For a competitive pinball player, the journey to a first tournament victory is often a grueling marathon of near-misses, bracket heartbreaks, and steady, quiet climbs up the rankings. On June 9, 2026, Troy Witherspoon finally crossed that long-awaited finish line. Entering the SCPL TGP NASA: Supplemental Training Week 3 event as IFPA #5625, Witherspoon arrived with the momentum of a solid upward trajectory this season. He had put in the immense work required to elevate his game, logging 61 career ranked events and pushing himself to compete in 10 events over just the past six months.
After knocking on the door with two top-three finishes in his last five outings, the perseverance definitively paid off. Witherspoon claimed his first tournament win, outlasting a tightly packed, highly skilled field to take the top podium spot. This breakthrough victory was not just a testament to his leveling up over the past year, but a powerful statement made against some of the region’s most consistent and seasoned competitors. Walking away with the headline victory, Witherspoon proved that dedication to the flippers ultimately yields the highest rewards.
Solid State Sounds and an Intimate Battlefield
The Game Preserve arcade in Webster provided the perfect retro backdrop for Tuesday night’s competition. Situated closely to NASA, the establishment leans heavily into an immersive space-themed atmosphere, complete with vintage 80s music and the nostalgic blips and bleeps of classic solid state games echoing across the floor. It is a well-maintained establishment that honors pinball history, ensuring that the machines play true for those looking to make some history of their own.
The qualifier phase was structured as a classic Best Game format played across a curated bank of four games. In this individual single-player format, competitors played each machine, knowing only their absolute best score would be ranked against the rest of the field for crucial points. While the field was small with only eight participants, the competitive density in the room was remarkably high. Every single player in the building was an IFPA-ranked competitor.
Furthermore, the localized talent pool was incredibly fierce. The field boasted a Texas NACS average state rank of #218, anchored by veterans like Erich Stinson, who brought the strongest national rank to the room at IFPA #1821 and a commanding TX NACS rank of #120. Stinson was joined by other state-ranked regulars including Dawn Freedkin, Shawn Wylie, and Jason Wylie, ensuring no easy points were on the table. In an intimate field of this size, sweeping field statistics take a backseat; individual head-to-head matchups carry all the weight.
Players tested their mettle on a vintage 1978 lineup that heavily featured Williams’ Disco Fever and Stern Electronics’ Stars. On Stars, competitors had to dial in their accuracy and utilize specific secret strategies. Skilled players could trap the ball on the right flipper, let the flipper go for a transfer via the post to the left flipper, and set up a clean spinner shot. From there, the general strategy was clear: shoot the five star targets to increase the right spinner value by 200 a star, and then hit that spinner all day for big points.
The Wylie, Witherspoon, and Anthony Triangle
As the qualifying rounds progressed, Shelly Wylie set the absolute pace for the evening. Coming in at IFPA #11380 and riding her own impressive upward trajectory this year, Shelly dominated the Best Game standings to take the number one qualifying spot. Her performance in this opening phase had significant implications for several ongoing regional rivalries. By finishing ahead of Erin Anthony (IFPA #4374) in the qualifier, Shelly pulled their head-to-head record perfectly level at two wins apiece. She also squared up her historic rivalry with Witherspoon, bringing them to a dead heat of four wins each prior to the final bracket.
Witherspoon kept his composure and kept himself right in the hunt, securing the second-place spot at the end of the Best Game qualifying. He was followed closely by Anthony, who has been quietly leveling up her own game over the past year and currently holds 32.66 WPPR points for the current state season. Anthony slotted securely into third place. John Syers, a veteran of 182 total tournaments, rounded out the top four. With the field tightening and the cut line established, these four top performers advanced to the finals, leaving absolutely no room for error.
Catching the Fever in a Single-Game Sprint
The tournament decision came down to a razor-thin margin: a single-round, four-player Group Match Play sprint. The chosen battleground was Disco Fever, the 1978 Williams classic that had been the most heavily played machine of the entire night. With points awarded purely by finishing position in this single group, it was a high-stakes, winner-take-all scenario where a single drained ball could alter a career milestone.
When the flippers finally stopped flipping, it was Witherspoon who stood the tallest. He masterfully took the game over Anthony, securing first place in the group and capturing his long-awaited title. Anthony took second place on the machine, a strong finish that added to her own solid season. Shelly Wylie finished third in the group, while Syers landed in the fourth position.
This climactic single-game sprint did more than just mint a brand new champion; it decisively broke a deadlock between the finalists. Coming into the tournament tied in their shared events, Witherspoon stepped ahead of Anthony to take a 3-2 lead in their personal rivalry. It also extended his newly gained advantage over Shelly Wylie, pushing his overall record against her to 5-3 in their shared events.
Witherspoon walking out of The Game Preserve with the first-place finish represents a monumental competitive hurdle finally cleared. After 61 events of grinding through the ranks and battling regional titans, the breakthrough is officially etched into the books. The victory not only recalibrates the local Texas leaderboards but serves as a reminder that persistence, practice, and keeping cool under the arcade lights eventually pays off.
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