Welcome to my year-end edition of Pinball Profile. My name is Jeff Teolis. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com, all past episodes, subscriptions, and more. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at pinballprofile. You can email pinballprofile at gmail.com. And now Pinball Profile is on Patreon. Don't worry, the show will always be 100% free to listen to and download. But if you'd like to show your support, help with rising costs, and make a donation, it would be greatly appreciated. It's certainly not necessary, but it will help keep this podcast continuing for years to come. Sorry for the delay. Lots of setting up my Played in America tour stops. There was the preparation before and during InDisc. What a great time that was. then I had a bad cold and I couldn't talk for a few days. Kind of makes it tough to record a podcast. There were many highlights in 2022 as we tried to, quote, get back to normal. It was really nice to be able to see everybody once again, get to an arcade or home collection. It was a full calendar year for the IFPA, and we were able to enjoy the fun that pinball brings each of us. So here's how this special list works. The only rule to make the Pinball Profile Top 10 most intriguing of 2022 is, you cannot have been on the list the year prior. We want to be able to give some others the limelight. Last year, we recognized the following in no particular order. The late Mark Mendeltort of Marco Pinball. Walter Day of Twin Galaxies. Tim Arnold of the Pinball Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. Carlos de la Cerda, Lazerlos on Twitch. The Homebrew Designers. Anna Neal of Hot Nudge. Pinball world record holder Wayne Tedder. Indis co-organizer Jim Belsito. The quote, smaller pinball company owners. And finally, those Whopper Farm tournament directors. You can listen to previous Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People. Just go to pinballprofile.com. But let's find out who made the top 10 list this year in no particular order. Number 10. We lost a lot of good people in 2022. Some of those included Barry Ousler, Alan Seahack, Norma Jennings, Wayne Nyans, Harry Jackson, and recently Dean Grover. But it was one year ago the pinball world stopped to remember Lyman Sheets. For so many years we watched Lyman become one of the world's greatest pinball players with his unique stance and unbelievable accuracy. He wanted to get as close to the playfield and flippers as possible. Whatever Lyman did, it worked. He was becoming the face of competitive pinball, including sharing his passion on national TV. It wasn't long after becoming a champion player, he moved into pinball coding, and that is the gift he is still giving us to this day. We see it when we play legendary games like Attack from Mars, Monster Bash, Medieval Madness, Metallica, ACDC, The Walking Dead, Batman 66, and so many more. Sadly, a year ago, Lyman lost his battle with depression. His passing reminded us of others suffering and their need to talk, get help, and know that things will get better no matter how awful they may seem. Hopefully we can show support, be there to listen, give a hug, and let people know we care. Everyone mourns someone's death their own way. It's each person's process in dealing with grief. For example, I see many people remember the specific date in which their loved one passed away, but not for me. I try to actually forget that date. It's a date that was their worst day in their life. So I instead focus on the good days they had, maybe their birthdays, or great memories they created. It's impossible not to see the incredible legacy left by Lyman. There were many people who sported LFS shirts in his honor. He used to say he wanted people to play his games years later and still get enjoyment. Lyman, you did that with everything you touched, and that's how I'll remember you. Number nine. One thing I love about doing pinball profile and playing pinball in all parts of the world is when I get to know somebody new to me, maybe new to you too. 2022 is the year the rest of us outside of Colorado got to witness firsthand the brilliant play and fun energy of Walt Wood. I'd pay money to watch Walt hit loop after loop on Doctor Who like he did at InDisc. His accuracy was only matched by his hip checks and excitement. when people would ask, who is this guy? The Rocky Mountain Faithful would say he's a legend who just doesn't travel to play, but he wins all the time Yes he does Walt has played in less than 200 pinball events in 12 years and he won more than half of them Think of how many great players there are in Colorado I could name 15 right away without having to check IFPA standings. But thankfully, in 2022, after a great 7th place finish at Indisc, we were able to see Walt at Texas Pinball Festival, Pinfest, and two dominant trips to District 82. Here's a little side note and a personal experience. Another example of Walt's character. I was streaming at the Texas Pinball Festival playoffs, and I made a joke to Wormhole Pinball. They were doing an excellent job as their first stream in a competition, and they asked what I thought so far. Of course I joked, and I said, well, usually the hosts provide food for the talent, but whatever. Now this was being streamed in the room next door to the competition. So the volume was up, people were watching this. The next thing I know, Walt Wood comes up to the booth within 10 minutes with slices of pizza for each of the announcers. stand-up guy right there. I'm thrilled he's coming to my pinball profile Played in America Tour on February 25th at Lions Classic Pinball. Should I put his name on the winner's trophy now? Number eight. I have to shout out the year it's been for Scott and Josh of the Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. These two humble men from Utah, all they do is promote pinball. A lot of positivity, get interesting guests, and they even recently celebrated their 100th episode and four years of shows. They even were the first ever winner of the Pinball Awards Excellence in Pinball Podcasting. But what made this past year so special? It's what Scott and Josh did at Expo in Chicago this past October with the help of the