It takes a lot of heart, talent and practice to become a champion at any level. Rockmart’s Dalton Ely proves that time and again in the pinball community, where his latest victory on the national stage puts him in the ranks of some of the best in the world.
Green Bay, Wisconsin hosted players of all ages for the North American Championship, where state title winners from across the country gathered for the national competition for the 2024 title.
Ely, who is a 4-time Georgia State Champ and also won plenty of titles over the past few years in pinball play, is now the National Champion in the latest IFPA competition held over the weekend of March 9 through March 11.
He simply said it “feels good” to reach the top level of national competition as he works to become one of the best players across the globe.
Ely has a ranking at 17th in the world (as a pro, 23rd in open competition) after five years of professional play. The 23-year-old has five other first-place wins under his belt this year excluding the Georgia state title win toward his ranking as of this posting.
After his North American win, Ely will be seeking a world title this summer. He’ll be heading in June to play in the IFPA19 World Pinball Championship in Murietta, California.
This will be his second trip to the west coast this year, after he took a big title win at the start of 2024 in San Diego in the INDISC tournament.
Photo credit to Dalton’s Mom Lisa with thanks for sharing these for an update.
