logo (resized).jpg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 2019
Contact: Levi Nayman - [email protected]
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.

#####

The after work crowd needs to watch the awesome Fuckin trailer bump

Thanks for the amazing response yesterday!

Fewer than 20 tournament registration tickets remain so now is the time to grab them.

https://www.nycpinballchamps.com/

Here's your chance to attend the closest thing NYC has ever seen to a proper Pinball Show:

Day tickets are now available for NYCPC 2019 May 17-19! These are for non-competitors who still want to see the show, enjoy the live music, and play pinball all day/weekend on our free play bank of approx. 15 awesome tournament-ready pinball machines. Be part of the fun! Day tickets/weekend passes range from $25-60 and are available only in limited quantities:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nyc-pinball-championships-2019-registration-54801655226#tickets

NBP is excited to announce our new partnership with Boston’s Backhand Pinball, a rising star in the field of eSports pinball streaming. With a brand new, state-of-the-art rolling streaming rig, Backhand Pinball will broadcast over the course of the entire weekend at Twitch.tv. Viewers across the globe will get a front-row seat to all of the world-class championship pinball action, with the most energetic, exciting commentary teams professional pinball has yet seen. The Backhand Pinball rolling wireless streaming rig will allow for quick movement between games, high quality HD broadcast of the game and player action, and features telestration graphic technology that will help engage viewers all weekend long.
“New Yorkers have come to expect excellence from the great city of Boston – that’s why I’m proud to bring my brand new pro-class eSports streaming rig to the Big Apple and NYCPC 2019,” said Backhand Pinball owner Marc Patenaude. “I can’t wait to be a part of this exciting event and bring championship pinball to eSports fans around the world!”
Backhand Pinball has already broadcast several smaller events in preparation for NYCPC 2019, and these archived streams can be viewed at the Backhand Pinball Channel on Twitch.tv

Today is truly a momentous day in Pinball history! From once being banned in our gleaming metropolis, 43 years later pinball is now not only legal, but officially recognized and decorated by the City of New York! Behold, the official Citation issued by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, celebrating NYCPC 2019! We couldn’t be happier that the greatest city on earth is recognizing one of our greatest pastimes, the silver ball!

6E3AA5FD-3AA8-4183-BA6C-973825E59991 (resized).jpeg

95C4A171-920A-4655-8D63-1BAE0DF09BE9 (resized).jpeg

G Fuel is hooking us all up big time in 2019! All registered players and weekend pass buyers will receive an awesome schwag bag with a cap, G Fuel stick packs, and one of these sick WWE Legends G Fuel shakers. Wooooooo!
As always buy yer G Fuel at Gfuel.com and use code PINBALL for every day savings.

Buy tickets for the show at www.nycpinballchamps.com

swag 2019 (resized).jpeg

Shit's gettin' real.

The giant check has arrived!

giant check (resized).JPG

Here's the text for our citation:

City Council Citation

Whereas, New York City welcomes the 2nd Annual New York City Pinball Championships, a sporting event like none other featuring some of the fiercest pinball competitors from around the globe; and

Whereas, the magic of pinball has captivated generations of players. Far more than a simple game of lights, music, and sound effects, pinball has distinguished itself as an exciting, flipping-and-frenzied game of luck and superior skill. Pinball is also a reflection of some of the most beloved and recognizable popular cultural themes ever, including The Wizard of Oz, The Simpsons, Star Wars, The Addams Family, and the Hobbit; and

Whereas from the super-retro to the ultra-modern, pinball games, like life itself, are unpredictable. The key is giving it your all to keep the shiny ball in play; now, therefore

Be it known , that I, Corey Johnson, the Speaker of the New York City Council and the Council Representative for District 3, proudly honor the

2nd Annual New York City Pinball Championships

for supporting the burgeoning field of competitive pinball, and for marking 43 years of high-spirited pinball action.

Happy to announce that due to last minute drop outs and final accounting of space, ticketing is or will soon be open to all comers. Very limited availability.

Day tickets also available.

Tickets are available at www.nycpinballchamps.com

Women’s bank:

High speed 2
Creature
Dipsey Doodle
Stern Spider Man

dahlia (resized).jpg

Monaco
Wizard
Stars
Sinbad
Target Pool
Satin Doll
Argosy
Count-Down

Sign2 (resized).jpg

The G Fuel Free Play Bank is taking shape. Great mix of games including some extremely rare classic awesome to play Sterns, of course the first chance in the state of New York for players to experience Jersey Jack's soon to be released Willy Wonka machine.
Great list of games with potentially more coming.