Pinball Network, Flip N Out Pinball, George Fisher, and many others. They decided to hold a special event. It was called Flipping the Script for Autism. Their goal was to broadcast several hours at Expo and raise money to help 31 kids finish their autism diagnosis. That way they could start receiving life-changing therapies. the money needed was $25,000. Through the help of generous contributors, sponsors, and donations, they were able to reach their goal and help so many families in need. It was impossible not to be moved by their efforts. Looking back, it was no easy task, but thanks to Scott and Josh of the Loser Kid Podcast, they showed the good side of this hobby and what good can be done for others. I love these guys. They are nothing less than a true gift to pinball. Number seven. There's someone else who stepped up in a big way in 2022, providing weekly, even daily information, news and articles about the latest in the pinball world. Jason Knapp of Knapp Arcade. His blog grew and grew to the point where it's now a go-to source for all the current news. In 2022, Knapp Arcade had over 200,000 visits to their website, along with over 92,000 unique visitors. People spent an average of almost eight minutes on their free site, mainly because there's such a wide range of topics, articles, pictures, and information. Over 10,000 people now follow NAP Arcade on Facebook, and that number continues to grow. Not bad for a guy who just really enjoyed taking photos of pinball machines, events, arcades, and players. Jason just wanted to share some of them on his Instagram and Facebook account. It's no small task to take on what Jason has done with all his time and efforts, but he has caught the eye of many pinball fans and media. We look forward to his next posts on NAP Arcade. You can check out his fine work at www.naparcade.org. Speaking of people known for taking photos, that brings us to number six on the pinball profile top 10 most intriguing people of 2022. Joe Cherovino from Toronto. For years Joe has posted hundreds and hundreds of photos of pinball players in action. You can see a ton of them on people's Facebook posts and profile pictures. In fact, my Walter Day trading card is a picture Joe took years ago at Pinberg. Less gray hairs than I have today. Shh, don't tell anyone. When the Stern Pro Circuit did trading cards, you could see Joe's fine work on more than a few of them. But as big as that is, that's nothing compared to his pinball degenerates social media following. I'm fortunate to be able to play pinball in many parts of the world, and I never fail to see some sort of pinball degenerate merchandise on site. Why? Because there's a good community within Joe's group and it's wide reaching. They don't sling mud. They don't shame people. They don't name call. They promote each other in posts and provide a different take on the hobby. The Pinball Degenerates are diverse and inclusive and they know how to have fun. Take a look at the funny cartoon images of people in the group with pinball parts gushing from their faces and skulls. It's hilarious. And there's a big now annual event Joe does the Pinball Degenerate Awards Watch them on Facebook Live on Sunday February 5th at 4 p Eastern In the meantime keep up the good work Joe Number five Joe definitely turns the spotlight on many people I like to think that I highlight a lot of different people here on Pinball Profile, but we both bow down to the master. We aren't even close to showcasing pinball people compared to what our next person did in 2022. Stephanie Lesser of Florida gave us a treat with her book, 101 Fun-Centric Pinball Puzzles. This collection of mazes, word searches, crosswords, jumbles, and more was created especially for us, the pinball enthusiasts. After being published in the New York Times, the LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, and more, Stephanie created this puzzle book as a tribute for her love of pinball and the people in its community. I can't believe the number of people, games, and even call-outs included. Go ahead, guess a game. Guess a name. Good chance they're probably included in Stephanie's book. The research alone to get all this information is amazing, but then to put it into fun puzzles that provide hours of problem-solving entertainment? Bravo. You can show your support to Stephanie by getting this 100-plus page paperback book on Amazon. Get a few of them for friends. Who knows? You might even be included in the book. Number four. In baseball, the term swing for the fences means going for a home run. Hit the big one out of the park. It's easier said than done. You fail more times than you succeed. But not for these two people who went for the big one and knocked it out of the park. In 2022, there were two massive events that exceeded their expectations. Yagpin in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the UK Open just south of London. This was because of Derek Thompson and Neil McRae. Of course, those two will be the first to thank their incredible staff of volunteers, an absolute necessity for any major event. But the visions of Derek and Neil made these now stern pro circuit events a reality. First, Derek. He was always a fan of the organization, the timing, the gameplay, and the get-together that was Pinburgh. How could he do something similar to that? Smaller scale, of course, but not so small. He put on this large, multi-play, multi-day, multi-tournament show in Edmonton. People came from all over, and they will again this July, to be a part of Yegpin, thanks to Derek and his crew. For Neil McRae and his Pinball Republic group in the UK, Neil wanted to show his countrymates and others in Europe what the magic of Indisc is like. It's Neil's favorite tournament, so he modeled much of the UK Open after that, including the difficult, better-be-consistently-good card format. There are a few of these card formats in tourney, so it was nice to see another one. Added to a great format was the unbelievable collection of games in the main Classics, Women's and High Stakes events. This September, it's worth a trip over the pond if you're in North America, because the UK Open is one of the best tourneys I've been to. Well