Final regular-season night — and a reminder that league nights are rarely linear.

Sometimes the machines feel cooperative… sometimes they feel like they’ve had three espressos and a personal grudge 😅

Round 1 — No Fear: Dangerous Sports

Player 1 draw right after an unexpectedly long drive meant jumping straight into competition mode without the usual settle-in time.

Hit ball lock skill shots on the first two balls and started a ramp mode early, but a couple quick drains kept the score at 145M.

The machine played fast and the later players found bigger flow.
Result: 4th (1 point)

Round 2 — Motordome

Three house balls made it tough to establish control. Older Bally layouts can be unforgiving when feeds don’t settle, and this one did not offer much recovery runway. Found out after the game there were modes I should have chosen starting on ball 1. Oops. Next time.
Result: 4th (1 point)

Round 3 — King Kong: Myth of Terror Island

Spicy Kong. Gong rejects, ramp rollbacks playing like they were on NOS, and a spider mech release that preferred center drains. Adapted as best as possible and collected the point in a 3-player group (7-4-1 scoring).
Result: 3rd (1 point)

Round 4 — Solar Fire

Finally a machine that behaved like a cooperative partner. Focused shot-making and steadier feeds led to a strong bounce-back performance. Also discovered my wingspan is apparently longer than expected while stretching between balls and briefly assisted with arcade wall repositioning 😆
Result: 2nd (5 points)

Round 5 — Rick and Morty
Not always my favorite draw, but managed a solid progression and broke 1M for another 2nd-place finish to close the night strong.
Result: 2nd (5 points)

Week 6 Total: 13 points

Not the smoothest start, but a good reminder that league nights reward persistence.

Early chaos, late stabilization, and enough points collected to secure a spot in B Division finals next week.

Also received confirmation from Olivia that I have apparently graduated from Padawan learner status and am now considered “one to watch,” delivered with an appropriately cheeky smile.

Shaniya Lee had another perfect night!

Even though Fitbit labeled part of league play as “golf” (which is kind of hilarious), the bigger picture of the day tells the real story:

Movement totals for the day
8,705 steps
3.83 miles
117 active zone minutes
Cardio load 73 (above target)
walking workout earlier in the day
standing, moving, reacting, and pacing during league play

That combination absolutely reflects a physically engaged day, even if pinball itself doesn’t always spike heart rate enough to show as “vigorous.”

Pinball activity often shows up as:
light HR elevation
intermittent spikes during stressful balls
accumulated standing time
short bursts of reactive movement
subtle but real energy expenditure

Pinball may look stationary from the outside, but league nights quietly stack movement, focus, and stress management reps.

Incidental Exercise Receipts

Still Counts Summary ✔️
• Showed up despite longer-than-usual drive stress
• Adapted to fast, chaotic machine behavior
• Regrouped mid-session
• Finished with back-to-back strong rounds
• Qualified for finals

Sometimes pinball machines are pinball machines.

Sometimes they are slot machines.

Sometimes they are apparently interior decorating assistants.

Either way — the reps still count.
On to finals week. 🎯

Still counts.

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