Outside, De Pere was sitting at a cool 63 degrees under broken clouds, but inside District 82 Pinball Arcade, the Friday night competition was roaring at an absolute fever pitch. Twelve dedicated silverball athletes stepped onto the active tournament floor for the Flippin’ Friday Finals, ready to battle through a grueling eleven-round group knockout gauntlet. When the mechanical dust finally settled after 131 minutes of intense action, Green Bay’s own Eddie Smith stood tall as the undisputed champion of the room.
Smith did not simply survive the bracket; he put went on the offensive against the floor. The IFPA #1555 contender established his dominance early and never let go, posting the highest individual score on five of the eleven machines contested on his championship run. In an intimate, highly competitive field featuring ten nationally ranked circuit regulars and an average state rank of #79, every single drained ball carried massive championship implications. Smith met that pressure with ice in his veins, celebrating a career milestone that adds another glittering trophy to his recent hot streak.
Defying the Mathematical Odds on Memory Lane
Competitors traveling to this revered Wisconsin gaming hall know that venue owner and tournament director Erik Thoren operates one of the premier competitive pinball sanctuaries in the country. Patrons routinely celebrate the arcade’s classic low-lit atmosphere, ringing mechanical chimes, clean facilities, and complimentary coffee and water that keep athletes properly fueled for long championship grinds. Above all else, the machines are kept in absolute tournament-ready shape with immediate maintenance, ensuring that every contest is decided purely by flipper skill.
The tournament spine took shape early as Smith found his tactical footing in Round 1 on Foo Fighters (Pro), claiming a safe second-place group finish behind Joe Reynolds. The real dramatic spark of the early acts arrived in Round 2 on Stern Electronics’ vintage June 1978 creation, Memory Lane. Designed by the legendary craftsman team of Sam Stern and Mike Kubin, this bowling-themed arena challenges players with ten rollover buttons arranged precisely like pins at the end of an alley.
Stepping up to the plunger, Smith faced a vicious four-player grouping that included Tom Schmidt, Brandon Peltier, and national #246 titan Erik Thoren. Pre-match mathematical ratings painted Smith as a heavy underdog against Thoren, giving the Green Bay resident barely a one-in-three shot at winning the group. Showing tremendous physical grit over twelve tense minutes, Smith executed high-precision shots across the playfield to upset the favorites and capture first place. That pivotal upset victory set the tone for the entire night, signaling to the rest of the roster that pre-game rankings meant nothing once the silverball launched.
Heavyweight Spinner Warfare on Flash Gordon
As the tournament crossed into its middle stretch, the elimination strikes began piling up and the field tightened into a brutal war of attrition. Smith kept his foot pressed firmly to the accelerator, locking in another crucial group win on Iron Man (Vault) in Round 3 before surviving tight groupings in Rounds 4 and 5. Meanwhile, circuit standout Mike Carlson was engineering his own methodical climb up the leaderboard. Carlson brought phenomenal physical form to the cabinets all night, successfully extending his ongoing career rivalry advantage over familiar opponent Tom Schmidt across their eighty shared historic tournaments.
The ultimate turning point of the tournament arrived in Round 6 when tournament leaders Smith, Carlson, and Thoren faced off alongside Eric Quella on Bally’s legendary 1980 release, Flash Gordon. Crafted by designer Claude Fernandez with iconic comic-book artwork by Kevin O’Connor, this split-level arena is widely regarded as a punishing test of ball control. Analytical players know that completing the drop targets on the lower-left playfield once illuminates the left spinner, while sweeping those targets a second time lights both spinners for massive scoring runs.
During an agonizing eleven-minute multiplayer battle, Smith treated the vintage Bally hardware like his own home court. He masterfully worked the lower-left drop targets to exploit the spinners, outclassing his heavyweight rivals to secure first place. Carlson grabbed second place to keep his championship hopes alive and maintain his career rivalry edge over Quella, while Thoren absorbed a critical group loss. Across the entire tournament, Smith consistently edged out the host, finishing ahead of Thoren in five out of the nine games they shared on the floor.
Final Round Knockout on Champion Pub
The concluding acts of the marathon demanded pure athletic endurance as the surviving field fought through mounting exhaustion. Smith locked down another top score on Chicago Gaming’s Monster Bash remake in Round 7, shook off a fourth-place stumble on Eight Ball in Round 8, and stayed composed through a fast bout on Flight 2000 in Round 10. By the time Round 11 commenced, the entire 23-game tournament distilled down to a final decisive duel on Bally’s 1998 brawler, Champion Pub.
Standing across the cabinet was IFPA #701 Mike Carlson, an exceptional competitor riding a steep rating trajectory over the past year. Over eight nerve-wracking minutes of championship play, Smith delivered the final mechanical knockout blows to defeat Carlson and secure his dominant first-place crown. For a serious competitor currently ranked #40 in the Wisconsin NACS standings, this glorious five-sweep performance represents a massive statement of determination and mechanical skill. Eddie Smith proved that on any given Friday night in De Pere, relentless focus and pure love for the silverball can conquer the toughest field in the state.
1st Place: Eddie Smith
2nd Place: Mike Carlson
3rd Place: Erik Thoren
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