LOLA Issue Four

Pinball
Bird’s-eye View
On the second day of the tournament, competitive play
begins. A separate section of the hall is opened and competitors
are assigned to tables in groups of four. While a massive
amount of skill is required to become a pinball champion,
there is also an element of luck. Some people are assigned to
a table they know intimately, others step up to a table cold.
As the day wears on, cries of “Scheiße!” can be heard across
the room. Dreams are crushed, and competitors are slowly
whittled down in number until only four remain.
The showdown between the final four takes place on the
third day. A surprise selection of three tables is presented,
and the winner is chosen based on the culmination of their
scores on all three machines. This year’s selection includes
the Stern hit ‘Ghostbusters’, a table that has widely instilled
faith in the pinball community by proving that new machines
can be as good as the classics. The next is ‘Medieval Madness’
from the 1990s, regarded as one of the greatest tables ever
made. The last to enter the championship is ‘Domino’s Pizza’.
This table, like most fast food, is pretty disappointing.
The first of the finalists is Stefan Harold. He’s the oldest
of the group but incredibly fast. He has the footwork of a
featherweight boxer and his shoes dart back and forth under
the table as he plays. Up next is young Roland Schwartz,
hailing from Austria. He keeps a Swedish Pinball Championship
hand towel tucked in his back pocket, which he uses
to methodically wipe down the table and his hands before
every ball. Next comes Martin Hotze, who won the German
Open in 2015 and is a favourite with the crowd. Last is Armin
Kress. He’s young and in decent shape, and when his ball
inevitably drains, Armin is the only player not to become
visibly upset. He just smiles modestly, steps back from the
table, and waits for his next turn. A crowd of around 30 gathers
around the finalists as they progress from table to table.
Cries of “ooh” ripple through the group after each close call,
and applause breaks out after particularly nice shots. None
of the players do too well on the ‘Domino’s Pizza’ table.
In the end, age and experience beat youthful enthusiasm,
as the final game is between Harold and Hotze. The
match comes down to the very last ball, but Hotze needs
only a few flips to restate his position as German champion.
Trophies are disseminated, awkward handshakes are
exchanged and the crowd dissipates. The machines are
carefully packed away by their owners and prepared for
long journeys home. The crowd leaves the hall, many of
them having played pinball for three consecutive days. The
sun is bright, but it’s not flashing ‘EXTRA BALL’, so no one
pays it much attention.
Reading about pinball is not nearly as fun as playing it.
Gather your spare change and check out our picks of the top
spots in Berlin for a beer ‘n’ ball.
KEVIN MORBY
02.07.17, Quasimodo
OF MONTREAL
20.07.17, Festsaal Kreuzberg
BEACH FOSSILS
06.09.17, Musik & Frieden
CHASTITY BELT
17.09.17, Berghain Kantine
CHAD VANGAALEN
22.10.17, Berghain Kantine
MOUNT EERIE
05.11.17, Silent Green
PEAKING LIGHTS
12.07.17, Berghain Kantine
ULRIKA SPACEK / THE MEN
03.08.17, Berghain Kantine
NADIA REID / MOLLY BURCH
13.09.17, Berghain Kantine
WAXAHATCHEE
28.09.17, Musik & Frieden
PRIESTS
26.10.17, Urban Spree
MAC DEMARCO
08.11.17, Astra
Summer 2017
TICKETS & INFO: PUSCHEN.NET
Spring 2017
19