The Women's Professional Billiard Association will stage a booth at the 2015 BCA Expo, the annual, industry show for all things “billiards”, at the South Point Hotel and Convention Center, in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 5th-7th. WPBA Board President Kim White-Newsome, Vice-President Belinda Calhoun, and At-Large Board Member Melissa Little will be attending the Expo, networking with visitors and vendors, endorsing the WPBA’s new line of Sponsorship Tiers and Host Venue Packages, displaying an array of promotional and sale items in a 100 square foot exhibit. Booth personnel will be signing up fans for the new WPBA Annual Video Membership and Media Guide Flipbook Offer, free drawings for WPBA Merchandise, and WPBA Pro Event Passes! If you are in search of new advertising and marketing opportunities for your business, please stop by WPBA Booth #1407, located to the far right of the main entrance, or contact the WPBA Office at office1@wpba.com.
Brian Deska turned in a dominating performance during his undefeated run through a field of 79 entrants, on hand for the April 12-13 stop on the Action Pool Tour. Deska finished with a 36-9 overall record (80%), and didn't give up a rack in either of his first two matches. The event, the fourth of the Action Pool Tour season, was hosted by the First Break Cafe in Sterling, VA.
Rick Glassock and Paul Oh squared off in the other winners' side semifinal; Glasscock coming in on the heels of three straight double hill fights (against Brian Dietzenbach, Shanna Lewis and Steve Wigglesworth) and a single shutout over Rafael Reyes, which put him among the final four winners with a 24-15 record. Oh was the only one of the four who'd not received a bye in the opening round, and joined the final four winners with a 30-12 overall record against five opponents; (in order) Leo McDaniel, Matt LeMire, Matthew Siple, David Zecena and Kim Whiteman.
Deska's toughest match all weekend was against Krah, whom he sent to the losers' bracket 6-3, while Glasscock was busy chalking up his second straight shutout, over Oh. In their first of two meetings, Deska defeated Glasscock 6-2 and waited in the hot seat for their second.
On the loss side, Krah moved over and picked up Rafael Reyes, who, after being shut out by Glasscock had defeated Alan Duty and Tuan Chau, both 5-3. Oh drew Paul Helms, who'd been sent to the losers' bracket by Kim Whitman and was in the midst of a five-match, loss-side run that would take him to the quarterfinals. Krah downed Reyes 5-1, as Helms was busy handing Oh his second straight shutout.
Krah went one step further, defeating Helms in the quarterfinals 5-1, and then locking up in a double hill battle against Glasscock in the semifinals. Glasscock hung on to win it for a second chance against Deska.
Deska would give up more racks (4) in the finals than he'd given up to any opponent all weekend, though given the fact that the final match was a race to 9, instead of 6, his winning percentage in the finals (69%) was an actual improvement over his toughest match; the 6-3 (66%) win over Krah in one of the winners' side semifinals.
The event victory movEd Deska up a notch in the Action Pool Tour rankings, from third to second place. Shaun Wilkie, who finished in the tie for 7th place, maintained his top ranking, while Dan Madden, who finished 45th, slipped into third place. The next stop on the Action Pool Tour, scheduled for May 10-11, will be held at Diamond Billiards in Midlothian, VA.
She was the third woman to lay claim to the WPBA Masters title, following victories by Jasmin Ouschan in 2011 and Ewa Mataya Laurance in 2012. On February 9, after four days at the Soaring Eagle Resort in Mt. Pleasant, MI, Korea's Ga Young Kim became the event's first back-to-back champion, wending her way through a field of 48 and completing the title run, undefeated. She faced and defeated Ouschan in the semifinals and downed Kelly Fisher in the finals.
The fourth annual five-day event began on Wednesday, February 5, with an afternoon Kid's Clinic and an evening Charity Pro-Am, supporting the Notah Begay III Foundation. The event matches began on Thursday, and as had been done last year, the semifinal and final matches were broadcast live on ESPN3.
