it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff teoles you can find everything on pinballprofile.com all past episodes subscriptions and more we're on facebook we're on twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile, and you can email pinballprofile at gmail.com. Have you ever wondered where the legends come from? How do they become such great players? I'd like to know, but I think I've found the source of one of those such legends. You've heard of her, and if you looked on IFPA and you've looked at the women's standings or just the general standings, you will see somebody at the top, and she is 16-year-old Cassidy Milonowski. How are you doing, Cassidy? I'm fine. How are you, Jeff? It's great to finally see you. I've been watching you a lot on Fox Cities Pinball, and I've been watching you climb the ranks, and I've seen you just blow up some of these games. We're here at District 82 in Wisconsin and kind of your home ground, so to speak. Pretty much, yeah. I play here very regularly. Yes, absolutely. And I say this to a lot of young people. It's rare to see such young people into pinball. Obviously, we're in the pinball community. We see a lot of it. But, you know, the video games are certainly more attractive for some of the people. But what was it for pinball for you? Well, I don't know. It gives me like a feeling of video games and a physical sport. It's like, to me, it's pretty much both. You know, it's a game that's unique. And for me, it's just, it's so different. There is a rush for sure. And you mentioned athletics. Do you play other sports? I do not currently, but I have in the past gymnastics. That was my thing for several years. I took a lot of classes and, you know, I got pretty good at it. now to the point where I could do round off back handspring back tucks. That was the hardest skill for me that I accomplished. Now, for those that don't know, I can do all of those things too, just not on purpose. You know, I've fallen down a few stairs once in a while, and I think I would have gotten some good scores if there were judges. But again, I digress. So that's amazing. You've been doing gymnastics a long time. And the reason I think that's important too is we're in the middle of this Great Lakes Open, and we've only played one game. We've got hours and hours left. So you need endurance, almost athleticism to do this. I'm fading fast. It's funny you say that because during these big tournaments, you know, multi-day things, I like to actually, I mean, it's cold out today, but when I can, I like going outside and stretching. And I actually do some gymnastic skills. Yes, I do. And it gives me just a moment to clear my mind and, you know, stretch my body out. And it really refreshes me before the next, like, tournament begins. And so that's something that I actually do. To get the blood pumping, to avoid cramps. Like for me, playing a long time, especially if it's a cement floor, you know, you really feel it in your feet, your legs, your calves and stuff. So is this why you do this? I mean, a lot of things, actually. But, yeah, that definitely helps. And stiffness, too. You don't feel all stiff and everything. Yeah, and it just gets your mind off of pinball, too. And, you know, just you relax for a little bit. Is there a pommel horse out back that I don't know about that I should be maybe doing a few springs on is there something i'm missing here no no not at all i just go on the grass and do skills on on the floor yeah i just kick my shoes off and do a few flips and so yeah i flip and pinball and i just flip my body around but again we go back to that endurance when i see a big tournament like this and we've got people from all over the world at this event you know myself from canada others from all parts of the states we've got people from australia here and I know Neil McRae has been here from the UK. When you come to an event here at District 82, one of these big weekend events, there's not a lot of casual players. Maybe they show up on Friday nights or your Tuesday nights, but these big weekends, these are the diehards, and endurance is so important. You are in for a long haul, and you see people like myself start to fade. Yeah, that's for sure. And honestly, I don't even feel like my endurance is as good as it should be. and you know i usually i feel pretty good you know the first tournament or two but halfway through these you know long things i do start to feel more tired and it's something i need to work on more for sure i know you play a lot here but have you heard of big tournaments like the 24-hour sanctum event like that's an endurance i actually have not no i know i have never heard of that so that's just outside of Hartford and that's what it is it's 24 hours of match play so it's not go go go because you are obviously waiting for the top group to finish which in your case might be you and but others are others are waiting and it's the weight I find that is maybe the hardest thing if you continue play play play I kind of don't really notice the time I notice that I need to eat and make sure I walk around so I don't cramp up and all that but But it's the waiting I find is the hardest part. I actually have to agree with that. Because, like, when you're waiting, your mind, again, is constantly thinking about your last game. And if it was a bad game, you think about, like, you just get down on yourself. And that kind of, like, sets the mood for the next game where, you know, if you feel bad about the last game and you know during the break in between rounds you just you just can get over that last game And you have all that time in between rounds to keep you know not feeling good Then that next round, you know, you could kind of ruin it for yourself. So there had