# Episode 154: Jack Tadman, the pride of Winnipeg

**Source:** Pinball Profile  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2018-09-18  
**Duration:** 28m 13s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballprofile.com/episode-154-jack-tadman-the-pride-of-winnipeg/

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## Analysis

Jeff Teolis interviews Jack Tadman, a top competitive pinball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba, about his exceptional 2018 tournament season including wins at the New York State Championship (Buffalo), Replay FX (Pittsburgh), and Buffalo Pinball Summer Open Classics division. They discuss competitive pinball culture, tournament organization in Ontario/Canada, the rise of operator-enthusiasts, and Jack's plans to host a world-class multi-format tournament in Toronto.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jack Tadman won the New York State Championship in Buffalo in January 2018, the only Canadian competitor at the event — _Jeff and Jack discuss Jack's tournament wins early in 2018; Jeff explicitly states 'you went there, and you might have ticked off a few Americans and won the thing'_
- [HIGH] Jack won Replay FX (Intergalactic/Pinburg combined event) in Pittsburgh in May/June 2018, described as the second-biggest tournament in the world — _Jeff states 'you won it all this year, which is so hard to do. The second biggest tournament in the world, Jack Tadman was the winner'_
- [HIGH] Jack finished 11th at Pinburg in a previous year, eliminated in quarterfinals by Keith Elwin and Robert Gagneau — _Jack recalls: 'I think a few years ago at Pinberg you were 11th... Finishing 11th at Pinberg is something that I'm very proud of'_
- [HIGH] Jack was an alternate for IFPA 15 in Toronto and got in early; Jeff had to wait until the 11th hour for Herb from Austria not to show up — _Jeff states: 'you got in a lot earlier than I did. I had to wait for, I guess, the 11th hour for Herb from Austria not to show up'_
- [HIGH] Jack Tadman helped organize City Pinball League in Ontario with Dan Beeson, created Champinions tournament featuring top players from eight Ontario leagues — _Jeff: 'City Pinball is something you and Dan Beeson created a few years ago... he put all eight leagues together last year and did this Champinions tournament'_
- [HIGH] Ontario has numerous active pinball leagues: Toronto (22 years standing), City Pinball, Bluffs (Scarborough), Eddie's Durham League, TCPL (Kitchener-Waterloo), London Pinball League, and Hammer City Pinball (Hamilton) — _Jeff lists leagues: 'There are leagues in Toronto, 22 years now in standing. City Pinball... You've got Bluffs in Scarborough. You've got Eddie's Durham League. There's the TCPL in Kitchener-Waterloo... the big London Pinball League... now one in Hamilton, the Hammer City Pinball'_
- [HIGH] Jack plans a multi-format Toronto world-class tournament with main and classics divisions, using timed sessions (Herbstau format) at Cabin Fever and a garage venue — _Jack describes: 'Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.... limit each session to, let's say, 20 players... The classics tournament would actually be held in my garage... two blocks away from Cabin Fever'_
- [HIGH] A Canadian television series titled 'How the Game is Played' aired on Game TV, following Jack Tadman and Adam Becker through IFPA 15 preparation and competition — _Jack: 'How the Game is Played is a Canadian series. It followed Adam and I as we prepared and then played in IFPA 15'_

### Notable Quotes

> "I would like to be maybe the best JT in my area. I can't even do that. Why? because there's this guy named Jack Tadman, and he is on the phone right now, my nemesis but also good friend."
> — **Jeff Teolis**, opening
> _Sets up the interview with humor about Jack's dominance in their shared competitive area_

> "It's no secret that all roads through Ontario go through Adam Becker. He's a great player. He's a colorful player."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~7:30
> _Acknowledges Adam Becker's dominance in Ontario competitive scene_

> "Being able to play with Daniele for eight hours, essentially, the two of us... being able to watch him closely and see how he reacts to certain situations has improved my game more than any sort of tutorial or video or practice session that I've had."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~14:00
> _Articulates the value of direct mentorship and observation from top international players_

> "We have people in certain roles who are contributing to the growth of pinball. So you have members of the community who are prepared to give up their time and say, look, I want to run a sanction league. I want to be an ambassador for pinball who greets new people and makes them feel welcome."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~32:00
> _Emphasizes community infrastructure and volunteer-driven growth model_

> "You're seeing the rise of the operator enthusiasts. So we have in Toronto, we have Dan Beeson, who just does an amazing job making sure the machines work, making sure there are new machines."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~33:30
> _Identifies shift from passive coin-collection operators to engaged enthusiast-operators improving game quality_

