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4th Joss Junior 9-Ball on January 25th

Everyone,
 
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour will be hosting its 4th "Joss Junior 9-Ball Championship" on Jan. 25, 2020. The event will take place at the beautiful Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub in Amsterdam, NY – www.sharpshootersbilliards.com .
 
At Sharp Shooters there is something for everyone. From a friendly game of Pool, Foosball, or Darts to meeting friends out for some great food, drinks & to watch the game – Sharp Shooters has it! And now they even have professional Bocce Ball courts downstairs. A fun and friendly atmosphere for all ages! Tim & Julie Berlin have been most generous to our tour having 3 regular season events both at Sharp Shooters and Trick Shot Billiards & Sports Pub, and now donating the use of their room for our Junior event. Many thanks to them for their continued support of the game.
 
Many people and companies have generously donated products and their time to help. I would like to acknowledge and thank them all as it is because of them that each participant will receive some of their items. There will also be free raffles for the players for some of the larger items. Our generous sponsors are, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin), Joss Cues (Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis (Ivan Lee), Aramith (Ivan Lee), Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Andrea Duvall (Utica Billiards On The Boulevard), Matt Tetreault, Bruce Barthelette & Steven W. Smith. Sorry if I missed anyone! And thank you to everyone else, who has been, or will be involved. Any top or Pro players are encouraged to drop by if you have the time and are in the neighborhood. I'm sure the kids would love to meet you!
 
The event will consist of 2 divisions that will run concurrently. There will be an 18 and under plus a 12 and under tournament. Entry fees are $25 per event. Doors will open at 10:30 am Saturday January 25th and final registration is at 11:30 am. The format will be: races to 9, double elimination, on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under group and races to 5, double elimination, on the 7 foot Diamonds for the 12 and under kids. The winners of each division will receive a beautiful Joss Cue and case and trophy. Please keep in mind that due to attendance, some things could change. The ultimate goal is for everyone to have a great time!
 
For more information or to let us know of your intention to come (which is encouraged), please contact one of us. Tim Berlin at 518-944-6797, or Mike Zuglan at 518-356-7163. More Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Info and directions to host rooms etc. can be found at joss9balltour.com
 
For those in need of accommodations, there are 2 nearby motels. Super 8, 5502 Rt 30, Amsterdam, NY 12010 – 518-843-5888 & Valley View Inn, 1351 NY Rt 5s, Amsterdam, NY 12010 – 518-842-5637. Other motels may be found by searching the Schenectady & Amsterdam NY area.
 
Thanks everyone and I hope you all come to Sharp Shooters to see the youth of our game in action & having fun!
 
Mike Zuglan
 
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
 
Joss Cues – http://www.josscues.com
Turning Stone Resort Casino – http://www.turningstone.com 
Simonis Cloth – http://www.simoniscloth.com
Poolonthenet.com – http://www.poolonthenet.com
AzBilliards.com – http://www.azbilliards.com
Aramith – http://www.aramith.com
Billiards Press – http://www.billiardspress.com                 
World Class Cue Care – http://www.jnj-industries.com

 

2017 Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships Results

Thomas Haas, Jim Romanowski and Brenden Croft​

Everyone,
 
Congratulations to our 2017 Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions, Thomas Haas won the 18 & under division and Zach Hemendinger prevailed in the 12 & under division. 
 
Thomas Haas made it to the finals undefeated rather easily but it was no easy task from there. Canadian Brenden Croft who had lost his first match to last years 12 & under champ Ivo Linkin 9-7, eventually avenged that loss by besting Ivo 9-8 to make it to the finals. As the event was played just like our regular Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour events, it was true double elimination in the finals. Brenden, with the momentum on his side took the first set 9-5 forcing another to determine the winner. Thomas was not deterred however and came back strong for the win by a 9-4 margin. Great play was witnessed by all of the 18 & under players and you will definitely be seeing their names rising to the top soon.
 
In the 12 & under division, it was Zach Hemendinger prevailing over Kailey Bombard 7-4. This division had a small field and it was decided to play a round robin format followed by single elimination. Each play had a chance to play every other player at least once until the single elimination rounds. Everyone seemed to enjoy the day playing some pool.
 
I would once again like to thank the many people and companies who generously donated products and their time to help. I would like to acknowledge and thank them all as it is because of them that each participant received some of their items. There were also 6 free raffles for the players for the larger items. Our generous sponsors were, in no particular order: Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub (Tim & Julie Berlin, owners), Dan, Debbie & Stephen Janes (Joss Cues), James Sinclair (Rhythm Custom Cues), CJ & Peggi Wilkinson (Baltimore City Cues), Don Kerns, Iwan Simonis, Aramith, Bruce Barthelette, Phil Capelle (Billiards Press), Mark Kulungian, Steve Lillis, Andrea Duvall, Matt Tetreault & John Babravich (RIP). A special thanks to Mike Renshaw & Jim Romanowski for filling in for me as I was unable to attend due to health reasons. And thank you to everyone else, who was involved. 
 
