Carrie Vetrono, Jeannie Seaver and Stephanie Mitchell
Prior to this past weekend, Sat. Feb. 26, Carrie Vetrono had won only one major event, and it happened to be one that wasn’t reported to us here at AZ; The 2019 West Coast Challenge, Women’s 9-Ball Division in Kissimmee, FL. Vetrono got her second career win this past weekend at the second stop on the Tiger Florida Tour. With a modified double elimination format (double elimination to the winners’ side quarterfinals and then, single elimination to the finals), the $1,500-added event drew 42 entrants to Stixx Billiards in Oldsmar, FL.
In addition to her remote work with a NY law firm, running tournaments at Capone’s in Spring Hill, FL, being the owner/operator (with her Dad) of Capone’s BCA Pool League, and her arguably most important position as head wrangler of a four-year-old son, Vetrono can now (in her spare time, of course) add ‘Up-and-Coming Contender’ at future events on the Women’s pool circuit. Asked how long it might be now before she became the #1-ranked player on the WPBA, she laughed.
“If only,” she said. “As much as I would really love it, (given the multi-tasking noted above), I don’t see it in the cards.”
“I’ve been playing a lot more at Capone’s,” she added of this recent win, “and I’ve been playing with a lot of the guys over there (who’ve) helped me. My game has vastly improved, at least a ball or two over the past 6-8 months. I’m taking smarter shots and playing safeties when I need to.”
“I feel more confident of going for shots, too,” she went on to say, “and, of course, when they go in, that boosts the confidence even more.”
In addition to Vetrono’s (somewhat) ‘break out’ win, Florida Tiger Tour’s second stop had a few ‘headline’ matchups, including a first-round-of single-elimination rematch between the winner and runner-up of the tour’s first stop in late January (14-year-old Sofia Mast and Stephanie Mitchell), a Vetrono/Mitchell match and a final match between Verono and Jeannie Seaver.
It was initially a two-match race to the winners’ side quarterfinal; three for Mitchell and Mast, who were among the 20 entrants that played in a preliminary round. Vetrono got by Krystalann Williams and Nicolle Cuellar to arrive at her winners’ side quarterfinal versus Mast. Mitchell sent Erica Yeager-Lombard, Tracy Mullen and Abigail Schrader to the loss side to meet up with Kimberly Housman. Jeannie Seaver defeated Kim Caso and Dawn Logan to take on Helene Caukin. Kaylee McIntosh, who’d downed Christina Maher and Shanelle Loraine squared off against Michel Monk.
Mast advanced to the first round of single elimination with a double hill win over Vetrono. Mitchell and Housman battled to double hill, as well, with Mitchell ending up on the loss side. McIntosh downed Human 6-4 and Seaver got by Caukin 6-2.
Vetrono won her loss-side match against Jeannie Seaver’s sister, Vanessa, double hill. Mitchell ousted Miranda Orange 5-2. Danielle Marie Fee, who’d lost her opening match to Tiffany Stanaland, won four on the loss side, including a 5-2 win over tour director Mimi McAndrews, to meet and defeat Caukin in a double hill fight. Jessica Human was the fourth loss-side competitor to earn a slot in the single-elimination round of eight, with her 5-1 victory over Michel Monk.
Seaver moved into the event’s second quarterfinal, 6-3 over Fee, while McIntosh was busy eliminating Human 6-4. Vetrono got back in the mix with a 6-2 win over Housman and faced Mitchell, who’d avenged her loss against the teenager Mast in the first stop on the tour by eliminating her 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the second.
“I was up 5-1,” Mitchell recalled of her match against Mast, “when I missed a 9-ball. Then she won a few and I thought, ‘Well, we don’t want to go there,’ so I got back into it.”
“(Sofia) hangs out with all the adults,” she noted of her opponent. “She’s a professional and has better manners than people I know who are older than me.”
So, it was Vetrono against Mitchell and McIntosh versus Seaver in the semifinals.
Seaver advanced to the finals 6-2 over McIntosh and faced Vetrono, who prevailed over Mitchell by the same score. Vetrono completed her second major win 4-2 over Seaver and claimed the Tiger Florida Tour’s second event title.
Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Stixx owner Tom George and Kathy King, as well as manager Josh Maville and his staff for hosting the event and their continued support of the TFT. She also thanked title sponsor Tony Kalamdaryan and Tiger Products, Brutal Game Gear, Stitch It To Me, Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, AZ Billiards and new sponsors Eastern Billiards and Andy Cloth.
McAndrews sent a special shout out to Jerry Sotelo and Stephanie Mitchell for what she called “their invaluable help in running the event and fending off shot clock grumbles.” The size of the room, the number of tables (10) and attendees (42), led to a reduction of match lengths from 7/5 (winners’ side/losers’ side) to 6/5 in order to complete the event in the single day of Tiger Florida tour stops. The final match was also reduced to its race to 4.
