Jessica Barnes took down the Tiger Florida Tour's current top-ranked player, Jeannie Seaver, in the finals of the $500-added fifth stop on the tour, held on Saturday, June 6. The event drew 22 entrants to The Corner Pocket in Largo, FL.

 

Utilizing a modified double elimination format, the 22 entrants played straight double elimination until there were two competitors left on each side of the bracket. At that point, it became a single elimination tournament, with two semifinals, and a final match.

 

Barnes path to the victory went through Becky Yel, Toni Curry, and Shanelle Lorraine before meeting up with McElroy for the first time. Seaver, after an opening round bye, defeaTed Deanna Fost, and Nicole Cuellar, before drawing Leslie Blaikie. Barnes sent McElroy to the loss side 7-5, as Seaver downed Blaikie 7-2. Barnes and Seaver then awaited loss-side results.

 

Over on the loss side, McElroy and Mitchell both met up with the players that had sent them to the loss side. McElroy picked up Marlene Houldsworth, whom she'd sent to the loss side in the second round (they'd each received byes in the first round). Houndsworth moved over and embarked on a four-match, loss-side streak that included back-to-back, double hill wins over Lyn Remsen and Shanelle Lorraine. Blaikie drew room owner Stephanie Mitchell, who, after being defeated by Blaikie in the third round, moved over and defeated Michell Monk and Cassidy Mulligan, both 5-3.

 

Both event quarterfinals went to double hill, before Mitchell and McElroy wreaked their vengeance on Blakie and Houndsworth and advanced to the event semifinals. In those semifinals, Barnes defeated McElroy a second time, 7-5, while Seaver downed Mitchell 7-1.

Barnes claimed the event title 7-3.

 

Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Stephanie Mitchell and her staff at Corner Pocket for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards, Simonis Cloth, Discount Mugs, Boynton Billiards, and Great Lakes Billiards. Stop #6 on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for July 11, will be hosted by Capone's in Spring Hill, FL

Fifty-one women converged at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida, for the Tiger Florida Tour’s $1,000-added 6th Annual “Cues for Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser on October 18th. At the end of the day, Crystal McCormick went undefeated to win the TFT’s last tournament of the year.

 

This event was a modified double elimination format, playing down to eight players on each side. The eight players on the losers side redrew into the winners side for a single elimination match. McCormick was focused all day in the short races to five, defeating Colleen Russell 5-1, Cassidy Mulligan 5-4, Nicolle Payne 5-2 and taking the win from Chris Fields 5-2. Fields defeated Cheryl Perez 5-3, Amy Poulter 5-1, and April Wallen 5-3, before losing to McCormick.  All of the players who made the final board made the money.

 

April Wallen’s third place finish was just enough to earn the TFT 2014 Regional Tour Champion title, bypassing McCormick by 20 points. Jeannie Seaver, last year’s RT Champion finished the year in third place. 

 

Thanks to all of the players, spectators and sponsors who supported this event, benefitting the South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Thank you to Amy Poulter, owner of Amy's Billiards for being a great host of another great event!  Thanks to the players and spectators who donated their time and money to participate. Thanks to those who donated prizes for the raffle:  Hunter Lombardo, Alicia Borjas, Janis Sessions, Dianna Sullivan, Catherine Bragg and Suit Up.  Thanks to the volunteers, Chris Gordon, Nick Walden and Led Uittenbogaard.  Thank you to Tiger Products, our title sponsor, Ozone Billiards, Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards for their year-long support of our tour. Thank you to Jerry Sotelo for his patience and hard work as the Tournament Director.

 

It's something of a stark reminder that most regional pool tours reward a combination of performance and participation. You can shoot lights out and rank below a lesser-skilled player who has competed in every stop on a tour. Jeannie Seaver won her second straight stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, going undefeated through the tour's modified double-elimination tournament on the weekend of August 9-10, but made little headway in the tour rankings, where she is currently in third place, behind April Wallen and Crystal McCormick. Kelly Cavanaugh, Cassidy Mulligan and Lisa McElroy are behind them. They all signed on to the sixth stop on the tour, a $500-added event that drew 25 entrants to Wally's in Lakeland, FL, and all made it into the final eight/money rounds.