The 48 entrants began in a standard, double elimination format. When both the winners' side and losers' side bracket had worked down to their final two players, those four re-drew to play two semifinals and then, a final match. The double elimination phase of the tournament featured races to 9, while the semifinals and final match were races to 4; best two out of three, unless the score, after two matches, was tied, in which case, a single, sudden death rack was played to determine the winner. This format worked to the benefit of both Fisher in her semifinal match against Siming Chen and Kim's final match against Fisher.
Sixteen of the women were seeded at the start and awarded byes. Kim's path in defense of her title went through Jasmin Ouschan twice. After downing Maureen Seto and then, Vivian Villareal, Kim shut out Ouschan in her third round of play. Kim went on to defeat Karen Corr 9-5 to advance to her single elimination final against Ouschan, as Chen defeated Kim White-Newsome 9-1 to become the other winners' side semifinalist.
On the loss side, Ouschan went to work on a three-match winning streak, downing Melissa Little 9-5 and Line Kjorsvik 9-4, before eliminating White-Newsome 9-6 to earn a re-match against Kim. Fisher, who'd been sent to the losers' bracket by Ouschan 9-7 in the second round, fought back through Laura Smith, Villareal, Jennifer Chen and Brittany Bryant, before downing Karen Corr 9-4 to earn the last semifinal spot.
In the first of the two semifinal matches, which began at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Kim turned in a dominating performance to defeat Ouschan a second time. With a cascading series of uncharacteristic and literally, breath-taking errors, Ouschan failed to win a game in either four-game set. At a potential turning point in the second set (Kim ahead 2-0), Ouschan had a chance to make it 2-1, possibly allowing the momentum to shift, but she rattled the 9-ball into its pocket, giving Kim what proved to be an insurmountable 3-0 lead.
The semifinal match between Chen and Fisher was something of a 'rubber' match between them. They had faced each other twice in the Queen's Cup team event in the Philippines last November. Chen shut out Fisher in their first meeting and Chen returned the favor by shutting Fisher out in their second meeting. Team East would go on to defeat the Western squad and claim the first Queen's Cup title.
As they'd done in the Philippines, Chen and Fisher traded the first two sets of their Michigan matchup; Fisher taking the opener 4-2, and Chen winning four straight to win the second set 4-1. Rules dictated a lag for the sudden death break and it went to Chen, who promptly sank five balls on the break, and left herself with a dead straight shot at one of the balls left. She dropped it, sunk the 5-ball and 8-ball and lined up easily for the shot that would advance her to the finals against Ga Young Kim. And missed it, badly. Fisher stepped to the table and sunk the long table 9-ball to earn the shot against Kim.
Kim opened the final proceedings by dropping the 9-ball on the opening break, which led Fisher to examine the subsequent rack (to the accompaniment of spectator laughter). They fought to a 2-2 tie, before Kim finished it 4-2. Fisher got out ahead 3-1 in the second set, and though Kim would narrow the lead to a single game, Fisher would win 4-2, forcing a sudden death finish.
As she had done in her semifinal, sudden death match, Fisher lost the lag (prompting a colleague to comment that while Fisher's game was fine, her lag could use some work). Kim sunk a ball on the break, but ended up right on top of the 1-ball and had to play a safety. Fisher almost made a two-rail, cross-corner shot work, but the 1-ball fell about a half-inch short of the corner pocket.
Kim stepped to the table and dropped the hanging 1-ball. Though she would run the table from there, it was not without drama, as the rolling cue ball forced her out of position in shooting her second-to-last ball. Kim settled herself, sunk the ball and watched the cue ball travel three rails and give her a good look at the 9-ball. She dropped it to claim her second straight WPBA Masters title.
Fisher acknowledged to commentator Ewa Mataya Laurance that the loss was disappointing and odd that the championship had come down, more or less, to the sudden death lag.
"You try to forget about the unlucky things," Kim told Laurance, in reference to scratching on the break in the second set of the finals. "I think the Soaring Eagle is real lucky for me. It is not easy to win back to back in the same tournament, and this is only the second time I have ever done that."
"I am really, really, really happy," she added.
The semi-finals and finals can be viewed online at www.espn3.com for the next 30 days.
