The sound of clacking pinball machines filled Charlotte's Super Abari Game Bar near uptown on Saturday, as 24 of North Carolina's best players faced off in a state championship.
An announcer supplied commentary on a livestream as players leaned over their machines, slapping, slamming and jostling the flippers.
Among them was Kaylee Campbell of Charlotte. She was a little jittery facing her opponent in her first round.
"I had a decent first ball, I got through a multi ball, and completed a couple modes, so that's really the goal. But he's also playing very well, so I'm a little nervous right now," she said.
The tournament was sanctioned by the International Flippers Pinball Association. Finalists from towns and cities across North Carolina were competing for a spot in the national championship in Wisconsin this year, plus some prize money pooled from entry fees.
"The winner of today's event is going to get $1,167," said tournament director Kevin Shanus, who was keeping score.
He said the tournament rules are simple. Players are paired up and face each other in a best-of-seven match. The winners advance to the next round and continue until there's only one left.
Players can choose from any of 10 machines. There's "Deadpool" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."
"We have also 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' 'The Flintstones,' which is based on the movie, 'Whirlwind' and then 'Attack from Mars,' which is actually one of my favorites," Shanus said.
Some of this year's finalists were still relatively new to the game, like 10-year-old Liam Bradley, of Pittsboro, who was by far the youngest player in the championship. He started playing tournaments only 10 months ago.
"I like it when I'm new there, and then they underestimate me," he said.
The key to winning, Bradley said, was control.
"It's all about catching the ball. You don't flip wildly. If you have control, you can take whatever shot you want," he said.
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Other players were seasoned veterans, like three-time state champion Drew Cedolia.
"I've been playing competitively since 2001. At the birth of the internet, I looked up a tournament in Pittsburgh, and away I went," he said.
Cedolia said good preparation and study can pay off in a championship game.
"They tell you the names of the games ahead of time, and you can look up videos online, tutorials online. A lot of these games I've played since I was a kid, and some of them are brand new, like 'James Bond,' so I try to learn the basics, angles," he said.
A narrowing field
As the day wore on, eliminations piled up and the field of competitors at the game bar on Seigle Avenue slowly narrowed. After one player lost a close match, his opponent pulled him into a hug and congratulated him.
"You're a great player, man ... You're a great pinballer," he said.
The player who lost was Austin Fanger of Asheville. He was hoping to go farther, but said if he had to lose, at least it was to a fellow competitor he knew from Asheville.
"I'd rather lose to a friend than a stranger, I guess," he said.
He was still due some prize money for being a finalist — he guessed it would be enough to cover gas for the return trip.
On the bright side, the venue had a full bar. Fanger grabbed a drink and went to play some of the other games — just for his own pleasure.
By the end of the day, and after several more rounds, the tournament declared its winner: Kaylee Campbell.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been nervous at all.