> "I think it's time for Toronto to host a world-class event, something that people will travel for. And just personally, you go around, you go to these different tournaments, often there are people you know, and it's like a party that you're going to, but somebody always has to host a party, and maybe it's not that much fun to be a host, but somebody has to do it, and I think it's our turn to do that."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~35:00
> _Articulates motivation for organizing major tournament; emphasizes hosting burden and reciprocal community obligation_

> "There is a minimum standard of competence that a tournament director needs to achieve in order to avoid complaining or grumbling from players... a player may be flying, driving, spending money on hotel rooms, spending money on entries, taking time off work. And it's important, I think, that a minimum standard is met there."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~42:00
> _Establishes professional standards expectation for tournament organization; balances volunteer appreciation with accountability_

> "To put up a score, let's say, on Iron Maiden that's 400, 500 million, I mean, you need to hit hundreds of shots. Whereas to put up a big score in classics, you may only need to hit 15, 20, 25 shots. So because of that and because of the variance, in classics games, it's a lot more challenging to win, and no offense to any of the great classics players out there, to me it's more challenging to win the main event than it is to win a classics tournament."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~50:00
> _Explains technical difference between modern and classic game difficulty/variance; reflects on competitive skill differentiation_

> "I'm not there yet where I'm saying to myself, you know, okay, I'm here. I belong with all these great players. You know, personally, I still look up to a lot of the guys and, you know, above and below the standings."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~54:00
> _Shows competitive humility despite multiple major tournament wins; indicates mindset focused on continued improvement_

> "My grandmother had an expression, which was, thank God I'm here to complain. And, you know, she's no longer with us. So after she passed, you know, that explanation and that expression sort of took on a deeper meaning."
> — **Jack Tadman**, ~45:00
> _Personal reflection on community participation and gratitude; adds human depth to tournament discussion_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jack Tadman | person | Top competitive pinball player from Winnipeg, Manitoba; won 2018 New York State Championship, Replay FX Pittsburgh, Buffalo Pinball Summer Open Classics; co-founder City Pinball League; tournament organizer |
| Jeff Teolis | person | Host of Pinball Profile podcast; competitive pinball player; organizer of pinball events |
| Adam Becker | person | Dominant Ontario competitive pinball player; featured in 'How the Game is Played' Canadian TV series; runs IFPA 15 event |
| Daniele Acciari | person | Elite Italian competitive pinball player; featured at Cabin Fever pre-event for IFPA 15; mentored Jack Tadman on advanced techniques |
| Dan Beeson | person | Operator-enthusiast in Toronto; maintains machines at Cabin Fever and other venues; co-founder City Pinball League with Jack Tadman |
| Derek Thompson | person | Operator-enthusiast in Alberta; runs Yagpin tournament in Edmonton; strong competitive player; Die Hard Pinball operator |
| IFPA 15 | event | Elite international pinball tournament held in Toronto, May/June 2018; featured pre-events at Cabin Fever; Jack Tadman and Jeff Teolis participated as alternates |
| Pinburgh | event | Major annual pinball tournament in Pittsburgh; Jack finished 11th in prior year; competitive hub with significant waiting list |
| Replay FX | event | Pittsburgh-based tournament event featuring Intergalactic and Pinburgh games; Jack Tadman won 2018 edition |
| New York State Championship | event | 2018 edition held in Buffalo; Jack Tadman won as only Canadian competitor; traditionally held in NYC but moved to Buffalo in 2018 |
| Buffalo Pinball Summer Open | event | Tournament featuring classics division; Jack Tadman won classics finals |
| Cabin Fever | location | Toronto pinball venue with high-quality games; hosted IFPA 15 pre-event; planned venue for Jack's main tournament |
| City Pinball League | organization | Ontario pinball league co-founded by Jack Tadman and Dan Beeson; multi-division competitive league |
| Champinions | event | Tournament organized by Jack Tadman featuring top players from eight Ontario leagues; based on Champions League soccer format |
| Yagpin | event | Major annual pinball tournament in Edmonton, Alberta run by Derek Thompson; scheduled for late April/early May |
| How the Game is Played | product | Canadian television series aired on Game TV; followed Jack Tadman and Adam Becker through IFPA 15 preparation and competition; educational series for general audience |
| Manitoba Pinball League | organization | Pinball league/organization based in Manitoba; committed to hosting quality events; growing competitive scene |
| Keith Elwin | person | Elite competitive pinball player; eliminated Jack Tadman in Pinburg quarterfinals in prior year |
| Robert Gagneau | person | Competitive pinball player; competed with Jack Tadman and Levy in Pinburg quarterfinals |
| Trent Augenstein | person | Elite classic pinball player; competed against Jack Tadman in Buffalo Pinball Summer Open classics finals |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Competitive tournament circuit and results, Ontario/Canadian pinball community and league infrastructure, Tournament organization and event hosting
- **Secondary:** Operator-enthusiasts and community growth, Modern vs. classic pinball gameplay and difficulty differentiation, International competitive pinball and mentorship
- **Mentioned:** Tournament volunteer labor and community participation standards, Media coverage of pinball (Canadian television series)