The next stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for May 7, will be hosted by Brewlands Bar & Billiards in Lakeland, FL.
“I WON!!!” she declared on her Facebook page, with all three exclamation points. “Now, I pass out.”
Thirteen-year-old Sofia Mast of Land ‘o Lakes, FL, fresh off her victory in the 13 & Under division of the Junior International Championships’ 2nd season opener, less than two weeks ago (Jan. 14-16), competed on the ladies’ Tiger Florida Tour this past weekend (Jan. 22-23). Not only did she come from the loss side to qualify for the eight-player, single elimination phase of the event, advance to the finals and then defeat WPBA veteran competitor Stephanie Mitchell, but in her first loss-side match, she defeated another WPBA tour veteran and the Florida Tiger Tour’s 2021 Tour Champion Jeannie Seaver. The $500-added, 2022 season opener of the Florida Tiger Tour drew 32 entrants to Brewlands South in Lakeland, FL.
Asked if there was anything about Mast’s performance that stood out in her mind, Eastern Billiards and Andy Cloth-sponsored runner-up, Stephanie Mitchell had to laugh.
“Mostly,” she said, “that if I missed, she didn’t.”
It was, of course, not Sofia Mast’s ‘first rodeo.’
“I went to my first Tiger Florida Tour (stop) when I was 11, back in October, 2019,” she wrote. “My Dad thought I could get better if I played competitively rather than playing in leagues.”
“My mom,” she added, “thought he was crazy to have a kid play against grown ladies and think I could win. I dreamt about one day winning the whole thing (and) my dream started to feel more real as I kept playing in many of their events and placing closer and closer to first.”
“My dream,” she went on to say, “is now a reality, (so) never give up on your dream!”
This past weekend, Michel Monk kind of rattled the cage of those dreams, briefly, when she earned the distinction of being the only competitor to defeat Mast in the second round of play 7-5. Undeterred by setbacks, large or small, Mast persevered to win two on the loss side; the 5-2 win over Jeannie Seaver and subsequent shutout of Erica Pennington, which put her (Mast) into the single elimination phase against, first, fellow junior competitor, Kaylee McIntosh.
Mitchell, in the meantime, had worked her way through her first three opponents during the double-elimination phase (Deborah Gerken, Kimberly Housman & Sonya Chbeeb) to arrive at her first opponent among the final eight, Helen Caukin. In the remaining two, single-elimination matches, Vanessa Seaver (Jeannie Seaver’s older sister) squared off against Jessica Barnes, while newcomer Xare Qualis faced Tracy Mullen.
Mast advanced 7-5 over McIntosh, Mitchell got by Caukin 7-1, Seaver downed Barnes, double hill and Mullen eliminated Qualis 7-4. And then there were four; Mast and Vanessa Seaver, Mitchell and Mullen.
Mast shut the elder Seaver sister out and advanced to the finals. Mitchell joined her after dispatching Mullen 7-4.
Things did not go well for Mitchell in the early stages of the final race to 7, but she rallied in rack #9.
“She was (on the hill) at 6 and I was at 2,” said Mitchell, “and I won the next three.”
In her effort to force a double-hill, single-game showdown by winning the 12th rack, Mitchell made an unforced error in what proved to be the final rack and missed her shot at the 5-ball. Mast wasted little time stepping to the table and closing out her first victory on the Tiger Florida Tour.
“She had really good composure,” noted Mitchell of her opponent, adding that even in ‘safety play,’ Mast would “kick it and hit almost anything. She played a few safes back that worked for her and then she’d run out.”
“I played well,” said Mitchell of her own single-loss performance. “I made almost everything I shot at and I’m proud of my own performance.”
“At 1 a.m.,” she added, “I found a second gear, but it was a little too late.”
Mast posted her “I WON!!!” notice on Facebook at 1:52 a.m.
Tiger Florida Tour director, Mimi McAndrews, who’d noticed Mast’s “determination,” even back when she’d first begun to compete on the tour, had nothing but the highest praise for the junior competitors’ skills, as well as her general demeanor at the tables.
“She had a lot of focus, even back then,” said McAndrews. “A lot of concentration and a decent stroke. We were just impressed that she was coming out to play. She kept coming back and has gotten progressively better. Nobody expected that she’d get so good; not just in making balls, but in shape (for the next shot).”
“If you took a video without showing the player,” she added, “you’d never know that it was a child.”
