Twenty-eight players showed up to battle it out at Outpost Arcade for the June Belles & Chimes Phoenix tournament, and what a day it turned out to be.
For me, the tournament ended on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
STNG was my undoing this month, but that’s okay. Sometimes that’s how pinball goes. You play the best game you can with what you’ve got, shake hands, and see where the chips fall. Every tournament teaches us something, and this one gave me another machine to add to my study list.
Pinball Receipts
One thing I have learned over the years is that when someone knocks me out of a tournament, I immediately become their fan. My philosophy is simple:
“If you’re going to beat me, then go win the whole thing.”
I want to know I got beat by the best player in the room.
That mindset made the rest of the afternoon a lot of fun.
There was also a wild five-way Buck Rogers tiebreaker to determine who would advance.
Cheyenne Cockrell fought her way through it, putting up the score she needed under immense pressure and earning her spot in the next round.
The semifinals featured some incredible pinball.
The semifinals brought Theatre of Magic, Star Trek: The Next Generation, No Fear, and Solar Fire into the mix. Scores were huge, momentum shifted constantly, and the final four eventually emerged:
– Mahina Hayashi
– Cheyenne Cockrell
– Gabrielle Craft
– Maiya Hayashi
The finals were every bit as exciting as you’d expect.
Rush was first up, followed by Transporter. The scores swung wildly throughout the finals. At one point Cheyenne built a significant lead, only to see Gabrielle and Maiya battle right back into contention. By the final stages of Transporter, the top players were separated by only a few hundred thousand points, making every shot matter.
But throughout the day, one theme kept repeating itself.
Cheyenne kept advancing.
She survived the tiebreaker.
She survived the semifinals.
She survived the finals.
And by the end of the day, she was holding the winner’s plaque.
The player who ended my tournament ended up winning the entire thing.
Never underestimate the dark horse.
Congratulations to Cheyenne Cockrell on an incredible tournament run and a well-earned victory.
Congratulations as well to all of the finalists and competitors who made for another fantastic Belles & Chimes Phoenix event.
Thank you to Kaydee and Olivia for the use of your amazing arcade. The Outpost Arcade is wonderful.
Thank you to Krisha Shufran for running the tournament.
Thank you to Alex Cardwell for hosting and commentary on The Outpost Arcade twitch feed. Excellent job!
One of my favorite things about this community is that even when our own tournament ends, the fun doesn’t have to.
Sometimes the best seat in the house is on the rail, cheering for the people who are still playing.
See everyone next month.
Still counts.
Incidental Exercise Receipts
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