 

Emerging from the double elimination proceedings for a re-draw to single elimination were Seaver, Cavanaugh, Wallen and Stephanie Mitchell on the winners' side. Advancing from the losers' bracket were Mulligan, McElroy, McCormick and Michell Monk. The quarterfinal matchups were hotly contested, with two of them going double hill and the other two falling just a game short of double hill.

 

Cavanaugh downed Mulligan, while Mitchell eliminated McElroy, both via the double hill route. Seaver defeated Monk while McCormick finished Wallen, both 7-5. 

 

Seaver chalked up another 7-5, this one over Cavanaugh to advance to the finals. She was joined by McCormick, who finished McElroy's day 7-4. Seaver punctuated her undefeated run with a 7-1 victory over McCormick.

 

Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked owner (Jim Thomas), manager (Rocky Hochman), and the staff at Wally's for their hospitality, as well as sponsors Tiger Products, Ozone Billiards, and Boynton Billiards. The next (and last) stop on this year's Tiger Florida Tour will be their 6th Annual Cues for the Cure event, at which participants arrive, dressed in pink and prepared to play a series of fund-raising games between themselves and spectators. The event is held to benefit the South Florida affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event will be hosted by Amy's Billiards in Stuart, FL on October 18.

Jeannie Seaver became the second player to win a stop on the newly-named Tiger Florida Tour (formerly, the Flamingo Tour), with an undefeated run on Saturday, July 12. The $400-added event drew 33 entrants to The Corner Pocket in Largo, FL.

 

For the third time in a row on the tour, Crystal McCormick was one of the event finalists, this time facing Seaver, instead of April Wallen. McCormick defeated Lyn Remsen, Vanessa Seaver, and Cassidy Mulligan to move among the event's final eight winners, and a re-draw to single elimination competition. Seaver, in the meantime, had received an opening round bye and then defeated Diane Chauliac, Stephanie Mitchell, and Kelly Cavanaugh. Also advancing from the winners' side of the bracket were Wallen and newcomer Amanda Newton. The four to advance from the losers' bracket were Sabra McArthur-Beahm, Helen Caukin, Jeannie Seaver's sister,Vanessa, and Maridana "Mike" Fitzgerald.

 

In the quarterfinal matchups, McCormick survived a double hill battle against McArthur-Beahm, as Caukin ended Wallen's hopes for a third straight win on the tour with a 7-5 victory. By the same score, Newton defeated Fitzgerald. Jeannie Seaver defeated her sister, Vanessa 7-3.

 

In the semifinals that followed, McCormick moved into her third straight final on the tour with a 7-1 victory over Caukin. Jeannie Seaver and Newton battled to double hill before Seaver prevailed to face McCormick in the finals. Seaver defeated McCormick 7-2 in the finals to complete her undefeated run and claim the event title.

 

Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked room owner Stephanie Mitchell and her staff for their hospitality, as well as title sponsor Tiger Cues, Ozone Billiards and Boynton Billiards. The next stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for August 9, will be hosted by the Wally's in Lakeland, FL.

 

In 1978, a college junior by the name of Maridana "Mike" Heydon won the Women's division of the American College Union International's annual pool tournament in Lincoln City, Oregon. About a year after college, Maridana Heydon quit the sport, "cold turkey," as she described it, to pursue a career and a family. On the weekend of March 8-9, 36 years later, at a $500-added stop on the Flamingo Tour, hosted by Wally's in Lakeland, FL, the former college champion re-emerged and as Maridana Fitzgerald, went undefeated through a field of 37 entrants.

 

Fitzgerald's path through the field went through Jennifer Page, Erikka Piersall and Crystal McCormack to move among the final four winners, who advanced to the tournament's single elimination phase, entailing four quarterfinal matches, two semifinals and a final. Her victory over McCormack to make the cut was the first of three straight double hill matches that would eventually move her into the winners' circle. 

 

Her finals opponent, Stephanie Mitchell, had defeated Echo Pinkley, Desiree Haliburton, Chris Fields and April Wallen to make the cut. Also advancing on the winners' side were Cassidy Mulligan and Jessica Barnes. Moving into the quarterfinal matches from the losers' bracket were Angela Ger, Vanessa Seaver, Wallen and Sue Roberts.

 

Fitzgerald drew Wallen, Mitchell faced Seaver, Mulligan had to contend with Ger and Barnes met Roberts. Mulligan shut Ger out to advance to the semifinals, while Mitchell and Roberts advanced with 7-5 victories over Seaver and Barnes. Fitzgerald survived her first of three straight double hill matches, over Wallen.