The WPBA Masters wraps up today at the Soaring Eagle Casino. The four players left to contest the title are Ga-Young Kim, Jasmin Ouschan, Siming Chen and Kelly Fisher. Ga-Young finds herself here via victories over Maureen Seto, Vivian Villareal, Jasmin Ouschan and Karen Corr.
Jasmin enjoyed wins over Janet Atwell and Kelly Fisher before Ga-Young sent her left. Once there she bested Melissa Little. Line Kjorsvik and Kim White-Newsome to gain entry to the final four.
Siming Chen has yet to taste defeat. She plays Sunday due to victories over Emily Duddy, Jeanette Lee, Melissa Little, Jennifer Chen and Kim White-Newsome. Kelly Fisher won over Kelly Cavanaugh before Jasmin Ouschan beat her but then once on the one-loss side she dominated her opponents with none able to score more than four racks against her. In these five matches she lost only 13 racks. These wins were over Laura Smith, Vivian Villarreal, Jennifer Chen, Brittany Bryant and Karen Corr.
Matchups today begin at 1 PM with Jasmin Ouschan playing Ga Young Kim. At 3 PM Siming Chen will face off against Kelly Fisher. You may watch these matches live on your computer at ESPN3.com.
USA’s Newsome is one of the dark horses of the Worlds
Manila, Philippines- USA has the largest contingent of players ever to the World 10-Ball. And the results are showing. On the first two days of the Worlds, the five American ladies have made some sizable dents into the strong international field. Kim White-Newsome of Texas in her first ever appearance in the Philippines shocked defending World Champion Ga Young Kim 6-5. No American lady has ever won the World Championship since 1991. No American has ever won the World 10-Ball or even made it to the top quarter finals. That could change this year. Dragon Promotions brings the greatest women's tournament in the world once more to the Philippines with the 2013 Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship! This year's edition will take place October 28th – November 4th,2013 to luxurious Resorts World Manila, an upscale hotel and casino adding onto the dynamic atmosphere of the coveted championship. An elite 48 world class lady pros, the best of the best from 20 countries, will attend the event to decide who is the World Champion. Matches will air live daily from 11pm – 8am EST on www.insidepool.tv and broadcasted worldwide by ABS-CBN Sports and affiliates.
Former #1 ranked Vivian Villarreal of Texas defeated European Champion Czuprynska of Poland 6-3 and then Villarreal downed Taiwan's Zhi Ting Wu 6-3. Villarreal needs one more win to lock up her spot in the field cut the next stage of the Worlds.
"Everyone told me I have the hardest group out of the 8. If I win tomorrow I might even have a chance to win my group and get the bye", said Villarreal.
New York City's Jennifer Barretta is in her second appearance at the World 10-Ball and got unfortunate to have a winning record last year and not make the cut. This year though, she already has big wins over India's Thakur, Philippines Gillian Go, and a heart tester 6-5 win over 2x Amway Cup winner Chou of Taiwan.
"I'm not thinking ahead of myself or how I'm going to do. I'm just focusing on each match one by one and what I need to do in my technique", explained Barretta on her strategy.
Even qualifier winner and newbie pro American players Emily Duddy of NYC and Rebecca Wagner of Las Vegas have made some buzz. Duddy pushed Beijing Open winner Yu Ram Cha of Korea to a 6-5 decider and Wagner defeated Norway champ Ine Helvik and barely lost a 6-5 heat with Japan's Champion Akimi Kajitani who finished 3rd at the Worlds a few years back.
"I'm excited to play. I'm still 5 years out from being a serious contender but it's a good experience being here", said Duddy.
The coup de grace came last night when Kim White-Newsome, a top 10 ranked in USA, came against red hot Ga Young Kim, the reigning World Champion. Kim was playing fast and furious and jumped to an early lead at 4-2. But Newsome clawed her way back into the match. Kim made aggressive decisions on offense which did not pay off and Newsome was happy to capitalize. After winning a safety battle exchange, Newsome won the deciding match rack 6-5.
"I'm having a great time here in the Philippines!', said Newsome on her maiden voyage here.