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Jack Tadman is portrayed very positively throughout; enthusiastic discussion of his tournament wins, community organizing efforts, and competitive growth. Friendly banter with Jeff about fashion choices and personal habits. Discussion of tournament standards has some critical elements but balanced with mutual respect. Overall celebratory tone of Jack's achievements and contribution to pinball community growth.

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Champinions tournament (Jack's 2018 initiative) created unified Ontario league competition across eight separate regional leagues, demonstrating community organization maturity (confidence: high) — Jeff: 'he put all eight leagues together last year and did this Champinions tournament... took the four best players from each league and had this little round robin. That was a lot of fun, but a lot of work, too'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Tournament volunteer labor increasingly expected to meet minimum professional standards; community frustration with tournament direction legitimate if TD incompetence documented; players justified requiring quality despite not volunteering (confidence: medium) — Jack balances Jeff's volunteer appreciation: 'There is a minimum standard of competence that a tournament director needs to achieve... a player may be flying, driving, spending money... taking time off work'
- **[community_signal]** Toronto pinball community mobilizing major tournament infrastructure with planned world-class event featuring innovative multi-format/multi-venue structure; reflects broader Canadian regional tournament growth (confidence: high) — Jack describes detailed tournament format with Cabin Fever main venue, garage classics venue, timed sessions; Jeff's strong endorsement; context of multiple Ontario leagues and IFPA 15 success
- **[community_signal]** Rise of 'operator-enthusiasts' in Canada (Dan Beeson, Derek Thompson, David Morris, Nick/Jamie in Buffalo) replacing traditional coin-collection operators; directly tied to pinball community growth (confidence: high) — Jack explicitly identifies and praises the shift: 'you seeing the rise of the operator enthusiasts... committed to putting in new, working, clean pinball machines. And to me, that's going to grow pinball more than a lot of the other things'
- **[competitive_signal]** Jack Tadman demonstrates competitive advantage through direct international mentorship model; learning from elite international players (Daniele Acciari) more impactful than self-study methods (confidence: medium) — Jack: 'being able to watch him closely and see how he reacts to certain situations has improved my game more than any sort of tutorial or video or practice session that I've had'
- **[competitive_signal]** Jack Tadman rapidly ascending in IFPA competitive rankings (now top 50) following major tournament wins in 2018; established as elite-tier player in North American circuit (confidence: high) — Jeff states 'there won't be a waiting list for you for IFPA 16 in Italy next year. I can tell you that right now, the way you're playing... you skyrocket to top 50'
- **[design_philosophy]** Modern pinball games require higher execution precision and shot consistency than classic games due to scoring scale (400-500M vs 15-25 shots); affects tournament variance and competitive differentiation (confidence: medium) — Jack's detailed analysis: 'To put up a score... on Iron Maiden... 400, 500 million, I mean, you need to hit hundreds of shots... to put up a big score in classics, you may only need to hit 15, 20, 25 shots'
- **[event_signal]** IFPA 15 in Toronto (May/June 2018) successfully attracted elite international players (German 16-year-old, Daniele Acciari from Italy, Julio Soriano from Spain) and included pre-events showcasing Canadian competitive scene (confidence: high) — Jack describes IFPA 15 as 'a privilege to have all those great players in one location' and references pre-event at Cabin Fever; Jack received direct mentorship from Daniele
- **[content_signal]** Canadian mainstream television (Game TV) produced 'How the Game is Played' series documenting IFPA 15, indicating growing legitimacy and media interest in pinball as sport/entertainment (confidence: high) — Jack describes show: 'to demonstrate the big tournament in pinball... to teach people about pinball, how machines work... because the audience is not a pinball audience'

