“He stands like a statue, becomes part of the machine. Feelin’ all the bumpers, always playin’ clean” – The Who, Pinball Wizard.
He stands in his bedazzled, shiny shirt, not like the stoic pinball wizard from the song, but instead, he shows an animated display of emotion, intent on connecting to his machine. Brock Nummerdor from Reed City came to Traverse City earlier this year, hoping to make his mark on the Michigan Pinball Championship at Right Brain Brewery. “It’s just a physical connection. We’ll call it visceral. It’s the bells, the chimes, the bleeps, the bloops, the thuds. It’s a very intense game,” said Nummerdor.
Surprisingly, Traverse City is considered a pinball haven in Michigan, with 75 public-accessible pinball machines at numerous locations. Traverse City is believed to have more pinball machines per capita than any other city in the state. Right Brain Brewery takes the lead for pinball opportunities with over 40 machines. The brewery regularly hosts a pinball club, a pinball league, top statewide players, and this year, the state championship.
National Pinball Day is August 1st, but don’t think of this as a one-day event that only attracts a handful of passionate devotees. “I often describe it as one of the widest cross slices of humanity you’re ever going to find with a common interest,” said Scott Bright from Grand Traverse Vending, and founder of the Traverse City Pinball Club. “We have, from emergency room doctors to Traverse City self-described resident slackers.”
The State Championship at Right Brain Brewery attracted a variety of players from as far away as Grand Rapids. Players crossed all age groups, from youth participants to retirees. They played the most recent games as well as classic machines. They even competed in double-flipper play, where one contestant played the right flipper and the second played the left flipper.
The games bring back a sense of nostalgia, and when The Who sang about that “deaf, dumb, and blind kid” who plays “a mean pinball” back in the late 1960s, the coolest claim to fame was to be the Pinball King of the neighborhood. Today, Bright says they are seeing a resurgence in pinball activity that he credits to the challenges unique to the machines. “The mechanical variances in a pinball machine are almost infinite. As the rubber wears a little bit, a little bit of dirt on the play field, the spin on the ball at any point in time. It’s never the same game.”
Players will tell you not to think of these machines as games of chance, and certainly not games of luck. The best players show up with a deep concentration of skill. They not only need to know how the machine ticks, but more importantly, they need to know how to rack up the highest score. The top players know to decipher how to find the highest points, and then you have to hit your shot. Do you go after a target that has six million points, or one that rewards you with flashing lights and spinning discs? The pros know how to go for the points.
It's those challenges that attracted Tracy Ward to Traverse City for the Michigan Championship. Ward is currently ranked as the 11th top player in the Women’s North American Championship Series. “I love the tactility of the game,” said Ward. “Just the thrill of trying to see if you can beat your score and get better, and better, and better. That’s why I love it.”
“It’s better than yoga,” echoes Christal Frost Anderson, from Traverse City, who registered for the competition in the women’s division. “It’s good for my mindfulness. You think about what you’re doing in the moment. You’re not thinking about anything else. It’s a competition, but it’s the friendliest competition I’ve ever been part of.”
“It’s kind of cultish,” said Right Brain Brewery owner Russell Springsteen. He’s always had a few pinball machines as a fun diversion for his customers. But he got serious about the machines when COVID had a seismic impact on breweries, restaurants, and all sections of hospitality. “It really turned our business around. It’s kind of created a whole new vibe in here,” Springsteen said. During the pandemic, Springsteen even found a way to get some of the machines outside, but away from any damaging weather.
In the years since he embraced the love of pinball, Springsteen has seen a shift in players. “It’s not just for old men anymore,” he said. “You also have a lot of younger players and women.”
Springsteen said he often marvels at the skill level of some of these players. “Some of these guys are like savants.” Springsteen may harken back to the lyrics from The Who as he scans his brewery at the players in front of his machines. “He’s a pinball wizard; there has to be a twist. A pinball wizard’s got such a supple wrist.” Springsteen may ask himself, “How does he do it? What makes him so good?”
Around Traverse City, there are plenty of ways to unleash your internal pinball wizard.