Villarreal, Newsome, and Barretta statistically are looking good to qualify and make the cut to the third stage of the Yalin World 10-Ball.
Www.womensworld10ball.com has complete group results.
The YALIN Women's World Championship is a recognized World Title event by the WPA World Pool Association.
The Yalin World Championships will be live streamed on www.insidepool.tv and sponsored by www.JBET.com , Official Table YALIN www.Yalin.cn , Official Cue is OB Cues, Official Balls by Aramith, Official Cloth Championship, Official Chalk Master by Tweeten Fibre, Official Magazine Pool & Billiard Magazine, Star Paper Corporation, and www.BaseGameph.com .
The Women's World Championship is produced by Dragon Promotions and filmed by ABS-CBN Sports airing on BALLS, Studio 23, and a dozen other networks in countries worldwide. With massive media and global networks covering the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship, it will continue as still the biggest and most watched women's billiard event in the world.
New York City’s Emily Duddy gains more experience with each YALIN World Championship
Manila, Philippines- After a highly successful Day 2 for the USA, the final Day 3 of the round robin proved to be disastrous for the western continents. Early favorites from Europe and North America were all eliminated at the end of the day and would fail to make the top half cut. Dragon Promotions brings the greatest women's tournament in the world once more to the Philippines with the 2013 Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship! This year's edition will take place October 28th – November 4th,2013 to luxurious Resorts World Manila, an upscale hotel and casino adding onto the dynamic atmosphere of the coveted championship. An elite 48 world class lady pros, the best of the best from 20 countries, will attend the event to decide who is the World Champion. Matches will air live daily from 11pm – 8am EST on www.insidepool.tv and broadcasted worldwide by ABS-CBN Sports and affiliates.
American pro Kim White Newsome looked prime to qualify after her shocking 6-5 win over reigning World Champion Ga Young Kim of Korea. She led 2-1 over Russia's Mazhirina in a match where a win would put her through. Unfortunately she couldn't pull it off and the Russian would win the spot to Day 4 with a 6-3 decision.
Former #1 ranked Vivian Villarreal of Texas had an even harder pill to swallow. She was in Group 8, called the Group of Death because of being the hardest group in this year's Worlds. Villarreal maintained a winning record of 3 wins and 2 losses including her final match win over Venezuela. All she needed was China's former World Champion Xiaoting Pan to win over underdog Czuprynska of Poland, and Villarreal would be assured a spot. But Pan lost 6-5 and this put Villarreal out by a mere 1 game.
On the other hand, USA's Emily Duddy rained on the parade of Sweden'd Caroline Roos who led at one tim 5-2. Roos only needed to win over Duddy to advance. Duddy had no chance to qualify as she had been winless, and somehow managed to win her final match 6-5 which was for morale, but left Roos out of the tournament. Korea's Yu Ram Cha was relieved as she was the beneficiary of Duddy's win (Cha had lost to Roos 6-0 the day before). Good for the Asians but bad news for the West.
"I finally played a good match! I hope I can get the tape of that one", said Duddy.
Finland's Poikkijoki, Germany's Vietz, Belgium's Khodjaeva, and Norway's Helvik and Christiansen were all eliminated as well.
Jennifer Barretta lost her final match on TV to Belgium's Khodjaeva in a poor performance. Barretta thought her World Championship run ended once more in futility, but was informed afterwards that she was in a 2 way tie which she actually won because she led in the number of games won.
Misery turned into elation.
"I thought I was out. I really thought before the match that I was in a do or die situation to win. That's why I played so bad. The pressure with the lights, TV cameras, and hundreds of fans is something I still need to get used to. We just don't have enough tournaments in America to get ready for that. But I'm really happy and relieved that I made it through the round robin this year for the first time", said Barretta.
Barretta faces Rubilen Amit today at 12:00pm in a USA vs Philippines battle.
Www.womensworld10ball.com has complete group results.
The YALIN Women's World Championship is a recognized World Title event by the WPA World Pool Association.
