Episode 305: Elizabeth Dronet

Pinball Profile·podcast_episode·16m 58s·analyzed·May 10, 2021

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.029

TL;DR

Elizabeth Dronet discusses her tournament organizing and pinball restoration business in Houston.

Summary

Jeff Teolis interviews Elizabeth Dronet, a Houston-based pinball community organizer, tournament director, and restoration business owner. The episode covers Elizabeth's role running multiple tournaments (Bells of Space City, Flip Frenzies, Match Play events), her restoration company Upkick Pinball, and her work with the Houston Arcade Expo and Texas Pinball Festival. Discussion touches on pandemic recovery, vaccine rollout, and the pinball community's support network.

Key Claims

Elizabeth runs the women's leagues and flip frenzies for Space City Pinball League and serves on the board of directors
high confidence · Direct statement: 'I'm on the board of directors, and I run all the women's leagues, but I also run a lot of the flip frenzies that we have.'
Upkick Pinball typically has 5-6 machines in restoration at any given time
high confidence · Elizabeth states: 'we usually have five or six machines we working on at a time'
Elizabeth does playfield restorations including hard tops, playfield swaps, and overlays; her husband handles board work
high confidence · Elizabeth describes division of labor: 'I am the one who really does the playfield restorations... And then my husband kind of takes over the board work.'
Elizabeth's family home flooded during Hurricane Harvey, which led to deeper involvement in the pinball community
high confidence · Elizabeth: 'since our house flooded during Harvey... That's when we really got deep into our league'
Elizabeth has 16 pinball machines at her house
high confidence · Jeff references: 'you've got the 16 machines at your house'
Match Play tournaments are Elizabeth's favorite format, preferring four-player groups over Flip Frenzies
high confidence · Elizabeth: 'I love match play tournaments... The Match Play four groups are my favorite... The Flip Frenzies are two people.'
Houston Arcade Expo had a big Match Play event requiring players to finish first or second in every game to advance, with a second chance consolation
high confidence · Elizabeth describes tournament structure: 'they had big match play events and it was a tough, tough tournament to qualify to get to the playoffs... you had two chances... four different sessions... your best one out of the two count it'
Elizabeth teaches high school and her twin daughters (now 15) are named Annabeth and another daughter
high confidence · Elizabeth: 'I teach school. I teach high school... the girls are now 15... Annabeth is going to be taking some computer science AP classes next year'

Notable Quotes

“we told the guy, well, it has to fit a pinball machine in the back, even though we're looking for our daughters”
Elizabeth Dronet @ ~1:00-2:00 — Humorous anecdote illustrating the centrality of pinball to Elizabeth's family life
“The thing about pinball that I love the most, like I said, is the community, the relationships we build. And the people in our league love my children and they love them back.”
Elizabeth Dronet @ ~37:00-38:00 — Core philosophy statement emphasizing community values in pinball culture
“It's very satisfying. It's very fulfilling to make these machines that looked so pathetic look like beautiful, shiny machines.”
Elizabeth Dronet @ ~12:00-13:00 — Articulates the personal satisfaction of restoration work and business motivation
“We work together. Usually my husband he figures it out and the girls and I, you know, he recruits them to come help. And I think that Annabeth is going to be taking some computer science AP classes next year. Hopefully she'll be on the road to designing a pinball machine sooner or later.”
Elizabeth Dronet @ ~26:00-27:00 — Demonstrates family involvement in pinball business and potential next-generation pipeline into pinball design
“I could be getting a lot more for these because they look gorgeous in my room”
Jeff Teolis @ ~19:00-20:00 — Jeff's assessment of the quality of Elizabeth's custom poster art for league promotion
“People are just so generous to us. And it's a joy to do it as well.”
Elizabeth Dronet @ ~14:00-15:00 — Reflects community goodwill and reciprocal support in local pinball ecosystem

Entities

Elizabeth DronetpersonJeff TeolispersonSpace City Pinball LeagueorganizationUpkick PinballcompanyHouston Arcade Expoevent Texas Pinball FestivaleventBells of Space CityorganizationPinburgheventGame Preserveorganization

