A Chat with Pinball Prodigy Sterling Mitoska

Kineticist·article·analyzed·Jan 13, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.008

TL;DR

Profile of 14-year-old pinball prodigy Sterling Mitoska and his rapid rise in competitive play.

Summary

Interview profile of Sterling Mitoska, a 14-year-old competitive pinball prodigy who has risen rapidly through tournament rankings. The article includes context from his father Josh Mitoska, a respected tournament director, and covers Sterling's origins in home play, tournament career trajectory, competitive philosophy (50/50 winning vs. fun), and future goals including top-3 world ranking and a top-4 INDISC finish. Sterling recently placed 2nd at Pincinnati out of 140 players and attended IFPA Worlds in Austria in 2025.

Key Claims

Sterling Mitoska has been playing pinball since early childhood and started tournament play at age 7.
high confidence · Josh Mitoska and Sterling Mitoska both confirm Sterling started playing locally at age 7.
Sterling placed 2nd out of 140 players at Pincinnati tournament.
high confidence · Matt Owen reports this directly as an observation during the article.
Sterling achieved a 50 million point score on Ripley's Believe it or Not, which he considers his proudest single accomplishment.
high confidence · Sterling Mitoska states this in direct interview.
Sterling attended IFPA Worlds in Austria in 2025, his first international competition and time out of the country.
high confidence · Sterling Mitoska confirms attendance and describes the experience.
Josh Mitoska purchased an Attila the Hun machine before Sterling was born, which Sterling grew up playing.
high confidence · Josh Mitoska directly states this in interview.
Sterling's top 3 favorite pinball machines include America's Most Haunted, Venom Pro, and old Gottlieb games.
high confidence · Sterling Mitoska lists these in response to direct question.
Sterling's long-term goals are to reach top 3 world ranking and achieve a top 4 finish at INDISC this year.
high confidence · Sterling Mitoska states these goals directly.
Josh Mitoska was unaware competitive pinball tournaments existed on a large scale before discovering them through Sterling.
high confidence · Josh Mitoska states: 'Honestly, I didn't even know that the whole competitive side of pinball existed or that it was this large.'

Notable Quotes

“There's just so much variety. There's so many different eras of games, and some stuff is similar, but every game plays differently. You have to constantly adapt your strategies and learn new rules, which I really like.”
Sterling Mitoska — Encapsulates Sterling's motivation for deep engagement with pinball and what keeps him engaged with the game.
“I'd say it's 50/50. Like, I want to win, but I try to have fun as much as possible. As long as I get top 8 at the bigger tournaments, I'm usually pretty happy with my performance.”
Sterling Mitoska — Reveals Sterling's balanced competitive philosophy, prioritizing enjoyment alongside achievement.
“Play a lot. Practice a lot. That's probably the most important thing. It's also good to play games from different types of genre/era. You can also learn a lot from discussing strategies with your friends and other players. For flipper skills, just focus on catching the ball. Catch and shoot, don't just flail at the ball.”
Sterling Mitoska — Sterling offers direct advice to improving players, reflecting his understanding of skill development pathways.
“Sterling was just fascinated by them, he would just pull up a step stool and start playing. By the time he was 7 or 8, he was beating people when we would play locally.”
Josh Mitoska — Describes Sterling's early prodigal development and natural aptitude for the game.
“If he's this good at 14 years old, I can't even imagine what he'll be like in the years to come. Simply put, he's an astounding pinballer with a ridiculous amount of potential, and one of my favorite players to watch.”
Matt Owen — Journalist's assessment of Sterling's exceptional trajectory and future potential.

Entities

Sterling MitoskapersonJosh MitoskapersonMatt OwenpersonIFPA WorldseventPincinnatieventINDISCeventThe BeasteventPinball ExpoeventRipley's Believe it or NotgameAmerica's Most Hauntedgame

Signals

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competitive_signal: Sterling Mitoska demonstrates exceptional rapid skill development and competitive achievement, placing 2nd out of 140 at major tournament at age 14, with attendees noting he outscores players with double his years of experience.
high · Matt Owen reports 2nd place finish at Pincinnati and notes Sterling is improving 'at a pace faster than his contemporaries.'
?
competitive_signal: Sterling attended IFPA Worlds in Austria in 2025, indicating young competitive players are now participating in international championship events.
high · Sterling confirms attendance at IFPA Worlds in Austria in 2025 and describes it as his first international competition.
?
personnel_signal: Josh Mitoska recognized as one of the best tournament directors in competitive scene; demonstrates consistent fair rulings and player respect, which is valued by the community.
high · Matt Owen explicitly states Josh is 'by far one of the best tournament directors in the competitive scene, always making fair calls and showing respect for the players.'
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community_signal: Pinball is becoming a multi-generational family activity, with both parents and children participating in competitive and casual play.
medium · Sterling grew up playing machines at home with his father; both his father and mother engage with pinball in different ways (father directs tournaments, mother plays frisbee with Sterling).
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gameplay_signal: Sterling emphasizes game variety across eras and genres as primary appeal; players seek challenges that require constant adaptation and rule learning.

