Pinball most certainly does favor size/attributes, but it's more size based than gender. A smaller player cannot move a machine around as easy or as accurately as a larger player.

Nobody is talking about segregating players, only ADDING an additional division restricted to gender just as youth and seniors are restricted to age. I don't think there are any men in pinball who feel that a woman can't play at the same competitive level. From my understanding, this division wouldn't be for current competitive females (unless they chose to compete in it), it's for women who are new to pinball.

I think it's an interesting conversation, but ultimately, it's up to the female player base to decide.

IFPA points cannot be awarded to any restricted division. Same goes for Seniors, Juniors, Div C and Div B at PAPA. Classics and Div A are the only PAPA divisions that award IFPA points, from what I understand.

Couples with each person controlling 1 flipper? man that would be fun to watch, especially if both people were in the same oversized shirt!

People keep referring to this as a segregation, It's an addition. It changes nothing to how the divisions currently work or who's allowed in them. It's referring to and addition division where to participants are restricted to female players just like seniors and juniors are restricted to age.

I think it's worth a try for a year or two and see if you see an increase in female attendance.

My wife actually said this would not interest her in the least.

She said once you get more than 3 women in the same place you get drama (her words, not mine). She will goto pinball shows and arcades and play pinball and she plays the machine(s) we have but she said she would never play in a tournament because she isn't any good at pinball, but if she did, she would want to play in the regular division.

But my wife doesn't represent all women, and she said she could see how some women would prefer to play in an "all girl" tournament.

That is the big question. If you are creating the division to provide a comfortable place to play, do you share a bank of games?

I know it's apples and oranges but when I was watching the Sprint cup race at Talladega on Sunday it made me think of this thread.

Danica Patrick was leading the race, under green, with 15 laps to go. She had the lead for 8 laps and had to pass 5 time Sprint cup champion Jimmy Johnson to get it. A tough feat for anyone, much less a petite female driver in a pink racecar.

If you think standing around a bunch of dudes at a pinball machine is tough, imagine having 43 of them behind you in 800hp stock cars going almost 200mph.

Women are the most amazing beings on earth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danica_Patrick

PS, I'm not a big fan of Danica, but I always root for her when she's doing well, I'd love to see her win under green someday, but I think most fans would.