Belles and Chimes September Monthly Tournament Recap 🎯💜

Well, September’s Belles & Chimes Phoenix Monthly Tournament at The Outpost Arcade was one hell of a Saturday.

There were 23 women competing, six rounds of qualifying, and only the top eight would move on to finals. I knew going in that I needed to put some points on the board, and I managed to do exactly that.

Did I make finals?
Nope. 😂 But I came really damn close, and I’m pretty happy with how I played.

Six Rounds. Six Very Different Stories.

Round 1 — The Mandalorian LE

I started the day on The Mandalorian LE with Olivia Helm, Laura Cronogue, and Janel Valdez.

My first ball was…well…567K. 😂
Not exactly the start I was hoping for.

But then Ball 2 happened.
I got into Mode 5, started a multiball, used the Action Button flamethrower, and suddenly I was putting up some actual points.

Ball 3 brought more Protect the Child, a couple of 2X multipliers, and eventually a drain.

Final scores:
Olivia — 170,342,590
Christy — 63,949,390
Janel — 63,619,220
Laura — 12,117,950

I squeaked past Janel by 330,170 points for 2nd place and 5 tournament points.

I’ll take it. 😁

Round 2 — Blackout

Then came Blackout, with Tracy Lindbergh, Elaine Hecht, and Kaydee Helm.

I was making progress throughout the game, working the top lanes and drop targets, and by Ball 3 I was actually making a little comeback.

And then…
I tried to trap up.
The ball went up the inlane, headed straight for the outlane, and I shatz myself.
😂🫪

Final score: 139,380
That put me in 4th place for 1 point.

Sometimes pinball giveth.
Sometimes pinball says, “LOL. Nope.”

Round 3 — The Walking Dead Pro

This was my big round.

I played The Walking Dead Pro with Krisha Shufran, Gabrielle Craft, and Jessica Rogers, and this machine and I apparently decided to cooperate.

I was hitting Barn, working the multipliers, getting drop targets, starting modes, and eventually getting into Barn Multiball and Well Walker Multiball.

By Ball 3, I was sitting at 45,081,110.

And here’s the part that still makes me laugh: I was two shots away from another Barn Multiball when I drained.

TWO.
SHOTS.
😂
But it didn’t matter.
I still finished 1st.

Final scores:
Christy — 45,081,110
Gabrielle — 41,086,200
Jessica — 11,674,780
Krisha — 5,325,580

That’s 7 tournament points, and suddenly I was sitting at 13 points and right in the middle of the fight for the top eight.

Okay. Maybe we’re doing this thing.

Round 4 — Sorcerer

Then Sorcerer happened.
Oh, Sorcerer.
😂

I played with Terri Boyd, Tina Buhrman, and Shaniya Lee.

My flippers decided they were going to take the afternoon off.

BUTTERFLIPPERS!

Ball 1 was rough. Ball 2 was better. Ball 3 gave me some more top-lane and drop-target progress, but I just couldn’t get enough going.

Final scores:
Terri — 1,312,030
Tina — 308,990
Shaniya — 145,670
Christy — 61,830
Fourth place. 1 point.

And suddenly that comfortable little cushion I’d built after The Walking Dead wasn’t feeling quite so comfortable anymore. 😂

Round 5 — Foo Fighters

And then came my nemesis.
Foo Fighters.
I know. I know. 😂
But this game actually treated me pretty well.

I got the skill shot, worked the loops, started Roswell, got a ball lock toward Overlord Multiball, and managed to put together a respectable Ball 3.

Final score: 44,195,470
I finished 2nd for another 5 points.

At this point I had 19 points going into the final qualifying round.

Everything was going to come down to Round 6.

Round 6 — Transporter the Rescue

And this was a fun one because my group included Hailey Buhrman.

I started slowly, but by Ball 3 I was finally getting things going.

I had two ball locks, completed the drop targets, and lined up multiball.

And then…
Drain.
Of course. 😂

Final scores:
Hailey — 6,196,250
Christy — 1,857,200
Mollie — 1,557,240
Wendy — 1,495,690

Second place.
5 more points.

That brought my qualifying total to:
24 POINTS

And then we waited for the standings.
I finished tied for 11th with 24 points.
The top eight advanced to finals.
So, no finals for me this time.

And honestly?
I’m okay with that.

I had six very different games. I won a round. I took second three times. I had some spectacularly stupid drains. I had a couple of games where the machine and I were absolutely vibing. And I finished the qualifying rounds knowing I had played my game and given myself a legitimate shot. That’s what I wanted.

And Then There Was Hailey…

I headed home during finals and watched the livestream instead, thanks to Alex Cardwell putting the tournament on Twitch.

And holy crap.
Hailey was ON FIRE.

She was putting up scores in the 500 million, 400 million, and 300 million range, and she got so far ahead at points that the other players were actually tapping her to let games go so they could finish the rounds and keep things moving.

Watching that from home was freaking awesome.

Congratulations to the entire finals group, and especially to Hailey for putting on an absolute clinic. ❤️

September Takeaway

I didn’t make the final eight.

But 11th out of 23, with 24 points and a 1st-place finish plus three 2nd-place finishes?

I’ll take that.

There is always something to work on. There are always machines that make me want to throw things. 😂 And there are always those moments where I think, “Damn, I was THIS close.”

But that’s pinball.

You keep playing.

You keep learning.

You keep chasing that next good game.

And eventually, maybe those points add up to the finals spot I’m looking for.

Until then…keep flipping.