# Pinball Heroes: Kevin Martin

**Source:** The Pinball Blog  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2009-04-18  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** http://www.thepinballblog.com/2009/04/pinball-heroes-kevin-martin.html

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## Analysis

Interview with Kevin Martin, President of PAPA (Professional and Amateur Pinball Association), covering his role managing the 30,000 sq ft PAPA facility in Pittsburgh, the organizational history and relationship between PAPA and IFPA, his background in competitive pinball and web hosting, recovery from a devastating 2004 flood that destroyed machines, and his broader contributions to pinball through tournament organization and the Pinball Archive.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] PAPA facility is 30,000 square feet and hosts two public annual events: the main tournament in August and Cupids & Canines Casino Night charity fundraiser — _Kevin Martin in interview with The Pinball Blog_
- [HIGH] PAPA had been offline for seven years before Kevin Martin's tenure; a hugely successful tournament was run in a brand new facility before a devastating flood in 2004 — _Kevin Martin describing PAPA 7 and the flood event_
- [HIGH] By PAPA 8 (after the flood), the facility had more machines than PAPA 7, and inventory has grown every year since with better working order after hiring Dave — _Kevin Martin on post-flood recovery_
- [HIGH] Kevin Martin owns pair Networks, Inc, founded in summer 1995, described as one of the oldest independently-owned web hosting companies on the Internet — _Kevin Martin answering '9-5' question_
- [HIGH] The Pinball Archive was conceived over Christmas 1991 and started in January 1992 as an FTP archive at an undergraduate school's image processing lab with Sun servers — _Kevin Martin on Pinball Archive history_
- [HIGH] Steve Epstein created PAPA originally; when he retired, he sold the name and assets to the person organizing Pinburgh tournaments — _The Pinball Blog introduction_
- [HIGH] PAPA uses the 'PARS' ranking system based on Glicko mathematical scoring for competitive matchplay, while IFPA uses an 'event points' system similar to online poker — _Kevin Martin on ranking systems_
- [HIGH] Kevin Martin worked for Data East/Sega Pinball, which negatively impacted his competitive skills due to playing with glass off — _Kevin Martin on losing competitive touch_
- [HIGH] Cupids & Canines Casino Night raised over $10,000 for dog charities in the year referenced — _Kevin Martin on charity events_
- [HIGH] After the 2004 flood, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the river and cleared its banks, reducing flood risk; flood insurance on contents was discussed the day before the flood occurred — _Kevin Martin on post-flood mitigation_

### Notable Quotes

> "PAPA really exists just to run the best possible annual tournament. IFPA has a broader variety of goals."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Clarifies the distinction between PAPA's focused mission (tournament excellence) and IFPA's broader organizational scope_

> "There was an interesting sensation of freedom, actually. I was there when the floodwaters reached the cabinets, and I knew everything was a loss - and I realized that I could choose to do, or not do, whatever I wanted about it."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Reveals Martin's psychological response to the catastrophic 2004 flood and the decision to rebuild_

> "Once you're crazy/determined enough to build the place, rebuilding it is only a few percentage points crazier."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Demonstrates Martin's commitment and perspective on the overwhelming rebuild challenge_

> "By the time we held PAPA 8, I actually had more machines in the facility than we had at PAPA 7. And there have been more every year since, and in better working order, especially since I hired Dave to stay on top of everything down there."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Shows rapid recovery trajectory and infrastructure improvements post-flood_

> "I always say my goal is to 'spread the pinball bug from player to player'."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Captures Martin's core philosophy on his role in competitive pinball community_

