World’s Largest Pool League Awards More Than $750,000
Poolplayers looking for yet another opportunity to make it to Vegas are finding their way there by competing in the APA Poolplayer Championships. More than 2,500 players made their way to the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas in early May for APA’s annual spring event.
Poolplayers from 49 states and two countries competed for nearly $750,000 in five events: the 8-Ball Classic, 9-Ball Shootout, 8 and 9-Ball Doubles Championships and the Wheelchair Championship.
After five days of nearly non-stop action, 12 new champions had cemented their poolplaying legacy by taking home an APA title.
The final round of the 9-Ball Shootout featured four championship matches, one for each Skill Level Tier, with two shooters in each tier competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes.
In the Green Tier, Robbie Schreckengost of Kearneysville, W.V., defeated Donavan Balan of Hacienda Heights, Calif. In the White Tier, Bryan Marcum of Worthington, Ohio, defeated Shareef Chandler-El of Schaumburg, Ill. In the first year of the newly added Gray Tier, Edward Arciniega of National City, Calif., defeated Terry Lecreux of Toronto. In the Black Tier, Dustin Gunia of Omaha, Neb., defeated William Gallagher Jr. of Atco, N.J.
Each of the three Champions received a cash and prize package worth $10,000. Runners-Up in each tier took home a prize package worth $5,000.
Jerry Brown of St. Petersburg, Fla., received the Sportsmanship Award in the 9-Ball Shootout.
More than 4,000 poolplayers made it to the Regional Level of the 9-Ball Shootout before the field was whittled down to the 483 who advanced to Las Vegas.
Nearly 6,000 players throughout North America qualified for Regional competition in the 8-Ball Classic, with 692 of them advancing to the championships.
In the finals of the 8-Ball Classic, five champions each took home a cash and prize package worth $15,000 for their performances.
In the Blue Tier, Karla Garcia of Miami, Fla., defeated Noemi Rodriguez of Chicago, Ill. In the Yellow Tier, Jesse Garcia of Joliet, Ill., defeated Christian Delgado of Winter Springs, Fla. In the Red Tier, Lawrence Samuel of Ocala, Fla., defeated Garrett Hogue of Forney, Texas. In the Orange Tier, Nazario Aguilar of Chicago, Ill., defeated James Sevion of Montgomery, Ala. In the Purple Tier, Abrin Schaad of Pekin, Ill., defeated David Barnes of Denton, Md.
First Place winners received cash and prizes worth $15,000. Each Runner-Up received cash and prizes worth $9,000.
Shannon Peek of Sealy, Texas, won the Sportsmanship Award in the 8-Ball Classic.
In the 8-Ball Doubles Championship, Swamp Donkeys – Ralph Serode and Jeff Waterman– of Taunton, Mass., defeated Drunk Tank – Scott Esposito and Vince Boettger– of Chicago, Ill. The victory earned them a $5,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Drunk Tank took home $3,000.
In the 9-Ball Doubles Championship, PFLS – David Griffin and Henry Sevcik– of Fayetteville, N.C., defeated Kidless in Vegas – Brittany Blomlie and Wes Mancil– of Ocala, Fla. The victory earned them a $3,500 payday. As Runners-Up, Kidless in Vegas took home $2,300.
In the finals of the Wheelchair Championship, Charlie Hans of Harrison, Ohio, defeated Earl Hessbrook of Spring Branch, Texas, to take home $2,000 in prize money. Hessbrook received $1,200 as the Runner-Up.
The final of each championship round was live-streamed (courtesy of PoolDawg) and can be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/apaleagues.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces four major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships, the APA Junior Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, PoolDawg and Valley-Dynamo.
World’s Largest Pool League Awards More Than $650,000
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO (May 16, 2016) — New venue. New event name. More prize money than ever before. It all added up to another spectacular event for the American Poolplayers Association in Las Vegas. Thousands of APA members made their way to the Westgate Resort & Casino to compete for more than $650,000 in cash and prizes at the recently renamed APA Poolplayer Championships, formerly known as the National Singles Championships. The Poolplayer Championships consisted of both the 8-Ball Classic and 9-Ball Shootout Championship events, as well as Showdown Series events that included the 8-Ball and 9-Ball Doubles Championships and the Wheelchair Championship events.
[photo id=44710|align=left]The final round of the 9-Ball Shootout featured three championship matches, one for each Skill Level Tier, with two shooters in each competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes. In the Green Tier, Michael Ritch of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., defeated Ron Ekman of Port Hueneme, Calif.
[photo id=44711|align=right]In the White Tier, Paul Schinkel of Pickering, Ont., defeated Hannah Martin of Spring, Texas.
[photo id=44703|align=left]In the Black Tier, Brian Parks of Bakersfield, Calif., defeated Kale Bourque of Breaux Bridge, La. Mathew Barber of Newburg, N.Y., won the Sportsmanship Award in the 9-Ball Shootout.
