FARMER'S KORNER - Jeff Rank is slowly but surely working his way up in the World Pinball Player Rankings (WPPR).

Rank, who resides in a Farmer's Korner trailer with five pinball machines, won last month's prestigious California Extreme, which moved him up to 42nd in the world.

"I was 90th last year," Rank said in a recent phone interview. "Points expire after three years, so you've got to keep playing tournaments. We usually go to monthly regional tournaments in Lyons or Denver and we try to go to about three out-of-state tournaments a year."

Rank's playing partner and roommate is Tom "Trailer" Miller, who is currently 274th in the world rankings.

Although Miller didn't make it out of the qualifying round at the Extreme's main competition, he did win the B division of a no-limit tournament (no limit to the variety of pinball games that can be used), which earned him $120. Rank's winnings totaled $500.

"It was basically enough to pay for my trip," said Rank who goes by the nickname Ffej (Jeff backwards). "But these aren't big payout events like golf or something, pinball's really a hobby type of deal."

The International Flipper Pinball Association (the governing body of the WPPR) considers the California Extreme one of the three major U.S. tournaments, which means it's worth more WPPR points than standard events. The other two majors are the Pinball Expo in Chicago and the PAPA (Professional Amateur Pinball Association) World Championships in Pittsburgh.

"It's kind of like the triple crown of pinball," Rank said.

Because Papa and the Pinball Expo are both scheduled for October, Rank said he'll have to pass on one of them.

A postgraduate hobby

Rank, who grew up in Summit County and attended Frisco Elementary School, became a pinball enthusiast after graduating from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

"I didn't have any studying to do, so I had lots of free time," Rank recalled. "I lived right across from the UNC student union and I would go over there to play."

In time, Rank made pinball-playing friends, learned how to fix machines and even purchased his own game - Spy Hunter.

In addition to his five games at home, Rank has placed single machines at both Motherloaded Tavern and Gourmet Cabby in Breckenridge.

"I split the money (with the establishments)," Rank explained.

Rank and Miller practice nearly every day. If they want to improve their world rankings, such a commitment is a must.

"Lots of pinball players will tell you it's 20 percent luck and the rest is skill," Miller said. "But there are ways to cut down on the chance - there's a lot of calculation involved."



Adam Boffey can be contacted at (970) 668-4634, or at aboffey@summitdaily.com.