 

Both semifinal matches were double hill affairs, and both hinged on last minute mistakes. Mulligan gave Mitchell ball in hand, shooting at the 9-ball in the deciding game. Roberts had been up on Fitzgerald 6-3, but Fitzgerald fought back to tie it at 6-6. In the final rack, Roberts got a look at the 9-ball, but rattled it in the hole, essentially handing the semifinal victory to Fitzgerald.

 

"I thought the thing was over," said Fitzgerald later, but it wasn't and she advanced to the finals.

 

The final match also featured a costly error. Fitzgerald and Mitchell fought back and forth to yet another double hill juncture, at which point, Mitchell scratched, shooting at the 1-ball in the deciding rack. Fitzgerald ran the table to complete her undefeated run and claim the event title.

 

"It was not an easy runout," said tour director Mimi McAndrews of that final rack. "She worked for it."

 

For Fitzgerald's part, she was glad to be back at the tables, after being away for so many years. And aware, she said, of a higher level of talent than she remembered from her college years.

 

"I was very impressed with the quality of play at the tournament," she said. "There were some great players, and I was thrilled that I won."

 

Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked room owner Jim Thomas and his staff, as well as sponsors Boynton Billiards, Ozone Billiards, and the Simonis Cloth Satellite Tour. 

The largest and longest event for the Flamingo Billiards Tour turned out a record-breaking fifty women on Saturday at the FBT’s 5th Annual “Cues for Cure” breast cancer fundraiser at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida! A huge "THANK YOU" to all of the players, spectators and sponsors who supported this event, which benefitted the South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

 

With so many players, this one-day event was a true test of endurance. Despite having to shoot into the wee hours of the morning, the players remained patient yet persistent. Ultimately, however, experience and determination paid off. About an hour before sunrise Jeannie Seaver won her fourth event of the year.  Seaver, whose stroke only got better the closer to it got to daylight, defeated last year’s winner of the “Cues for the Cure” event, Jennifer Page, who shot well throughout the day but couldn’t keep up with Seaver, who barely missed more than two shots the entire final match. 

 

Seaver eliminated newcomer Jessica Karamia Human and Crystal McComick in the final single elimination board. Page defeated Cassidy Mulligan and Vanessa Seaver to make it to the final match.  Seaver also takes the 2013 FBT Champion title again this year.

 

More than half the players were playing in support of or in memory of a loved one or friend who had breast cancer or some other form of cancer.  Players and spectators participated in the raffle and other games to raise money for the cause. Darlyne Petrovit won the jar of gummy bears with the closest guestimate of the number of candies in the jar without going over. Cathy Sparling won the jar of M&M’s. Other prizes included cues, cue cases, pool lessons, gift baskets and pink ribbon teddy bears.

 

Many special thanks to all of you who took time to participate, thanks to everyone who brought a friend or two, thank you to the players who drove hours to attend this event, thank you to the spectators, thank you for your donations, participating in the games and your boundless enthusiasm in supporting the cause!

 

Boynton Beach, Fla. – Not to be deterred after getting knocked out early at last month’s event, Jeannie Seaver came to win the Flamingo Billiards Tour Stop #5 on Saturday. Thirty-two players filled the board at Slate Billiards in Boynton Beach, Florida, including Amy Poulter, who has been absent from the tour for more than a year.  But Poulter, room owner of Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida, was back in great form, finishing second only to Seaver. 

 

Her path to the finals was challenging after sending Kathleen Lawless west in a double hill match, then losing a close match to newcomer Kelly Errair. Poulter got past Crystal McCormick in another double hill match, the ended the day for Jennifer Page, and then matched up again with Kelly Errair in the final board, winning 7-1.  Seaver swept past Tour Director Mimi McAndrews, sister Vanessa Seaver, took the edge in a double hill match with Cassidy Mulligan and then won over Sue Roberts to get to the finals.

 

The format is a modified-double elimination playing down to four on each side. The four players on the one-loss side draw into the winners bracket and it is single elimination from that point.  Also making it to the final board of eight was Jessica Barnes, Jennifer Page, Sue Roberts, Cassidy Mulligan, Vanessa Seaver and new player Kelly Errair.

