it's time for another pinball profile live on location at district 82 i'm your host jeff teals you can find everything on pinballprofile.com we're on facebook we're on twitter and instagram email us pinballprofile at gmail.com and if you'd like to show your support thank you so much we are on patreon patreon.com slash pinball profile i'm seeing somebody for the first time live now i've seen this woman on stream i was watching pinson addy and i'm like who's that person commentating first of all i'm looking at the standings very good player and then i'm hearing this wonderful commentator i obviously enjoy people who do a good job and that would be elizabeth gieski who's joining me right now how are you doing elizabeth hi there i'm doing awesome how are you it's nice to finally meet you because watching you watching justin and of course Eric's big production at Pinsonati. Wish I was there in December. It's such a wonderful event. And actually an event you weren't even supposed to be there, were you? No, I was certainly not supposed to be in the tournament. I completely missed the sign-ups. But I got on the wait list and then enough people didn't show up because the power went out on Saturday. That's right. Yes, so I was able to get in. And I was so happy that I could participate. But you were fantastic when you did participate. You were really doing very well. And I think it was near the end when you jumped in the booth after maybe being out. But it was a great experience. Tell me about your Cincinnati experience and how well you did. Oh, yeah. Well, I finished fourth. So that was in itself amazing. Uh-huh. And it was not an easy road to get there. I was on the bubble to even make it into the – or pass the qualifying into the finals. And there was a tiebreaker on stars. And you had to win. It was win or go home. so I won that game and then I got to the next round it was just really cool being around so many great players and being able to compete with them and also it was just really fun it has a water feature, only pinball tournament with a water feature explain that Pinsonati is in a hotel yes, beautiful hotel yeah it's really fun it's a Hampton and the pinball tournament itself is in the lobby area where there's a giant water fountain so there's a fountain that kind of wraps around the whole arena. So it's kind of nice. It's very different. I say if you're going to win Pinsonati and you come away with the victory, you have to do a dive into that fountain. That should be a rule. I, well, I guess it's a good thing that I didn't win then because I don't think I would want to do that. We look forward to that tournament. Again, it'll come out in December. And as you mentioned, Elizabeth, it will sell out quickly because of the fine job they do. But you live in northern Kentucky and I know there's an event coming up in a little while, the Louisville Arcade Expo. it's coming up I want to say March 10, 11, 12 roughly around there yes it's the same weekend as the Nationals which is a little unfortunate no that's where you're wrong did they shift it? no you're right it is the weekend of the Nationals and you're saying that's unfortunate what you're forgetting is all the great players are going to be at the Nationals so those are people we don't have to compete against think of that well that's true but that's a big carrot I think it's really really cool being able to play against the best players that's why I'm here They are definitely here at District 82 for this Stern Pro Circuit event And you're playing very well too Right now we're currently in a Classics Fair Strikes tournament And you're near the top So this is pretty impressive It makes you feel good Oh, it's definitely a breath of fresh air I think I played the Classics a lot better than the new Sterns here Just the newer games are set so difficult It made me feel like I didn't even know how to play pinball But I'm glad to have this reset And it's very refreshing being able to play to the ability that I know I can play. So I would imagine in Northern Kentucky, you probably make it to Arcade Legacy and some of the other places in Ohio, and like you mentioned, Cincinnati. There's a good area of pinball around. Yes, well, I live in Louisville now. Okay. Yes, so I am originally from Northern Kentucky. That's where I fell in love with pinball, and I definitely played Arcade Legacy That actually where my first tournament ever was So that was 2018 That is true yes And that was kind of your one tournament but really you getting into it in 2019 and then this stupid COVID thing happens You're getting the bug, and then this bug, everyone's getting it. Actually, it kind of helped me out in a way. See, in Louisville, there's this place called Rec Bar. Yeah. Yeah, great food, great people, and really awesome pinball machines. So during 2020, I knew the guy that was fixing up the games there, and I'm like, can I just come in, play test some of the games, teach me how to solder, you know, whatever. And I feel like I really improved a lot of my skills that I might not have if I didn't get that extra time on some free pinball machines. I never thought of that. You know, a lot of people during that COVID time, really, if they had a machine or access to a machine, would practice things they might not normally practice. Yeah, you might go for the wizard mode. You might learn some drop catches, some bounce passes and things like that. I think it did benefit a lot of people in that aspect. Oh, yeah. I practiced tap passing. I practiced alley passing. Things that are a little bit more dangerous and you're kind of nervous about doing. So if you're dropping quarters into a game, maybe you don't want to waste your money, waste a ball. But they really allowed me to just relax, figure out a lot of the flipper skills that are helping me out now as a competitive player. So when you come to a tournament like this, is there anything you will not try? shatsing, drop catches, other things? You're like, maybe not. It depends on where I am and how comfortable I am with the game. It's definitely more difficult if I haven't put any time on that machine before. Very much so. It's like even a post-pass I might be a little bit scared to do. But that's one thing in