Each of the three Champions received a cash and prize package worth $10,000. Runners-Up in each tier took home a cash and prize package worth $5,000. More than 4,000 poolplayers made it to the Regional Level of the 9-Ball Shootout before the field was whittled down to the 320 who advanced to Las Vegas.
Nearly 6,000 players throughout North America qualified for Regional competition in the 8-Ball Classic, with 510 of them advancing to the championships.
[photo id=44709|align=left]In the finals of the 8-Ball Classic, five champions each took home a prize package worth $15,000 for their performances. In the Blue Tier, Alexandra Marx-Simoncic of New York City defeated Julie Buckley of Orlando, Fla.
[photo id=44708|align=right]In the Yellow Tier, Juan Diaz of Silver Spring, Md., defeated David Brown of Stayner, Ont.
[photo id=44712|align=left]In the Red Tier, Roberto Valanzuela of Silver Spring, Md., defeated Shannon Theriot of Breaux Bridge, La.
[photo id=44707|align=right]In the Orange Tier, Howard Depascal of Pasadena, Md., defeated Gary Smith of Arlington, Texas.
[photo id=44713|align=left]In the Purple Tier, Robert Hall of Huntsville, Ala., defeated William Gallagher Jr. of Atco, N.J. Kevin Demoss of Youngsville, La., won the Sportsmanship Award in the 8-Ball Classic.
First Place winners received cash and prizes worth $15,000. Each Runner-Up received cash and prizes worth $9,000.
[photo id=44706|align=right]In the 8-Ball Doubles Championship, Pete and Repeat – Trey Funderburg and Jim Mullins – of Monroe, La., defeated Bank Shot Flyers – Roland Newkirk and Jeremy Brown – of Odenton, Md. The victory earned them a $5,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Bank Shot Flyers took home $3,000.
[photo id=44705|align=left]In the 9-Ball Doubles Championship, Ladies Please – Dereth Tahkofper and Carol Wagoner – of Lawton, Okla., defeated Terrible D’s – Robert Detuncq and Monica Detuncq – of Spring, Texas. The victory earned them a $3,500 payday. As Runners-Up, Terrible D’s took home $2,300.
[photo id=44704|align=right]In the finals of the Wheelchair Championship, Charlie Hans of Cincinnati, Ohio, defeated Jason Herrill of Ventura, Calif., to take home $1,600 in prize money. Herrill received $800 as the Runner-Up.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out more than $1.5 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues and PoolDawg.
For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visitwww.poolplayers.com.
Robb Saez chalked up his first (recorded) major win in two years with an undefeated run on the Midwest Open 9-Ball Tour's Open event on the weekend of July 8-10. Though far from inactive over the last two years, cashing in 23 events, Saez' last two major event victories were in the 2014 Texas Tornado Open and in the Music City Classic's Open Division. The $3,300-added Midwest 9-Ball Tour event, run concurrently with a One Pocket and Ladies event (separate stories), drew 118 entrants to Shooter's in Olathe, KS.
Saez advanced to a winners' side semifinal versus Rivas, while Woodward took on Klatt. Saez sent Rivas to the west bracket 9-6, while Woodward downed Klatt 9-3. Saez claimed the hot seat in a double hill battle over Woodward, and waited on what turned out to be Klatt's return.
Over on the loss side, Rivas picked up Gunia, who'd survived two straight double hill matches against Devin Poteet and Anderson to reach him. Klatt drew Shane McMinn, who'd eliminated Lloyd Moreland 9-5 and Tokoph 9-6. Klatt and McMinn locked up in a double hill fight that eventually sent Klatt to the quarterfinals. He was joined by Gunia, who'd defeated Rivas 9-5.
Klatt took the quarterfinal match 9-4 over Gunia to earn himself a re-match versus Woodward in the semifinals. Woodward put up a double hill fight against him, but Klatt prevailed to face Saez in the finals. Saez claimed the event title with a 9-5 victory over Klatt in those finals.
Johnson takes two against Subelka to go undefeated in short-field Ladies event.
One week ago, on the weekend of April 9-10, Greg Hogue made it to the hot seat during a stop on the Midwest 9-Ball Tour, only to have the person he'd defeated in that match (Chip Compton) come back from the semifinals and defeat him twice in a double elimination final. The scenario was described here as a hot seat occupant's "worst nightmare."
On the weekend of April 16-17, Hogue, at a $2,000-added event that drew 34 entrants to Astros in Lawrence, KS, found himself in the hot seat for the second week in a row, re-living the 'nightmare,' as it were. This time, Hogue sent Dustin Gunia to the semifinals, but this time, Hogue woke up. Although Gunia would force him to play a deciding 17th game in the opening set of a potential double elimination final, Hogue won that deciding game, and after (one presumes) an enormous sigh of relief, claimed the event title.