 

When the former APA Amateur Champion, Amy Chen, got underway on Saturday, July 13 at a  stop on the Flamingo Tour, it looked as though it was going to be a short day for her. She faced Jeannie Seaver and failed to score a single rack. She came back on the loss side to win three in a row, and then, after a redraw, won three more to claim the event title. The $250-added event drew 27 entrants to Wally's Pool Hall in Lakeland, FL.

 

The Flamingo Tour uses a double elimination format until there are four left on each side of the bracket. In the last of the double elimination matches on the winners' side, Vanessa Seaver defeated Darlene Petrovit 7-1, Cassidy Mulligan downed Sue Roberts 7-2, while Robin Boggs and Jeannie Seaver (Vanessa's sister) sent Samantha Kikuchi and Crystal McCormick west, double hill.

 

On the loss side, Chen, after an initial bye, had gone on to defeat Cassandra Harmon and Shanelle Loraine, by a combined score of 10-1 (Harmon, winning the single rack). This set Chen up for a match against Kikuchi. Petrovit picked up Lawless, Roberts drew Jessica Barnes, and McCormick faced Chris Fields. Lawless and Chen survived double hill matches against Petrovit, and Kikuchi (who was appearing on the Flamingo Tour for the first time). McCormick downed Fields 5-3, and Barnes eliminated Roberts 5-2. 

 

With a redraw at this point, the quarterfinal matches were set; Vanessa Seaver played against Lawless, Chen took on Mulligan, Jeannie Seaver faced McCormick, and Barnes squared off against Boggs. Chen  and Lawless went double hill, before prevailing over Mulligan and Vanessa Seaver, while Jeannie Seaver defeated McCormick 7-4 and Barnes ended Boggs' day 7-3.

 

Chen won her third straight double hill match (this time, against Lawless) and earned her spot in the finals. She was joined by Barnes, who'd survived a double hill match against Jeannie Seaver.

 

Chen's return to form reached its peak in the finals, when she didn't give up a single rack against Barnes.

 

"When she (Chen) got into the quarterfinals, she really got into gear," said tour director Mimi McAndrews. "In the finals, Jessica was missing shots, and Amy was just in that gear."

 

McAndrews thanked the ownership and staff at Wally's (owner, Jim and manager, Larry), as well as staffers, Letha Needham and Erikka Halbert, who was also the recipient of a $50 prize for being the highest finisher from the host location, which entered some women into the tournament that had never played on the tour before. McAndrews also thanked sponsors Martz Cues, Boynton Billiards, and Z9 Billiard Cloth.

Ft. Pierce, FL (July 29, 2012) – Thursday evening 16 Scotch Double teams kicked off the 2012 Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Championship events held at Ultimate Billiards in Ft. Pierce, FL.  Jennifer Page and Zeno Rawley of Stuart, Florida, made it to the hot seat.  The team of Colleen Russell & Steve Rolls of Port St. Lucie, Florida, played the Miami team of Kelly Coyle & Jaran Hilton. Although it was a battle, the Miami team bested the Port St. Lucie team to make it to the finals.  However, Page and Rawley proved to be too much for team Miami to handle.  Page and Rawley finished with an undefeated series to capture the Scotch Doubles Division Title. 

As the finals of the Scotch Doubles finished, the Men’s and Women’s Singles got underway. With a field of 29 men and 15 women the draw was completed and play began. Throughout the day many a hill-hill match was played. There would be no clear victor to these two tournaments until the last eight ball was pocketed. Cue maker Danny Green not only knows how to make cues but he knows how to use one as well. Green settled for fourth place after knocking out Jerry Sotelo who finished 5th and 6th along with  Rich Johnson.  On Saturday morning in the men’s division three players returned to battle it out for the title of Men’s Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Champion.  Randy Epperson of Miami held the hot seat. Justin Gilsinan of Port St. Lucie finished third as Johnny Aguillera moved on to meet Epperson in the finals. This being a true double elimination tournament Aguillera needed two sets for the win. The first set went much the course of the entire tournament with Johnny getting by with a hill-hill victory to set the scene for the final match.  The final game and final eight ball came down to yet another hill-hill game. The deciding eight ball went to Johnny Aguillera along with the title Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Champion Men’s Singles Division.

Jeannie Seaver won the Women’s Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Champion Division.  Cheryl Perez finished second, third place went to Jamie Toennies, with Cassidy Mulligan fourth, and fifth/sixth went to Janice Sessions and Janet Smith. 