The Yalin World Championships will be live streamed on www.insidepool.tv and sponsored by www.JBET.com , Official Table YALIN www.Yalin.cn , Official Cue is OB Cues, Official Balls by Aramith, Official Cloth Championship, Official Chalk Master by Tweeten Fibre, Official Magazine Pool & Billiard Magazine, Star Paper Corporation, and www.BaseGameph.com .
The Women's World Championship is produced by Dragon Promotions and filmed by ABS-CBN Sports airing on BALLS, Studio 23, and a dozen other networks in countries worldwide. With massive media and global networks covering the Yalin Women's World 10-Ball Championship, it will continue as still the biggest and most watched women's billiard event in the world.
Former WPBA Touring Professional Gail Eaton went undefeated this past Saturday, September 7th, 2013, at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, Louisiana, to secure her first Gulf Coast Women’s Regional Tour victory. The format for this event was 9-ball, races to 7, on 9’ Brunswick Gold Crown tables. Emerald Billiard’s owner Keith Hulin added a generous $500 to the ladies purse and the players couldn’t have been happier.
Eaton, who hails from San Antonio, Texas faced off with Houston’s Teresa Garland for the hot seat while Lufkin, Texas’ own Toni Esteves worked her way through the loser’s side after a 7-4 second round loss to Eaton. One-loss side action saw Loretta Lindgren (Katy, Texas) fall to Cindy Cole (Dallas, Texas), 7-3, who in turn was eliminated by Esteves, 7-5. Eaton handily captured the hot seat over Garland, 7-4, who was subsequently eliminated by Esteves, 7-6. This pitted Eaton and Esteves for the final match. The former pro came out firing against Esteves, who has only been playing the game of 9-ball a very short time. However determined Esteves may have been, Eaton proved too much for the aspiring player, ending her bid for the title, 7-2. This was Esteves’ best finish to date and she had this to say about her Gulf Coast Tour experience. “I’m ecstatic, finishing in second place! I played some awesome ladies at this event, and I can see I have a lot more work to do. Kim White-Newsome makes the Gulf Coast Tour a lot of fun and is a great supporter of her players. I can’t wait for the next event!”
The women of the Gulf Coast Tour enjoyed top-notch equipment, including Delta-13 “Select” racks on each and every table, and the hospitality provided by room owner Keith Hulin and his Emerald Billiards staff. The next event will be October 19th, 2013, at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Round Rock, Texas.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour (“LSBT”) is proud to announce www.OzoneBilliards.com as the newest sponsor for the remainder of 2013 and the 2014 season. Ozone Billiards will make its LSBT sponsorship debut at the Lone Star Billiards Tour Texas Open Warm-Up III on August 10th-11th, 2013.
Ozone Billiards carries a wide range of billiard supplies, dart supplies and other game room products for the most serious of gaming enthusiasts to those who just want a fun, family game room. In 2001, Shaw Gargano and wife Ann-Marie started www.OzoneBilliards.com in a mere 1,600 square foot facility. They never imagined 4 months after launching www.OzoneBilliards.com, it would become a full time job. In two years’ time, with a handful of employees, the company relocated into a 4,200 square foot facility. In 2011, with a full-time staff of 15, Ozone expanded into a 16,000 square foot warehouse and was named to Internet Retailers, “The Second 500”. Ozone offers customers the assurance of guaranteed low prices and free returns for up to one year on all items, even used pool cues and pool tables! Their company motto “If you take care of your customers they will take care of you,” has obviously served them well the last 12 years.
LSBT Founder Kim White-Newsome is simply elated about the new partnership. “Ozone Billiards is a company that stands for honesty and integrity, with a reputation that speaks for itself. That’s the kind of “company” we like to keep and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Ozone,” says Newsome. The new Marketing Director of Ozone Billiards, Darren Keel, is optimistic as well. "Ozone Billiards is thrilled to be a sponsor for the Lone Star Billiards Tour. We wish the best of luck to all the contestants and look forward to seeing the lineup of this year's winners," says Keel. From pool chalk to pool tables, and everything in between, we encourage players everywhere to shop the company who built their business one customer at a time, www.OzoneBilliards.com.