In a concurrently-run, $500-added Ladies event that drew only 7 entrants, Kerri Johnson defeated Morgan Subelka twice to claim that title. Johnson defeated Subelka in the hot seat match 7-5. On the loss side, Deb McWhirk came off a quarterfinal victory over Jacelyn Booher to challenge Subelka in the semifinals. Subelka earned a second shot against Johnson with a 7-3 victory over McWhirk. Johnson completed her four-match, undefeated run with a 7-4 victory over Subelka in the finals.
The first match between Hogue and Gunia in the Open event, vying for the hot seat, followed a 9-1 victory by Hogue over Steven Wyatt, and a 9-3 victory by Gunia over Mike Goscha. Hogue claimed the hot seat, double hill, and waited, as (no doubt) thoughts of a week ago played out in his head.
On the loss side, Wyatt picked up Dave Matlock, who'd gotten by Rafael Munoz 9-4 and Toby Noll 9-6 to reach him. Goscha drew Sharik Sayed, who'd eliminated Lance Schofield 9-7 and Taylor Anderson 9-6. Matlock and Sayed handed Wyatt and Goscha their second straight losses – Matlock 9-6 over Wyatt and Sayed 9-1 over Goscha – and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Sayed gave up only two racks to Matlock, and advanced to the semifinals against Gunia. Gunia shut Sayed out in those semifinals, which almost certainly gave Hogue something to think about as he prepared for the opening set of the true double elimination final. Though Gunia would once again force a deciding 17th game, Hogue won it to claim the title.
Alex Olinger sliced through a daunting field of 120 entrants to go undefeated in the Midwest 9-Ball Tour's $3,250-added Open event on the weekend of February 20-23. Liz Lovely did the same thing in the $750-added, Ladies Tournament, which drew 30. Both, along with a One-Pocket event (separate story), were hosted by Shooter's in Olathe, KS.
Olinger, who picked up two victories on the Midwest 9-Ball Tour last year (March and August), and won the Great Southern Billiard Tour's tour championship in December, met up with the runner-up in the weekend's One Pocket event, John Gabriel, twice; first in the hot seat match, and later, the finals. Olinger had sent Gordon Van Der Veer to the losers' bracket 9-5, as Gabriel was busy doing likewise to Billy Thorpe in a double hill match. Olinger took the first of his two against Gabriel 9-5 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting his return.
On the loss side, Van Der Veer drew Dustin Gunia, who'd just eliminated two Midwest 9-Ball Tour heavyweights; Gabe Owen (who won the One Pocket event) 9-6 and Shane McMinn 9-4 (McMinn had eliminated Joey Gray). Thorpe drew a third Midwest 9-Ball Tour heavyweight, Chip Compton, who'd defeated Ryan Cobb 9-5 and survived a double hill battle against Manny Perez.
Thorpe advanced to the quarterfinals with a 9-5 victory over Compton. Van Der Veer did not, falling to Gunia 9-6. Gunia completed his loss-side run with a double hill win over Thorpe and was then stopped by Gabriel in the semifinals 9-7. Olinger completed his undefeated run with a 9-4 win over Gabriel in the finals.
Liz Lovely and Melissa Little played twice in the Ladies event, with Lovely winning both. She'd defeated Allison Hardwick in one of the winners' side semifinals as Little was sending Heather Middleton over 7-1. Lovely and Little battled to double hill in the winners' side final, before Lovely prevailed.
On the loss side, Hardwick and Middleton were handed their second straight losses immediately. Hardwick fell 7-3 to Brittany Colbert, who'd already gotten by Jessica Frideres 7-5 and Barb Avery 7-1. Middleton was shut out by Julia Gabriel, who'd defeated Karen Lincoln 7-2 and Michelle Davis 7-4 to reach her. Gabriel won the quarterfinal over Colbert 7-5 and was then, herself, eliminated by Little 7-3. Lovely then chalked up her second victory over Little 7-4 to claim the Ladies title.
They sound a little like a law firm (Olinger, Little and Gray), and as such, laid down the law on the weekend of August 8-11. Each took one of a trio of tournaments on the Midwest 9-Ball Tour that weekend. Alex Olinger won the $3,500-added 9-Ball Tournament. Melissa Little took the $500-added Ladies event and Joey Gray captured the $1,000-added One Pocket title. The One-Pocket event, which started the weekend on Thursday, drew 58 entrants. The 9-Ball tournament drew 139, while the Ladies 9-Ball tournament drew 28; all to Shooters in Olathe, KS.
Woodward comes from the loss side to challenge Gray in One Pocket
Joey Gray, who captured the One-Pocket title, gave up only three games in the entire tournament, and none at all over his last three matches. He was challenged in the finals by Skyler Woodward, who'd been defeated in the opening round by Chip Compton, and won nine straight on the loss side.
