Maidens of the North pinball league tilts the tables toward women and non-binary players
Saskatoon pinball league caters to women, non-binary players
Shelby Lyn Lowe was never really competitive. Then she started playing pinball about six years ago.
The Saskatoon woman says people are surprised when she tells them about her love for the game, playing in tournaments and even competing in different leagues.
"People don't know that is a thing," said Lowe. "I like surprising people with that."
The Saskatoon woman and her teammates meet regularly to train and compete at the different flashy machines.
They are all members of the Maidens of the North — pinball league for women and non-binary people in the city. A similar league with the same name runs in Calgary, while the Flippin' Queens Pinball League has its home in Regina.
"It is predominantly a male-played activity," said Lowe.
"There's definitely less women players who play it, especially competitively in tournaments in the province at least."
It's about enjoying each other's company, says player
The Maidens of the North group provides its players a space to compete against each other and have fun.
Every second Wednesday, they take over the machines at Pokey's Pinball Cafe.
The room is filled with the sound of laughter, the music from the machines and the clicking noise the flippers make when the players hit the buttons.
"It's just a guaranteed night to come and be around other women in a nicely lit, safe cafe where we can enjoy good food and company," said Natalie Scott.
"It's really mostly about the company."
The 45-year-old has been with the Maidens of the North since the beginning of the league, nine seasons ago.
As an old-school Nintendo player, Scott said she loves the mechanical feel of pinball and that everyone can play it, regardless of skill level.
The league is also an opportunity for her to meet new people and encourage each other.
"We will compete against each other until it's obvious the other person's gonna win, and then we immediately switch sides and root for them to do their best possible," said Scott.
"I think that is something that's unique to the women's league."
Bringing back childhood memories
The Saskatoon league has been growing over the past years.
Tara Schoonbaert is one of the group's newest members and was one of the 25 players in the league's latest season, which just wrapped up in December.
For the 43-year-old, competing in pinball is also a trip down memory lane, as she used to play arcade games with her brothers when she was a little girl.
"I barely knew what was going on, but it was so much fun, all the lights and everything," Schoonbaert said.
"Now it's fun to come and play the game and actually try to get the high scores that I could never get when I was a kid. So it's that nostalgia that really, for me anyway, makes it a lot of fun."
Even when the ball doesn't hit the targets as wanted, Schoonbaert enjoys meeting new people and working on her skills.
She knows there is always a chance to try again when the next season kicks off in February.
"Some games are better, some games are worse," said Schoonbaert.
"The goal is just to not be last in every single game I play."
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