Ottawa's women of pinball finally in a league of their own

They're pinball wizards, and now there's a twist — a generous award from Awesome Ottawa to help them host the Ontario women's championship.

"We are so thrilled," Alisa McClain of Pinball Women Ottawa told CBC from House of Targ on Bank Street, where the Ontario Women's Provincial Pinball Championship will take place on Jan. 21.

McClain said the $1,000 no-strings-attached grant from the foundation that promotes unique and interesting initiatives in the capital will be used to hire a poster artist, create a travel bursary and purchase goodies including T-shirts and trophies.

This will be the third women's provincial championship and the first in Ottawa. Ten of the 16 women who've been invited to compete based on their rankings are from Ottawa, McClain said.

Pinball Women Ottawa first got rolling around a decade ago and its membership has steadily increased from a handful of players to 20 or 25 at their monthly tournaments. They usually include a few first-timers.

"We welcome them with open arms," McClain said.

She fell in love with pinball as a kid growing up in Florida, where she'd ride her bike to the local arcade with a pocketful of quarters.

"And I would play until I was out of money," she said.

McClain loved the lights and the sounds the machines made, especially the satisfying click when she'd scored a free play.

"The sound of that click is so delightful."

No more 'man caves'

Later on, McClain admits she missed a few university lectures because she was too busy playing the silver ball.

When she began looking for competition, she discovered pinball was largely a man's world.

"I felt kind of intimidated and people didn't know who I was, and I didn't really feel like I belonged there," said McClain, a social worker by day. "I heard that from [other] women."

Pinball Women Ottawa was born, and House of Targ, a basement arcade bar in Old Ottawa South that features live music, pan-fried perogies and a row of 25 pinball machines lining one wall, became a home away from home — a far cry from the "man caves" McClain said she used to play in.

The women play to win, McClain said, but they're even more focused on creating a community that places friendship and inclusion above competition.

"We want to win, [but] we want to make sure the people who come through the door come back."