* Updated Sunday 26th for finals
The Pinball HQ Marathon, now in it's 4th year, is on again with qualifying taking place all week! It's not just called a Marathon for the sake of sounding exhaustive - if you wish to qualify you will have your endurance tested as competitors attempt to get within the top 24 finalists by posting scores all week, 11am to late every day. Not only that, but there are 16 different pinball machines you have to register scores on. I'm tired just thinking about it...
Norbert Snicer awarding the first Endurance Medal to Jett Reid, the first under 15 year old to play all 16 qualifying machines. Photo from the Pinball HQ Facebook page.
There will be the usual prizes, cash and trophies for the top finishers for the event. However, in addition, there are a swathe of prizes given out to competitors including; highest ranked rookie, highest rank qualifier, highest ranked female player, highest ranked under 15 year old, highest ranked under 10 year old, and an endurance medal for all players under the age of 15 who play all of the 16 qualifying machines! Norbert, the organiser of the Marathon, has really pulled out all stops for this tournament.
Fresh out of the shipping container - Aerosmith is Stern Pinball's latest machine, and not only is it part of the Pinball HQ Marathon tournament, but it's the only one currently in the country! Photo from the Pinball HQ Facebook page.
It's Thursday morning as of this writing, and so we are well into the qualifying stages. Here are your qualifying leaders so far, with two days left to go before finals on Sunday!
* Updated finals standings - Top 24 are through for today's main event.
1 PAUL JONES
2 RICHARD RHODES
3 FRANCK BONA
4 PAT NICHOLS
5 BRETT GOODWIN
6 PAUL REID
7 GAVIN DROGEMULLER
8 MATTHEW VENABLES
9 GREG GEE
10 ANDREW FERGUSON
11 ZAC VERON
12 REON SEENEY
13 GREG McMAHON
14 MARK TIBBETTS
15 NAIOMI GOODWIN
15 MICHELLE CLARK
17 DEJAN GOLJA
18 DUNCAN MACDONALD
19 PAUL HIGGINBOTHAM
20 MICHAEL MORRISON
21 REGAN RIST
21 ANDREW WASZKIEWICZ
23 PETER MENZEL
24 AARON CRICHTON
25 LINDSAY DAWTREY
26 MARTIN SNICER
27 IAN HOOPER-RICHARDSON
28 WILLIAM GILL
29 DANIEL BARDEN
30 LISA CONROY
31 ROD BROOKS
32 LARISSA GOSCOMBE
33 CHRYSANTHE PSYCHOGIOS
34 JOHN ARENA
35 RALPHE NUNN
36 JOSH GOSCOMBE
37 JETT REID
38 GEORGE ALEXANDROU
39 NORBERT SNICER
40 GORAN KLEUT
41 ASHLEY KINGSTON
41 NICHOLAS FREESTONE LITTLE
43 GLEN ANTHONY CROWE
44 KERBY REID
45 CHERYL BROOKS
46 JAMIE BRODRICK
47 KEN OWEN
48 ZDENKA SNICER
49 MICHAEL ANDERSON
50 JENNIFER MILLER
51 YVETTE TAM
52 TIM McREIS
53 TREVOR WALSH
54 JACK JOSEPH KINGSTON