Signals

?
business_signal: Upkick Pinball evolved from informal friend-help side business into established restoration company with consistent 5-6 machine pipeline, specialized equipment (vinyl cutters, laser printer, specialty tools), and service offerings in playfield restoration, board repair, and custom art/mods
high · Elizabeth: 'Started off just helping friends but news traveled And we usually have five or six machines we working on at a time... I have some machines that cut vinyl, and we have different printers... And then we have also a laser printer that can cut acrylic'
?
community_signal: Space City Pinball League operates with strong tournament infrastructure including Match Play events with consolation bracket structure, Flip Frenzies, and location-based league nights across member homes
high · Multiple tournament formats described including four-session Match Play with second-chance consolation, Flip Frenzies, pump-and-dump formats, league nights at player homes
~
sentiment_shift: Positive community reception of custom art/merchandise; Elizabeth's league posters selling successfully as donation items with strong demand signal from collectors (Jeff purchased multiple copies for display)
medium · Jeff: 'I couldn't believe you were so it was a deal was like $10 a poster. And I was like, you could be getting a lot more for these because they look gorgeous in my room... I have two of those hanging in my pinball room'
?
community_signal: Houston pinball community demonstrated mutual aid during Hurricane Harvey recovery, which catalyzed deeper community involvement and league participation by Elizabeth's family
high · Elizabeth: 'since our house flooded during Harvey... Space City players came and helped us with our house... we just found such a wonderful community that we just want to give back all the time'