Topics

Competitive pinball tournament circuit and cultureprimaryYouth talent development in pinballprimaryHome ownership and personal collectionssecondaryTournament directing and fair playsecondarySkill development and practice methodologysecondaryGame design era and machine varietymentioned

Sentiment

neutral(0)

Transcript

web_scrape · $0.000

Like what you're reading? Get pinball news, analysis, and deep dives delivered to your inbox. In addition to talking with Sterling, I also had a quick chat with his father, Josh Mitoska, to get a bit of insight on Sterling's start with pinball. More than just a supportive dad, Josh is by far one of the best tournament directors in the competitive scene, always making fair calls and showing respect for the players and game at hand. Often found quietly watching Sterling from the sidelines before being whisked away to handle a machine malfunction or make a ruling, I figured there was no better person to clue me in on Sterling's competitive beginnings. Note: This interview has been edited for content, clarity, and length. Matt Owen: First things first, thanks for being such a consistently good tournament director. It's awesome to see you supporting Sterling at every tournament, but even cooler that you're actively involved in the competitive scene and help make it better. So, tell me a bit about Sterling's origins with pinball. Josh Mitoska: Pinball has been around for Sterling's entire life. I actually got my first machine before he was born. I took my oldest child to a nearby pinball convention just to check things out, and I ended up buying an Attila the Hun machine and bringing it home. Sterling was just fascinated by them, he would just pull up a step stool and start playing. By the time he was 7 or 8, he was beating people when we would play locally. Matt: That's when the tournaments began, huh? Josh: Honestly, I didn't even know that the whole competitive side of pinball existed or that it was this large. I took him to a few tournaments early on, right before the pandemic, and he did really well. Obviously, during the pandemic there weren't many tournaments to attend, but since then, it's been nonstop competing. Later that day, I sauntered over to the tournament area to get some pre-competition flips, and of course, Sterling was there doing the same. Opting to forgo crucial practice time, he was nice enough to sit down for a few minutes and let me pick his brain, while everyone else wailed away on the machines. Matt Owen: Thanks for sitting down and chatting with me during your busy weekend. First off, what got you into pinball? Sterling Mitoska: My dad always had pinball machines around the house, and I would just play them a lot just for fun. Matt: That's always a fun way to start, having them at home. So you've been playing your entire life, but how old were you when you first got into pinball tournaments? Sterling: I started playing locally when I was 7, just playing some tournaments here and there. I think I really started to get good right before the pandemic. Matt: You've certainly come a long way in a short time. It's very impressive to watch you play. What's your favorite part about playing in tournaments and attending all of these competitive events? Sterling: Well, besides competing, I really just like chatting with people. It's fun to try out new games and share strategies, that kind of stuff. Matt: And what is it about pinball that continues to pull you back for more? Sterling: There's just so much variety. There's so many different eras of games, and some stuff is similar, but every game plays differently. You have to constantly adapt your strategies and learn new rules, which I really like. Matt: So when you play in a tournament, how much of your focus is on winning versus having a good time? Is one more important than the other? Sterling: I'd say it's 50/50. Like, I want to win, but I try to have fun as much as possible. As long as I get top 8 at the bigger tournaments, I'm usually pretty happy with my performance. Matt: That's a good mindset to have. I always say if you're not enjoying yourself, it's not really worth it. That said, you have a habit of winning quite a bit. What are some of your proudest accomplishments in your pinball career so far? Any scores that you're proud of? Sterling: It's hard to say, but I'm really proud of getting 50 million points on Ripley's Believe it or Not. I tried so many times to do that, and it's still been hard to repeat. Matt: How about competitive accomplishments? Sterling: Getting third place at The Beast in their Classics tournament this year was cool. I also placed fifth at Pinball Expo, that was tough. Matt: Not to mention you attended IFPA Worlds in Austria last year (2025)! How was that whole experience? Sterling: That was my first time out of the country, so it was exciting. Austria was cool to visit, it was just really, really hot. But yeah, the experience was a lot of fun. Matt: I'm sure you'll have plenty more opportunities to attend Worlds in the years to come. Speaking of, do you have any long-term goals for your competitive career? Anything you're shooting for in particular? Sterling: I'd love to be in the top 3 ranked players in the world. That's probably my biggest goal. Otherwise, I really want to do well at INDISC this year. A top 4 finish would be nice. Matt: Those are some good goals to have for someone of your skill level. You keep getting better every time I play you. For players like me who are always looking to improve, do you have any advice on how to become better at pinball? Sterling: Play a lot. Practice a lot. That's probably the most important thing. It's also good to play games from different types of genre/era. You can also learn a lot from discussing strategies with your friends and other players. For flipper skills, just focus on catching the ball. Catch and shoot, don't just flail at the ball. Matt: Well, it's clear you play a lot of pinball. When you're not flipping, do you have any other hobbies? Sterling: I like playing video games a lot. Have you played Hollow Knight: Silksong? (after several minutes of discussing the 2025 action video game....) I also like playing frisbee with my mom, that's fun. Matt: Okay, last question. I'm going to put you on the spot here, but what are your top 3 favorite pinball machines? Sterling: Hmmm, America's Most Haunted is definitely up there. Venom Pro. It's really hard to pick a top 3. You know what I really like? Old Gottlieb games. Like, the really weird ones. We have a few of those at home and those are always fun to play. With the big Pincinnati tournament looming ahead and precious practice needed, I didn't want to occupy any more of Sterling's time. Later that weekend, as the final games of playoffs wrapped up, Sterling finished his tournament run in 2nd place out of 140 players, outscoring numerous players with double his years of experience. Judging from his performance at Pincinnati and the tournaments that have come before, Sterling is not only one of the best players in the scene, but is also improving at a pace faster than his contemporaries. If he's this good at 14 years old, I can't even imagine what he'll be like in the years to come. Simply put, he's an astounding pinballer with a ridiculous amount of potential, and one of my favorite players to watch. To follow Sterling's competitive adventures, check out his Facebook page, Sterling Plays Pinball, and keep an eye on The Score Card, as he is frequently featured there. Matt Owen is a lifelong gamer and overall media fiend. He can often be found playing endless hours of games or watching an absurd amount of movies and television: action, horror, mystery, and sci-fi in particular. When he's not bingeing entertainment media, Matt enjoys reading and writing fiction, playing pinball, broadcasting, and attempting to cook.