With 80 competitors from 20 different countries, the World Pinball Championship in De Pere brought people together from across the globe for the love of pinball. Friday-Sunday is the 21st annual IFPA World Pinball Championship. The tournament was held at District 82 Pinball, the largest pinball arcade in Wisconsin. The winner of the tournament is named the 'World's Best Pinball Player' and is awarded thousands of dollars in prize money and a new pinball machine.(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, edited for web)On a typical Friday at District 82 Pinball in De Pere, pinball enthusiasts enjoy the different machines.We have over 100 pinball machines from the 1960s all the way through to this year," Erik Thoren, District 82 owner, says. "We are the largest pinball arcade in Wisconsin.But this weekend, the crowd is international.We are hosting the World Pinball Championships here," Thoren says. "They all flew in from around the world, and they all came here, and they all know pinball, and theyre all really good.There are 80 competitors from 20 different countries, competing for the title of Worlds best Pinball Player, prize money and a new pinball machine.Its very similar to March Madness with basketball," Thoren says. "These 80 guys are going to get whittled down to 32, and then once theyre down to 32 theyll be put in a bracket and go head to head.Lukas Ott is a young player from Germany. He says he's played pinball for more than a decade.I just love pinball and luckily this year I qualified for the first time and I love being here," he says.This is his second time visiting the U.S, and his first time in Wisconsin."I love it here," he says. "We did some sightseeing, I saw the big stadium of the Green Bay Packers. Riley Mangelsen is a player from Victoria, British Columbia. It's also his first time in Wisconsin.Hopefully I make Canada proud," he says.For one weekend, De Pere is filled with some of the best pinball players in the world.These players are hyper-focused," Thoren says. Its something different when you have all these different countries being represented, and not everybody speaks English as well, but we all know the rules of the game. Its like the Rosetta Stone- the pinball machine.District 82 is a free-play pinball arcade on O Keefe Road in De Pere. For a cover cost, you can play any of the machines for free.The arcade is open Friday through Sunday, and Thoren says they're expanding the space. He's planning for a grand re-opening in August. ...read more read less