Buy day and weekend passes now at www.nycpinballchamps.com

Nip it
Beat Time
Kings of Steel
Willy Wonka
Quicksilver
Stargazer
Wizard of Oz
Superstar
Robotron (vid)
Taito multicade Zookeeper (vid)
Safecracker
Congo

Sign4 (resized).jpg

You asked for it (over and over and over!!) and here it is!! (finally)! And it F'n rules!

Your tentative Pingraffix Main Division Bank! :

Ali
Walking Dead
Flash Gordon
Dialed In
Stern Rolling Stones
Transformers
WHirlwind
Alien Star
Shadow
Cosmic Gunfight
8 (power?) Ball
Black Knight 3

Sign1 (resized).jpg

Lol sorry man now you are just getting greedy.

We got a lot of work to do before we even get to that Shit. See ya at the tournament!

Our tentative streaming schedule at Backhand Pinball on twitch:

https://www.twitch.tv/backhandpinball/videos/all

Friday, May 17:
9pm-midnight: Hot qualifying action

Satuday May 18:
3pm-4:30 pm: Qualifying action
5pm-9pm: Classics finals
9pm-10pm: The KNobs/ Sean "the Storm" Grant
10pm-midnight: Women's Finals

Sunday May 19:
10am-5pm: Main Finals

This thing is raging, totally hot-Shit start for the greatest pinball tournament of all time. We had a packed house with hundreds of people from half-dozen countries.

Come on by and watch awesome competition and play some pinball.

All day long today, Saturday, and tomorrow till 6pm.

As women’s and classics finals are completed today, even more
Games will be added to our free play bank!

725 10th ave skyline hotel

Nyc, USA!!

I was too busy to take pics yesterday but here’s a few plucked off Facebook to give you an idea of what you are missing by staying home and watching 1990s team videos on NFL Network.

0340273F-63EF-43BC-91BF-AF25B88862CB (resized).jpeg1B4378D0-C3F9-4415-87C8-C4D59D6992DD (resized).jpeg1EB33847-1F4A-409F-A59B-D8C093522FCD (resized).jpeg

0ACC78B5-B672-4981-916A-16A460F4625A (resized).jpeg6D8226A9-6509-44A2-90FF-2AA4AC0C2019 (resized).jpeg0FF19167-359C-4CA3-84A8-C4DD2379763C (resized).jpeg7D3C5AC2-17D5-4D61-8A00-C2B239607350 (resized).jpeg902FE834-62B9-4997-8D69-3FCA0E8859C3 (resized).jpeg

96BFD0F6-619C-4E7D-9F62-F818B73BB6E6 (resized).jpeg

98DC5B45-4659-4EF2-AC7B-532450105F1E (resized).jpeg

B344CBAA-C1A4-4460-9BEF-10205E21D54D (resized).jpeg

B2C9F41D-20CD-4F3A-9FA9-AA37DF2A8D14 (resized).jpeg

EFDDE965-AAF4-4309-9A30-2AC68D9D821B (resized).jpeg

Sean "The Storm" Grant destroys the NYCPC 2019 stage!!!

Unbelievable!

here’s some awesome super quick clips of the stream action. Some of you “tournament Pinball is lame and not fun to watch” types should check this stuff out.

Maybe it’ll help you get it:

https://livestream.clips.gg/?channel=backhandpinball&sort=week

Sean Grant is one of the greatest pinball players of our generation and a guy who’s been living the Dream for his whole life! Not giving a Fuck has its privileges.

A New York City treasure!

Now ya know

Not sure but I think he’s featured in some of the old school docs like Special When Lit? He also made the short New York 1 news piece they ran yesterday which I’ll try to dig up. Sean has been a top tournament player for 25 years!

Beefed!

A little late and nobody here cares anyway but...