Our next regular season event will be Nov 4 & 5 at Hippo's The House Of Billiards for the "Al Conte Memorial". Also, I am currently taking entries for our $25,000 Added, "Turning Stone Classic XXIX 9-Ball Open" to be held on January 4-7, 2018. The event is now over 1/2 full so I suggest contacting me soon if you would like to enter this BCA, WPA, Mosconi Cup ranking event. I can be reached by calling 518-356-7163.
 
Thank You,
                                                                                                      
Mike Zuglan
 
The Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour Is Proudly Sponsored By;
 
Joss Cues – http://www.josscues.com
Turning Stone Resort Casino – http://www.turningstone.com 
Simonis Cloth – http://www.simoniscloth.com
Poolonthenet.com – http://www.poolonthenet.com
AzBilliards.com – http://www.azbilliards.com
Aramith – http://www.aramith.com
Billiards Press – http://www.billiardspress.com                 
World Class Cue Care – http://www.jnj-industries.com

 

Ivo Linkin and Lukas Fracasso-Verner Joss Junior 9-Ball Champions

Peter Hemendinger, Peter Abatangelo, Emily Herpel, Lukas Fracasso-Verner, & Mike Zuglan

Congratulations to the winners of our first ever Joss Junior 9-Ball Championships, 12 year old Ivo Linkin in the 12 & under division, and 14 year old Lukas Fracasso-Verner in the 18 & under division. Each winner received an engraved Joss Cue and case plus trophies for the top 3 finishers in both events. Runners up were 11 year old Zach Hemendinger (2nd) and 12 year old Ralph Ramos (3rd) in the 12 & under division. And 15 year old Peter Abatangelo (2nd) and 16 year old Emily Herpel (3rd) in the 18 & under division. Let me tell you, "these kids can play"! Some of the kids were well versed in the art of tournament play and some were, more than likely, playing in their first event. It was a pleasure hosting this event and watching all of the 22 youngsters having a great time playing pool! Every player even got the opportunity to pick at least 2 of the vast array of donated products, and in addition, we gave away 5 various cue and case combos by way of random raffl es. 
 
The events were double elimination races to 7 on the 7 foot Diamond tables for the 12 and under and races to 9 on the 9 foot Diamonds for the 18 and under. Zach Hemendinger defeated Ivo Linkin 7-6 for the hot seat. Ivo then defeated Ralph Ramos 7-3 to get to the finals and avenged his previous loss by wining 2 sets 7-4 and 7-3 for the win. Over on the 9 footers it was Lukas Fracasso-Verner who went undefeated for his title besting Emily Herpel 9-4 for the hot seat. Emily then fell victim to Peter Abatangelo who then lost in the final match 9-4 to Fracasso-Verner. Hopefully it was a great time and learning experience for all of the participants in both events. I will do my very best to make this a regular seasonal event on the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour.
 
[photo id=45248|align=right]I would like to thank all of these fine companies and people for making this event possible and helping to make it run so smoothly. They are, in no particular order: Tim & Julie Berlin (owners of Sharp Shooters Billiards & Sports Pub), Peter & Billie Jo Hemendinger, Debbie, Dan & Stephen Janes of Joss Cues, Verizon, Dan Dishaw, James Sinclair of Rhythm Cues, CJ & Peggi Wilkinson of Baltimore City Cues, Iwan Simonis Cloth, Aramith, Ted Klonowski's Bowling & Billiard Supplies, TAP League, Don Kerns, Mark Kulungian, Bruce Barthelette, Steve Lillis, Andrea Duvall from Hippos The House Of Billiards, Jim Romanowski, Matt Tetreault, Keith Odell, John Babravich, Brian Trinci, all of the kids and parents, and everyone that came to support them!  

Touching Base with Mike Dechaine

Mike Dechaine

The fans of our game are always excited about the hot young guns as they come along. The buzz these days centers a lot around the name Mike Dechaine. He was an up and coming player until spring of 2011. Then he won the Ultimate Ten Ball championship in Dallas after taking 4th place at the Masters Ten Ball championship in Chesapeake and these two rapid-fire results catapulted him into the realm of those who are always a threat to win.
 
His fan base expanded when he became the rookie for Team America on the Mosconi Cup team. Mike Dechaine is fan-friendly and his personality is open and extroverted. He makes friends easily. All of these factors led to the new status he enjoys with the Northeast Massachusetts APA operation.
 
Sal Conte, the league operator with whom Mr. Dechaine is working, said: “When it became apparent that Mike Dechaine and I might have mutually beneficial business needs I jumped at the chance for us to work together at the Northeast Mass APA Pool League.  Mike’s role as League Development Director will focus on division, team and player development.   Mike Dechaine is arguably one of the best players in the world and is coming off of a great year.   He has brought a sense of electricity to our league with his willingness to share his experiences, knowledge and stories from the pro tour.   We feel lucky to have him and all he offers as part of our APA team.  There simply has never been a better time to play APA pool.  Find us and contact Mike Dechaine on our facebook page at:www.facebook.com/NortheastMassAPA.”
 
