AZB: We are at the US Open with the Korean Dragon, Charlie Williams. How are you doing so far in the tournament Charlie?

Charlie: So far so good. I got by tonight by the skin of my teeth. I am very fortunate to be on the winners side. I am playing great though. I played a great match and I won hill-hill. I'm play great and I feel good. I have a lot of positive energy right now. I'm looking to play well for the rest of the event.

AZB: Who did you play in your match tonight?

Charlie: Butch Croft. He is from Jacksonville Florida. He is a very good player. One of the top players on the Florida Tour. I've played him one or two times before. He has never beaten me but he has won some events in Florida. He has beaten guys like Buddy and Scotty Townsend. He is capable of beating anyone. He should have won tonight but I think it was a little inexperience in being hill-hill at the US Open. I think he rushed himself a little bit on a key shot and here I am on the winners side still.

AZB: Who do you have next?

Charlie: Allen Hopkins tomorrow (Thursday) at 7pm.

AZB: You have been pretty busy lately. I hear you are trying to put together a players association. What is that all about?

Charlie: It is put together pretty much. It is the UPPA. The United Professional Pocket-Billiards Association. That is a temporary name. We might come out with a better name or a shorter name shortly. The organization is designed to bring the players together united. Since I have been a professional, for almost 4 years, there hasn't been any organization. Players have been complaining about things not being done and wondering if we are going to have a future. I don't want to be one of the guys always complaining about nothing being done about the situation.

A friend told me I should try to start something up, so I did. I did a lot of research. I talked to a lot of veteran players and researched what was done in the past to see what worked and what didn't work. I feel like we have a pretty good board. Unlike the groups in the past, the players don't have control. The business members on the board have the power and the majority of the votes. We have four business members on the board who are all tied into the corporate world outside of the pool industry. In the past, groups had business members on the board but they were always outvoted by the players because the players wanted to have it their way.

As a professional pool player, I know a lot about pool. I know about formats and tournaments but I don't have a clue about the corporate world. I would hate to go in front of corporate America and try to present ideas to multimillionaires and try to convince them to give me money because that is not my area of expertise. But now, we have members of the board that are from the corporate world. This is what they do every day. Those are the guys that should be speaking for us. And for us to let them do their jobs properly, we have to give them the power. In the PGA, there are 16 members and 15 of them are business men while only 1 is a player and I think that says something. Ours is not that extreme but it is the same principle.

My job along with Max Eberle and Jeremy Jones is to have meetings with the players and let them tell us what they want. Then we relay that message back to the board. The business members jobs are to tell us what we need to do to get money into the sport. I think it is the first time in the history of the game that we had a board that might really work.

AZB: What has the response been like so far from the players?

Charlie: I think there has been a positive feedback. Most of the players feel that this is something that needs to be done. Even if we are not successful, we need an organization before we have a shot at accomplishing anything. We have a better chance as an organization of players than we do with individual players complaining about things and not getting anything done. I have a lot of hope for professional pool and the organization.

AZB: Besides the work with the association and playing in every tournament you can possibly play in, I understand you are promoting and running some tournaments now.

Charlie: Yeah, I am getting into the promoting side of pool. I'm beginning to see how it is to be on the other side of the coin and not just be a player. It is very educational for me and has inspired me to try to promote pool and make it a bigger sport.

I used to be very critical of tournament promoters and directors and tours. I think I became a thorn in some people's sides. One day, someone said 'Hey, why don't you have your own tournament and see how it is'. And I decided I would.

I started from scratch and ended up having a very successful tournament in Orlando. The poolroom was packed with spectators. We have over 200 spectators every day and that is pretty strong for a little poolroom tournament. I had another tournament here in Virginia and that was nice. I have some more upcoming events.

I have a women's tournament and a college tournament. I also have a team event that I very excited about. It will have 5 professionals from Florida Vs 5 professionals from New York and it is called the Patriot Cup.

I try to do things differently in my events that I have seen other promoters do. I try to make it more entertaining for the spectators. I try to make it fun for them to watch, which also makes it fun for the players. I encourage the fans to clap and cheer and make noise like a basketball game instead of being like a church. I think that is the route pool should go.

People always make comparisons between pool and golf, but pool is not golf. The people that come to watch a pool tournament and play pool aren't members of country clubs. We are blue collar people that work and want to go out to play some pool and have a beer. These are the people that go to WWF matches and go to basketball games, football games, Nascar. Those are the people that I think we should try to get involved with professional pool because they already are involved with pool. Let work with people that are already involved with the game. I think we are in a good spot already if we can learn how to make it entertaining for the mass audiences and that is what I try to do at my events. I make announcements telling the crowd we want them to make noises and cheer. We give prizes to the crowd for cheering . If the crowd can get into it, they have fun. It is fun to clap and cheer for the guy you are rooting for.

I also try to put some showmanship into it. Honestly, I think pool is a boring game. Even though I love the game, it not very entertaining to watch. But, it can be. I'm experimenting with things to make it more exciting. That is what I think other promoters need to do. Try some new things to make it more fun and get people involved.

AZB: So, it sounds like you are very busy at the moment. Do you have time in your schedule to win the Open?

Charlie: Yeah. I feel like I am playing stronger than ever. My game has improved and it doesn't feel like it is going to stop improving any time soon. I thought as busy as I have been that it was going to hurt my game but it hasn't. Even friends of mine have said that they noticed me playing better even though I have been busier. I think part of it is that I am not always thinking about my game. Maybe that helps me in matches that I can transfer my thoughts over and switch my mind to a different track.

I think you can think about your game too much and it can burn you out. I am also so excited about promoting pool and a lot of good things are happening with me and the organization. There are a lot of positive things that make me excited and all that positive energy is in my head when I am playing.

Pool is a mental game. If you feel positive and positive things are happening in your life, then you can see it on the table. I really feel that pool is game that you can tell what is going on in someone's life. If bad things are happening in their life, it reflects on the table and they are not going to play very good. But, if they are playing well then they are probably happy in their life. I think I am very happy right now.

AZB: Well, we wish you luck the rest of the way.

Charlie: Thanks