Gray faced Shane McMinn in one of the winners' side semifinals, as John Gabriel squared off against Marc Vidal in the other. Gray shut McMinn out, while Gabriel was busy surviving a double hill match against Vidal. Gray went on to shutout Gabriel and claim the hot seat.
On the loss side, Woodward, with four down and five to go to get back to the finals, defeated Kevin Carron 3-1, and survived a double hill match against Mark Haddad to pick up McMinn. Vidal drew Will Freeman, who'd defeated Compton 3-1 and shut out Dale Pence.
Vidal defeated Freeman 3-1 and in the quarterfinals met Woodward, who'd shut out McMinn. Woodward won the quarterfinal match 3-1 over Vidal, and then took out Gabriel in the semifinals 3-1. Gray, though, chalked up his third straight shutout, stopping Woodward's loss-side run in the finals to claim the event title.
Olinger and Compton battle three times to decide Open 9-Ball event
In the end, Alex Olinger and Chip Compton faced off in a single match to claim the 9-ball event title, each with one loss, both by 9-6 scores. Olinger had advanced to the hot seat match after defeating Dustin Gunia 9-6, and was met by Compton, who'd sent Jonathan (Hennessee from Tennessee) Pinegar west 9-5. Olinger took the first of three against Compton 9-6.
Gunia and Pinegar moved west and picked up Billy Thorpe and Mark Haddad, respectively. Thorpe had gotten by Johnny Neels and Marc Vidal 9-4. Haddad had downed former US Open 9-Ball Champion Gabe Owen 9-7 and David Matlock 9-4. Pinegar eliminated Haddad 9-6, while Thorpe was handing Gunia his second straight loss 9-7. Thorpe took the quarterfinal match against Pinegar that followed 9-7, but had his loss-side streak ended by Compton in the semifinals; 9-7, as well.
Both sets of the true double elimination final ended with 9-6 scores. Compton took the opening set, but Olinger took the second to claim the title.
Little goes undefeated to claim Ladies title
Melissa Little faced different opponents in the hot seat match and finals, defeating them both to claim the top prize. She faced Brittany Colbert in the battle for the hot seat, and defeated her 7-1. Colbert moved over to face Nicole Keeney, who'd just downed Liz Lovely 7-5 in the quarterfinals. Keeney thwarted Colbert's chance for a second shot against Little with a 7-3 win in the semifinals. Little, though, stopped Keeney's loss-side run with a 7-3 victory of her own that put the top prize in her pocket.
Enjoying a large increase in participation this year (with some divisions up 50-100%), the 2013 Pure X Cues ACS National Championships capped off a banner year of growth for the nine-year old American CueSports Alliance (ACS). The New Tropicana Las Vegas proved to again be an attractive venue for the event, as scores of entertainment venues are conveniently located in this section of The Strip! And most attendees stayed at The Trop. Players enjoyed online coverage in all divisions throughout the event via onsite monitors and their smart phones. A record $36,500 in added prize monies drew players from throughout North America to twenty-three divisions of competition. Despite the large turn-out, players such as Mike Singleton, Beth Fondell, Dustin Gunia, Jessica Frideres and the team Wrecking Crew (LA) still earned top honors in multi-events. All flow charts are still viewable by accessing www.compusport.us; then “Tournaments”; then “ACS Nationals.” With the jump in attendees, ideal dates in mid-May and the attractive location, many participants projected that these Championships on its 10th anniversary “will be even bigger next year!”
Singles action began at the first of the week with handicapped 9-ball. Mike Singleton of Sulphur, LA, improved on his past mediocre performances in the Nationals to outlast 69-year old Lyn Wechsler (Rochester, NY) for the Men’s 9-Ball Singles honors. On the distaff side, past 8-Ball champion Beth Fondell (Owatonna, MN) remained undefeated throughout, including her one final’s set against Phoenix, Arizona’s Bernie Store to earn her Women’s 9-Ball Singles crown! Results from the many divisions of 8-ball singles included: Dustin Gunia (Omaha, NE) displaying dominating form to defend his Men’s Advanced Singles 8-Ball crown over Lyn Wechsler (Rochester, NY) ; Beth Fondell (Owatonna, MN) obtaining a rare double by outlasting defending champion Jessica Frideres (Fort Dodge, IA) on the last ball of the deciding set to claim the Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Singles title – 7-6; Ben Sutherland (Peoria, AZ) losing to Julian Russell (Fort McMurray, ON/CAN) in the first set of the finals, only to recover to gain the deciding set for the Men’s Open 8-Ball Singles championship; Toni Barnes (Shawboro, NC) scoring a title with a one-set finals defeat over Sophia Morquecho (Glendale, AZ) for the Women’s Open 8-Ball Singles laurels; once-defeated Dennis Coolen (Bridgewater, NS/CAN) outdistancing Joe Herne (Hogansburg, NY) in two sets for the Men’s Standard 8-Ball Singles division success; and Melanie Jacobs (Hogansburg, NY) besting Frances Jensen (Calgary, AB/CAN)in one set for the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Singles glory.