Dechaine is elated at the opportunity. “It is really exciting. People are excited about having a professional player on board and the work is challenging and fun. I get to go into new locations and introduce myself and tell them all about what the APA has to offer them. And I get to interact with the players there and have some fun showing them some shots and stuff. This really is a great blending of skills. Of course, I want to build teams in the area. That is one of my primary goals. It is marvelous being around people who are all about pool 100% of the time.”
 
We asked how all this came about. It turns out that Dechaine met Bruce Barthelette, the APA League Operator for Connecticut, when he was out doing his exhibitions and clinics at area poolrooms. Mr. Barthelette made the proper introductions and everything evolved quickly from there. Mr. Barthelette speaks of the advantages of having a skilled and personable player on board: “Mike Dechaine has come up to our Connecticut APA Tri Cup events and also to our Las Vegas sendoff party. Mike spent time with the players answering questions along with giving the players some very useful pool lessons. The APA players were thrilled to have a player of Mike’s ability and popularity at these events. We look forward to working with Mike in the future.”
 
We asked if this position would cause any conflicts on Mike’s time for pro events. He replied: “Absolutely not. The better I do professionally the better it is for the job.” Baystate APA League Operator Steve Blaney echoed that sentiment: “It is so exiting to work with one of the top players in the world and to have the benefit of him being a local New Englander is an added bonus.  Our players look forward to the opportunity to see Mike in exhibitions, take group lessons and to track his progress as he takes the pool world by storm.  Those players that already follow professional billiards know his name; soon enough, everyone will know who he is!  We look forward to seeing him soon whether on the professional circuit or appearing at one of our local tournaments.”
 
Dechaine seems to have caught on quickly. He told us: “This is all about building relationships. It’s all about adding value to the experience of the APA players and keeping them happily involved in the league so that the league can expand and I can grow with the league.  There are over 15,000 pool players in this area so there is a lot of potential out there.”
 
Pretty sharp. The pro circuit has gone from a dozen events last year to less than half that amount this year and so it is not always the most reliable income source. Having a degree of financial security in the up and down world of pro pool can only be a plus and help relieve some of the stress felt at the table.

Team Europe Downs Team U.S.A. in The World Cup of Trick Shots

Team Europe being presented Gold Medals by Stephen Cholewa of Mohegan Sun

The WORLD CUP OF TRICK SHOTS was held October 27 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Team Europe claimed the title over Team U.S.A. in the only international team competition in the sport of Trick Shots. The prize purse was $30,000 for the event, with $20,000 and Gold Medals to the winning team. The two semifinals and the Championship match will be broadcast by ESPN on December 18.

Captain Stefano Pelinga led Team Europe to victory and the Gold Medal. Other Team Europe members who were awarded the Gold Medal were Nick Nikolaidis, Luke Szywala and Gabriel Visoiu. Silver Medalists from Team U.S.A. included Captain Andy Segal, Jamey Gray, Bruce Barthelette, and Tim Chin. Their team also won $10,000.

The format for World Cup consisted of two skill shots and eight artistic show shots by both teams in a match. Team members executed a challenge shot of their choice, and their opponents were required to duplicate the shot or lose a point. In the semifinals, with two members from each team, the players alternated shots in four player head-to-head matches, performing intricate trick shots meant to stymie their opponents. A sudden death tiebreaker to decide a match required an eight rail bank shot onto the face of a $100 bill. The Championship Finals match pitted all eight members of Team U.S.A. and Team Europe in the wildest shootout of the year.

The players on Team Europe displayed their brilliance to emerge as the top trick shot artists in the world. The Championship match was poetry on green felt, with Team Europe defeating Team U.S.A. by a score of 17 – 15 to take the Gold Medals and $20,000. Team U.S.A., whose members were otherwise on their game, claimed Silver Medals and $10,000 second prize. In the first semifinal, Team U.S.A. players Barthelette and Chin prevailed over Team Europe members Pelinga and Visoiu. The other semifinal saw Team Europe artists Nikolaidis and Szywala barely slip past Team U.S.A. players Segal and Gray in a tight match. With the score tied at 5-5, the teams selected one member each to play in the sudden death shootout. Segal, representing Team U.S.A., fired the eight rail bank shot and placed the cue ball scarcely an inch off the $100 bill. Nikolaidis, shooting for Team Europe, masterfully banked eight rails and centered the cue ball on Ben Franklin’s face for the semifinal victory. The winning team in each semifinal carried a 1 point bonus forward into the final match.

The standing-room-only crowd gave Team Europe a rousing ovation at the conclusion of the Championship match. The Gold Medals and the team check were presented by Mohegan Sun and Diamond Billiard Tables. The presentations brought another round of cheers from the audience.

In addition to the fine tournament site at Mohegan Sun, the event was sponsored by Diamond Billiard Tables, Aramith Tournament Billiard Balls, Simonis Cloth, Mueller Recreational Products, Executive Billiards Delta-13 Rack, PoolDawg.com and Silver Cup Chalk. The event was produced by Billiards International, Ltd.