Michael Kang, Javier Teran, Ira Lee, Vicke Pineda and Javier Vera
The top 3 cushion players in the Pan-American region were back in action July 21-25 at Carom Cafe in Flushing New York for another weekend of Scotch Doubles and Open Singles Carom action. This was a $15K added USBA dual-event sponsored by Predator CRM, CRM Sports, Carom Cafe and Simonis.
The scotch doubles event was played on Wednesday thru Friday, with a field of fourteen two player teams playing in three groups with each time playing to 30 points with the top performing 8 teams qualifying into a knockout round playing to 40 points.
In group A, each of the five teams suffered two losses, so the qualifiers scoring the most points advanced. The advancing teams featured top-ranking 3-Cushion champions from Colombia and Mexico, Huberney Catano, Javier Vera and Miguel Almaraz, playing with US-based teammates Mark An, Vicky Pineda and Rufino Perez, respectively.
Group B was the one group with only four teams. As it was decided during the players meeting, only two teams from this group would advance. Rising to the top of the field was the team featuring Javier Teran, a former Pan-American champion from Ecuador, now residing in Colombia, and Michael Kang, the owner of Carom Cafe who was a former USBA Nationals runner-up. Also qualifying from Group B was the Equadorian champion, Luis Aveiga, who teamed up with Ricardo Carranco. Both teams only had one loss in the qualifiers.
Group C qualified three teams. John Park and Young Ha Choi finished first in the group with only one six point loss to mar their record. Young Kyu Lee, the two time defending champion of the past two Predator CRM open events, teamed up with George Karam, an Egyptian/American local NY player with a coincidentally appropriate name, earned a spot into the knockout round with two wins. Sonny Cho and Eric Kwon also edged in with two losses – falling just 2 points shy of a 3-1 record.
In the knockout phase, Teran & Kang came out on top (40-36) after a heated battle of nerves with the team of Almaraz & Perez. They then proceeded to edge out Park & Choi by a single point (40-39) in the semifinal round. On the other side of the bracket, the team of Vera & Pineda cruised through all challengers and won the final match against Javier Teran and Michael Kang 40-31 to win the title.
Jose Juan Garcia
The 40 player Predator CRM Open USBA 3-Cushion event kicked off on Friday with eight groups of 5 players, each playing in round robin format. The two players in each flight plus six of the best-performing third place finishers in each flight would advance. In addition, two “lotto” wildcard positions would fill out the field of 24 moving to a single elimination bracket with the top finishers in each flight getting a “bye” in the first round of the knockout phase.
Everyone at Carom Cafe was treated to some great 3-cushion performances for the entire preliminary round. When the field whittled down to the last 16, we were left with the top talent this side of the Atlantic, including Pan-American Champion Javier Teran, Ecuadorian Champion Luis Aveiga, former USBA champion Hugo Patino, two time defending champion Young Kyu Lee, current USBA National Champion Tae Kyu Lee, Mexico champion Miguel Almaraz, Colombian Champion Huberney Catano, his young talented countryman Jose Juan Garcia, and rising star Kang Lee – among other strong 3-cushion players.
The twice defending Champion of the event, Young Kyu Lee was eliminated in the Final Eight Round by the young talented Jose Juan Garcia.
In the quarter finals, Kang Lee upset Ecuadorian star Luis Aveiga 40-39 in a nailbiter match with Kang leading for the entire match. Huberney Catano took down NY favorite, Hugo Patino, 40-28 in 20 innings.
In the semi-final, Jose Juan Garcia matched up with Ecuadorian Champion Javier Teran, in one of the most exciting heavyweight battles of the entire event on the livestream table. In the first four innings, the score was 17-16 Teran, setting the stage for this high-performance match. After only 15 innings, Garcia was ahead 38-35. The last innings of the match were filled with drama and suspense, incredible shots and great defense. In the end, Garcia triumphed 40-39, earning his spot into the finals with Catano.
It was an all-Colombian final with two young champions and rivals head-to-head. Jose Juan Garcia continued the consistent stellar performance he maintained the entire event and finishing off Catano, convincingly, 40-22 in 23 innings to win the Predator CRM Open USBA 3-Cushion Event.
Malden Massachusetts is home to what professionals are calling the most exclusive Billiard Club in the country – A'Mazin Billiards.
A'Mazin Billiards is a members-only billiard club tailored for the professional player and features elite equipment such as Breton 2001 carom tables, Breton pool tables, Brunswick Gold Crown pool tables and Tiger Cues.
It started with a dream shared by a local entrepreneur and a legendary billiard player – to take the sport of carom and pool in the United States out of the bar and into a space reserved for the professional player. To Kevin VanStry and Mazin Shooni, A'Mazin Billiards is all about the sport.
“The professional pool and billiard player in the United States needed a place to play where the equipment was top-notch and distractions were kept to a minimum,” commented Mazin Shooni. “So we gave them the best – the Bretons, the Gold Crowns – and we keep them in perfect playing condition.”
The atmosphere and equipment has not only attracted local league play, but some of the top contenders in the country. Members get free lessons from Mazin Shooni, known as the Amazing Mazin for his awe-inspiring performance at the 3-cushion tables, including 95 tournament wins. Three-cushion champions such as Mazin, Sonny Cho, Hugo Patino, Miguel Torres and renowned Carom Café Owner Michael Kang have battled it out on the Bretons. Famous artistic legends Mike Massey and Tom Rossman (Dr. Cue) have entertained members with exhibitions.
A'Mazin Billiards is a full-service club. Breton pool and billiard tables are available for sale from the club, which also features mechanics to install the equipment. Tiger cues and equipment, and pool/billiard accessories are also sold. A’Mazin Billiards mechanics also offer cue repair.
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.