The Lone Star Billiards Tour is proud to announce its newest tour sponsor www.ImproveYourShot.com. Improve Your Shot was founded in 2011 by Pablo Munoz and Margot O. Madrigal of San Antonio, Texas. Their website answers a variety of billiard questions and provides useful information for those who play the game of pool competitively or recreationally. Players and enthusiasts alike will enjoy a “Monthly Topic” harvested directly from those who visit the interactive site. Improve Your Shot promotes individual players, league teams, showcases biographies, and spotlights a “Player of the Month”. Players who visit Improve Your Shot are able to share their stories, tragedies, and triumphs from the practice table to the tournament scene. For the serious player, Improve Your Shot offers the best practice tips with their featured “Tip of the Month”, sample videos, and practice drills. You can find advice on everything from banks and kicks, to masse and defensive shots. Find a billiard book on how to improve your game, a pool tournament, or a billiard instructor in your area! Improve Your Shot has something for everyone, from novice to pro, you might just find out something you didn’t know! The best part is, www.ImproveYourShot.com is free!
“The players are basically in control of the information being provided, ever-changing the site’s focus. That’s attractive. ImproveYourShot.com is fresh and informative with a contemporary look, a perfect addition to our illustrious group of tour sponsors,” says Kim White-Newsome, Lone Star Billiards Tour founder.
Improve Your Shot co-founders Pablo “Picasso” Munoz and Margot “Madgal” Madrigal are both avid players, having competed in National 8-ball and 9-ball league tournaments as well as team events. Mr. Munoz now competes on the Lone Star Billiards Tour. “We are excited about the opportunity to work with such a great organization. We look forward to a long lasting relationship of recruiting new players for the Lone Star Tour and promoting ImproveYourShot.com,” says Munoz and Madrigal. Meet Pablo and Margot in person at the Lone Star Billiards Tour Texas Open Warm-Up 9-Ball Event at Skinny Bob’s Billiards in Austin, Texas on August 10th-11th, 2013 where the tour will also unveil its newest dry-fit, logo tee!
Visit www.ImproveYourShot.com today. For the shooter. For the player. Improve Your Shot.
Marc and Kimberly Griffiths, owners of www.str8-shots.com are proud to announce the full sponsorship package with WPBA Touring Professional Melissa “The Viper” Little. They have teamed up because they share a passion for expanding and promoting kid’s participation in the sport of billiards.
With this sponsorship, Str8-Shots wants to enhance Melissa’s already extensive Vipers Juniors Program, which includes her 15-Rack Juniors League, kids boot camps, Big Brother and Sisters program, and Boys and Girls Club of Colorado.
Starting next month Melissa has teamed up with Hall of Famer Belinda “The Texas Belle” Calhoun to feature a kid’s pool camp scheduled for Tuesday, August 28th, 2012 at Skinny Bob’s in Round Rock, TX, then on Tuesday, September 25th with WPBA Touring pro Kim White to host another camp at Bogies Billiards in Houston, lastly Melissa will travel back home to Denver to host the last of the kids pool schools at her home base, the Wynkoop Brewing Company on Saturday, October 13th.
The cost of these classes are $49 and will include a cue & case as well as a group-setting lessons with the two pros. The first hour the kids will show their artistic side by decorating their new cues/case with stickers and markers. The second hour, the pros will teach the kids new games and they will participate in non-competitive challenge matches with one another to win goodie bags.
Str8-Shots.com, the Colorado based company is one of the leading on-line billiards supply stores featuring over 8,000 items on demand to accessorize any pool or dart player. “Melissa is a dynamic woman with a heart of gold. We are thrilled to be working with her and we believe that this will enable all of us to see a dream we share come to reality.” We have created a special discount code, VIPER10, to offer to her entire fan base so they can receive 10% off all of their purchases.
Melissa’s other long time sponsors The Wynkoop Brewing Company of Colorado and Jacoby Custom Cues based in Wisconsin still continue to support her on tour and her other many projects. For more information about Melissa please visit www.melissalittle.com