Transcript

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0:00

it's time for another pinball profile i'm your host jeff teels you can find everything on pinballprofile.com all your subscriptions past episodes and more you can find us on twitter and instagram at pinball profile we're also on facebook and you can email us pinball profile at gmail.com. It's great to be talking to a friend of the show because when I first met this woman, she helped me out immensely with the Pinball Profile World Tour when I headed down to Houston, Texas. That's where we are right now. Elizabeth Dronay joins us. Hi, Elizabeth. Hi, Jeff. Nice to see you again or talk to you online as it is. It is good to talk to you. Happy Mother's Day. Oh, thank you so much. I hope your twin daughters are going to be spoiling you. They are. They're already planning what they're going to be cooking for me, including some strawberry shortcake, for sure. Now, you told me before we started recording that the girls are now 15, and you were doing a little bit of shopping for them this week, at least attempted shopping. Yes, we're trying to buy a new car, and this is pretty funny. We told the guy, well, it has to fit a pinball machine in the back, even though we're looking for our daughters. And he, of course, was shocked. And most people don't, you know, in our community, everybody thinks that there's, of course, cars with pinball machines that can fit, but he was taken aback. And we did look at several options. I think we're going to go with one that's for me instead of them, and then they can have my car. How's that sound? Happy Mother's Day. Hey, that's good. You get a new car. That's exactly what I was looking for. I even asked for the Mother's Day special. Oh, very nice. Well, good luck to you. A lot of people in the area certainly know about what you've been doing, Elizabeth, for years, in fact, with the Bells of Space City. You're the tournament director. I saw you at the Space City Open. We're now coming up to almost two years when you ran that big, big event there, won by Ashley Ludwig. You've been busy with pinball for a long, long time, haven't you? Yeah, we really, since our house flooded during Harvey, I know that you did a pinball profile on that. That's when we really got deep into our league, Space City Pinball League. We had been playing pinball for a while when the girls were smaller, and we had collected some machines. But after the Space City players came and helped us with our house, we just found such a wonderful community that we just want to give back all the time. Both my husband and I volunteer as tournament directors. I'm on the board of directors, and I run all the women's leagues, but I also run a lot of the flip frenzies that we have. And then I also help with the Houston Arcade Expo. I'm one of the planning committee for that because of the tournament. Because you run so many different tournaments, and the one you helped me with when I was there at Einstein's Pub, which now I guess has a second location in Houston. Yeah, it has one. It's a little south of Houston in Richmond, kind of by Sugar Land, which maybe people would recognize more. But it is more family-friendly. The one that we went to was for 21+. That was in Katy, Texas, if I recall. That is in Katy. That's where I work. Katy is now really part of Houston. And Greg, the operator, is just wonderful too as he has all the LEs. He buys all the new games. They're in fantastic condition. You know, he's just so good to our league. He was good to the tournament when I was there. I mean, he gave a bunch of free games out to all the members too. So I definitely remember that. But we ran a flip frenzy back for the Pinball Profile World Tour. You're on so many different tournaments, different ones too for the Houston Arcade Expo. Which ones are your favorite or are they all kind of unique and special in their own way? Well, I love match play tournaments. They would be my favorite and I really love the Bells tournaments. We usually host those at the Game Preserve or we'll do some league nights at different players' homes with people who have different collections. And I think that the match play four-player groups are my favorite. It doesn't matter if it's a strikes or if it's a flip frenzy. Well, I guess I really just like the four-player groups is what I should say. The Flip Frenzies are two people. The Match Play four groups are my favorite I love to get to know people and talk with them I guess match play is unique in the sense that we all love it from our Pinberg days rest in peace to that wonderful tournament But they are interesting A flip frenzy is kind of go, go, go. So you really don't get to mingle as such. The pump and dumps, there's a lot of times in queue where you can do your own thing and explore if you're at a show or something like that. But match play, I know at the Houston Arcade Expo, they had big match play events and it was a tough, tough tournament to qualify to get to the playoffs because you pretty much had to finish first or second in every game to advance. Yes, Jeff, but you had two chances. You could play twice in the tournament. If you remember, we set it up where there were four different sessions, even though it was match play. It's kind of like Pinberg. And then your best one out of the to count it. So that was a consolation. It was hard, but you had a second chance if you wanted. Take that, Robert Byers. Well, did he not qualify? Oh, I don't know if he qualified, but he was complaining. Oh, that's the Robert way. That's the top rope way. And I know you're saying that as a good friend of his too. Well, I told him it's all about having fun, isn't it? Only if he wins. I think that's how it works. I got to tell you, I don't know if it'll be this year based on the calendar and based on COVID and the pandemic and borders and all those kind of fun things if I'll be back to Houston but I am definitely coming back to that show because unlike any other show I have ever seen what a party atmosphere it is it's so fun in fact I was just talking with Keith and Phil online we were looking at some different bands and there's some really great options a lot of cover bands are looking for shows right now to play and we were kind of interviewing people online. It's looking very fun, very exciting. So putting a big show together like that with Phil, with Keith and others, how much preparation are you doing? A lot of it was already done, you know, with the year that we had to cancel. So we're sort of picking up where we left off. It's the same with the Texas Pinball Festival. I run the women's tournament there. We've done so much preparation and then, you know, a halt. So we're kind of picking up the pieces and taking off from there. So it's not seeming as overwhelming as it has in the past. More excitement and just looking forward to the future. I would have to imagine, fingers crossed, you know, we're going the right direction with the pandemic. But the state of Texas has had really good numbers as far as cases with COVID-19. That was not the case when it first started. But since it began here in May of 2021, things have really changed. In fact, watching my Toronto Blue Jays play the first game of the year in Texas, in