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## Transcript

 It's time now for another Pinball Profile. I'm your host, Jeff Teels. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter, at Pinball Profile. Email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. Please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. And don't forget to check out our under-construction website, pinballprofile.com. I've got to tell you, I play a lot of different places, but you kind of want to be maybe one of the best in your own area, right? Because you know the machines more, and that's just not the case with all the players in the area I'm at. In fact, you kind of settle. I have a friend named Ian Harrower. He's excited a couple years ago that he was the only Ian or even person with the name that starts with I at Pinberg. Well, there was another one, so he came in second. So I said, well, at least you're top two. I would like to be maybe the best JT in my area. I can't even do that. Why? because there's this guy named Jack Tadman, and he is on the phone right now, my nemesis but also good friend. Jack, how are you, buddy? I'm great, Jeff. Thanks for having me on here. Hey, man, you are on fire in 2018. Let's just go over some of the resume of what Jack has done already in this calendar year, and we're only in September. It started off in January. I thought, oh, boy, he's going to do really well at the Ontario Championships, maybe give Adam Becker a run for his money. Nope. Jack said, you know what, I'm going to go over to Buffalo because this year the New York State Championship moved west as opposed to being in New York City. You went there, and you might have ticked off a few Americans and won the thing. Yeah, it was great. I really enjoy playing with the guys from New York. There's a great collection of guys that are there, just to mention a few by name. CJ, Paul Karras, Pavarelli, Matthew Carlson, Levy also, but Levy wasn't at the tournament, which obviously helped my chances. So you were the only Canadian represented at this big event, and you went on and then got to go to Vegas, and certainly that's a lot of fun too, because as we were just joking off the top, Becker's tough to beat in this province of ours of Ontario. So was it a matter of you thought maybe I have a better chance in New York? Yeah, it's no secret that all roads through Ontario go through Adam Becker. He's a great player. He's a colorful player. For me, I really appreciate and enjoy the hard work that Buffalo Pinball guys, specifically Nick and Kevin, do putting events together. There was a three-strike tournament the night before that I thought would be a good idea to attend. Adams Place is from downtown Toronto where I live. Adams Place is about an hour, hour and 15 minutes, and Buffalo is only two hours. So it wasn't that much of a difference from a time perspective. I'm sure there are a lot of New York players wondering where you'll go this year because you'll probably qualify for New York again, although it won't be in Buffalo. Yeah, the tournament's in New York City this year. Despite the fact that I would probably qualify straight up for New York, I'm going to play in Ontario. There you go, New Yorkers. You've got a chance. No Canadian winning it there unless somebody else goes there. We do have a few Canadians who've done well in New York, but I think it'll be represented by someone from your fine state. Well, let's move ahead as we talk about playing all over the place. It was kind of cool this year that IFPA 15 came to Adam Becker's place, the best players in the world, and you and I were alternates. You got in a lot earlier than I did. I had to wait for, I guess, the 11th hour for Herb from Austria not to show up. But that was a fun event, and I know you and I were both very, very excited to be participating in that for our first time. Yeah, I was thrilled to be a part of it. To be included in a group with the best players in the world is a privilege. and Josh and Adam do some great work just running the event and dealing with all the IPA stuff. We also wanted to host. We wanted to show people coming from Europe, coming from the States, Australia, New Zealand, and we wanted to show them what pinball was like in Toronto. So fortunately, we got to do that with some of the pre-events, and I was involved in organizing one of the pre-events, which was a pinball tournament at a place called Cabin Fever. We've had Robin Harrison on this program, and a lot of people have talked about Robin and Cabin Fever. It's a great place, really close to your home too, but some of the finest games, the tech, Dan Beeson there does a great job. He's also one of the operators of the machines, and you know him from Tilt in Toronto. That tournament was fantastic to see all those amazing players, and it was highlighted by a 16-year-old from Germany who just showed experts like Daniele from Italy how to play pinball. It was a real show to see. Yeah, and again, it was a privilege to have all those great players in one location. And being in North America, you see people's rankings, especially Europeans. You don't really get a chance to play against them, and you wonder how the skills of some of these players whom you don't really get a chance to see match up against your skill or the skills of other North Americans. And some players in particular really impressed me, Johannes being one of them. I mean, Daniele Acciari just blew my mind in terms of his skills. And the other player was Julio. It was great to watch him play. Julio Soriano from Spain. Yeah, I got to play with him at IFFA 15. And those three people