Erik Swedlund
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hipsmart.bsky.social
Erik Swedlund
@hipsmart.bsky.social
190 followers 410 following 210 posts
Pinball he/they
Brooklyn PinPride. APAB. NYC Pin Pod. ScrappleLeague. NYCFSA cap, Butter Baller.
noonewantstotalkaboutcompetitivepinball.com

https://linktr.ee/hipsmart
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hipsmart.bsky.social
Erik Swedlund @hipsmart.bsky.social · Jun 17
We're building a thing and it keeps getting bigger #queer #pinball
Screenshot from the IFPA website showing four years of results of Brooklyn PinPride with the attendance growing from 28 to 79 (and showing that CJ is very good at pinball)
hipsmart.bsky.social
Just had my best night of league ever. Wow this week #streak #pinball
An iPad showing the final standings of ScrappleLeague’s sixth qualifying week, with Erik tied for second with 27 points accumulated
December 11, 2025 at 5:05 AM
hipsmart.bsky.social
My Tuesday teammate, Sonny, is also a captain of a Monday team that also won their division, so we did a Winning Captains photo shoot, hee hee!
Sonny and Erik leaning on a pinball machine and looking very suave Sonny and Erik back-to-back with finger-guns, Charlie’s Angels style
December 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
My Tuesday team, Butter Ballers, are champions of Pinball NYC’s Right Inlane division for season 29!! Last night we played the Trolls (in their first ever championship match) to an 8-8 tie, then took the win on a 1-2-3 game of Jurassic Park.

That’s three straight seasons for we Butter Ballers!
The Butter Ballers on the veranda of Jackbar: Chad, Franklin, Stephen, Sonny, Erik, Mike, captain Courtney, Tom, and A.J. Pinball NYC scoresheet dated December 9, showing a Butter Ballers tie-break win Me, locked in, playing the tie-break game on Jurassic Park. My teammate Tom had played ball one and spelled CHAO. As the player of ball two, I hit the S and then started CHAOS multiball, securing us enough points that the Trolls couldn’t catch.
December 10, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
wheelieoutthere.bsky.social
Look, no hands!

Here's me playing pinball for the first time in 40 yrs, thanks to @projectpinball.bsky.social & #HexaPinball

Read about the world of accessible pinball, & those making #pinballforall

A fun day at the office, for sure!
#NewMobility #disability #MultipleSclerosis #InclusiveGameWerks
Flipping Accessible: The People and Devices Tilting Pinball Toward Access
When I was an arcade rat in the 1980s, my idea of heaven looked just like what I discovered when I attended the 41st Annual Pinball Expo this October in Schaumburg, Illinois, outside of Chicago: a…
newmobility.com
December 9, 2025 at 12:31 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
Our New York City Flipper Sport Association has won Pinball NYC’s Season 29 championship in the Left Orbit division—for the third season in a row! Last night we defeated The Mutants (for the third season in a row!) at Scrappleland, 10-6. Love this team!
Most of NYCFSA posing for a victory photo at Scrappleland. From left to right: Rachel (team fan), and Associates Alex, Marta, David, Peter, Adam, Connor, Wyndham, Sean, and Erik (me). Gabe was there, too, but didn’t know we were taking a picture, and Filip and Parker had to miss the evening; they will be photoshopped in. Pinball NYC scoresheet dated December 8, 2025, showing NYCFSA winning 10-6 I put my initials into Metallica Remastered during warm-up. The LCD of the machine shows Fade to Black champion Hipsmart at 89 million.
December 9, 2025 at 4:14 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
NYC Pin Pod episode 513: The iPad Sherpa

Local competition results including Pinball NYC semi-finals, location updates and bullet journals, more OBX fallout plus controversy in Pinball NYC’s finals venues selection

nycpinpod.wordpress.com/2025/12/07/e...
Episode 513: The iPad Sherpa
Episode 513: The iPad Sherpa is posted to all your favorite podcatchers and here in which a panel talks location pinball in NYC (and nearby surrounding areas). This week… Ball 1: Local compet…
nycpinpod.wordpress.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:19 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
One of the great perks of attending the monthly South Slope Strikes is that tournament director Jess always makes cookies or treats #pinball
Some brownies on a tray sitting on the bar next to a hand-written sign that reads, “Vietnamese Coffee Swirl Brownies contain [sic] flour, butter, cream cheese, condensed milk, egg.” Also in frame is a pile of NYC PIN POD stickers.
December 7, 2025 at 9:00 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
My Tuesday night #pinball team also won our semi-finals match; the venue was At the Wallace, my Monday night team’s home bar, heh. We Butter Ballers defeated Everybody Loves the Sunshine 11-5. I played great on these familiar machines, including a personal best on Deadpool (with a 5x Mechsuit).
Butter Ballers captain Courtney examines the score sheet while A.J. gesticulates toward Chad at At the Wallace Deadpool display showing High Score #3 by HIP at 826,507,830 Pinball NYC scoresheet dated December 2, 2025, showing an 11-5 win for the Butter Ballers
December 4, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
tommyortega.bsky.social
NYC #pinball peeps, here’s your reminder to come play for the kids this Sunday.