In the senior-aged 8-ball singles divisions, Carl Coffee (Pueblo, CO) took down Claude Gragg III (Arlington, TX) in the first set of the finals for the Men’s Senior (55+) 8-Ball Singles crown – leaving Gragg to take the runner-up position for the second straight year; Debbie Snook (Boone, CO) stopped three-time defending champ, Shawn Modelo (Antioch, CA), in the winner’s bracket finals and then took the Women’s Senior (50+) 8-Ball Singles title by upending Linda Asleson (Billings, MT) in two sets in the tourney finals; and Richard Foley (Ketchikan, AK) delegated undefeated Charles Smith (Whitesboro, TX) to the runner-up position for a second straight year in taking the Super Senior (65+) Singles 8-Ball Singles title in two sets!
The two Scotch Doubles 8-Ball divisions showcased perhaps the most dominant amateur scotch doubles team in the country, with defending champions Dustin Gunia and Jessica Frideres (NE/IA) capturing the Advanced Scotch Doubles division with a comfortable one-set win over Labernaline Store/ Steve Stowers (AZ); and the team of Arlene David/ Bill Mason (VA) needing just one set as well to claim victory over Sophia Morquecho/ Burt Balancad (AZ) in the Open Scotch Doubles category.
With the ACS schedule in the latter portion of the week allowing non-conflicting accommodation of entry into both 9-ball and 8-ball team competitions, there was still plenty of competition to keep every player involved – especially those out of the money who automatically qualified for free second-chance team divisions! In the Men’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division, defending champion Dick’s Pick [Ronnie Allen, Jimmy Moore, Greg Kuhl, George Huffman, Chris Akey and James Carmona] (Las Vegas, NV) reloaded but with the same results to take down Jitnot (NS/CAN) in the title match in two sets – after Jitnot had originally claimed the hot seat. The Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division showcased Victoria’s Secret [Susie Miller, Linda Asleson, Jonella Staus and Teresa Keller] (MT) outpointing Colorado’s T’s Bar in the round-robin format. In the Men’s Open 8-Ball Team competition, once-defeated Wrecking Crew [Mike Singleton, Blaine Stanford, Jamie Spivey, Rodney Browne III and Luke Coffey] took two sets from No Flash (AZ) in the title match. The Women’s Open 8-Ball Team division’s San Antonio’s Fuhgettaboutit [Barbara Wisdom, Kenyon Juo Young, Sophie Lopez, Kawania Watson and Maria Lopez] survived a deciding set over After Eight (FL) for the title.
Harbor Hills (WI) [Al Carmody, Mark Schmidt, Tim Gamerdinger, Tom Decker and John Schlapman] needed only one set in the Men’s Standard 8-Ball Team division final’s clash to make Comrades (GA) the bride’s maid. In the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Team division, British Columbia’s Venus Envy [Theresa Warren, Susan Johnston, Susan Kottke and Roxanna Alton] took off the deciding set of the finals to repel New York’s Mohawk Chicks for the crown.
The 3-person 9-ball team divisions featured some of the top 8-ball team placers as well. Undefeated Gotta Have It [NE/IA] [Jerrod Frideres, Jessica Frideres and Dustin Gunia] turned back Las Vegas’s Dick’s Pick in the first set of the finals for the Men’s Advanced 9-Ball Team title. Open 8-Ball Team runner-ups – After Eight (FL) [Flori LeHart, Michelle Jarrell, Janet Smith and Jamie Toennies], succeeded in ousting Miller Time (FL) for the Women’s Open 9-Ball Team laurels. In the Men’s Open 9-Ball Team category, Wrecking Crew (LA) [Jamie Spivey, Mike Singleton and Luke Coffey] doubled up on its Open 8-Ball Team win to capture this title as well with a two-set finals sweep over 9 Ball Shockers (AZ).
In the 9th Annual ACS National Artistic Pool Championships, Dennis Brown of Creston, BC claimed another title for Canada, edging out hundreds of entries. ACS would like to especially thank our title sponsor – Pure X Cues, as well as Gary Benson and his tournament direction staff at High Country Promotions, as well as the exhibiting vendors and the host site – the Tropicana Las Vegas! The ACS Nationals is already looking to returning to the Tropicana May 10-17, 2014! The ACS is a national non-profit, member-governed association which will sanction any local pool league (whether player-run or owner-operated) via a $10 annual sanction fee. Contact the ACS at 1-888-662-1705 or www.americancuesports.org for complete information on sanctioning your league!