They call her the “Pink Dagger,” which, even on the face of it, is an image that’s hard to wrap your head around. But it encapsulates the skills, determination, focus and an even more astounding ability to perform like an adult, while maintaining a grip on her childhood. This is no grim-faced teenager, so dedicated to the application of specific skills, that any semblance of a child has been lost. Sofia Mast, who is sponsored by Predator Cues, Jam Up Apparel and Dunnski Dungeon, is still a kid and enjoying every minute of it. So are those who are watching her mature. She’ll be competing in the 2nd stop on the JIC series next month (Feb. 11-13) at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, FL. You might want to consider getting there early.
Tiger Florida Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Larry Walthall, Mike Dauskart and their staff for hosting the event and their continued support of the tour. They also thanked the 32 players who came out to compete in the 2022 season opener and Jerry Sotelo and Josh Arnold for their invaluable help running the Florida Tiger Tour events. Thanks were also extended to Randi Allen, Director of Marketing and Events and to title sponsor Tony Kalamdaryan and Tiger Products, Brutal Game Gear, Stitch It To Me, Boynton Billiards, AZBilliards, and new sponsors Eastern Billiards and Andy Cloth for their support. Congratulations were extended to Jeannie Seaver for winning the tour championship for the third year in a row; the only player to have done so in the history of the tour since 2009.
The next stop on the Florida Tiger Tour, scheduled for February 26, and likely to feature another appearance by the “Pink Dagger,” will be hosted by Brewlands North in Lakeland, FL.
For the third time in a row this year, Jeannie Seaver went undefeated to win the Tiger Florida Tour’s 11th Annual “Cues for the Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser. Thirty-two women played in pink at this $1,150-added event which benefitted Susan G. Komen, Florida.
The event was a modified double elimination format, playing down to four on each side. Four players from the loser’s side drew back into the winners’ side into a final single elimination board. On the winners’ side, Seaver got past Amanda Mungeon, Denise Reeve and edged past Nicolle Cuellar in a double hill match to get to the Final Board. Also making it to the Final Board on the winners’ side – Lisa Cossette, sending Marge Soash west, followed by Sonja Chbeeb and Kelly Cavanaugh; and Michell Monk got past Gianna Fiore, Dawn Logan and Deanna Frost. Vanessa Seaver also made it to the Final Board undefeated, winning over Stephanie Mitchell, Jennifer Berzinski and Deb Teichert.
The final four from one-loss side – Kelly Cavanaugh, Nicolle Cuellar, Jeri Bouvette and Deanna Frost – redrew into a single elimination bracket race to seven. In a blind draw, Cavanaugh drew Monk, Cuellar drew Vanessa Seaver, Bouvette matched up with Jeannie Seaver and Foster played Cossette. Cavanaugh advanced to the semi-finals with a win over Monk 7-5, Vanessa Seaver ended the day for Cuellar 7-4, Foster stopped Cossette 7-4 and Jeannie Seaver said good night to Bouvette 7-2. That left Jeannie Seaver against Deanna Foster in the semi-finals, with Seaver wining 7-3. Kudos to Foster who made the money for the first time! Cavanaugh won the match against Vanessa Seaver 7-4, ending the potential match up of the Seaver sisters as in 2016. In the Final match, Jeannie Seaver cranked it up to win the final match over Cavanaugh 7-4. This win also secured the TFT Tour Champion title for Seaver, back on top again!
It was great to see so many new faces and players from the past, several players from around the state and out of state, and two young 9-Ball future stars, Giana Fiore and Sophia Mast. All players received Cues for the Cure T-shirts. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make this a great event – we could not have done it without your support! All monies raised from the raffle and games benefits Susan G. Komen, Florida.
In particular, we thank our title sponsor Tiger Products; Simonis Cloth; Stich It To Me; The Bay Area APA; Relocations & Estate Sales by Dixie; Boynton Billiards; AZ Billiards; Great Lakes Billiards, Bill Dunsmore and Susan G. Komen, Florida. Of course, a huge thanks to Stephanie Mitchell for all her hard work in helping to make this a successful event and for hosting this event again. Thanks to the staff at The Corner Pocket for their great service! Thanks to Nicolle Rasmussen for her hard work on the T-shirts! Thanks to Jerry Sotelo for running another great tournament!
Portions of the matches can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-tdcEQ9Al4.
Results – $1150-added
1stJeannie Seaver$650
2ndKelly Cavanaugh$400
3d/4thVanessa Seaver$225
3d/4thDeanna Foster$225
5th/8thMichell Monk$150
5th/8thNicolle Cuellar$150
5th/8th Lisa Cosette$150
5th-8thJeri Bouvette$150
The top APA players -$50 each:
1 – 3 winner – Dixie Sutton
4 – 5 winner – Erika Pennington
6 – Christina Rodriguez Miller
Winner of the M&Ms – Stephanie Mitchell
Winner of the Hershey Kisses – Giana Fiore
The Tiger Florida Tour is a NAPT-recognized Division II Women’s Regional Tour.