> "Working for Data East/Sega Pinball was the first blow - when you play with the glass off, it's really hard to keep your skills sharp."
> — **Kevin Martin**
> _Explains occupational impact on competitive pinball play_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Kevin Martin | person | President of PAPA; owns pair Networks, Inc web hosting company; competitive pinball player, tournament organizer, and creator of the Pinball Archive |
| Steve Epstein | person | Founder of PAPA; sold PAPA name and assets (magazines, shirts, trophies) to the person organizing Pinburgh tournaments; ran early PAPA tournaments in NYC hotels |
| Roger Sharpe | person | Co-founder of PAPA and IFPA (according to Kevin Martin); appears in photos with Steve Epstein |
| Josh Sharpe | person | Son of Roger Sharpe; runs IFPA |
| Keith Johnson | person | Recently ex-Stern employee; was Kevin Martin's grad school classmate; competitive pinball player who drove the South with Martin searching for machines |
| Lyman Sheats | person | Influential competitive pinball player; met Kevin Martin in Norfolk; known for thrashing opponents including Martin |
| Dave | person | PAPA facility manager hired to maintain machines and operations; instrumental in post-flood recovery and ongoing facility management |
| PAPA | organization | Professional and Amateur Pinball Association; 30,000 sq ft facility in Pittsburgh hosting major tournaments twice yearly; founded by Steve Epstein, now led by Kevin Martin; uses PARS ranking system |
| IFPA | organization | International Federation of Pinball Associations; runs event points ranking system; broader organizational goals than PAPA; currently run by Josh Sharpe |
| pair Networks, Inc | company | Web hosting company founded by Kevin Martin in summer 1995; described as one of the oldest independently-owned web hosting companies on the Internet |
| Data East/Sega Pinball | company | Pinball manufacturer where Kevin Martin worked; employment negatively impacted his competitive play skills |
| Pinball Archive | product | Pinball rule sheet and information repository conceived Christmas 1991, launched January 1992; created and maintained by Kevin Martin; includes events page and rule sheets for games like Twilight Zone and Whitewater |
| Pinburgh tournament | event | Major pinball tournament; the organizer of this event purchased PAPA from Steve Epstein |
| PAPA World Championships | event | Annual tournament held at PAPA facility; main public event held in August |
| Cupids & Canines Casino Night | event | Annual charity fundraiser held at PAPA facility; raises money for dog charities; raised over $10,000 in the year referenced |
| Monster Meet | event | Event in May offering PAPA12 registrations and division entries as prizes |
| Doreen Martin | person | Kevin Martin's wife, described as brilliant, delightful, and adorable |
| Rhiannon | person | Kevin Martin's 10-year-old stepdaughter |
| Dodge City | game | Pinball machine owned by Kevin Martin in Virginia during grad school; sold when relocating to Chicago; Martin later owned three additional Dodge City machines, including one lost in the flood |
| Gay 90's | game | Pinball machine bought by Kevin Martin in Virginia during grad school; sold when relocating |
| Twilight Zone | game | Pinball machine for which Kevin Martin wrote detailed rule sheets |
| Whitewater | game | Pinball machine for which Kevin Martin wrote detailed rule sheets |
| Spiderman | game | Recent pinball machine Martin has been playing frequently and 'killing it' on, despite not fully understanding the rules |
| 24 | game | Pinball machine Martin was getting quotes on at the time of the interview |
| The Pinball Blog | publication | Source of this interview article; host of Pinball Heroes interview series |

### Topics

- **Primary:** PAPA organization history and leadership, Competitive pinball tournaments and ranking systems, 2004 flood disaster and facility recovery
- **Secondary:** Kevin Martin's business background (pair Networks), Pinball Archive and rules documentation, Competitive pinball play and skill development, PAPA vs IFPA organizational distinctions
- **Mentioned:** Facility management and machine curation