The ACS currently sanctions leagues in 38 states and enjoys reciprocal relations with its sister organization in Canada (Canadian Cue Sport Association – CCS). Twelve state associations are affiliated to ACS; and the ACS offers the Midwest ACS Championships each January at the Riverside Resort & Casino in Iowa. The ACS produces a national amateur Pure X All American Tour each Fall thru Spring and offers certification for both instructors and referees dedicated to the sport.
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO (May 10, 2013) — More than $500,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to APA members at the APA National Singles Championships held April 24 – 27 in Las Vegas at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. The National Singles Championships consisted of both the 8-Ball Classic and 9-Ball Shootout Singles Championships, the Wheelchair Challenge and the Jack & Jill Doubles Championship.
The final round of the 9-Ball Shootout featured three championship matches, one for each Skill Level Tier, with two shooters in each match competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes.
In the Green Tier, Tom Williamson of Billerica, Mass., defeated Cheri Schroth of Murfreesboro, Tenn. Williamson advanced to the finals after a semifinal round victory over Kathy Tingler of Tyler, Texas. Schroth advanced to the finals as a result of a disqualification following the semifinal round. Tingler finished in 3rd Place.
In the White Tier, Eddie Conklin, Jr. of Bayonne, N.J., defeated Rodger Doyen of Brandon, Fla. Conklin Jr. defeated Mathis Martines of Greensboro, N.C., in the semifinal round to advance to the finals. Doyen advanced to the finals by defeating Erick Carrasco of Ridgewood, N.Y. Martines and Carrasco tied for 3rd Place.
In the Black Tier, David Apollos of Gallatin, Tenn., defeated Jan Mierzwa of Garfield, N.J. Apollos advanced to the finals after defeating Herb Wilburn of Longview, Texas, in the semifinals. Mierzwa advanced to the final round match after a victory over Jessica Schuddekopf of Clifton Park, N.Y., in the semifinal match. Wilburn and Schuddekopf tied for 3rd Place.
Each of the three Champions received a prize package worth $10,000. Runners-Up in each tier took home a prize package worth $5,000. Third Place finishers each received $3,000 in cash and prizes.
Daniel Praty of San Diego, Calif., was awarded the Sportsmanship Award in the 9-Ball Shootout.
More than 4,000 poolplayers made it to the Regional Level of the 9-Ball Shootout before the field was whittled down to 310 men and women competing for 9-Ball crowns in each of three Skill Level Tiers.
Nearly 6,400 APA members advanced to regional competition of the 8-Ball Classic, and 489 of those players advanced to the championship in Las Vegas.
In the finals of the 8-Ball Classic, four champions each took home a prize package worth $15,000 for their performances.
In the Blue Tier, Faith Rubin of Fayetteville, N.C., defeated Joe Fickett of Chicago Ridge, Ill. Rubin defeated Freida Swain of Lapeer, Mich., in the semifinals to advance, while Fickett defeated Summer Turner of St. Augustine, Fla. Swain and Turner tied for 3rd Place.
In the Yellow Tier, Steven Davis of Minneapolis, Minn., defeated Clayton Fulcher of Loganville, Ga. Davis advanced to the finals by defeating John Falco of Benton, Ark., earlier in the day in the semifinal round. Fulcher defeated Douglas Moe of Easton, Conn., in the semifinals. Falco and Moe tied for 3rd Place.
In the Red Tier, David Templeton of Jackson, Mo., defea Ted Wilson Chung of South San Francisco, Calif. Templeton defeated Charles Swan of Pickering, Ont., in the semifinals to advance, while Chung defeated Matthew Witschonke of Seattle, Wash. Swan and Witschonke tied for 3rd Place.
In the Purple Tier, Dustin Gunia of Omaha, Neb., defeated Nathan Moore of Warren, Mich. Gunia defeated John Scudder of Portland, Ore., in the semifinal round. Moore advanced after defeating Ever Valasques of Hyattsville, Md. Scudder and Valasques tied for 3rd Place.
First Place winners received cash and prizes worth $15,000. Each Runner-Up received cash and prizes worth $9,000. Third Place finishers each received $4,000 in cash and prizes.
Michael Andrew of Oshawa, Ont., was awarded the Sportsmanship Award in the 8-Ball Classic.
In the annual Jack & Jill Doubles Championship, held during the Singles Championships, Long Shots (Jaime Guajardo & Amber Kwasigroch) of Joliet, Ill., defeated Ride the Rail (James Giorella & Evaughn Hall) of Athens, Ga. The victory earned them a $5,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Ride the Rail took home $3,000. The Jack & Jill Doubles field included 256 teams.
