October Pinball Tournament
SpareMe Bowling & Arcade, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 6 p.m.
As an increasingly older, increasingly grumpy Iowa City townie, I have never been more hesitant to write a glowing review of a place. But my god, if you haven’t been hanging out at SpareMe, especially on Wednesdays, what are you even doing with your life?
Located on the first floor of the Chauncey, SpareMe has a Starship Enterprise work-lounge vibe that is both sparse and welcoming. The room is flooded with natural light and the music selection is always refreshingly unpredictable, governed by whoever is working that shift. Speaking of the staff, they are some of the kindest, coolest and most accommodating in town, thanks largely to the personality-focused hiring style of Heather Ruth, one of the guiding hands responsible for making SpareMe the stellar hangout spot it is.
Ruth has also played a big role in the continued evolution of the menu offerings at SpareMe, which has really stepped up its game; the wings are excellent. During our conversation, Ruth gushed with no fake bluster (trust me, I checked) that they also have “one of the best brunches in town, served seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.” (The chilaquiles with barrira are especially fantastic — big shout-out to Chef George!)
While all of these qualities make for a wonderful experience, the most compelling component of SpareMe is their selection of pinball machines.
Let me tell you something: I love pinball. I fucking love it so much. It’s better than pool, darts and foosball combined and it blows air hockey and skeeball out of the water. I might love pinball more than I love my favorite books or movies. I don’t think I love pinball more than coffee, pizza or music, but I do probably love it more than my dog (sorry, Ruby) and at least a few of my relatives (sorry, Youknowwhoyouare).
So what’s the big draw? Well, like most things, there’s a lot more to pinball then you may realize. I know a lot of people assume the game is pure chance, and sure, chance plays a sizable role in every game. But the better a person is at pinball, the less chance becomes a factor. With enough practice, chance is the only thing that can make a person lose a game. It’s also incredibly malleable, as it’s designed for solo or competitive play with up to four players, making it equally accessible and enjoyable for introverts and extroverts alike. This versatility is optimal for moody-ass people like me who sometimes need solo games to mentally decompress, or for a small group of buds looking for a mildly competitive game over cold drinks and moments of honest exchange. You know, bonding or whatever.
SpareMe has a fantastic lineup of pinball machines (kept in pristine condition by Ryan Jerred) that range in theme, era, manufacturer and style of gameplay. The lineup currently consists of Jaws, The Jetsons, Star Trek, Star Wars, Guardians of the Galaxy, Foo Fighters, Dr. Dude, Deadpool, Stranger Things, Iron Maiden, Jurassic Park and the newest edition, Halloween, which can be found in the lobby of FilmScene.
If you go on a Wednesday, the machines are set to free play. Honestly, I can’t think of a better setup for a college student or remote worker than to head to the Chauncey, grab a caffeinated beverage at the second-floor coffee spot fix!, then go down to SpareMe to enjoy a delicious brunch and free pinball in between study breaks.
If you’re new to pinball, I recommend playing each machine once or twice until you find one that strikes your fancy. Once you do, play that machine a dozen or so times and try your best to beat your previous high score. Most new players will mash the buttons on both flippers anytime the ball comes near, and that’s fine starting off.
Before long, your goal should be to start hitting the ball with the correct flipper (left or right) at the exact moment necessary to achieve the shot you want to make. You may not realize this, but every machine has a complex ruleset and narrative that only unfolds if you pay close attention to the callouts and develop the technical accuracy to complete a series of discrete shots, sometimes within very short time limits.
Or you can skip all that nonsense and just aim for the flashing arrows while trying to keep that little silver ball alive as long as you possibly can!
That’s one of the best parts about pinball — there are so many different ways to enjoy the experience. And honestly, one of the best ways to figure out your preferred style of play is to attend one of the monthly, IFPA-certified tournaments held (usually) the first Wednesday of every month. These tournaments only cost $1 to enter and run from 6-9 p.m. Players are sorted into groups of three or four per machine and will play a total of six rounds throughout the night, with prizes awarded to the top three competitors.
These tournaments are about as sweet of gatherings as you’re going to find. Brendan and Annie Fitzgerald, the charming couple who manage them, deserve massive props for curating such welcoming, multi-generational events. At the last tournament, the youngest participant was 8 and the oldest, Ken, was 82. Ken was competing in the tournament with his daughter, who has been playing pinball with her dad her entire life. During one of their rounds, the 8-year-old’s dad (who was also competing in the tournament) pieced together that his grandfather and Ken were buddies back when they were in their 20s.
That right there is a beautiful thing. “As much as we love pinball,” the Fitzgeralds said in an email, “what these tournaments really are is just a natural extension of what Iowa City already does best, which is bringing people together.”
Every Wednesday after the tournament wraps, you can roll across the hallway to FilmScene for Late Shift at the Grindhouse, hosted by friendly neighborhood cinephiles Ross Meyer, Joe Derderian and Aaron Holmgren. They screen a specially selected movie or two starting at 10 p.m., with free prize giveaways before the show and discounted popcorn, beer and soft drinks. The Oct. 9 feature is The Dunwich Horror, with indie cosmic horror The Tower from Iowan auteur Carrsan T. Morrissey playing as the preamble.
Hope to catch you at SpareMe, this or any other Wednesday! And stay tuned for future reviews of pinball destinations around Iowa in a series I call Bumper Crops: A Pinball Odyssey.
