Archive Page

Fisher stays atop WPBA rankings with come-from-the-loss-side win at Sledgehammer Open

Kelly Fisher, Janet Atwell and Kristina Tkach

The late Helena Thornfeldt remembered in heartfelt 1st Annual event named in her honor

She was nicknamed the Sledgehammer because of her powerful break. Whenever conversations about Helena Thornfeldt broke out among friends and competitors at the 1st Annual WPBA Cherokee Sledgehammer Open, named in her honor this past weekend (Wed., Oct. 19 – Sun., Oct. 23), more than just a few of the gathered women had cause to remember it; the loud whack of initial contact and the way the balls spread out as though desperate for space beyond the rails to dissipate the energy of it. It had taken over two years for the pool community’s widespread respect and admiration for the late Helena Thornfeldt to arrive at a gathering in her honor. The WPBA Hall of Famer died in August of 2019 and though Janet Atwell, in an attempt to organize a 2020 event, began work on it almost immediately, COVID had other ideas, that persisted.

This past weekend, Atwell’s room, Borderline Billiards in Bristol, TN had one of Thornfeldt’s favorite things, sunflowers, on prominent display. A table was set aside to hold a variety of individual and collections of photos. The trophies that were handed to the winner, Kelly Fisher and runner-up Kristina Tkach were accompanied by two actual sledgehammers, made by Robert Ingold of Team SuperShaft. Atwell is working on the creation of a permanent wall plaque at Borderline Billiards with engraving space for the event’s present and future winners, along with a pair of crossed sledgehammers. The event began on Wednesday with words from Janet Atwell and a video made by Bonnie Arnold that featured, among other things, Thornfeldt singing a karaoke version of Born to be Wild. The event officially opened with the National Anthem sung by Christina Druen.

“I think it was an emotional event for everyone,” said Atwell. “Some went through some struggles with it.”

“Absolutely,” agreed Kelly Fisher. “A very emotional event, that first night. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

Kelly Fisher

“We all missed her really,” she added, “and we hadn’t had a chance to show that or feel that, as a family, together. I know that for myself, during that final and a during a few other close matches as well, I could just imagine Helena saying things to me. I went outside at one point to get a breath of air and Monica (Webb) said something to me that Helena would have said and I got kind of fired up there. So for me, personally, she was definitely a presence in my heart and mind.”

Among those in attendance, including Fisher, Tkach and Atwell of course, was Jeannette Lee, who had, in a 2017 interview, called Thornfeldt “the best female straight pool player in the world.” Lee joined Atwell as a member of a ProAm team (one of many) that played a social tournament on opening night, full of blatant sharking and fun. Monica Webb, who ran a restaurant business with Thornfeldt for a number of years, was there, as well. So, too, was the WPBA’s Peg Ledman, a personal friend of Thornfeldt. Not present, though there in spirit, was Allison Fisher, who was in England being awarded an MBE title (a Member of the British Empire) for her “contributions to sport,” many of those, from Britain’s point of view, earned as a snooker player there. The event also featured a strong contingent of (now) relatively well-known junior competitors like Hayleigh Marion (for whom Borderline Billiards is a home room), Sofia Mast, Skylar Hess and recipient of a great deal of attention, 12-year-old Savannah Easton.

The $10,000-added Sledgehammer Open drew a total of 80 entrants to Borderline Billiards, 32 of them drawing byes exempting them from Stage One competition. The 48 others, 16 of whom drew opening round byes in Stage One, played in a double-elimination bracket until there were eight on each side of it. Stage Two awarded byes to the top 16 in the WPBA standings, as the double-elimination bracket got underway, and . . . they were off. 

Headlining the eight competitors who advanced to Stage Two from the winners’ side of the Stage One bracket was Sofia Mast, one of the 16 who’d been awarded opening round byes in Stage One. Her first opponent was Savannah Easton, setting up an early junior marquee matchup. Mast advanced on the winners’ side 7-2, while Easton would move to the loss side, winning three by an aggregate score of 21-5 and advancing to Stage Two. Also advancing on the winners’ side of the Stage One bracket were Kathy Friend, Jaye Succo, Nathalie Chabot, Christy Norris and the Callado sisters, Eleanor and Emilyn. Along with Easton, loss-side competitors advancing to Stage Two were junior competitors Skylar Hess and Precilia Kinsley, along with Nicole Albergaria, Dawn Oldag, Kim Housman, Lisa Cossette and Casey Cork.

Kristina Tkach

The opening round of Stage Two, with Kelly Fisher (among others) idle with opening round byes. Kristina Tkach played and won her opening round against Casey Cork 8-3 and then downed Stephanie Mitchell 8-3 in a match that set her up to face Fisher. Savannah Easton opened the Stage Two part of her title bid with a successful, double-hill match versus J. Pechauer Northeast Women’s Tour (JPNEWT) veteran Kia Burwell. Easton advanced to face another JPNEWT veteran and the #1-ranked American player in the WPBA rankings, Caroline Pao, where she (Easton), as they say, met her match; Pao winning the contest 8-5. Mast lost her opening Stage Two match to Meng-Hsia (Bean) Hung 8-2, and moved west for an eventual rematch against Easton. 