On the Women’s team side Power Pak, including Jeannie Seaver along with, sister Vanessa Seaver, Cassidy Mulligan, Tracy McCreary, and Kira Brown, took home the Women’s Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Team Championship title.  After Eight finished second, and the St. Pete Girls finished third. 

The Men’s final three teams returned Sunday with a Palm Beach County ACS League in the hot seat and another in the semi-finals.  Chalk’s Cheap held the hot seat from Saturday night while Smoke Signals and No Butts squared off to decide who would go home in third place. When the smoke cleared, No Butts got theirs handed to them settling for third. 

As a spectator of these tournaments I have to say that when speaking to No Butts, the third place team finishers, they told me they expected to go two and out.  I believe because these guys not only came as a team they ARE a team all year long and with that, their game was up by a good 30 percent above the individual’s ability. No Butts proved that with the right support group great things are accomplished.

Although Smoke Signals moved forward to face Chalk’s Cheap in the finals, Smoke Signals couldn’t get the fire lit and Chalk’s Cheap was crowned the 2012 Florida Sunshine State ACS 8-Ball Team Champion.  

Special thanks to Robbie Morito, President of the Sunshine State ACS Association, ACS Executive Director John Lewis, who flew in from Green Bay, Wisconsin to referee the matches. Also our thanks to Ted Harris and Danny Green of Ted Harris Custom Cues, who were on hand for re-tipping and conditioning the cues. Visit www.tedharris.com e-mail poolcues@tedharris.com or call 754-246-6366.

Our next event is the women’s Flamingo Billiards Tour Stop #4.  August 25, 2012. For more information visit www.flamingobilliardstour.com.  Also, look for END OF SUMMER SIZZLER with $1000-added 9-Ball event Labor Day Weekend sponsored by www.layeredcuetips.com 

Jeannie Seaver shut out 72-year-young Mary Lou Mendez twice to win her second of three stops on the Bay Area Amateur Tour on Saturday, July 21. As a result, Seaver moved into the top spot in tour rankings. With two stops to go on the tour, Seaver finished five ranking points ahead of Lisa McElroy and Cassidy Mulligan, tied for second place. The $400-added event drew 16 entrants to Stix in Palm Harbor, FL.

Seaver went into the tournament ranked at the bottom of the top five players on the tour, and was one of only two among those five who made it to the winners’ side final four. She faced the other, Echo Pinkley, who entered the stop in fourth place. Mendez, in the meantime, squared off against Deanna Foster. Seaver sent Pinkley west 7-2, as Mendez was busy downing Foster 4-3. Seaver shut Mendez out and sat in the hot seat to await her return.

Pinkley moved over to meet up with McElroy, who’d been sent to the loss side by Mendez, and defeated Jessica Barnes 3-2 (Barnes racing to 6), and shut out Jamie Toennies 3-0. Foster drew Mulligan, who’d been sent west by Seaver, and then, shut out Barbara Ellis and given up only one rack against tour director Stephanie Mitchell. Foster chalked up the fourth of five shutouts among the event’s final 12 against Mulligan, and in the quarterfinals, faced McElroy, who’d ended Pinkley’s day 3-1. 

In those quarterfinals, McElroy again gave up only a single rack, defeating Foster 3-1, and turning to a grudge match semifinal against Mendez. For the second time, Mendez defeated McElroy with a tie score. In their first meeting, Mendez had won 4-4, with McElroy going to 6, and in their second, Mendez won 3-3, with McElroy racing to 5. Though a victory on this year’s tour has eluded her, McElroy has finished third twice and second, once, which has left her in second place in the overall tour rankings.

Though Seaver would shut Mendez out for the second straight time in the finals to capture the event title, Mendez chalked up her best finish on the tour, ever. She had previously finished in 7th place in a November 2011 tour stop. 

The event scrambled the rankings of the top five players on the tour. Seaver moved from fifth place to first, while seventh place finisher, Jessica Barnes, who’d held the top stop previously, dropped to fourth. Mulligan came into the tournament in second place, just ahead of McElroy, and the two finished, tied for second. Echo Pinkley rounded out the top five, dropping from fourth to fifth on the heels of her 5th place finish. The women will have two more chances to re-arrange that list. The tour will stop at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor on September 1 and hold the tour’s Grand Finale at Capone’s in Spring Hill on October 20.