Twenty-nine players from around the state converged at The Corner Pocket in Largo, Florida, for the Tiger Florida Tour’s $1,000-added, 9th Annual “Cues for Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser last month. At the end of the day, Jeannie Seaver went undefeated to win this special event once again, with this win making it three wins back to back to back.
This event was a modified double-elimination format, playing down to four players on each side. The four players on the one-loss side redrew into the winners side for a single elimination match.
Seaver went undefeated against Carrie Metz, Sabra McArthur Beahn, Margarita Makeeva, Deanna Frost, and room owner Stephanie Mitchell to the final match, where she met up with Beahn in a revenge match. Beahn got to the finals by defeating Celia Heinbach, Dixie Sutton, Elizabeth Brown, Lisa McElroy and caught a second wind coming back to take the match from Nicole Cuellar. Beahn played strong all day, but not quite strong enough to stop Seaver's trek to the finals.
Seaver’s win also tied Cuellar for the TFT 2017 Regional Tour Champion title. Seaver has earned the TC title four times since the Tour’s inception in 2009, not including two ties, one with Crystal McCormick in 2015 and this year with Cuellar.
Three APA players also won cash thanks to the support from LeCain Family Insurance, Sutton Appliance & Installation and Relocationandestatesalesbydixie.com. Elizabeth Brown won the prize in the 2-3 category; Janice Larocca in the 4 – 5 category; and Casie Aynat in the 6 category. Thank you LeCain family!
A huge thanks to all of the players and spectators who devoted their time and money to support this event, including those players who brought friends to play for the first time. Players and spectators had fun trying to land the crazy cue ball on the ribbons, guessing the number of M&Ms and Hershey’s kisses, in addition to winning prizes in the raffle. The monies raised benefits the Florida Suncoast Affiliate of Susan G. Komen.
A big shout out to Stephanie Mitchell, owner of The Corner Pocket, for being a great hostess of the TFT's breastcancer awareness fundraising event! Also, thanks to Jeannie Seaver for donating prizes for the raffle and thanks to those who helped out with and participated in the fundraising. As always, many thanks to our title sponsor Tiger Products, and continued thanks to our sponsors Pete Franco with Ulterior Chalkers; Great Lakes Billiards, Boynton Billiards and AZ Billiards for their year-long support of our Tour. Kudos to Jerry Sotelo for his patience and hard work for another great year as the Tournament Director. We appreciate you all!
Jeannie Seaver, room owner Amy Poulter and Crystal McCormick
Fifty women converged at Amy’s Billiards in Stuart, Florida, for the Tiger Florida Tour’s $1,000-added, 7th Annual “Cues for Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser on October 17th. At the end of the day, Jeannie Seaver went undefeated and unwaveringly over last year’s winner, Crystal McCormick, to win this special event.
This event was a modified double elimination format, playing down to four players on each side. The four players on the one-loss side redrew into the winners side for a single elimination match. Seaver was flawless all day in the short races to five, defeating Irene Snelgrove 5-2, Cheryl Perez 5-2, Jeri Bouvette 5-0, Sue Roberts 5-2, Jessica Barnes 5-3 and taking the win 5-2 over McCormick. McCormick, who hasn’t played on the Tour since February defeated SAndy Change 5-1, Stephanie Mitchell 5-4, Marlene Houldsworth 5-1, Amy Poulter 5-2, and Julia Spinella 5-0 before losing to Seaver.
Seaver’s win also locked up the TFT 2015 Regional Tour Champion title, for the third time since the Tour’s inception in 2009, not including one tie with McCormick for the top spot.
McCormick’s second place finish earned her the paid Qualifier spot for the WPBA Masters at Soaring Eagle in February 2016.
A huge thanks to all of the players and spectators who devoted their time and money to support this event, including those players who brought friends to play for the first time. The monies raised benefit the South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. A big shout out to Amy Poulter, owner of Amy's Billiards, for being a great hostess of another great event! Thanks to those who donated prizes for the raffle and helped out with the fundraising: Janis Sessions, Amy Poulter, Hunter Lombardo, Tommy Kennedy, Dianna Sullivan, Tony Martz, Ted Harris Cues, Ulterior Chalkers and the South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. As always, thank you to Tiger Products, our title sponsor; Ozone Billiards, Discount Mugs, Simonis Cloth, Boynton Billiards and Great Lakes Billiards for their year-long support of our tour. Kudos to Jerry Sotelo for his patience and hard work for another great year as the Tournament Director.
Amy Poulter – room owner, April Wallen, Crystal McCormick and Chris Fields
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.
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