Pinsonati that once I leaned more heavily into my skills, that's when I performed a lot better. I had a great combat game on stars just by shatsing, just alley-passing back and forth. Boy, that's amazing. so you build up the bonus. That's pretty impressive too and maybe the lights on you get a few extras. That's some great skills. I mean, shatzing is probably the one I was afraid to do the most. What about you? Oh yeah, alley passing because you feel like such a, like an idiot when it goes through and up and over and you're like, I did the thing that's what I wanted to happen except not the out lane. So, well, shatzing, yeah, you're talking about, so shatzing is named after Neil Shatz for those that many people know but it's when you are on one flipper. Let's say you're on the right flipper and you're trying to get it on the left flipper and you can't post pass. So what you're trying to do is let the ball roll to the end of the flipper and right before it drains, you flip and that should put it on the left flipper, probably go up the left in lane and hopefully not up and over, which happens on a lot of games, especially if the rubbers are on. Yeah, true. So a lot of these games here don't have the rubbers on them. A lot of up and overs. Yeah, but there are certain games that I will. Like strikes and spares here. Normally I like to tap pass, but this one, this flipper is so sensitive that it won't allow you to do that very easily. Okay. And the alley pass is a lot safer. In the older Valley games, the Valley tap pass is very, very popular, especially a game like, oh, I don't know, Paragon. Oh, Paragon's probably the best, my favorite game to tap pass on. You can do a rolling tap pass, and it's just, there's no feeling like tap passes are my favorite skill in a pinball machine. I always feel so happy when I can pull it off. Alright, I'll confess something. The one that I'm afraid to do the most, it's not chancing, it's not tap passing, it's drop catches. No. Yeah, I'm scared. What was that? You know what? I shouldn't be because at worst case scenario, I hold the flipper up early and maybe it bounce passes or something. But my timing is maybe not there. I'm much older than you, Elizabeth. We don't have the skills when we get a little older. But that's the one that in competition I will only do if the ball is really far away from the flipper. It has to be super far away. Well, there was actually a game I practiced drop catching on. And that was Metallica out of the scoop. oh my goodness yeah from the crank it up because they're it's so slick i mean what you're describing is something i first saw somebody do daniele achari he did that at the pinberg finals final four that was a game that was included he was playing keith elwin who went on to win but i was watching the drop catches from the scoop and i'm like i've never seen that before because of the timing and on a machine that daniele had never played before so that uh well i tipping the cap to you Elizabeth on that one Good on you I mentioned earlier I first noticed you when you were commentating again with Justin at Pinsonati And I was like boy she knows her stuff and she must be playing forever And then I hear, no, you're just really new to this and new to commentating. You're great at it. Thank you so much. I actually practiced at home. I watch streams all the time. The D82 streams, any stream I can get my hands on, I'll watch it. and it's how it's one of the ways i got really good really quickly was because of the commentators in the booth being able to explain the games but also all of the techniques and seeing the best people play those machines and seeing their amount of control and flipper decisions so i definitely wanted to do that and then i began practicing commentating because if there weren't any commentators in the booth i'd be like well this is what i would say right so when pinsonati rolled around. I noticed that Justin was sitting in the booth. Eric was sitting next to him, but Eric was a tournament director. So he had to be pulled out all the time. So at one point he got pulled out and I just like snuck into the booth and I was like, Hey, uh, Justin, can I sit here? And from then on, I'm like, Oh, I loved being behind the mic. I thought it was so much fun. In my older radio years, I did some play by play for things like baseball and football. And to practice for that. You basically watch a game on television or in pinball, you would watch a stream and you do exactly what you described. So I don't know if somebody gave you that advice, but that is the advice they tell broadcasters. Watch it, practice, do it on a tape. Listen, are you saying the same things over and over again? You got a lot of ums and ahs and things like that. And you have a nice cadence. Are you enunciating? I honestly thought you've done this for a long time. So congratulations. Thank you. It helps that, again, yeah, I practiced a lot and I hope that from watching streams, I realized what I liked about certain commentators and maybe not so much about others. So what I learned was always be in full support of the person behind the machine, you know? Brilliant. Absolutely. You're not rooting for one person. You're rooting for everyone. You want people to do well. You don't second-guess them. And you did that. Exactly. Yeah. They're always making the right decision, even if it's not the decision you would have made or the mode choice that you would have chosen. I'm their biggest fan when they were playing. For those that are commentating, if you ever get on commentating And if you ever question somebody and the actions they do, just remind yourself, they're playing, you're in the booth. Absolutely, yeah. And usually that means you're knocked out of the tournament or something. So they might be playing better than you. That's why I get to do so much commentating. It's not that I'm a good commentator, I'm just always out of the tournament. I know, it's a give and take. But really it's a win-win. So when I'm playing in a tournament and I get knocked out but there's a stream going on, I'm like, oh, well, at least I get to commentate. Otherwise I would just have to go home. Well, you're not going home from here. You're still doing well in this