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.78) — Interview reflects admiration for Kevin Martin's dedication to tournament organization and resilience through the flood disaster. Tone is respectful and appreciative. Martin expresses genuine passion for pinball community and competitive play, though with some self-deprecating humor about losing competitive edge. No major criticisms or controversies discussed.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** PAPA facility utilization remains a challenge despite having valuable asset; working on commercial rentals for events, company meetings, and private parties with some success (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'We've been working on that, actually. There were some false starts, and it's by no means simple to achieve, but we're working on renting it out for events, company meetings, etc.'
- **[business_signal]** PAPA facility recovered from catastrophic 2004 flood that destroyed machines; rebuilding demonstrates resilience and commitment; facility now has better inventory and maintenance than pre-flood (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'By the time we held PAPA 8, I actually had more machines in the facility than we had at PAPA 7. And there have been more every year since'
- **[event_signal]** Cupids & Canines Casino Night is an annual charity fundraiser at PAPA raising significant funds for dog charities ($10,000+ mentioned) (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'This year we raised over $10,000' for dog charities at Cupids & Canines Casino Night
- **[event_signal]** PAPA World Championships is held annually in August at the 30,000 sq ft Pittsburgh facility, serving as the primary public tournament event (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'There are now two annual events open to the public - the main tournament in August, and the Cupids & Canines Casino Night'
- **[community_signal]** PAPA maintains robust competitive infrastructure with PARS ranking system using Glicko mathematical scoring for matchplay results (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'PAPA has a ranking system, too - "PARS" - but it's strictly a mathematical endeavor, using the Glicko system to assign scores to players based on their competitive matchplay'
- **[market_signal]** Post-flood, Army Corps of Engineers dredged river and cleared banks, significantly reducing flood risk to PAPA facility going forward (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'After the flood, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the river and cleared its banks - so not only were the conditions in 2004 a "perfect storm"... the risks are much lower now'
- **[technology_signal]** Pinball Archive (rule sheet repository) was pioneering early internet infrastructure (FTP, Sun servers) launched in 1992; currently in maintenance mode (confidence: high) — Kevin Martin: 'It was an FTP archive at my undergraduate school, in the image processing lab where they had Sun servers' started in 1992

