Pinball, community, puzzles, and an Easter egg hunt

The Desert Dolls Pinball Collective April Monthly was one of those days that perfectly shows why this group is so special.

Great competition, supportive sportsmanship, learning moments, and plenty of laughs — plus a surprise Easter egg hunt after Round 3 that added an extra layer of fun to the day.

Most of the eggs contained candy, and some lucky players found raffle tickets inside their eggs. If you found a raffle ticket, you got to pick a prize.
I ended up with candy  which honestly still felt like a win.

It was such a fun mid-tournament reset moment, and it brought playful energy right when everyone needed it most.

Community potluck highlights

The food lineup did not disappoint.

Someone brought an absolutely amazing spinach dip that disappeared quickly, and Brittany made a deviled egg spread with Ritz crackers that was seriously delicious.

And in a very appropriate pinball crossover moment, someone brought beer with Godzilla on the cans, which felt perfectly on theme!

Pinball + potluck = excellent combo.

Fuel for multiball.

A welcoming host space

As expected, hosts Jennifer Hildebrandt and Tim had a jigsaw puzzle going. This month’s puzzle featured a beautiful sea turtle, and many of us found ourselves pulled in between rounds.

Jennifer is a school teacher and has a really neat collection of children’s books available. It adds such a warm and thoughtful touch to the environment and gives the whole space a relaxed, welcoming feel.

There were also fun visual details throughout the room — including toy biplanes hanging above the Godzilla machine, which adds personality and a playful sense of theme to the space.

We all get a little happily distracted by the puzzle and books at some point.

Thank you to Jennifer Hildebrandt and Tim for hosting and creating such a comfortable environment for league play.

Format:

Pace Match Play challenge

Pace Match Play keeps players thinking all day because the target score keeps increasing each round.

Scoring format:

• 4-player groups → 7–5–3–1
• 3-player groups → 7–4–1

As rounds progress, the pace line increases (for example, reaching 38 points by the end of Round 8).

This format rewards consistency and makes every placement matter — especially valuable second-place finishes in 3-player groups.

Machines played

A fun mix of classic and modern machines:
• Sinbad
• Fish Tales
• Creature from the Black Lagoon
• King Kong: Myth of Terror Island
• Pinball Pool (Gottlieb)
• Jack•Bot
• Star Trek (Pro)

Each machine challenges different skills — shot accuracy, ball control, rules knowledge, and adaptability.

Pinball Pool is especially interesting because it plays very differently from modern games and rewards strategic shot planning.

Personal results

Highlights from the day:
1st place – Sinbad
1st place – Fish Tales
2nd place – Creature from the Black Lagoon
2nd place – King Kong: Myth of Terror Island
2nd place – Star Trek (Pro)
3rd place – Jack•Bot
4th place – Pinball Pool

Stayed competitive through Round 7 and remained close to the pace line in a very strong field.

Many matches came down to ball 3 decisions, which shows how evenly matched the group was.

Pinball Receipts

Wellness perspective — Still Counts

Four hours of pinball absolutely counts as activity.

Today’s Fitbit stats:

• 4 hours of play
• 8,061 steps
• 3.58 miles
• 61 active zone minutes
• 1,879 calories burned
• cardio load above target

Incidental Exercise Receipts

Pinball involves more movement than most people expect:
• standing endurance
• hand and wrist stamina
• shoulder stability
• reaction timing
• mental focus
• emotional regulation
• social connection
Incidental exercise adds up.

Community moments
The Easter egg hunt captured the Desert Dolls spirit perfectly:
Friendly competition
Encouragement between rounds
Shared snacks
Puzzle teamwork
Great conversations
Celebrating each other’s wins
Competitive AND welcoming is a powerful combination.

Thank you again to Jennifer Hildebrandt and Tim for hosting such a thoughtful and enjoyable event.

Already looking forward to the next Monthly at Mary & Lee’s.

Still counts.

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