Arlington, and a full crowd. And even this weekend playing your Houston Astros. You know, I think it's 50% and that's about to go up to 75% capacity. So it looks like things are swinging in the right direction. Things are getting better and that bodes well for the fall show. Yes, I agree. I think everyone is so hopeful because, you know, around here, the people are wearing masks everywhere in public. And also, everybody I know has got a vaccine. So that's great news. And I'm hoping that the kids get their vaccines next week. They said that they would be rolling them out, hopefully next week. So that's when it's really going to turn around. You know, I teach school. I teach high school. So if you can imagine all those kids wearing masks every day, what a relief when we can take them off. For sure. And we can all get back to normal, too. So get your vaccines and help out and do whatever you can. And that certainly is a message a lot of people have been saying, not only here on the show, but online. And probably if you're playing in a league or you want to play in a tournament, it's going to be these kind of things that get us back to the quote unquote normal. So one thing that's happened since the pandemic is you've kind of taken a little side business, if you will, and really made it a full fledged business. And we're talking about upkick pinball and its incredible restorations. I don't want to short sell it. Tell everybody what Upkick Pinball is. So my husband and I run a little business out of our garage just a repair and restoration business Started off just helping friends but news traveled And we usually have five or six machines we working on at a time I am the one who really does the playfield restorations. I'm talking about hard tops, playfield swaps. I've done a few overlays, polishing up everything, getting it working. And then my husband kind of takes over the board work. The EMs together, we work on those things. And it's really satisfying. It's very fulfilling to make these machines that looked so pathetic look like beautiful, shiny machines. We just had a customer come pick up a Flash Gordon today with a new hardtop, and it was amazing. The difference. That machine, the transformation of that machine was just so, makes me so happy. I wish it was mine. I actually ordered a hardtop from my Flash Gordon because it was such a transformation. And then that guy, that customer brought us a pinball machine as a payment in addition to the payment. People are just so thankful that there are people around. And that's why I really like doing it. You take such pride. I mean, I know you have a collection yourself and your family. But, you know, this was kind of a little side business before. But because of the incredible work you do, people are like, hey, can I give you my machine? And you've made this a business. You're the owner of Upkick Pinball, which you can see on upkickpinball.com, also on Facebook, too. You talked about that flash, Gordon. You can see the after pictures of what you've done. It's spectacular. So I'm not surprised that the person was thrilled, but that's a pretty big deal. They gave you a nice pinball machine as a payment. I know. It's a flash. And he had already put new boards in and everything. It's just, I think, kind of rare to find someone who are willing to work on the machines. And people are just so generous to us. And it's a joy to do it as well. And then what I like doing is creating some different mods and art packages. I make cards. I make inserts for coin doors, some stickers and decals. I just enjoy doing that. If you remember when you came to our Space City tournaments, I had done those posters for our league. And it sort of fulfills that desire to create some art. I'll send you a picture when we're done this podcast. I have two of those hanging in my pinball room, in fact. Oh, fun. Those posters were great. I couldn't believe you were so it was a deal was like $10 a poster. And I was like, you could be getting a lot more for these because they look gorgeous in my room. Oh, thanks. They're just a donation to the league. We know we got to pay for match play. Got to pay all your dues for the website and things. So we just use those to promote it and then get a little donations in. But I'm so glad you like it. Like it. I love it. And I'm loving what I'm seeing on upkickpinball.com because I love older games. I'm fascinated by them. I like the simplicity of some of the rules. I like the difficulty of some of the shots. I like the nostalgia of the artwork. And as you can imagine, a lot of the older machines, especially 40 years and older, are pretty beat up. Well, what you've done at Upkick Pinball is spectacular. And you mentioned briefly the deck holes. Well, I look at spinners. And one of the hardest things for me to find, and anybody out there, if you want to make one of these, you're going to make millions of dollars. Well, maybe not millions, but a lot of money. the old stern spinners. Hard to find. And you've done this neat thing with spinners and decals, and I really like what you've done. Oh, thank you. Thank you. I have some machines that cut vinyl, and we have different printers. And then we have also a laser printer that can cut acrylic. So we've designed some stuff and then also just repair, replace parts that are broken. And a friend of ours, Brian, he comes over and he's always got ideas for us. It's nice to brainstorm, you know, what do people want? What are people looking for? What's broken and can't be found anymore? And then trying to invent something that people will want. It's great that companies are making different play fields, but the swaps aren't exactly easy. And that's something you do and the restorations, the hard tops, but also too, especially with older games, I have no knowledge when it comes to mechanical repair, but definitely circuit board repair. And you do that at Upkick as well Yes we do We work together Usually my husband he figures it out and the girls and I you know he recruits them to come help And I think that Annabeth is going to be taking some computer science AP classes next year. Hopefully she'll be on the road to designing a pinball machine sooner or later. By the way, I couldn't help notice if you go to upkickpinball.com and you look under the stickers and pin section and you'll see this flipster. that is totally phil grimaldi well that so i just that's a very funny story because i had this idea okay flipster and you know those the guys with the beards and i said girls could y'all please describe for me what do you think like a pinball flipster would look like and they said okay well he'll wear like a twilight zone shirt or one that looks like phil has one that looks kind of like that and then he'll have a beard and anyway when i finished it all i said that looks like phil We all agreed. It was very funny. It's totally Phil. I'm going to post that on Pinball Profile on our Facebook page and Instagram, too. So check that out. It's so good. Headphones and everything? Absolutely. Yeah, I designed all that, but I did it based off of what they were saying. And when we finished, that's when we realized it was actually Phil they were describing. And the sticker, much like Phil, very soft-spoken.