Tonight was one of those magical league nights where the competition was intense, the adrenaline was REAL, the pinball was fantastic… and somehow the community and fun mattered just as much as the standings.
And according to Fitbit:
apparently I spent the evening “playing golf.” 😂
For the record:
there is no pinball category on Fitbit, so I informed the tiny robot that it was going in as golf and it was simply going to have to emotionally process that information on its own.
Meanwhile reality included:
– 5+ hours on my feet between walking and league
– almost 8,400 steps for the day
– carrying crockpots and food
– adrenaline spikes from multiballs
– walking machine to machine
– standing for hours
– cheering people on
– laughing constantly
– and enough Theatre of Magic excitement that my Fitbit probably briefly considered calling emergency services.
So yes.
“Golf.” Sure. 😂
The night itself was amazing.
We had a great turnout tonight with several new players joining us, and honestly one of my favorite parts of the evening was watching people get introduced to the wonderfully chaotic little family that Arizona women’s pinball has become.
There were conversations happening everywhere between rounds:
– concerts
– hobbies
– random life adventures
– pinball stories
– food discussions
– and people cheering each other on constantly.
I brought turkey tikka masala over basmati rice for the potluck after one of our pinball ladies, Michelle, hooked me up with a giant box of vegetables from a food-share program over the weekend.
So the vegetables completed their full-circle side quest:
food share ➡️
home cooking ➡️
pinball potluck. 😂
And thankfully:
YES.
I remembered my crockpot AND my spoon this time.
Growth. Personal growth. LOL.
Meanwhile I had my own private Spotify soundtrack going in one ear all night and was absolutely bebopping around the arcade listening to oldies and random songs while trying to survive multiballs.
So if anybody saw me randomly singing to myself near a pinball machine… mystery solved. 😂
Pinball-wise, the night was a roller coaster.
Round 1 was Dungeons & Dragons, where I managed a solid 2nd place finish with a very controlled progression game:
– Dragon hits
– Owlbear progress
– Dungeon Crawl
– Zombie docks mode
– lots of trap-up-and-aim pinball
No skill shots somehow, no multiball, but I adapted and survived. 😂
Then came Space Shuttle… and OH BOY.
I had:
– two locks ready for multiball
– a 10x bonus lined up
– momentum building beautifully
…and then tilted trying to save the ball.
😭
Not only did I lose the bonus, but another player immediately stole my locks and converted them into a giant multiball. Absolute old-school pinball karma.
BUT — I still salvaged 2nd place, which honestly felt like a huge mental win after that emotional damage sequence.
Then came Theatre of Magic.
And friends…
THIS was the moment.
I haven’t gotten to play Theatre of Magic in a long time, and the second the rhythm came back, it felt magical in every sense of the word.
My heart was pounding the ENTIRE game. Not panic. Not rushing. Just pure adrenaline and excitement.
I was:
– trapping up
– aiming shots
– locking balls in the safe and the box
– collecting Theatre letters
– hitting the trap door
– looping ramps
– working captive balls
…and the game just FLOWED.
Started:
– Saw Multiball
– then Box Multiball
– then ANOTHER Box Multiball
…and suddenly the score exploded into a 538 million point first-place finish.
Every player on that machine was playing GREAT pinball, and the scores stayed close enough to keep the energy sky-high the whole game. It was one of those rounds where everybody gathered around and got invested in each other’s shots and recoveries.
Honestly one of those:
“THIS is why I love pinball”
moments.
And apparently also one of those:
“THIS is why my Fitbit thinks I’m doing emotionally charged cardio”
moments. 😂
Sorcerer brought us right back into classic-game chaos. Locks got stolen AGAIN (apparently my league theme this week 😂), but honestly one of the coolest parts of the round was watching Patrick Swayze play some absolutely textbook pinball. Seriously beautiful control and composure. It was genuinely fun to watch.
And speaking of fun:
Patrick Swayze’s mom came and played too, and we all got to cheer her on when she got multiball. That’s the kind of thing I love about women’s pinball. Competitive, yes. But still warm and supportive and welcoming.
Final round was Star Trek Pro. I picked Klingon, got Vengeance Multiball going, and managed to pull off another 1st place finish in a brutal low-scoring game.
Final result:
8th out of 29 players for the night
AND currently sitting 4th overall in league standings after two weeks. 🥹
But honestly?
The standings weren’t the best part of tonight.
The best part was reconnecting with the community side of pinball again.
Lately I’ve been so focused on improving and competing and trying to podium that I think I accidentally started carrying too much pressure around with me. Tonight reminded me that yes, I love competing…
…but I ALSO love:
– the people
– the laughter
– the weird conversations
– cheering for each other
– sharing food
– watching good pinball
– meeting fascinating new humans
– and the feeling that this weird little pinball community really IS a family.
We had new players tonight, including the incredibly cool Trip with bright orange dreads, tattoos, hiking energy, and stories about feeding bats and birds of prey. 😂
Megan brought her hilarious, super-smart two-year-old daughter who apparently renames her dog every time someone asks its name.
People were talking concerts and hobbies between rounds.
We were cheering for multiballs.
Sharing stories and food and excitement.
And somewhere in the middle of all that:
we were accidentally stacking incidental exercise too.
Because wellness doesn’t always look like:
– treadmills
– gyms
– misery cardio
– or punishing workouts.
Sometimes wellness looks like:
– morning walks
– carrying crockpots
– standing for hours
– laughing with friends
– adrenaline from competition
– walking machine to machine
– staying mentally engaged
– sharing meals
– feeling connected
– and not wanting the night to end because you’re having too much fun.
Honestly?
That’s a pretty good lifestyle. ❤️🕹️💪