to be a game that you played a long time ago and you went, oh, I really like this pinball. What was that game? Roller games. Roller games. Yes, roller games. My final round partner, Marty Robbins, it's one of his all-time favorite games. I don't hear a lot of people say roller games. You're one of two now. Really? Well, that's amazing. Yeah, roller games. That was the first game that my family owned, and we still have it, and I still love it. I just love it. It's cool. You know, the side ramp, that's one of my best shots, I think, in pinball, and I just feel confident with that, and a lot of that comes from playing roller games every day for the last six or seven years now we've had it. They had it at InDisc this past February. Yes, yep. And they changed it so that Sudden Death was, I think, every fourth mystery or something. So it wasn't just random, and I thought, well, that makes it a way better game. Because Sudden Death, if you're playing in match play and it doesn't have that special ROM, it's kind of an unfair advantage. Like, I would agree, but also because there's a cap on it, I think it's like 9 million, which, like, that's a lot of points on that game. But because there's a cap on it and the side ramp shot is generally a difficult shot, I think it still takes skill to be able to take sun and death and really do something with it. I do understand the randomness of when it starts. People could argue that that's kind of unfair. But, I mean, there's other games that have things like that that are even worse, in my opinion, than the sun and death on roller games that are playing okay for tournaments. Yeah, there's a few of those games. They're almost on the ban list. You know, you really shouldn't be playing these in tournaments. But that's kind of an older game. And certainly the attraction of the newer games with the video assets and the LCD screen. And we see a lot of young people kind of gravitate to those machines. But here you are, maybe because it was in your home, liking this old one. But you learn the skills on the old ones. Yeah, that's for sure. That's for sure. And something I realized is a lot of the classic games, actually pretty much all classic games, don't have ramps that feed the ball directly back to the flippers, like a lot of the modern games. So on the classics, instead of making a shot and having the ball automatically fed right back to the flipper, you're actually forced to have to nudge and think about where the ball is coming from so you can catch it and all those types of things. So, yeah, that's very true. I think that the classics are important for just learning the basics of pinball. Skills, absolutely. But now rules, that's a whole different ballgame. Absolutely. The young people, I know this is a generic statement, but I'm an old fart. The young people really pick that up a lot quicker. Like I own a few games. I own a bunch of new games. It takes me about a year to learn them, even though they're in my home. And I don't know whether it's watching videos, watching Twitch, learning the rules, actually reading the rules. But I learn a lot from asking and watching younger players. Yes, for sure. See, rules, that's something that I didn't understand when I first started playing. I didn't understand the importance of it. I was just playing off of instincts, and I never figured that there was anything more to pinball than just hitting the ball and making your shots. But once I realized that the rules mean something, I actually pulled out some empty spiral notebooks and started going game to game, every single game of District 82, and writing down every single thing about that game that I figured out or that I read about. Pen to paper? Yes, correct. Old school. I love it. Yes. Well, I've actually been moving some of it onto my phone, so I can just pull my phone out and have all my notes. Yes, but at first I wrote everything, yes, pencil to paper. So do you know who else does that? And we're talking about some of the greatest players in the world, who both just happen to be women. Carrie Wing does that. I'm aware. So I just played with Carrie on Pool Sharks, and Carrie is one of my favorite players, and I think she's incredible. I hope to see you and Carrie for years to come in the world championships. Certainly we're going to see you at big events and at the top of the rankings. But I talked to Carrie back at InDisc, and we were talking about District 82, and she said, yeah, I watch a lot of streams, and I make notes from the streams. For when she comes here, she has a little bit of an advantage. So you do that when you play a game as well. I do. When I play the games, I like to have the notebooks right next to me. But I definitely take notes from watching streams. And I really started taking notes on these games during COVID when that's when I did a lot of stream watching and such. So that's where it started was watching streams. But then once everything opened up again and I was able to come to District 82, then I started playing the games and then writing down little things. and even about the exact feeds that the games here at Diffusion 82 give. I was writing those things down in the skill shots on these particular games. So with skill shots, what are the notes you do? And it doesn't matter what the game is. Is it, okay, note here, definitely do a full plunge, do a half plunge. It's on this marker on it. What kind of notes do you do for plunges? I do it on how far back to pull back So it would be like for example pull back 80 20 and like 100 would be a full plunge That usually how I do it So when I play games that I never played before I always see where the full plunge goes And if it's good, okay, repeat. If it's not, then I adjust from there and kind of come down to 