tournament. And we mentioned Louisville Arcade Expo. I've been to that years and years ago. It was one of my first big tournaments, Stern Pro Circuits at the time. And I got to meet some great friends, late David Taylor from Alabama and Chris Warren and all those good people there. And just, it was nice to see a lot of people come up there. There were a lot from Pittsburgh, certainly Ohio and Kentucky. And it's going to be fun. I know Wayne's been working really hard. Why don't you tell us what's going on at Louisville Arcade Expo? Oh, well, it is new this year, so this is the first time we're employing the pump-and-dump format. In a card format. So if you're used to in-disc where you have to have all good games on one card, that consistency, that's what you're doing. I like it. I will see how it goes. I've never played in a tournament like that before, but I'm looking forward to it. And I'm also looking forward to the late-night tournament. Is this a rec bar thing? This is a rec bar thing, and I've played in it twice now, and it's kind of like a heckling tournament. Oh, no. So it's definitely different than any other tournament. It's all that bourbon you get in Kentucky that might have a little after effect. This could be good. Oh, yeah. And I am a fan of bourbon, and there have been bourbon bottles being passed around at these cycling tournaments. But it just makes it, everyone's in such a good mood. We're all playing competitively, but also really silly. So it's different than anything else. I'm looking forward to this one, too. But it's late night, so you might not be, you might be playing pinball at 5 o'clock in the morning. So be ready. The bourbon keeps you awake. Listen, I've had Kentucky bourbon. I realized I not a very strong drinker when it comes to that Look at this candy in my back pocket Ooh A little Fireball cinnamon whiskey a little Canadian whiskey That is more my style But you know what? When in Rome, when in Kentucky, I'll have to take some of this bourbon for sure. But, again, Louisville Arcade Expo, it's not just this tournament. The whole event is spectacular. Great free play area, a lot of nice vendors. It's fun. Yeah, it's definitely arcade generally focused. So if you're going specifically for pinball, we have that. But we also have a lot of arcade games. There's a lot of cosplay going on. There's a lot of different aspects of this quote-unquote nerddom. I forgot about the cosplay. Yeah, and some late-night music and stuff. Right, yeah. So you get a lot of variety, which is fun. You don't know what to expect. All right. Are you doing cosplay? I have before. I'm more of a medieval renaissance. I like to go to the Renaissance Festival. Oh, yeah. Yeah, in Ohio. So maybe I'll break out my costume for that. Is that a big one in Ohio? Tell me about it. Oh yeah, the Ohio Renaissance Festival. Sorry, I haven't been. Yeah, it's kind of in the middle of nowhere. As it should be. We don't want electricity. Go on. Exactly, yeah. It's amongst cornfields and such, but they have a permanent residence there. So the buildings there and everything are there year-round. So it makes it feel very out of its time, right? and like purge rules you're allowed to actually joust and kill somebody well no i'm not going to okay fine but they do have jousting there and my it's kind of my favorite pastime to watch but i kind of feel bad watching it i'm like why do i enjoy this so much they are on horses galloping towards each other with with poles and i it's different people have been watching boxing and mma for years i mean some sports are a little violent it is what it is but that sounds like a lot of fun so okay cosplay you've got pinball you've got arcades louisville arcade expo i know eric actually is going to unfortunately or congratulations he'll be at the north american championship series because he probably would have been streaming on chuck work at lax and if he was i'm sure you'd be streaming so i'm not sure what wayne rouse and some of the other people have it's still going to be a great tournament uh yeah we probably won't have the stream uh we haven't last year the year previous but um and it'll be sad not having eric there he's such he's so much fun to play with, be around. He's a really, really, really great guy. Stand-up guy for sure, and does a great job with Cincinnati. And one of my favorite things about his stream, every game you played, he made a little tutorial before, and I thought that was brilliant, especially on some of those games. Yeah, well, Eric has a summer tournament called the Northern Kentucky Open that he holds every summer, and his basement is full of games that are... You've never seen. Yeah, I mean, he's like hoarding them or something. You're like, where is the... He loves the weird 90s Gottlieb games. A new game for him would be, well not a new game, but a modern game that everyone has for him would be like Excalibur or something like that. And you're like, what? What's this? Yeah, there was an Excalibur there, there was Bad Girls, Big House, Gold Wings, which was wacky. There's another one. Yeah, that was really fun. That was a really cool game. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head, but they're wacky, they're weird, and without his tutorials, I would have no clue what to do behind the flippers. So I'm glad he made them and they're super super helpful i know we'll hear more of you i know we'll see more of you at pinball tournaments because you've definitely got the bug and if you want to find out where elizabeth is just look at the top of the standings probably a good chance you'll be there thank you so much for doing this thank you so much jeff this was really great elizabeth gieski here on pinball profile you can find everything on pinballprofile.com all past episodes subscriptions and more we're on facebook we're on twitter and instagram at pinball profile you can email pinballprofile at gmail.com and please, if you could, if you can, support us on Patreon at pinballprofile. Don't worry, the show will always be free, but we appreciate your support. I'm Jeff Teolas. And I'm Elizabeth Kieske. I like it. Oh, the night happens when it's raining Players only love you when they're playing Say when they come and they will go