The Wheelchair Challenge made its debut at the National Singles Championships after being held in August during the National Team Championships for many years. In the finals, Charlie Hans of Middletown, Ohio defeated Ron Bates of Coldwater, Mich., to take home $2,000 in prize money. Bates received $1,000 as the Runner-Up. Forty-two players competed in the Wheelchair Challenge.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 270,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA National Team Championships, the APA National Singles Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $1.5 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues and PoolDawg.
For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visit www.poolplayers.com.
The American CueSports Alliance (ACS) conducted its most successful national championships to date with a record $36,500 in added prize monies drawing players from throughout North America to twenty-three divisions of competition at the 2012 Lucasi Hybrid ACS National Championships in Las Vegas. Over 90% of attendees chose the host hotel, the Tropicana Las Vegas, for lodging – primarily attracted by early-bird hotel rates and discounted entry fees. The Tropicana Las Vegas is near the center of the action on the Las Vegas strip, and the dates – May 5-11 – and the gorgeous setting of this renovated property have quickly won over the players as a great site for pool action! The biggest highlight of these Championships was San Antonio TX capturing four of the nine team titles up for grabs!
Singles action began at the first of the week with handicapped 9-ball. Dustin Gunia of Omaha, NE, improved on his 4th place performance in 2011 by outperforming fellow Nebraskan – Chris Siefken (Lincoln, NE) – in the finals for the title by a 10-4 margin. On the distaff side, Susan Orr (Las Vegas, NV) took two sets in the final against Richmond, Kentucky’s Samantha Patton (2-5, 5-2) to earn her crown! Results from the many divisions of 8-ball singles included: Dustin Gunia performing a rare double by outpointing Glenn Atwell (Clay Center, KS) 7-4 in the finals of Men’s Advanced Singles 8-Ball; Jessica Frideres (Fort Dodge, IA) adding to her growing list of ACS Nationals titles with a come-from-behind, two-set finals decision over undefeated Kawania Watson (San Antonio, TX) in the Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Singles – 7-3/7-4; Richard Louapre (Jersey City, NJ) double-dipping undefeated Robert Nelson (Sycamore, IL) 5-4/5-3 for the Men’s Open 8-Ball Singles championship; Susan Orr scoring another title with a 4-2 finals defeat of Mandy Schneider-Hood (Houston, TX) for the Women’s Open 8-Ball Singles laurels; undefeated Joey Glover (Virginia Beach, VA) outdistancing David Field (Calgary, AB) in the first set of the finals – 5-3 – for the Men’s Standard 8-Ball Singles division success; and Bernadine Crowchild (Calgary, AB) besting Arlene David (Virginia Beach, VA) by a 4-1 margin for the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Singles glory.
In the senior-aged 8-ball singles divisions, Dennis Brown (Creston, BC) took down Claude Gragg III (Arlington, TX) in the deciding set of the finals, 5-3, for the Men’s Senior (55+) 8-Ball Singles crown; Shawn Modelo (Antioch, CA) captured her third straight Women’s Senior (50+) 8-Ball Singles title by clipping Susan Kornerly (Two Rivers, WI) 4-3 in the finals; and Keith Parker (Henderson, NV) needed only one finals set to take the Super Senior (65+) Singles 8-Ball Singles title from Charles Smith (Whitesboro, TX) by a 5-2 margin!
The two Scotch Doubles 8-Ball divisions included the powerhouse duo of Dustin Gunia and Jessica Frideres (each winners of their respective Advanced Singles 8-Ball divisions) defending their 2011 title in the Advanced Scotch Doubles division with a narrow 7-6 finals win over Susan Orr/Ricky White (Las Vegas, NV); while the Canadian team of Anne Sinclair/ Michael Therrien (ON) needed just one set as well to claim 4-2 victory over Grand Junction, Colorado’s Sandra Walsh and David Miles in the Open Scotch Doubles category.
With the ACS schedule in the latter portion of the week allowing non-conflicting accommodation of entry into both 9-ball and 8-ball team competitions, there was still plenty of competition to keep every player involved – especially those out of the money who automatically qualified for free second-chance team divisions! In the Men’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division, Dick’s Pick [Greg Kuhl, Donnie Branson, Rocky Phipps, Fred Boggs, Lyn Wechsler and Jimmy Moore] (Las Vegas, NV) defended its 2011 title by eclipsing Virginia’s Brass Bell 13-8 in the title match. The Women’s Advanced 8-Ball Team division showcased Knaw Kaw Min [Becky Mowdy, Brandy Phillips, Judy Griffith, Sherry Griffin and Jan Aust] (WA) battling to a final’s win over Ontario’s Eenie Meenie Miney Moe. At this point, Team Mireles from San Antonio, TX started collecting titles. In the Men’s Open 8-Ball Team competition, undefeated Team Mireles [Frank Ferrer, Shane Manaole, Pat Powers, Jacob Jimenez, Rick Robles, Gerard Jimenez, Lupe Sanchez and Eric Aicinena] outdistanced New York’s Foreign Policy 13-9 in the title match. The Women’s Open 8-Ball Team division showcased the Virginia team of Footers Femme Fatale [Alena Joyce, Tiffiny Ebner, Diana Wirt and Marcia Schomburg] recovering from big deficits in two sets of the finals (2-7/4-7) to claim the top prize by 10-8/10-7 scores over Iowa’s No Balls Just Racks.