Champion Keith Elwin: The GOAT
goat (resized).JPG

Congrats to our NYCPC 2019 final 4! (l to r: Tim Sexton, Paul Caras, 3rd place Raymond Davidson, Austin Smith, 2nd place Steven Bowden, 1st place Keith Elwin, 4th place Jerry Bernard, Levi Nayman)
main (resized).JPG

Dahlia Rowan Memorial tournament final 4 (l to r: 4th Kaite Martin, 1st Julie Dorrser, 3rd Anna Wolk, 2nd Miriam Nadler)
women (resized).JPG

Classics final 4 (l to r: Levi Nayman, 1st Bowen Kerrins, 2nd Ian Harrower, 3rd Joe Lemire, 4th Elliot Keith).
classics (resized).JPG

Congrats to our B Division final 4 (l to r: Paul Caras, Tim Sexton, 3rd Chris Cafaro, Austin Smith, 1st Jay Steinberg, 2nd Zen Zochniak, Levi Nayman. Not pictured 4th Adam Robinson)
b (resized).JPG

Just thought I'd post a few pics of the event, now that a bunch of great photos have been provided to us by Filip Wolak and Joe Ciaravino.

I know tournament pinball isn't really what the crowd here is about, but we are trying to build something more akin to a "show" in NYC, which previously had been regarded as impossible. And we are off to a great start. Next year we will have a better free play bank (unfortunately we had about 5 games show up DOA, we'll do a better job sourcing next year), more live entertainment, more vendors, and whatever else we can come up with.

Thanks to JJP again for providing us with a Wonka (along with a brand new POTC) - this is a game people were standing on line for 40 minutes to play at Allentown two weeks prior, and generally anybody could play it with a one-game wait all weekend.

The event was a big success, but it could always be bigger and better.

In addition, if anybody here would like to join our team in any capacity - sponsorship, providing games, providing marketing or press outreach services, providing equipment - feel free to reach out. Planning for next year will begin in earnest as the summer reaches an end. You too can help promote pinball, give back to the hobby and community, and be part of something truly awesome and kickass.

I don't mean to marginalize Pinside as I know we had some guests and players who frequent here, I'd just like to see more of you. If nothing else it will give you the chance to tell me I suck RIGHT TO MY FACE!

Who can pass on that!?

Thanks again!
02AD79C7-3C1C-4384-A22C-170C83A8FA95 (resized).jpeg
B354488D-BFC3-4E87-A62C-7F52D7D66C43 (resized).jpegC79AB03F-9F1B-48DA-93A1-BB64D94E6816 (resized).jpegD228E20B-252E-4342-8D00-FDCE476C6CC6 (resized).jpeg8C326336-DF00-44BA-9869-B7A7E4858A2C (resized).jpeg5F1A3161-695A-44DC-A1E8-D7EBB886A144 (resized).jpeg29627295-FB13-42EA-A5F0-92490DCA8FDE (resized).jpeg
E14099C5-325B-4D95-A566-6A513B7F5AD3 (resized).jpeg3622260B-1176-4951-9538-4D48EC1FFD86 (resized).jpeg2CC54994-06C5-42F2-AAFD-96E502840AE3 (resized).jpegA39877E6-223B-49E6-ABB2-68F0705186A0 (resized).jpegD44B620B-EFDC-4348-A1D6-56253F48BB5C (resized).jpegDC8BEA39-0819-46AF-A505-17633D8E52E6 (resized).jpeg
5B163166-7FFE-4558-82A2-585F8FDE4C86 (resized).jpeg72F31067-FC35-4C8A-8E73-2B56C0AE6C75 (resized).jpegE9F07747-2169-4745-AC84-3061D5CBF61B (resized).jpegF4632493-8312-42F6-9B53-CAF90BACF364 (resized).jpegA0028CEA-186D-41E7-B740-C963AC7F3665 (resized).jpegEBB9C866-75BD-4AF4-9B2E-EEC5E498666D (resized).jpegEA753E4C-34FB-4D3A-8F4B-1328CB947F85 (resized).jpeg
E66CE908-78B3-41E3-B00E-319E0815E10B (resized).jpeg

B9595357-BAB6-4545-999A-5FB3BDEA2B82 (resized).jpeg

Thanks!

Was really too busy during the event to post updates but I’m enjoying recapping things now.

Our streamer Backhand Pinball is working on a highlights video which I’ll post when finished.

Thanks! We appreciate the support offered by pingraffix.

Backhand Pinball put together a little highlights video. Some cool flipper moves!:

Check out this amazing on-the-spot piece produced by NYC Filmmaker Matt C. Thanks Matt, love it!!

You guys should really come next year. Even more so than 2019, you won't have to be a tournament player to have a good time.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZXfurnsZM1Q?fbclid=IwAR2LTC7gUhFIu76NSt9BeoWmVvXYj6eRs2zonn57NNwgDIRxdoHNyIEIHlQ