you just mentioned there are in a whole other level. You and I were talking about that on our way back from the Cleveland Pinball Show about the different tiers of players, and we're looking up at all three of those because that's something. And I think you were even telling me at Cabin Fever, you and Daniele got to spend some time, and you've kind of done some new moves based on his play that he kind of taught you a little bit. Yeah, I mean, two things that have been the most influential on me in terms of pinball and learning to play better. One is just the general influence of Adam Becker, who's been there to answer my questions and for me to watch him play since I got into competitive pinball in 2012. The other was just being able to play with Daniele for eight hours, essentially, the two of us with other people, but being able to watch him closely and see how he reacts to certain situations has improved my game more than any sort of tutorial or video or practice session that I've had. It's interesting that you say that because that event was late May, early June, and then just shortly after that, you go, like so many of us, to replay, where you play at Pimberg, and you play at Intergalactic, and you did very well there a year ago. There's only one place to go, and that was up, and you won it all this year, which is so hard to do. The second biggest tournament in the world, Jack Tabin was the winner. Yeah, Jeff, I think for a lot of us, we have skills and we feel good playing, but there are times in competitions when the pressure on a bit where we don feel like we playing up to our standards And it a challenge for me It remains a challenge for me Fortunately you know intergalactic you need to just get that sort of 30 to 45 seconds of ball time. You miss a few shots, you recover, enough time to settle down. And for me, especially in the final games, I was able to get that, to get that 45 seconds of maybe missing a few times, making some saves, settling down, settling in, and making the shots that you need to make. And you don't always have that opportunity because, as we all know, the physical nature of the game. There's something about Pittsburgh for you because you've had success before there. I think a few years ago at Pinberg you were 11th, which is amazing. Finishing 11th at Pinberg is something that I'm very proud of. I think that group in the quarterfinals was Levy, Keith Elwin, Robert Gagneau, and me. So, you know, Levy and I stayed back and Robert and Keith moved on. You know, Pinberg for me, I feel comfortable on all eras of games. I'm not intimidated by classics. I feel like my skill set can sort of transfer to all eras of games. And I think, you know, even though I didn't qualify for the playoffs this year, you know, generally I felt very comfortable and have done well for me at Pinberg. I want to point out that you went to Pittsburgh as someone on the waiting list to get in, so you knew at the very least you were going to play Intergalactic and maybe a pre-event, but yeah, I guess it was maybe a little nerve-wracking going there, not knowing for sure that you'd get in? Yeah, I mean, pinball events, it's great. You know, pinball is popular, and events are selling out faster and faster, and I think anybody who's been on a pinball waiting list, especially Pinburg, I mean, you spend a lot of time thinking about it. You know, you're looking at that list, oh, why haven't they updated the list? And then maybe you go to the Pinberg list of participants, and there's only 837 people on this list. Where are the other three? And then you go to see if there's any duplicate names, and then you wonder why it's taking so long again for them to update. And slowly, slowly, you know, you make your way from 108 to 102 and, you know, 65. I think when Pinberg started, I was 50-something. Wow. But, you know, Phil Bernbaum always tells a story, was telling a story about one Pinberg a few years ago where he was third on the waiting list and didn't get in. So you have that in the back of your mind as you register and you look around the waiting list and the registration desk and you see if there are any familiar faces. Fortunately, I was able to get in and next year at 12 o'clock instead of 12.02, I'll make sure I'm at my computer. Jack, the year just continues to be great for you. Buffalo Pinball Summer Open. You and I were in the Classics two finals, and I haven't been bragging about winning, so that must mean you won. Yeah, and Jeff, being in these bigger tournaments and being in, let's say, the finals, it's such a thrill to be able to play well because it's not something that has happened to me in the past in tournaments, but it was just such a thrill for me to get in there to play with, you know, in a group with you and Jerry Bernard, who's one of the great classic players, Trent Augenstein, who's one of the all-time greats, and to be able to get in there and to play. We played, Fathom was the first game, and that was fine, and Stargazer was good, and by game three it was between Trent and I. The two of you had been eliminated, and to just have one of those, I think they're called God Balls, on Space Shuttle, and to be able to put up $6 million on one ball, which, I mean, it's not Eric Stone territory, but it was something that I was just, I mean, while it's happening, you're just so excited. And I'm glad that it happened on a bigger stage. That was something to see for sure. Again, your great success in New York State, so that's why I was kind of wondering off the top, are you going to go to the New York State Finals because you've got a couple of big wins there? And, you know, we