Joey the Cat is a skeeball champion, lighting designer (using fanny packs), and really nice guy. He’s in the business of “spreading the skeeball love” by renting and leasing his old-school skeeball machines and hosting some of the coolest private events in San Francisco.
Joey has a total of 13 classic skeeball machines and won’t be caught dead rolling any plastic balls. “Those are a no-no,” he recently told me. He’s placed machines (with wooden balls) in such notable start-ups as VaynerMedia, Airbnb, and Rackspace as well as in his very own skeeball trailer! Joey hosts tournaments and team building events complete with pro tips, prizes, and trophies. Don’t act like you’re not impressed.
“I want to be the skeeball tournament guy,” Joey told me, and I’ve gotta say, he’s pretty qualified. He was the 2011 and 2012 Brewskee-Ball National Champion, going up against 64 of the best skeeballers on the planet. He says he’s never skeed a perfect 900 but has skeed an 850 (he swears the last ball hit the 100 and bounced into the 50; I believe him).
The champ says skeeball is the perfect way to conjure championship energy and bring people together. Since everyone plays against his or her best score, everyone can be a winner. Joey wants people with all different levels of competitive spirit to reconnect with what made them happy as kids. He also reminded me that, “We all used to love this game.”
If you are hoping to improve your best score, Joey offered a few hot tips. He recommended players neutralize as many variables as possible (always roll the same way, for example), don’t overcorrect, and aim for the 40-point socket. If you master the 40, you will always end up with an above-average score and, like, totally impress your friends.
During our chat, I learned that you can tell a lot about a person by their alter skeego and strategies. Everybody’s got their own steez, but Joey says he can always tell if someone is taking too many risks if they shoot only for the hundo pocket. He encourages every player to have an alter skeego and really have fun with it. The Big Lebowskee, Ron Burganskee, and Ryan Skeecrest are just a few of my favorites.
Finally, you might be wondering how Joey became Joey the Cat. The alter skeego is half college nickname and half spirit animal. In college his friends would refer to “keeping their claws sharp”– keeping focused in competitions as well as in life in general. Later Joey thought the title was fitting for his alter skeego because he was clawing his way to the top, and yeah, he looks pretty good in animal print suits.
Interested in renting a skeeball machine or throwing a private event? Check out the pricing and equipment here.
