Pinball player from Longmont wins world championship

Jan. 27—Roughly 30 pinball machines fill a barn in north Longmont. A handful were made decades ago, with themes ranging from "The Lord of the Rings" to "Godzilla" to "Wheel of Fortune." Many are considered collector's items and are worth thousands of dollars.

"I've played all these games many times," said 19-year-old Escher Lefkoff, the top-ranked player in the world by the International Flipper Pinball Association. "Every game is different."

Earlier this month, Lefkoff won the Open IFPA World Championship tournament in California. He clinched his victory by around 4,000 points — an incredibly narrow margin in the pinball world — and took back the title he had last won in 2017.

Growing up, Lefkoff spent his weekends honing his skills with his dad at Lyons Classic Pinball arcade. He won his first award at age 4, had his first top-four finish at 11, and won his first world championship at 13.

"I've been 'the kid' for so long," he said. "Everyone's watched me grow up."

The walls of the Lefkoff family pinball barn are lined with awards from tournaments over the years. Lefkoff explained that a lot of his success comes from knowing that it's mostly a mental sport.

"The amount of mental strength it takes to step up to that ball and not just give up ... it's really hard, and it's something I practice every time I go to a tournament," he said.

Lefkoff said he typically only needs to play an individual pinball game three times to feel like an expert on it. He prefers when games are challenging, citing his least favorites as ones that are too straightforward and have too many easy shots.

"I love getting better at things," he said. "There's so much to do on all these games, and there's so much to learn."

Lefkoff now lives in Fort Collins and is taking online college courses on top of his regular trips to tournaments. He enjoys hanging out at a pinball arcade near his home and occasionally plays pinball live on Twitch.

With two world championships under his belt, Lefkoff said his current goal is getting more people into pinball. He's exploring the idea of creating a documentary about the sport to increase its visibility.

"I don't want my life to be determined by my pinball skill," he said. "I want to bring something else to the hobby. Getting over that hurdle of 'not being the kid anymore' is kind of done, and now it's about how I can help grow the scene."

Adam Lefkoff, a fellow lifelong pinball player, plays against his son often, including going head-to-head with him at tournaments. He believes pinball is thriving in Colorado and beyond.

"Competitive pinball is at the best point it's ever been," he said.

Adam Lefkoff said he's grateful that pinball has kept him connected to his son, who celebrates his victories by jumping into his father's arms.

"It's a blessing that he's 19 and we still spend so much time together," he said. "I'm the luckiest person alive to be able to share this with my son."

Escher Lefkoff agreed.

"I've had a mentor my whole life," he said. "That's why I'm so good."