were talking about waiting lists. I think you were even on the waiting list, too, originally for the New York City Championships, weren't you? I was player 141, and they took 140. So that one I wasn't too worried about. I have to agree. You know, if you're not on social media, if you're not even just Facebook, if you're not keeping up with what's happening, pinball, it can be a challenge. Because if you're not signing up, some tournaments sell out in a minute, or in the case of the Zantham tournament, and even less. That's a good point, Jack. You're not on Facebook. I know you created a fake guy once just to really get a message out to everyone else under the fake name Jack Annie Potts, which I thought was pretty funny. Now, why aren't you on social media? You're not alone. I'm just curious your reasons. I mean, for me, at least with Facebook, it was just not something that I signed up for when it was becoming popular. And it's definitely not something that I'm opposed to. And I find myself using Facebook more now. As you mentioned, I created Jackpots, and that's to help administer our City Pinball League. And it was also to join the groups for IFPA 15. So it's not that I have an issue with it. Specifically, I am on Facebook more now, just really only for pinball-related reasons. Fair enough. You mentioned City Pinball. That's something that's really grown. In Ontario, for those that don't know, there are so many different leagues. There are leagues in Toronto, 22 years now in standing. City Pinball is something you and Dan Beeson created a few years ago. You've got Bluffs in Scarborough. You've got Eddie's Durham League. There's the TCPL in Kitchener-Waterloo nearby, the big London Pinball League. There's now one in Hamilton, the Hammer City Pinball. I'm probably forgetting a few more, and forgive me if I am, but my goodness, there's a lot of pinball. We're not quite at Washington State, but there certainly are a lot of opportunities, a lot of choices for pinball, and you've created one with City Pinball. Yeah, I think, Jeff, from a broader perspective, we have people in certain roles who are contributing to the growth of pinball. So you have members of the community who are prepared to give up their time and say, look, I want to run a sanction league. I want to be an ambassador for pinball who greets new people and makes them feel welcome and organizes something where everyone, a place where everyone can get together with like-minded interests and to play pinball. And I think that's a big part of what the people organizing leagues are doing. From an even broader perspective, you can't do that without having games that play well. There sort of the old operator who comes in opens up the coin door collects the money and leaves And we seeing a major shift from that old attitude I didn coin this phrase but you seeing the rise of the operator enthusiasts So we have in Toronto, we have Dan Beeson, who just does an amazing job making sure the machines work, making sure there are new machines. But we also have guys like Nick and Jamie and that group in Buffalo, other Canadians. You have Derek Thompson, Die Hard Pinball in Alberta. And even in my home province, we're seeing the old-time guy being pushed out a bit by David Morris and his crew, who are committed to putting in new, working, clean pinball machines. And to me, that's going to grow pinball more than a lot of the other things that are talked about. You're from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jack, actually, you're there right now as we speak. and I follow Manitoba Pinball on Twitter, and those guys seem to be really growing as far as the Western Canada and prairie scene. It's nice to see growth in places that are maybe a little more remote than others. Yeah, I'm thrilled with the direction the pinball is going in Manitoba and also in Western Canada. They're committed, Manitoba Pinball League is committed to having some great events. And, you know, same thing in Edmonton, Alberta, Saskatchewan. I love seeing these guys now who are starting to come to events. It's comforting for me to see, let's say, someone like Derek Thompson, who has just a perfect prairie Canadian accent. And it's great. So I don't know if you're familiar with fishtails and, you know, the call-out where, oh, you got one on there, eh? That's how Derek talks. And I love him. and it's comforting for me to hear those prairie accents when you're out at international tournaments. It makes you feel like you're not alone. He does a great job at Yagpin. Boy, I know myself and a lot of the Seattle players had a lot of fun there in Edmonton, and watch for that in, I believe, late April next year, if not early May. But check that out, Yagpin, too. Derek's a great player, and he did really well just recently at the Vancouver flip-out. So many big tournaments and things going on. You're always kind of trying to create what will draw people to events, and we know there are different types of players. There are the ones that like the casual aspects. Maybe it's like league play. It's conversation. It's having a beer. There are also those that are watching the IFPA standings, and they're a little more competitive. So it's the balance that you try to find out when you have tournaments because you want to have as many people as possible. You want them having fun and getting to play for a little bit. Maybe cost's a factor as well, too. You and I, when we were coming back from Cleveland, we were talking about something that you've kind of bounced around as far as having a main and a classics event in Toronto. Do you want to talk about that, maybe