Fisher, in the second round, downed Eleanor Callado 8-3 and then, in a late match, fell to Tkach 8-6. Tkach advanced to the other winners’ side semifinal against Pao.

“She obviously had worked very hard and perfected that cut break and I just wasn’t getting my break going,” said Fisher. “She obviously played very well to beat me. I knew she was in good shape and thought “Oh, my!”

At the other end of the bracket, Margaret Fefilova, with relative ease, was working her way through the winners’ side for an eventual matchup against Jennifer Baretta in the other winners’ side semifinal. Fefilova got by Lisa Cossette 8-3 before running into what turned out to be her toughest opponent (as gauged by racks-against), Janet Atwell, who chalked up five against her. Fefilova moved on to down Ashley Rice 8-2 and record a shutout over the #3 competitor in the WPBA rankings, Brittany Bryant, which set her up against Baretta.

Fefilova got into the hot seat match with an 8-3 win over Baretta and was joined by Tkach, who’d sent Pao to the loss side 8-4. On Saturday night, Tkach claimed the hot seat 8-2 over Fefilova and would wait until Sunday afternoon to see who came back from the semifinals.

It was Kelly Fisher. But she wouldn’t play that semifinal until Sunday. In the meantime, Pao and Baretta had business to attend to on what was left of Saturday night. Baretta picked up Savannah Easton, whose improbable and impressive run among this roomful of professional female pool players was still happening as the bracket whittled down to its final six. Easton had followed her loss to Pao with a loss-side, double-hill win over Beth Fondell and then, looking to advance into the first money round (17th/24th), she had the opportunity to avenge her Stage One loss to Sofia Mast. She did so, in a match that appropriately came within a game of going double hill. Easton then eliminated Laura Smith and won a double-hill battle against Emily Duddy. She then downed Monica Webb 8-6 and Dawn Hopkins 8-3.

Larry Easton, Savannah’s father, no stranger to his daughter’s talent, turned to Atwell as he was watching this, as amazed as many of the spectators at how far his daughter had come, in a lot of ways.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he told Atwell.

“She’s got great cue ball control, thinks ahead and plays very smart for her age,” Atwell would comment later. “She’s very strategic and plays great safeties. She plays like an adult and (her career) is off to a great start.”

Pao, in the meantime, drew Fisher, who’d started what she called a “grueling Saturday,” playing five matches in a row from noon to 8:30. She played and eliminated Meng-Hsia Hung (at noon), Janet Atwell (2 p.m.), Susan Williams (4:30) and the WPBA’s #2-ranked competitor, Brittany Bryant (6:30), all 8-4. Fisher defeated Pao 8-3 (8:30), as Baretta elicited a variety of mixed emotions from all assembled by ending Savannah Easton’s run 8-1. There was a lot of spectator applause in the moment, some of it for both of them, but a lot of it for the talented junior.

“People were excited to see her play,” said Atwell, “and happy with her finish.”

In a quarterfinal battle appropriate to the circumstances, played the following morning, Fisher and Baretta went double hill before Fisher prevailed. In the semifinals, Fisher went back to the loss-side pattern she’d established and punching her ticket to the finals, defeated Fefilova 8-4. Fisher might have played six matches to be in the finals, but thanks to Tkach, it required eight, including a loss. The rematch came within a game of double hill, but not before Fisher found herself down 2-5 and later, 5-8; Tkach a rack away from the hill.

“I was spurred on by pure determination really and the will to win it,” she said of her comeback. “I told Helena, I looked at her picture and like that, ‘Come on, do this for you’ kind of thing and whether you believe in that kind of thing or not, it’s not about who or what it takes to spur you on, but doing whatever it takes.” 

“Whatever it was,” she added, “things turned around. I dug in my heels, hit a gear and took charge of the match.”

From 2-5 down, Fisher won eight of the last 11 games, including the last five in a row. Quite the gear, all things considered. Whether it was herself, Helena, or just the adrenaline of a final push to the finish line, Fisher brought it all to bear and claimed title to her close friend’s first and likely not the last memorial.

Helena Thornfeldt

The 1st Annual WPBA Cherokee Sledgehammer Open came about through the efforts of any number of people, all of whom host Janet Atwell thanked, from the players and spectators to the members of her staff. She also thanked event sponsors the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Brad Hendricks Law Firm (Little Rock, ARK), Patty and Walter Harper of Knoxville and the streaming services of DigitalPool with Upstate Al, Zach Goldsmith and a number of competitors who joined them in the booth.