@projectpinball.bsky.social fundraiser at SingleCut in Astoria. 3pm
Behind that big smile is a killer pinball player. Come help more kids play pinball this Sunday!
December 4, 2025 at 2:11 AM
hipsmart.bsky.social
Last night at Rullo’s Bar, in Pinball NYC’s Left Orbit semifinals, our New York City Flipper Sport Association defeated Lionpersons! by a score of 11-1. I personally got one of those points with a pitiful ball 3 walk-off win on 007 with a score of 15M (I played it out to something like 125M).
Matthew (XYZ) and Erik (HIP) watching the pinball action from the seating at Rullo’s while waiting for their turn on Bond. Photo credit: Filip (FIL) Pinball NYC scoresheet dated December 1, 2025, showing NYCFSA defeating Lionpersons! 11-1 in three rounds
December 2, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
punsultant.bsky.social
Society is a construct. You can just ask someone to do a ska cover of Faith of the Heart and they'll say "$300 please" and you give it to them and then you have it.

Everyone, give
@skatunenetwork.bsky.social
your money. They deserve it.
November 25, 2025 at 4:30 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
I won’t play this machine, personally, but I dig this from those who do
blackmagickbar.com BLACK MAGICK @blackmagickbar.com · 27d
when you get the high score on harry potter you gotta 🏳️‍⚧️
#pinball #transrights
harry potter pinball high score screen with player name trans rights
November 26, 2025 at 2:32 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
NYC Pin Pod episode 512: Another Week to Contemplate Their Fate #pinball

Ball 1: Local competition results and calendar
Ball 2: Location Update plus pinball bullet journals
Ball 3: Further OBX fallout

@pinballmap.com
@kineticist.com

nycpinpod.wordpress.com/2025/11/23/e...
Episode 512: Another Week to Contemplate Their Fate
…is posted to all your favorite podcatchers and here, in which a panel (BCF, HIP) talk location pinball in NYC. This week… Ball 1: Local competition results including Pinball NYC and th…
nycpinpod.wordpress.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:37 AM
hipsmart.bsky.social
11:30pm drawbridge lift contributes to 90-minute subway trip home from pinball league and author’s yawning this morning
The raised bed of the Pulaski Bridge connecting Brooklyn and Queens, seen from behind the safety gate on the sidewalk at night
November 20, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
alsheimer.me
Where is the rest of pinball media on this? nycpinpod.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/e...
Episode 511: Clinging to a Plank
…in which a panel (BCF, HIP) discuss location pinball in NYC, has been posted to all your favorite podcatchers and here. This week Ball 1: Local competition results including The Harvest and …
nycpinpod.wordpress.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:16 AM
hipsmart.bsky.social
We Butter Ballers were the virtual home team at Barcade FiDi tonight as we took out Pinister Six in the first round of Pinball NYC’s Right Inlane playoffs, 10-6. I had a meh game of Congo and a good game of Rush, both in doubles rounds and both in our favor
Erik in the foreground of a selfie at Barcade FiDi, with Sonny and Jenna looking super cute A Pinball NYC scoresheet showing Butter Ballers defeating Pinister Six, 10-6
November 19, 2025 at 4:28 AM
hipsmart.bsky.social
I can recommend a visit to the Red Hook Pinball Museum!
nycarchivists.bsky.social Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York (ART) @nycarchivists.bsky.social · 23d
Join ART for a tour of the Red Hook Pinball Museum! We'll be led on a tour by the museum's co-founders before the space is open to the general public, to get an in-depth look at the pinball machines, many of which are from the 1960s and 1970s. Register: nycarchivists.org/event-6443225
A row of illuminated vintage pinball machines in a dark room.
November 18, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
docs.google.com/document/d/1...

This statement from 65 players in the San Francisco scene makes statements about their own recent issues and solidarity for the OBX Fall Flippers situation.

The IFPA deleted it in their own Discord, citing "discussion on the IFPA's response to [their OBX decision]."
Queers Against Hate in SF Pinball
Queers Against Hate in SF Pinball November 15, 2025 We are writing as members of the San Francisco pinball community. We’ve played in the same leagues and tournaments as you. We’ve organized some of ...
docs.google.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:54 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
NYC Pin Pod has stickers now! Squee! #pinball
A few hundred stickers in a couple clear plastic bags, with a few stickers taken out and displayed. The stickers are 3”x3”, glossy black with “NYC PIN POD” in orange letters rendered in a font face like a segment display.
November 17, 2025 at 11:22 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
NYC Pin Pod episode 511: Clinging to a Plank #pinball

