Mowbray Dominates the 40-Player Field at Sparks Pinball Museum

The neon glow of vintage backglasses cuts brightly through the room at Sparks Pinball Museum & Arcade in Troy, Michigan. Stepping onto the second floor reveals an impeccably clean, vibrant space brimming with an old-fashioned 1980s vibe. Owner Mike maintains a massive collection where competitors pay a single entry fee rather than worrying about quarters or tokens, allowing for pure, uninterrupted focus on the flippers. On Friday night, that nostalgic retreat transformed into a high-stakes battleground for the Speakeasy at Sparks 2.0 Pokémon Launch Party.

There is a familiar, comfortable rhythm to a 40-player local tournament. It lacks the overwhelming chaos of a world championship, replacing it instead with the concentrated intensity of regional regulars testing their mettle. The air is thick with the scent of competition, where every drained ball and precise flipper catch means the difference between climbing the state ranks or dropping into the middle of the pack.

The Backbone of Competitive Pinball

The field at Sparks perfectly encapsulated the standard competitive draw that serves as the lifeblood of the IFPA. Of the 40 total participants, 32 were IFPA-ranked, bringing an average national rank of #8804 to the floor. The Michigan state scene was heavily represented, with 32 NACS contenders boasting an average state rank of #240.

At the top of the roster loomed Jared August, a formidable presence carrying a #12 national ranking as the tournament’s strongest competitor. The evening’s Max Match Play format ensured rapid-fire action over the 212-minute event. With no fixed round structure, new head-to-head matches were generated on-demand to keep the play continuous. This system actively avoided repeat opponents, pushing the field through 200 total games and maximizing pairing diversity over the course of the night.

Catching the New Stern: Pokémon (Pro)

The absolute centerpiece of the night was the tournament debut of Stern’s newest release, Pokémon (Pro). Organizers built the entire event around this machine’s arrival, drawing players eager to explore its beautifully crafted themed ramps, spinners, and targets. The game takes players on a journey across four distinct habitats to discover, catch, and bond with various creatures. Players shoot an illuminated, mechanically animated Poké Ball to secure catches and build their ultimate team, all while an animatronic Pikachu cheers from the playfield. The machine integrates video clips from the original animated series alongside a custom voiceover and the iconic “Pokémon Theme” song.

However, tournament reality quickly set in as players faced off against the physical Team Rocket mech dead center and an interactive Meowth Balloon toy that swoops down over the battle arena. Competitors quickly learned that navigating the table required abandoning traditional muscle memory right off the plunge. Players were explicitly warned not to hold the left flipper for the skill shot, as it was a guaranteed drain unless that dangerous outlane outline had been specifically rebuilt. Once the ball was safely in play, the dominant tournament strategy shifted to hitting the main four major shots three times each to systematically unlock separate modes. The deep ruleset and unfamiliar layout resulted in an exhausting average game time of 15 minutes, demanding serious tactical patience from anyone drawn to play it.

Cataldi’s Party Animal Upset Over Hubris

In the familiar churn of a weekly tournament, massive upsets are the moments that keep the local scene thrilling. On Bally’s 1987 Party Animal, Frank Cataldi executed a stunning victory over Uber Hubris in a tense nine-minute match. The hard-fought win erased a staggering 20,184-spot rank gap between the two competitors.

Cataldi is undeniably a player on the rise, having jumped 3,834 places on the IFPA ladder this year despite only having two active years on record. Hubris, meanwhile, came into the night riding their own wave of momentum. Up 378 positions over the past year and boasting two victories in their last five outings, Hubris was a heavy favorite. Cataldi’s upset served as a stark reminder that past performance offers no guarantees when the flippers start firing.

A Jungle Lord Family Feud

The unpredictability of a 40-player local draw inevitably creates fascinating head-to-head showdowns, and Sparks delivered a premier family faceoff. Top tournament finishers Scott August and Jared August found themselves locked in a two-player battle on Williams’ 1981 classic, Jungle Lord. Jared entered the arena carrying the intimidating weight of his #12 national ranking, but Scott, ranked #2189, brought his own deep arsenal of skills.

The two traded precision shots and saves for 13 agonizing minutes on the notoriously unforgiving solid-state layout. Ultimately, Scott outlasted the tournament’s strongest competitor to take the win. It was a defining moment of the night, proving that deep game knowledge and patience can overcome raw rank on older timber.

Mowbray’s Unstoppable Nine-Game Rampage

Despite the chaotic upsets and tight family feuds, the overall narrative of the night belonged to Stephen Mowbray. Ranked #4006 globally, Mowbray systematically dismantled the field with a breathtaking display of endurance and consistency. He ripped through the bracket by winning nine consecutive games out of the ten he played on his way to securing the victory.

Mowbray didn’t just squeak by his opponents; he utterly dominated the venue’s floor. He posted the top score on nine of the ten machines he touched, an astonishing arena sweep count that left the rest of the field mathematically buried. Jared August recovered from his Jungle Lord stumble to take the runner-up spot, while Scott August rounded out the final podium in third place.

While massive world championships capture the international glory, it is this standard competitive draw—40 locals battling it out on a Friday night—that truly fuels the sport. The Michigan NACS field brought intense regional talent to the floor, but Mowbray’s brilliant streak perfectly captured the essence of the weekly grind. It is in these localized arenas, under the vintage lights of arcades like Sparks, where the competitive heart of pinball beats the loudest.