He basically volunteered to host the other day when he objected to having to travel to Chicago on FB! 
Classic Chuck, great fella and great player!
It is a good venue, he’s got about 80 or 90 killer machines! But boy is that 4/4.5 hour drive pretty rough, I’m out
I am just amazed there’s something worthwhile on the IL side of the river down there. When I went to Wentzville to pick up an arcade monitor I drove through what appeared to be a third-world country before hitting StL. Much kudos to this Chuck I’ve never met for building a quality pinball scene out of nothing!
When geography is the basis for things like this, there is never a solution that pleases everyone.
I have played in both the PA & the WV state championships in the past, and there always seemed to be a different reason for why I went with the state I did.
One year, I picked WV because I believed the path would be easier.
One year, I picked WV because I had another event that evening, and Morgantown was closer than Pittsburgh.
One year, I picked WV because Virginia qualified as well, and it was something to experience with her, and it was great having her there to see me win. That year, Jeremy Ways was the runner-up, and he asked if I was going to Vegas even before I got the trophy. He even responded to Josh’s email before I did, in case I changed my mind. There was no guaranteed prize pool that year. I changed my vacation plans and went for the opportunity. I played fun but difficult matches against Dan Stepheny (remember that name from earlier in this discussion about North Dakota players and if they deserve to be there?) and Jack Tadman (who was representing NY), before falling to Cryss Stephens, the Pennsylvania champion by luck of the bracket. Virginia spent a majority of her time helping Karl with the broadcast since so many people were interested in seeing it. The experience was so memorable. And the WV players were behind me as their representative.
Last year, I picked WV because I was the defending champion, and the chance to defend the title was worth more to me than the extra money for PA.
This year, I am playing PA because I want to challenge myself.
There are many different reasons people choose their paths.I’m just glad to have the opportunity.
Good Luck to everyone who did the work to qualify for their state championship.
And thank you @pinwizj and the rest of the IFPA for your hard work.