80% or 50% or something like that. But by that time, maybe the game's over and, okay, you've learned something, but not for this game, for the next game. So you do that here. That's really smart. Yes, I love the full plunge, the first ball idea, because a full plunge, it's easy to repeat. It's the easiest plunge to do. And so if it works, then you just know to keep doing it. I'll give you an example, because last night was the first time I ever came here and we had a practice round, and it was about three, four hours of practice, and there was even an hour of practice today. Like, there's not enough pinball, but you want to practice. It's a big event. All the pros are here and all these legends from Wisconsin. You want to do somewhat respectable. So I'm playing games. I'm playing a game like volley. an EM and I do a full plunge right away and I'm like oh it went right down the yellow lane that's a pretty good spot you're gonna light that middle pop bumper you've got the yellow target slip for 5,000 okay good to know make a note yeah that's that's very helpful and on that game it's five balls so by figuring that out on ball one you're pretty much all set to go for the rest of the game although I know you want to hit you know the green the you know blue rollovers too but at least you know that you can do a full plunge to get one of the lanes yeah it didn't matter. I still stunk on it anyway. But the point is it's learning from not only the shots, where the shots are on the flippers, because we see at a place like this, and any tournament you go to, as you'll see, flippers aren't always the same. You know, you might play a roller games that you're used to. You know, like the back of your hand, you know where that that that shot is to get into the block. You know where it is on the flipper. Even if there isn't a magnet, you know everything. You go to another place and you're like, oh, those those flippers are a little dropped. These are different shots, and it might mesh up because of those instant reflexes that you have. That's true. I have noticed that, and it actually was on a roller games. So there used to be a roller games here at Distribute 2. This was, I don't know, a year and a half ago or so. And it definitely played differently than the one I have at home. That's for sure. So I knew the rules. It played different, though. So I had to adjust to that, and I noticed that it was a little slower. So that was kind of an adjustment. And the left orbit was a little earlier on the flipper. So those are like the two big things I remember that were different. But after playing a few times, I kind of got the hang of it. So at home, do you make your games tougher than normal so that when you come to a tournament or somewhere else, you're like, okay, this doesn't play as hard. My tilt's not as hard. And the reason I ask is when I get a new game, I don't even put the tilt ball in. I want to learn the shots. But then I forget to put it back in. I go to a tournament. I'm like, why am I tilting everything? Oh, yeah, that's why. Well, our games, they used to be set to five ball a long time ago when we first got them. And they had extra balls on, too. Well, you know, I convinced my dad, you know, to take extra balls off and put the three ball because I wanted, you know, to train four tournaments with it on harder settings. The tilt isn't, you know, extremely tight. But I actually don't nudge that much anyway. That's, yeah, I know. I really don't. It doesn't, like, come naturally. You know, I don't have, like, those instincts yet. So it's more flipper skills, drop catches, bounce passes, shats and things like that for you? That is definitely what I rely on, yes. I mean, I've tried many times to tell myself, okay, nudge, when the ball is going to drain, you've got to save it. Saving, it helps win games for sure. People are watching you on the stream, and they're learning a lot about the games, but they're learning about how to play the games. So at some point, even though you're a young woman, you had to learn from somebody. Who was it for you that you went, Okay, I'm seeing things in him I never saw before when I watched this. That would probably be Tom Graff. Tom Graff, you can't say that. Say Neil. Oh, don't say Tom. No, Tom's great. I'm kidding. Yeah, Tom Graff. He probably was the first one that I watched and noticed that he actually was trying to accomplish something. And again, that was like the moment of there are rules and there are strategies. And he actually, he's been awesome. He has taught me so much about rules and strategies for a lot of games. And before the Women's World Championship back in 2020, he actually had me over to his house, and he actually was showing me how to play some of those games that were going to be at the Women's World Championship. And so that's probably the biggest thing, you know, that he's helped me with. And it's important, those rules. You've got to know what you're doing. You've got to have a strategy in mind. So, Cassidy, you're going to be a staple at Women's World Championships for years to come, But also the World Championship. The way you're going right now, you are punching your ticket to go to Germany for IFPA 18. Have you thought about that at all? A little bit. I mean, you know, if it were up to me, I would absolutely, you know, go there. I'd go to all tournaments, you know, everywhere. But, of course, I'm still only 16, and so my parents get the final say. And being here in the U.S., it's kind of hard to go all the way to Germany at this point. But in the future, I really hope to travel more for sure. But if you get that invite, have you talked to parents? Like, what do I have to do to make that happen? You told me you're homeschooled, so you're able to work ahead