The Men’s Standard 8-Ball Team division witnessed a similar rebound for eventual winner, The Tribe (BC) [Tyler Chan, Doug Narcisse, Charles Narcisse, Adam Beeds and Bill Armstrong]. In the first match of the tournament, The Tribe faced Las Vegas’s Dick’ Pick and trailed 8-12 before recovering for a 13-12 win. Dick’s Pick was not deterred and marched through the B-side of the bracket for another shot at The Tribe in the finals. Again, The Tribe was down again at 9-12, but won the last four games for the Championship by another 13-12 margin! In the Women’s Standard 8-Ball Team division, Virginia’s Inland Reef 1 [Michelle Carawan, Tavonia Millender, Beverly Michelle Carawan, Teresa Price, Jennifer O’Brien and Ashley Hoover] took the undefeated route to the finals and repelled El Paso’s Twinz by a 10-7 margin for the crown.
The 3-person 9-ball team divisions were swept by San Antonio TX! Once-defeated Team Mireles Too [Rick Robles, Shane Manaole, Pat Powers and Gerard Jimenez] took down Las Vegas’s Ray’s Babys in two sets by 19-17/19-11 margins for the Men’s Advanced 9-Ball Team title. Another San Antonio team, Vito’s Ladies [Mary Ida Gamez, Elizabeth Blancas, Kawania Watson and Sophie Lopez], captured the Women’s Open 9-Ball Team laurels with a 10-8 victory over Eenie Meenie Miney Moe [ON]. In the Men’s Open 9-Ball Team category, Team Mireles [Frank Ferrer Jr., Jacob Jimenez, Lupe Sanchez and Eric Aicinena] struck again with a 19-13 finals decision over New York’s Foreign Policy (victims in the MOT8 finals as well!).
In the 8th Annual ACS National Artistic Pool Championships, Connie Eddins of Santee CA. edged out the boys for the title. ACS would like to especially thank our title sponsor – Lucasi Hybrid Cues, as well as Gary Benson and his tournament direction staff at High Country Promotions, as well as the exhibiting vendors and the host site – the Tropicana Las Vegas! The ACS Nationals is already looking to returning to the Tropicana May 11-17, 2013! The ACS is a national non-profit, member-governed association which will sanction any local pool league (whether player-run or owner-operated) via a $10 annual sanction fee. Contact the ACS at 1-888-662-1705 or www.americancuesports.org for complete information on sanctioning your league!
The ACS currently sanctions leagues in 38 states and enjoys reciprocal relations with its sister organization in Canada (Canadian Cue Sport Association – CCS). Twelve state associations are affiliated to ACS; and the ACS offers a Lucasi Hybrid Midwest ACS Championships each January at the Riverside Resort & Casino in Iowa. The ACS produces a national amateur Lucasi Hybrid All American Tour each Fall thru Spring and offers certification for both instructors and referees dedicated to the sport.
In all, a total of 391 players participated, individually, in the Midwestern Pool Association/Minnesota ACS Pool Championships on the weekend of April 5-8. Hosted by the Treasure Island Casino in Red Wing, MN, the 8-ball event featured five divisional tournaments, from Master to C-class, and an equal number of divisional team tournaments, offering total prize payouts of over $40,000.
Felix Beardy was the $1,500, first-prize winner in the 23-entrant Master division, besting Jesse Engel 6-4 in the finals. Engel, after moving to the loss-bracket in the second round, won four straight to meet the man who sent him there, Danny Olson, in the semifinals. He prevailed there 6-5 to earn his shot versus Beardy.
In the 39-entrant double-A division, Josh Raines and Terry Miller battled it out in the finals. Raines dropped one match of three, overall, against Miller to claim the top prize of $900. The A division of the tournament drew 86 entrants and yielded Luvern Hanson as the winner. He defeated Randy DeGarmo 5-2 to claim the top $850 prize.
The largest field of the event was in the B division tournament, which saw 122 entrants and was won by Nye Vang, over Duane Olson in the finals. The C division, with one less entrant than the B division, was won by Nick Elwell, over Mick Westeng in the finals.
The five teams taking home top divisional prize money were The Leftovers (with Felix Beardy) in the Master/AA division (15 teams), Shars in the A division (34 teams), Just Out of Luck in the B division (46 teams) and Fantom Cue Kids and Dads in the C Division (35 entries).