create some interest? Yeah, thanks, Jeff. You know, I think it's time for Toronto to host a world-class event, something that people will travel for. And just personally, you go around, you go to these different tournaments, often there are people you know, and it's like a party that you're going to, but somebody always has to host a party, and maybe it's not that much fun to be a host, but somebody has to do it, and I think it's our turn to do that, to host a major event. And I think the challenge for me is that the place that I have access to, Cabin Fever, is not a large venue. So what we've decided to do, or what we're going to go with, is, you know, we talked about, There's a lot of talk amongst players in terms of what the best formats are for tournaments. Is it pump and dump, match play? We've seen some new frenzy formats coming out. So what we'd like to do is have four separate time periods that players can sign up for that are essentially Herbstau where you can play as many entries as you're able to in that time period. So it would be, for the main tournament, Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Those are two separate shifts. One would be on Friday, one would be on Saturday. And you limit each session to, let's say, 20 players. So you have 20 players playing nine machines. So that keeps the queues short, and that allows players to play as many games as they can within that time period, and they'll still have a chance to learn the games, play them over and over again, and I hope feel like they've had enough entries to say, okay, this is based on my skill. Then there would be a playoff element, too, which would be very unique. So we're looking full TGP, a lot of different players, two different tournaments. Jack, you've got to get on this. This sounds like a great idea. I think when you told me about it, I think I threw my wallet at you. So there you go. Right, okay. So the main tournament, let's say 80 people, top 24. The classics tournament would actually be held in my garage, which is two blocks away from Cabin Fever. The garage is an office space. It's used by Dan Beeson. There's a number of pinball machines in there, and we would set things up. So you would sign up for a main session. You would sign up for a classic session, and that way you'd have an opportunity to qualify for both. Again, get on it, kid, because this sounds awesome. We're looking forward to that. Jack's the kind of guy, and people don't know this, we talked about some of those leagues in Ontario, and there were several. He put all eight leagues together last year and did this Champinions tournament where they took the four best players from each league and had this little round robin. That was a lot of fun, but a lot of work, too. And I know it might not have been logistically possible with the different areas, but again, I tip my cap to you for even trying to put that together. And it was fun. Yes, thanks, Jeff. I mean, we tried the format. It was loosely based on the Champions League in European soccer, and it was a lot of work. But this community can't function without people giving up a lot of their time to do pinball-related things, and it can't always be the fun things like playing in tournaments. Sometimes you have to do admin stuff or organization stuff, and that's all part of being interested in growing what we have. Hey, Jack, you got a good point there, too. You know, it is a lot of work, and it's things behind the scene. It's lugging machines. It's getting texts, getting volunteers, getting things set up. It is a lot of work, and I'm sure in the tournaments that you've been at and I've been at, we hear some people and some rumblings of people kind of complaining, and it's discouraging to me when those are the people that haven't lifted a finger to volunteer for that tournament or any tournament. You really need to kind of help out to have a voice, I would think. And really if you going to complain about something offer a solution not a problem I agree with you in part Jeff I think that it is important to be supportive of people running tournaments absolutely But there also a minimum standard of competence that a tournament director needs to achieve in order to avoid complaining or grumbling from players. And if that minimum standard isn't met, I think it's reasonable for players, even players who don't volunteer, to take issue and to be upset with that situation. Because it's one thing to see from the tournament player's perspective. From the player's perspective, a player may be flying, driving, spending money on hotel rooms, spending money on entries, taking time off work. And it's important, I think, that a minimum standard is met there. Fair enough, and I do actually agree with you there, Jack. I was really being more specific about those that are doing their job, being transparent, setting things up. It's the complaints about things like, oh, I hate that game. Well, that doesn't have anything to do with a tournament. That's a game you knew that was in the tournament before you signed up. You know, if it's not playing well, if there's weak flippers, sure, that's an issue and stuff, and hopefully there's some text there. But as far as the tournament format, if you know that all in advance, it's really, then why did you come if you don't like it? That's the one thing I've never understood. Yeah, I mean, I agree with you, Jeff. My grandmother had an expression, which was, thank God I'm here to complain. And, you know, she's no longer with us. So after she passed, you know, that explanation and that expression sort of took on a deeper meaning. But I think about that