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## Transcript

Steve Epstein created PAPA, the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association in New York. When he retired, he sold the name and assets (magazines, shirts, trophies etc) to the guy who was organising the Pinburgh tournaments. Now the excellent 30,000 square foot facility that houses PAPA is opened up twice a year to host the PAPA World Championships and a fund raising weekend.
Still with me? Let's try and clear it up a bit, The Pinball Blog presents:
Kevin Martin. President of PAPA.
The Pinball Blog: PAPA looks like a beautiful facility. With all those machines couldn't you open it up a little more often?
Kevin Martin: We've been working on that, actually. There were some false starts, and it's by no means simple to achieve, but we're working on renting it out for events, company meetings, etc. It's also been used for a few private parties with great success. Also, there are now two annual events open to the public - the main tournament in August, and the Cupids & Canines Casino Night, which raises money for dog charities. This year we raised over $10,000.
TPB: PAPA/IFPA do we really need both?
KM: Ha! You'd have to ask Steve Epstein and Roger Sharpe - I think they founded both organizations originally. Roger's son Josh runs IFPA now, they have an "event points" system - sort of like what you see for online poker, only a little more haphazard because the events themselves are more haphazard. PAPA and IFPA had both been on hiatus, until in each case, someone new stepped up to run things.
PAPA has a ranking system, too - "PARS" - but it's strictly a mathematical endeavor, using the Glicko system to assign scores to players based on their competitive matchplay. It's a fun little project and doesn't attract too much controversy.
PAPA really exists just to run the best possible annual tournament. IFPA has a broader variety of goals.
TPB: Who that you have met through pinball would you say has been the most influential and why?
KM: Kudos first have to go to Steve Epstein (left in picture with Roger Sharpe), who ran tournaments and put up with the likes of me, a snotty-nosed kid, in an overpriced, rundown NYC hotel. The early PAPA tournaments really showed me what a pinball tournament could be, and how it should be run - to create a good experience for everyone, and to be as fair as possible to every player.
My actual pinball play benefited tremendously from being at the same grad school as Keith P. Johnson (recently an ex-Stern employee) and from driving to Norfolk one weekend to meet Lyman F. Sheats Jr.. Competing against Keith, and watching Lyman as he thrashed everyone, including myself, really sharpened my skills and extended my love for the game. Keith and I used to drive around the South, looking for pinball machines in every nook and cranny.
TPB: What do you do 9-5?
KM: I own pair Networks, Inc, which I started in the summer of 1995. It's a 24x7 business so "9-5" might not be the right term. pair is one of the oldest independently-owned Web hosting companies on the Internet.
TPB: I'm sure you've told the flood story a hundred times, but how do you pick yourself up from something like that?
KM: There was an interesting sensation of freedom, actually. I was there when the floodwaters reached the cabinets, and I knew everything was a loss - and I realized that I could choose to do, or not do, whatever I wanted about it. We had just run a hugely successful PAPA tournament in a brand new facility, after PAPA had been offline for seven years. Nobody would fault me for just walking away and writing it off. Of course, anybody who knew me realized I was just going to rebuild. Once you're crazy/determined enough to build the place, rebuilding it is only a few percentage points crazier.
I actually went to Kennywood, our local amusement park, for most of the rest of the weekend. On Monday, I had our contractor out, an environmental cleanup crew was hired, and we were using forklifts to carry all the games out into the parking lot and smash them for parts. It was a fast, brutal assembly line - or more like a killing floor.
By the time we held PAPA 8, I actually had more machines in the facility than we had at PAPA 7. And there have been more every year since, and in better working order, especially since I hired Dave to stay on top of everything down there.
After the flood, the Army Corps of Engineers dredged the river and cleared its banks - so not only were the conditions in 2004 a "perfect storm" (two hurricanes coming through), the risks are much lower now regardless. And there's flood insurance on contents... which we had discussed, ironically, the day before the flood in 2004.
TPB: On the PAPA site you call yourself a formerly-somewhat-dangerous player. Do you think you're losing your touch or are other players getting better?
KM: Oh, I'm definitely losing my touch. Working for Data East/Sega Pinball was the first blow - when you play with the glass off, it's really hard to keep your skills sharp. My other big fault is concentration - trying too hard just makes pinball feel like hard work, and I prefer to just have a good time playing. I'm not a wild and crazy player, but I'm not going to sit there and shoot a ramp three hundred times, either. I've just got no patience for that.
I've been doing alright lately, mostly beating up on Dave. I hope to go to a few events sometime in the next year or two, but I've just been too darn busy.
TPB: What was the first machine you ever owned and what is the most recent you bought?
KM: When I lived in Virginia in grad school, I bought Dodge City and Gay 90's from an operator in the middle of nowhere. A few months later, I took the job with Data East and drove to Chicago - selling the games to a friend of mine. Since then, I've owned three other Dodge City machines, including one that was lost in the flood.
Today, I was getting quotes on 24 - so that might count as the most recent. Unless you want to know about some video games I just brought in from Hong Kong.
TPB: You also keep the excellent Pinball Archive which seems to have been around since the mid-13th century. Do you get much time to write the rule sheets like you used to?
KM: I would love to write more rule sheets, but I seem to have lost my ability to quickly grasp rules - I think I'm turning into an old man! For example, I've been playing a lot of Spiderman lately, and really killing it, but I couldn't explain about a third of the game to anyone. When I wrote rule sheets for games like Twilight Zone and Whitewater, I nailed down every detail, and that was before I even had access except as a player.
I think the Pinball Archive was an idea I had over Christmas 1991, and started up in the following month. That is pretty ancient - it was an FTP archive at my undergraduate school, in the image processing lab where they had Sun servers.
Lately, the Pinball Archive is pretty quiet - just the events page and very very rarely, an update to a rule sheet :(
TPB: Other than pinball, what makes Kevin Martin tick?
KM: Hmm. Well, I'm happily married to my brilliant, delightful, and adorable wife Doreen, and I have a 10-year-old stepdaughter, Rhiannon, as well as three dogs and three cats. I love to travel, either with friends & family or just for relaxation - sometimes, the further away, the better. I'm an old school computer geek who tends to learn new things just for the sake of learning, and I'm likely to solve any problem you give me by writing some crufty Perl, or C if really necessary. I've been playing a lot of poker in the last couple of years, mostly online, and although I'm not bad, I suffer from the same shortcomings as my pinball play - a lack of patience and concentration. Being impatient in a cash-based game is not usually a good idea...
TPB: Finally, we always ask our Pinball Heroes to sum up their involvement in pinball in one word or sentence.
KM: I enjoy the atmosphere of friendly competition that you find at tournaments and sometimes at leagues - I always say my goal is to "spread the pinball bug from player to player".
- - - - - -
Many thanks to Kevin for taking the time to answer our questions and more pinball heroes coming soon. Plus remember there are PAPA12 registrations and division entries as prizes at the Monster Meet in May so thanks again to Kevin and Dave for those!
Cheers
Nick
The Pinball Blog
Photos Courtesy. Kevin Martin, PAPA, pair Networks, IFPA Pinball

_(Acquisition: web_scrape, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: bf7f2db7-d406-4ec5-b914-56a792f4d582*