Most of the spectators came on Sunday for the finals at which point more space was made by removing numerous machines from the floor. For finals the main viewing area had 40 seats available with a 50” TV broadcasting the stream and a mixture of people providing live commentary to the guests that was different from the live stream commentary. As for qualifying, there wasn’t a ton of extra space nor was there a ton of spectators. Very few from what I saw. And the event had over 100 chairs lining the walls of the room. Easy to grab a seat and spectate.

The commentating that was being done live had several elements associated with it. The announcers were doing the normal stuff of calling out the shots, announcing had much jackpots were hit for, etc. they also hyped up the crowd and hyped up the players WHILE they were playing. For instance on one of the finals games of Sorcerer Jon was playing and was way behind Bowen on his last ball. He had no ear plugs in that I could see not did he have headphones on. While he was hitting the left ramp multiple times the crowd and the announcers got more animated and lively and louder. Yelling Boom at times and telling the crowd to give a big round of applause of hitting the ramp or making a killer save. Several times during this particular game Jon trapped up and acknowledged the crowd cheering him on. I would say most if not all of the players enjoyed it. Some like Bowen, wore headphones so not sure how much he heard from the crowd or the live announcer.

On a side note, I just started TD’ing about 7 months ago, and this is exactly what I need to see and hear. I’m all about flair and wow and for all of my future events we are going to do live announcing along with hyping up the players. It can only be good for the sport. This isn’t golf.

First State Flippers is here to help! We love to take things to another level!

It’s happening.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2019
Contact: Levi Nayman - [email protected]
(917) 209-8523
www.nycpinballchamps.com

Bigger and Better NYC Pinball Championships Return in 2019
Upgrades Include Larger Venue, More Competitors, Free Play Bank for Spectators

(New York, NY) - Never Beef Productions is proud to announce that the New York City Pinball Championships 2019 will take place on May 17-19 at the Skyline Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan, building upon the success of last year’s inaugural event by doubling in size and adding numerous upgrades and attractions. NYCPC 2019, which will take place in the Skyline’s Grand Ballroom, will feature a free play bank for spectators, competitors, and all fans of the silver ball.
The tournaments will include International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA)-sanctioned Open, Classics, and the inaugural Dahlia Rowan Memorial Women’s NYC Championship, as well as a B-Division contest for players ranked outside of the top 500 by the IFPA. The B-Division will feature cash payouts in 2019.
Registration for the tournament opens on Saturday, January 26 at 10 am EST, at Eventbrite. In addition, a limited amount of discounted hotel rooms will be available through the Skyline Hotel. Visit www.nycpinballchamps.com for links. Day passes will be available at a later date for those who want to watch the tournament and play pinball, rather than compete in the tournaments.
NYCPC 2019 will also feature improved production and a live musical performance by legendary New York City pinball pro and rapper Sean “The Storm” Grant. Players will compete for a wide range of cash and prizes on diverse banks of pinball machines provided by some of the area’s top retailers, operators, distributors, private collectors, and pinball machine manufacturers. Never Beef Productions was founded in 2018 and consists of competitive pinball players Paul Caras, Levi Nayman, Tim Sexton, and Austin Smith to produce NYCPC as well as other pinball-related projects. “Our vision of bringing world-class competitive pinball back to NYC for the first time since the 1990s was realized last year, and we can’t wait to see this event grow into something even more spectacular,” said Levi Nayman of Never Beef Productions. “This year will see the number of players double in size, a larger venue, a large free play bank, live music, and awesome production values that once again raise the bar for pinball tournaments. Competitive pinball continues to grow and we are thrilled to be a part of pushing this fantastic sport forward!” Last year’s New York City Pinball Champion was Bowen Kerins, currently ranked 7th in the World Pinball Player Rankings.

What: New York City Pinball Championships
Where: Skyline Hotel – 725 10th Ave. @ 49th St., New York, New York.
When: May 17-19, 2019.
How: Tickets for sale January 26 at 10 am EST. Visit www.nycpinballchamps.com for details.

Tickets reserved. I’ll be back this year to improve on my 3rd place finish in B! Watch out “A” Division!!