other pop culture icons are lit up by incandescent lights and incorporated into pinball machines, each from a different generation and with a unique design. On most days, these games provide refuge for pinball lovers across upstate New York, but this weekend wasn’t a typical game for Howard Levine and dozens of other competitors.

“This is the New York State Pinball Championships. This isn’t just any tournament,” said Howard Levine, a Sullivan County resident who has played competitive pinball for almost 20 years. “We played all of 2023 to qualify for this tournament. So if you qualify, you better make best efforts to be here.”

This weekend, Skill Shot Arcade hosted the International Flipper Pinball Association’s New York State Championships (NYSC) and the New York State Women’s Championships. The state’s top 24 players competed in a single elimination bracket playoff for the top spot.

Competitors, like Levine, braved snow and cold weather in Syracuse as they drove in from across the Empire State and tried their luck at local pinball glory. Shouts of delight, frustration and anxiety floated throughout the arcade, while players waiting their turns laughed with one another about different games and old stories.

To qualify for the five-round tournament, the top 24 players were ranked based on the best 20 tournaments they played in 2023. In the first round, the bottom 16 players played single-elimination, best of seven matches and the top eight received a bye. To win a game, a player had to score the most points in three turns on one specific machine. For the remaining rounds, it was a straightforward knockout competition.

Alex Zhiltsov | Contributing Photographer

The top two of 24 men’s championship competitors smile next to each other after their victories. Greg Poverelli (right) won his third championship in a row and Adam Cane (left) was the runner-up.

In the State Championship, the organizers created a new rule: each player was asked to choose three machines for the round. The higher-ranked player would choose a fourth machine if needed. Importantly, the three initial games picked must be from three different generations.

Luckily, Skill Shot separates their collection on different walls into three general eras: games from the ’60s and ’70s, games from the ’80s and ’90s and contemporary pinball games. One competitor, Greg Poverelli, said this was a welcome change that improved the competition. Poverelli had grown up on the newer Stern models, but learned to love the older models as he gained experience.

“I like the new format today, because I believe this is the ninth ever State Champions in New York, and this is the first time with the new rules which balances (it out),” Poverelli, the top seed in this year’s tournament and two-time NYSC winner, said. “We’re all forced to play games of different age diversities, of different eras.”

The winner received $1,000, a prize from Skill Shot and a berth in the North American Championships, which will take place in early March in Wisconsin, said Eric Russell, the IFPA Upstate State Representative for New York since 2019. Russell, the fifth-ranked competitor in New York and the director of the tournament, said that while the prize of winning is attractive, the camaraderie between the players keeps the atmosphere of the competition positive and healthy.

“It makes (the tournament) a little bit more relaxed,” Russell said. “Everyone still wants to win so it’s still very competitive, though. People are probably a little bit more polite and kind to people that they know and know they’re going to see around. No one’s going to be a real jerk.”

This level of respect was felt throughout Skill Shot as the competition moved through the rounds. The incessant button-smashing and ambiguous arcade noises created a constant stream of sound that gave the room a joyful atmosphere.

New York City resident Christopher “CJ” Smith, who was ranked eighth in the tournament, drove up to Syracuse along with a few other competitors. He said New York has a tight-knit pinball community, mostly because of how often they see each other. Smith said that since he began playing, he has continually recognized the people he goes up against.

“These are the same people I’ve been playing with for 10 or 12 years now,” Smith said. “There’s not anybody different…Out of 24 people, 16 or 18, I’ve known for a decade or so.”

Smith and most of the other 23 competitors stayed for almost seven hours, watching or participating in all five rounds of the state tournament. In the end, a familiar face was crowned the champion: Poverelli.

Bridget Overby | Presentation Director

He won his third New York State Championship Saturday against Adam Cane, who began the day as the third-seeded player, and Anna Wolk won the Women’s Championship. Poverelli was happy with the victory, but he was just as excited to spend the weekend with his “extended family.”

“I travel a lot for pinball, you get to see people that you don’t get to see. Everybody’s friendly, everybody’s very welcoming,” Poverelli said. “When you’re playing against a friend and you’re both playing well, there’s certain pride no matter who wins.”

Published on January 21, 2024 at 11:02 pm