Pinball wizards flock to Sherwood park 'to be the best' in Alberta

It was a battle of Alberta in Sherwood Park Sunday.

The best pinball players from Edmonton and Calgary came together for the 2023 Pinball Alberta Challenge Cup.

Players manned the flippers and went head to head over the day, showing off their classic arcade game skills and competing for bragging rights.

"This is a big huge pinball tournament that we run every single year," said organizer Derek Thompson, president of Die Hard Pinball. "It's a team competition, and it's for bragging rights to see who is the best club in Alberta."

Thompson said the classic arcade game is just like any other competitive sport, and players are eager to show off their skills.

"There's a physicality to the machines which appeals to people, and it's an opportunity to be the best at something," he said.

Krista Goshko and Theresa Hurst were out representing the Edmonton women's team.

Both fell in love with pinball after being introduced to the game by their significant others.

"[My] first date was at this arcade, I don't know if that says a lot, but my first date was here with my partner," said Hurst.

Now their passionate pinballers with a singular focus.

"We are kicking Calgary's butt, so that's the goal here at the end of the day," said Goshko.

Calgary's men's team captain Tony Batti started his journey to pinball wizard playing solo as a kid.

"You used to put a quarter in a game and you got to the point where you could play so good [that with] 50 cents you could play for two hours," Batti said.

He returned to the capital city Sunday with his team to defend their title.

"Hoping for a championship," he said. "Back-to-back titles would be great."

While competitors had their eyes on the Alberta Challenge Cup, for many pinball is about more than bragging rights or a trophy.

"We started coming here right after Covid when the restrictions started opening up, so for me it was being back in public space with a lot of people - just making some new friendships," Hurst.

"You get to play a game from the 60s, the 70s, the 80s to today, because games are getting released every year. So just having fun learning all the games and playing with everyone [is] just phenomenal," Batti said.

The 2023 Alberta Provincial Pinball Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 20 at Arkadium Retro Arcade in Sherwood Park. 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha