Sunday brought another opportunity to compete at Electric Bat Arcade for Chui’s June Bounty Knockout.
With 78 players in the field and a format where both 3rd and 4th place receive strikes, every game mattered. The goal wasn’t necessarily to win every match—it was simply to stay in the top two and survive another round.
Andrew and I settled in for another afternoon of pinball, with my classic oldies playlist providing the soundtrack.
Sam Cooke, Petula Clark, Harry Belafonte, The Byrds, and The Beatles kept me company as the tournament unfolded.
One of my draws was Andromeda, a game that has never been one of my favorites.
My approach is a little unconventional. Rather than risking the difficult lock shot and hoping it doesn’t reject the ball straight down the middle, I usually focus on completing the drop targets and repeatedly shooting the top lanes to build bonus multipliers. If another player leaves a locked ball waiting, I’ll absolutely take advantage of it, but I’m usually not interested in risking everything just to start multiball myself. I played my game, accepted the result, and moved on.
The most frustrating game of the day was Firepower.
I finished with 78,630 points, falling short of third place by less than 1,000 points. That’s pinball sometimes—one bounce, one bonus, or one extra shot can completely change your afternoon.
Despite that setback, I battled my way into Round 7, where I found myself on Charlie’s Angels. I knew the machine well and felt like I had a chance. I finished with 79,700 points, which was good for third place in my group. Unfortunately, this tournament awards strikes to both third and fourth place, so third was just one spot short of survival. That fourth strike ended my tournament.
Andrew also had a solid afternoon, making it through six rounds before taking his fourth strike.
Final Results
Me: 37th out of 78 players
Even though Fitbit doesn’t have a “competitive pinball tournament” activity, here’s what four and a half hours of tournament pinball looked like for my body.
Incidental Exercise Receipts
🔥 700 calories burned
❤️ Average heart rate: 98 bpm
💚 66 Active Zone Minutes
🟢 1 hour 6 minutes in the Moderate zone
🔵 3 hours 25 minutes in the Light zone
Andrew: 48th out of 78 players
The tournament eventually lasted 16 rounds, with Mark Pearson taking first place after an incredibly consistent run.
After several hours of pinball, we wrapped up the day at Red Robin.
After sharing their version of Mozzarella Sticks. I ordered a veggie burger topped with avocado and a fried egg, along with one of my favorite treats—their Yukon Gold chips. I don’t keep potato chips at home because, for me, one bag quickly becomes one serving. Having them occasionally at a restaurant keeps them feeling special instead of becoming an everyday habit. Andrew enjoyed a veggie burger with bottomless steamed broccoli.
No trophies came home with us this weekend, but we still had a great time.
I finished in the top half of a strong field, Andrew and I spent the afternoon together doing something we love, and I walked away with a few lessons to take into the next tournament.
That’s the beauty of pinball.
There will always be another game, another bracket, and another chance to flip the ball a little better next time. 🎱💜
Still counts. Always.
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