Ball 1: Local competition results including The Harvest and Pinball NYC.
Ball 2: Venue updates with HIP courtesy of @pinballmap.com and its users plus our weekly bullet journals
Ball 3: OBX :(

nycpinpod.wordpress.com/2025/11/16/e...
Episode 511: Clinging to a Plank
…in which a panel (BCF, HIP) discuss location pinball in NYC, has been posted to all your favorite podcatchers and here. This week Ball 1: Local competition results including The Harvest and …
nycpinpod.wordpress.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:14 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
Guess who won #pinball
Written in chalk on a sandwich board on the sidewalk: “Rob Wong Tournament @4:30 Karaoke @9:30 Happy Hour til 6!”
November 17, 2025 at 11:11 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
In the lost & found box at work: coin purse full of tokens
Pink coin purse that reads “AHORRANDO MIS COJONES” with a drawing of a nude person from the neck down (but wearing shoes and a cross necklace) with two cherries hanging from the crotch
November 15, 2025 at 7:24 PM
hipsmart.bsky.social
Last shift #pinball
Erik, wearing a Barcade hoodie, standing in front of Barcade Brooklyn
November 15, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
exsk8pnk.bsky.social
c.org/D4tMVZBMm7

#pinball #IFPAPinball
#pinballtournaments
Can you spare a minute to help this campaign?
Remove WPPRs from OBX Fall Flippers - failure to follow IFPA guidelines.
c.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:40 AM
Reposted by Erik Swedlund
scoutpilgrim.bsky.social
No quarter for hate. The International Flipper Pinball Association needs to do better.
I would like to first state that I am glad to see that the IFPA has finally responded to the incident that occurred last weekend at the OBX Fall Flippers Classic. Pinball is for everyone, and Flippers Arcade and Laundromat having a minimum 1-year ban from running events sanctioned from the IFPA shows that there is at least some sense that the organization is trying to stay adherent to it’s own policies. The IFPA did not acknowledge that they were even investigating this event until 5 days and 14 hours later, and that only occurred because I called them out in their Discord – up to that point, nothing had been mentioned in this space about anything that occurred. Yet, two deafening and glaring flaws in the statement made by the “IFPA Organization” still persist, and both the lack thereof of statements and the statements that came out to fill in those blanks show that the IFPA is not living up to it’s expectations for itself, nor it’s perception of being an arbiter of equality/equity to the community. Before I go on, I would like to say that this year would have been my third OBX Fall Flippers. In the two years prior, I have seen trans and queer competitors take at least one top 4 spot (2019 and 2024). First, nothing in any official IFPA statement mentioned anything about what will happen to the event where this incident occurred in the first place. An official statement from the Women’s Board in response to the “IFPA Organization” statement was made as follows: “The IFPA Women’s Advisory Board unanimously recommended that the IFPA revoke sanctioning for the OBX events, and we vehemently disagree with IFPA Leadership’s decision not to do so. We did not contribute to the announced statement or the new process for incident reporting and we oppose the decision-making process used by IFPA Leadership.” Further statements showed that the IFPA also misrepresented some of the events that were witnessed first hand by Sammie Bacon, a member of the IFPA Women’s Advisory Board. Other than the originally affected party, she was the person most knowledgeable about the events that transpired, and was the person who Becky (the Flippers manager) waved an iPad in their face to justify her hate crimes with bogus bathroom bills. As it has come out, Adam Becker was responsible for this decision as the lead. I may respect you for the work you have done for the community, but I am ashamed to see how you have decided to ignore your Women’s Advisory board in a decision as well as misrepresent them both in including them in your statement when they did not agree to it as well as directly altering first-hand accounts witnessed by a Women’s Board member. Josh Sharpe, Zach Sharpe, Andy Bagwell, Germain Mariolle, Michael Trepp, and Brian Woodard – I am also saddened to hear that you did not step in to ensure that the matter was being treated with the utmost care and concern that a matter of trans and queer exclusion in an Open event should warrant. As one of the trans people who was eager to play in OBX Fall Flippers event, it also saddens me to see that their own statements mean nothing in practice. “The IFPA only recognizes open division of play to be included in the World Pinball Player Rankings. If certain players are prohibited from playing based on age, gender, skill or personal reasons, those results will not be counted.” By the IFPA’s own admission, this was an act of discrimination. Even further, this was sexual harassment and a hate crime. How can WPPRs be awarded to an event that breaks the IFPA’s own statements? Why are cis and/or hetero players being rewarded because at least 15 phenomenal trans/queer players had to avoid the event because they needed to prioritize their safety? By itself, this is damning – and as a prominent trans pinball player, makes me feel like the IFPA will not have my back at events. If results from this event are posted, I will be suppressing myself from IFPA events as it has been made clear that the IFPA’s statements about “standing in solidarity” with me are just words on a screen and hold no meaning or value. While I understand that part of this involves Kevin Stone, I also believe that his statement and apology are genuine. I would like there to be resources available to Tournament Directors, potentially as part of the IFPA website, that can provide resources to assist in what to do if situations of discrimination or hate show up at your event – as well as fostering a culture where pinball is safe for everyone. No quarter for hate.
November 13, 2025 at 9:15 PM