so you're not missing school time. So okay you got that covered I know you work also so I think it possible What I basically saying is do i need to write a note to your parents or or get a petition to to get cast into the world championships what do i need to do well maybe the way to approach it is to tell them that they come out with me and they get a vacation yes just drop me off at the tournament and so it's like this is for you oh this is all for you i just i'm just tagging along for the pinball but it's for you you guys get your time to go on vacation. Cassidy, if I make the world championships, and that's certainly not a lock by any mean, and it's in Germany, that's the same shtick I told my wife. I'm like, you know what? We should go to Europe next May. I think it'd be fun. Oh, I got a little pinball maybe I got to play. So we'll see how that works with you, with your parents, with me, with my wife. But I think you're going to be a lock, and I hope to see you at more events. What are some of the events you'd like to attend when you look at pinball around, whether it's North America or the world? Freeplay Florida and InDisc are two for sure that I'm looking at going to. And that would be the next couple years, if not the next year or so. So those are some that I really want to get to. Wizards World, actually, this summer I'm hoping to get to their women's tournament. In Indiana, I've heard a lot about it, yeah. Yep, so that's one place that I would really love to go to. Also, I'm pretty sure I'll make it there this year. But just anywhere, really. Anywhere I find out that there's pinball, at some point I'd love to get there. So outside of pinball, and again, you're a young woman that just turned 16, so happy belated birthday. Have you thought about what you want to do as you figure out what you want for a career? As of now, my dream would be to open up my own coffee shop. Oh, wow. Yes. So as of now, I'm a barista. And because I'm homeschooled, I actually work during the day, so in the morning. So I used to work at a different coffee shop, but I recently just started at a new coffee shop, and I love it. I love the other place too, but I went from coffee shop to coffee shop because I like the vibes. It's relaxing, and it really makes you slow down and enjoy life, and that's important. I think a lot of people forget to just have a cup of coffee and just relax and clear their mind. And you probably have a bunch of regulars, too, that you enjoy. And the other ones you're like, yeah, I'm going to take a break right now because that skid's coming in here. And they're always a pain in the butt. But you must love it. I do. I really do. Yes, they're regulars for sure. It's definitely like pinball. You build friendships. And it's really amazing because you definitely get that community feeling. And you know people's drinks as if you're at a bar. And you just memorize, like, yep, half sweet, decaf, almond milk. I have restaurants I go to in my hometown, and I walk in, and they don't even bring me a menu. They just bring me exactly what I want because I maybe go there too often. In one way, I think, oh, that's nice. In the other way, I think, I might have a problem. But I've got to admit, I love when in the service industry when they do that. It makes you feel like Norm at Cheers. It's an old reference. Trust me, it works for those listening. But it's nice to be noted as a regular, and when people like yourself actually care, that's cool. Yeah, and it's really cool, too, when your customers know you and they remember you and they even say, like, hey, you know what I want. And that gives you a feeling, too, of like, hey, they value me and they know that I'm going to make them their drink and they'll be happy and on their way. And hopefully the tips are better that way, too. Yes, yes. Right, absolutely. Back to pinball. There's a lot of games here at District 82. Do you have a favorite here? Are there ones you're like, oh, I hope I don't get that in match play? My favorite game is probably The Getaway. And it's been that way since the very first time I came here. And the reason is because it's a lot like roller games. Yeah. And it's, you know, that side. Same design? Yes. Well, exactly. It just, when I played it here, it just, like, gave me that feeling of comfort and, you know, confidence. And it felt like home, really. Yeah. I mean, these games are dialed in amazing. I mean, Eric Thorne, I know, obviously with the pandemic that we had over the last couple of years, that made things a little difficult. But people are coming in droves to come to this place. And, you know, we all kind of joke with Eric, like, when's the next one? When's the next one? Yeah, it's amazing. And, you know, I'm a regular here. I'm here all the time. But, you know, I look forward to these big events and being able to meet people that, you know, I've heard of and I've seen on stream. I've listened to them, you know, on podcasts and everything. And so it's a whole other level just to actually meet them in person and play them at pinball and watch them play and learn from them. It's really incredible. I really enjoy it. Well, we had a little break here, and I wanted to talk to you. I mean, you were one of the three people I knew I was going to see for the first time here at District 82, watching you a lot on the streams, and, again, just seeing incredible things. Saw it firsthand. You're the real deal, Cassie. It's something to see you play, and you'll be doing this for a long time. Thank you so much. I plan on it, for sure. This has been your Pinball Profile. You can find everything on pinballprofile.com. We're on Facebook. We're on Twitter and Instagram at pinballprofile. Email us, pinballprofile at gmail.com. I'm Jeff Teolis. Thank you.