a lot. If you're complaining, that means you're alive. Well, then I've got to complain, Jack, and I only do this because you're a buddy of mine. If you ever see Jack, he always wears either a Blue Jays hat or I think it's a skateboard hat or something like that. And you've got the sticker on it. And you know, as I'm a baseball player, it drives me nuts. I'm like, why do you have the size of your hat on there? Take that sticker off. And I try to grab it every single time I see you. And you're quick, you're agile, you get away. So now I've got you on the mic here. You've got to explain. Why do you keep it on? Because it bugs us. It bugs Becker. It bugs me. Why do you do it? Well, Jeff, I mean, I think most importantly, if I'm getting fashion advice from you, I know I must be doing something right. Have you ever seen Jack play? By the way, he went to Cleveland with sandals, and the sandal broke. So any kind of movement he had, you might have taken a sandal to the face if you were in earshot of Jack, too. Maybe you and I both aren't exactly fashion experts. I'll give you that. All right, fair enough. Well, one thing I can't complain about is the way you've been playing. You're on fire, and you know what? There won't be a waiting list for you for IFPA 16 in Italy next year. I can tell you that right now, the way you're playing. It's nice to see you skyrocket to top 50. Thanks, Jeff. I mean, you look at the standings and, you know, you look at the names, and it takes a while, and I'm not there yet where I'm saying to myself, you know, okay, I'm here. I belong with all these great players. You know, personally, I still look up to a lot of the guys and, you know, above and below the standings. For me, I'd really like to see some success in the main division of a major tournament before I really feel like I will take a step forward. Not to focus too much on results, but the process is mental, and I think the results need to be there. I was going to let you go, but I have to follow up with that. Now, when you say the main event, you just won the classics at Buffalo Pinball Summer Open. To me, that's a main event. I realize there aren't modern games there, but if you look at modern tournaments, even New York, even Pinburg, even Papa, they all have a mix of classic games in there as well. So is that not showing your skill set even if you just win the classics? I understand what you're saying, Jeff, and obviously I'm very happy with the Classics wins. But I think what you see in the, if not the winner of Classics tournaments, but the top four, top eight, you see a lot of variance in terms of who is making it into the finals and semifinals and qualifying for those tournaments as compared to the main tournaments where it really is the same people or within some range, similar people, qualifying time and time again. And there is a lot more of margin for error in terms of winning a classics tournament than there is in a main tournament. I mean, to put up a score, let's say, on Iron Maiden that's 400, 500 million, I mean, you need to hit hundreds of shots. Whereas to put up a big score in classics, you may only need to hit 15, 20, 25 shots. So because of that and because of the variance, in classics games, it's a lot more challenging to win, and no offense to any of the great classics players out there, to me it's more challenging to win the main event than it is to win a classics tournament. I think you're right, too. I do. I mean, I'm not going to take anything from classics, and I don't believe you are, too, but you got a good point there. I think we just played Stingray, and if that 55,000 saucer's not lit and you don't get it in there, you could be playing all day and you could make 10,000, 5,000 shots and still not be rewarded for 155. You've got a good point there. Right. And in Maine, I mean, everybody more or less, if you're following the same strategy, you're following the same path in terms of the shots that you're trying to make. So it's who executes it best. If we're not seeing you at a tournament, we're going to be seeing you on TV. It aired in Canada on Game TV, but it was a little segment you did on how the game is played. Do you want to tell us about that? Yeah, Jeff. So how the game is played is a Canadian series. It followed Adam and I as we prepared and then played in IFPA 15. So the purpose of the show was to demonstrate the big tournament in pinball, which in this case was IFPA 15, and to follow my path, to follow Adam's path, and then as we played in the tournament to show our progress, and then also to teach people about pinball, how machines work, how you're supposed to play, strategies, flipper skills, because the audience is not a pinball audience. The audience will have little to no background on pinball. But even though the show focused on Adam and me, there's still a lot of great cameos from people within the community that I think a lot of your listeners will recognize. Jack, I know I'll see you soon. I'm glad you shared your story here on Pinball Profile. For those who don't know you, but if you want to know who Jack is, just look up at the standings, and there you'll find him. Thanks very much for coming on today. All right. Thanks, Jeff. Thanks for having me. This has been your Pinball Profile. You can find our group on Facebook. We're also on Twitter at pinballprofile. Email us pinballprofile at gmail.com. Please subscribe on either iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Check out pinballprofile.com. I'm Jeff Teoles. Thank you.

_(Acquisition: groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: bcb2337f-c01a-4220-8bf5-7c0b43fc81e0*