Editor’s note: Helena Thornfeldt died on August 20, 2019 at the age of 52. Originally from Borlange, Sweden, she was living in Villa Rica, about 35 miles west of Atlanta, when she died. She had opened a new restaurant, Pizza Mania, 15 days before she passed. The “Sledgehammer” turned professional in 1994, was a three-time European straight pool champion and won the 2002 US Open Championship in New Mexico, downing Allison Fisher in the finals. In the year she was inducted into the WPBA Hall of Fame in 2017, she was ranked 9th among American pool players. We here at AZBilliards join with members of the ever-expanding pool community in mourning her loss and in the years to come, celebrating the life of such a vibrant, widely-admired and respected member of our community at an annual Sledgehammer Open.

Go to discussion...

Acerra goes undefeated to win Sport 9 season opener

Amy Acerra

Amy Acerra, whose pool-shooting career includes a victory over Janet Atwell on the Southeast Amateur Ladies Tour, back at the turn of the century, opened the Sport 9 Ladies Tour with an undefeated victory on the weekend of April 2-3. The $500-added event drew a short field of 11 entrants to Meucci Family Billiards in Byhalia, MS.
 
Accera advanced through to a winners' side semifinal versus Tina Frederick, as Patty Dietz squared off against Kim Housman. Accera moved into the hot seat match, following a shutout over Frederick, while Dietz was busy surviving a double hill victory over Housman. Accera claimed the hot seat with a double hill win over Dietz.
 
On the loss side, Frederick picked up Janeen Lee, who'd defeated LeAnn Marshall 7-2 and Sonya Hurst 7-5 to reach her. Housman drew Betty Lea, who'd eliminated Teresa Ballinger 7-5 and Kelly Jones 7-4.
 
Lee and Housman advanced to the quarterfinals. Lee handed Frederick her second straight shutout, as Housman locked up in her second straight double hill match; this time, emerging as the winner. Lee then ended Housman's weekend 7-4, and gave up only a single rack to Dietz in the semifinals. Accera put an end to Lee's loss side winning streak with a 7-4 victory in the finals to claim the event title.

Williams goes undefeated to take second stop on the Sport 9 Tour

Tara Williams worked her way through a very small field of 11 entrants, going undefeated to take the second stop on the Sport 9 Tour. The $500-added event,  held on Saturday, May 23, was hosted  by Lacy's Cue in Chalmette, Louisiana.
 
Williams and tour director Janeen Lee battled twice for the title. Williams sent Kim Housman to the loss side 9-4 in one winners' side semifinal, while Lee was busy shipping Susan Shinn over 9-5 in the other. Williams took the first of two against Lee 9-4 and sat in the hot seat, awaiting her return.
 
Housman and Shinn moved to the loss side and were immediately handed their second loss; Housman going down 7-6 to Jennifer Townsend, who'd gotten a first-round, loss-side bye and then defeated Patty Dietz 7-2, and Shinn falling 7-5 to Betty Lea, who'd defeated Kelly Jones 7-6 and Sonya Chbeeb 7-2.
 
Lea defeated Townsend 7-3 in the subsequent quarterfinals, leading to a Lee/Lea semifinal; the two, having finished 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the 2014 tour rankings. Lee prevailed 7-3, and got her second shot at Williams in the hot seat. Lee managed two more racks than she'd chalked up in the battle for the hot seat, but Williams completed her undefeated run 9-6 to claim the event title.

Dana Aft Wins Sport 9 Tour Stop

Dana Aft

Sport 9 Ladies tour stop #2 was held at Bumpers Billiards this past weekend, April 12th, 2014 drawing 16 players in both the women’s and the men’s events. Players from all over the southeast came to compete for points and prize money in the 9 ball events.
 
The ladies event began Saturday at noon and was played on eight 9' Diamond tables. The format was double elimination race to 7 on the winner’s side and race to 5 on the loser’s side. The comradery was boosted as well the level of competition as Sport 9 welcomed 3 new players. Many of the matches were very close going to the hill, however out of sixteen total players it was guest player Dana Aft who went undefeated and claimed tournament champion. Newcomers Ashley Nandresy, Kim Housman, and Betty Sessions came in second through fourth respectively. Several of the matches were recorded are can be viewed on Ustream.tv (Bumpers TV).
 
The men’s 9 ball bar table mini event was held in conjunction with the ladies event also producing some great matches and 16 talented players. The format was race to seven, alternate break double elimination. Rob Hall, owner of Bumpers Billiards, went undefeated after defeating 2nd place finisher, James Baraks for the hot seat and again in the finals. Robb Saez took 3rd place and Clifton Frederick took fourth after an amazing win over Justin Bergman.
 
Sport 9 would like to thank Robert Hall, owner of Bumpers Billiards @ Huntsville for hosting the event and providing such a wonderful opportunity for both events. Sport 9 would also like to thank Ozone Billiards, IngenPool, Professor-Q-Ball, AZBilliards, GoPlayPool, Pool-Trax, Kamui Tips, and Focus Gear for their continued support and contributions.
 
Be sure to plan for the next event, tour stop #3, at 6 Pockets Billiards in Decatur, AL May 17th weekend. Event is listed in the events page on the tour website.