done, Neil. Number three. Tournaments, leagues, and other forms of competition aren't possible without great software. We know and love what Carl D'Python Anghelo has done with his Never Drain software, but let's highlight Andreas Hogstrop-Peterson of Matchplay.events. He provides a variety of different tournaments and league formats. Even during the pandemic, when the IFPA shut down, he helped create the ICR so we could still play against our friends, new and old. But in 2022, Matchplay.events did a major upgrade. As the number of tournaments and players continued to grow, a new update was needed. More user-friendly, more information, and more tournament formats. You can now play Target Matchplay or Amazing Race. Plus there's my favorite thing, a new format fully embraced by the IFPA, the Max Matchplay. This will likely replace the nerfed flip frenzies, but still has the same feel of a timed event that can maximize your IFPA whopper point potential. For a guy with a full-time job, I cannot thank Andreas enough for his spare time devotion to Matchplay.events and how much of a benefit it is to competitive pinball. Number two, it's the class of 2022. It seems every year we have more and more young players amaze the pinball world. We have seen the rise of players like Escher Lefkoff and Jared August show us, quote, old folks how it's done. Now there's more getting top honors at pinball university, if you will. Last year, these players graduated to the ranks of pinball pros before they reached the age of 18. It's scary to think of the future of these fine young individuals when they are this good so soon. Cassidy Milonowski in Wisconsin is a force. You can watch her dominate at District 82 with the world's best and see she can play with anyone. She is currently the highest-ranked women's player in the world. Neil Graff also rose to fame at District 82 but proved he can play anywhere like Expo Freeplay Florida and who knows maybe in Germany this May at the IFPA 18 World Championship Speaking of Germany I saw Paul Englert knock him down at Bulls and Balls in Fulda Imagine being the youngest player in a huge field, and likely the best. That's Paul. Plus he also made the playoffs in his first World Championship at IFPA 17 in Florida. Also in Europe, as we move over to Sweden, the land where years ago the legend Jorjen Engelbrekson made us take notice of their country's great players, two young men climbed to the top ten in the world. Arvid Fliegere and Viggo Lovgren racked up their whopper points at Bora's Open and other parts of the globe. Back in the U.S., what about Jason Zoller? Massive wins at Freeplay Florida and the Silver Ball Rumble in New Robert Englunds, plus big finishes at District 82 and the Delaware Pinball Collective. Currently, he's number two in the world. And finally, the valedictorian, if you will, of the class of 2022, Zach McCarthy of Colorado. He crushed the Expo flip-out tourney in Chicago and was a teenager last February when he won his first major at the IFPA World Championship at the Openet Indisc. I'm sure these players will continue to be successful in 2023, but keep your eye out for these young players this year as well. Lucas Martinen of Finland. Hugo Reeder of Switzerland, Canada's Carter Castleman, and in the U.S. expect big things from Greg Kennedy in Ohio, Nate Grant of South Carolina, and 11-year-old Sterling Matoska from Michigan. Before we get to number one, let's recap the Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People of 2022. Number 10, the late Lyman Sheets. Number 9, Walt Wood of Colorado. Number 8, Scott Josh of the Loser Kid Pinball Podcast. Number 7, Jason Knapp of Knapp Arcade. 6. Joe Cherovino of Pinball Degenerates 5. Stephanie Lesser, author of 101 Fun-Centric Pinball Puzzles 4. The Two People Who Stepped Up to the Big Leagues, Yegpin founder Derek Thompson and UK Open creator Neil McRae 3. Andreas Hogstrop-Peterson of Matchplay.Events 2. The Class of 2022, players who rose to the top before they hit 18 years old And now for the number one person on the Pinball Profile Top 10 Most Intriguing People of 2022. Could there be anybody else? There are so many worthy of recognition, but I dare you to find a bad word about him within the pinball community. We aren't even talking about pinball or any of these people on the list if it wasn't for him. A lot of people did great things in pinball in 2022, but did any of them have a movie made about him and his famous claim to fame? Roger Sharp was the obvious choice for me. The MPI movie written and directed by the Bragg brothers, Pinball the Man Who Saved the Game, was released to film festivals this past year. Many outside the pinball world found out about our hobby, its history, and Roger Sharp. Many of us know the story of how in 1976, Roger went in front of the New York City Council to prove these banned pinball machines were not games of luck, but in fact, games of skill. By calling his shots and convincing the council, the ban was lifted so we can enjoy pinball today. But the movie is much more than that climactic pinball finish. It's the story of Roger's growth as a man, meeting his future wife Ellen and her son Seth. It's an incredible film that audiences will enjoy whether you like pinball or not. And as Roger points out, there's a great life lesson too. He said, quote, Life is defined by risk, those you take and those you don't. The ball is going to drain no matter what, so find it what you want and take a shot. Roger's story is so good and it needed to be told. It's great to see this film reach out to the masses because we inside the hobby have always known about this legend. Watch for Pinball, the man who saved the game and get updates at www.pinballfilm.com. We hope you enjoyed our list. Can't thank you enough for your support and listening to this podcast for so many years now. It definitely motivates me and continue to hopefully reach new people at Pinball Profile and share their life stories with you. You can find everything at pinballprofile.com We're on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at Pinball Profile. Email pinballprofile at gmail.com. Please consider us at Patreon slash pinballprofile. I'm Jeff Teobos. Thank you.