A half-dozen bids from streaming companies across the country made the NAPT board’s decision very difficult. But, in the end, the Michigan-based Railbirds Productions offered the highest quality at the most competitive price. Railbirds is composed of married couple Kevin and Shari Ross; the latter is an active regional tour player and long-time supporter of billiards. Kevin is known for his billiards photography. The Railbirds’ reputation for high-quality, professional streaming and commentary is yet another of the exciting elements of NAPT’s debut event. Tune in to see the action at https://www.youtube.com/c/RailbirdsTV.
There are only a few spots left to fill in the NAPT Inaugural 10-Ball Invitational; interested players should contact the regional tour in their area. A list of NAPT Division II tours can be found at www.PlayNAPT.com.
This event will be held June 3-5, 2016, and live stream coverage will begin at 10am Friday. The event is hosted by Breakers Sky Lounge (2445 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171); Breakers is adding $5,000 to the prize fund. The format is double elimination, limited to 64 players, and with a full field will have a $21,000 purse.
For more information, contact Linda Shea, NAPT Event Coordinator at office@playnapt.com or (443) 852-0020.
Connie O’Heron, Christy Dickerson and Rebecca Venson
A gorgeous, modern backdrop, European Global 9-footers, and big screen TVs set the stage for MLRT Stop #6 where 18 of the area’s top talents battled at Plush Pocket in Warren, MI. Coming out strong, and making it to the quarter finals were Debbie Cervantes v Connie O’Heron, Trish Vermule v Rebecca Venson, Curtisha Alford v Christy Dickerson, and Angela Mears v Jaki Lovrince.
Surprisingly, Rae “Young Gun” Norgaard struggled in the first round, losing to Vermule 4-7. Competitors who also didn’t play their best in the early day were Sherrlyrodaka Latterel, Angela Williams, Lupe Harpster, Shari Ross, Julie Hunter, Adina Pelletier, Janice Kumagai, and Ali Seattle.
However, Harpster and Pelletier showed great stamina and skill, blasting through the B-side. Harpster defeated Kelly O’Heron (6-3); Cervantes (6-4), and Williams (6-4) before losing her match against Mears 3-6. Lovrince showed her experience, beating out Norgaard 6-5. Pelletier beat out Kumagai (6-2) and Alford (6-4), but then lost to Lovrince 2-6.
On the winner’s side, Christy Dickerson gave nothing away as she barreled through the competition, beating Mears 7-4 and Connie O’Heron 7-1.
Rebecca Venson showed up, too, beating Vermule 4-7 in the quarter finals, and put up a valiant fight against O’Heron, who came out on top 7-4.
After being defeated in the semi-finals, Venson beat Lovrince 6-2, then ferociously battled Mears, winning the set 6-4, for her chance to get back to O’Heron. The second meeting of these two powerhouses was extraordinary. Subtlety and sheer willfulness beamed from both women, each going tit-for-tat during the semi-finals on the B-side. In the end, tied 5-5, O’Heron made a fatal error, and Venson swooped in for the kill!
The finals match was simply an annihilation. Dickerson hit every stroke perfectly, pocketing each ball dead-center. Venson started strong, but her confidence faltered in the second game, giving the lead 2-1 to Dickerson. Dickerson then broke and ran the next game, only to scratch on the 9, tying the match 2-2. That was the last game Venson got. Dickerson cleaned table after table, Venson only getting up to break on her turn. Each miss by Venson was a victory for Dickerson, who finished the set 7-2, undefeated the entire day!
Special thanks go to Kevin Ross for taking action shots! For more of Kevin’s work, find him on flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/k_c_ross/.
MLRT Stop #7 will take place on October 17, 2015 at Michael’s Billiards in Fairfield, OH. For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
Connie O’Heron, Angela Williams, Debbie Cervantes and Rebecca Venson
Eighteen women came to compete in the 3rd stop of the Midwest Ladies’ Regional Tour at Snookers’ Pool & Pub in Livonia, Michigan.
The tour added 12 new, enthusiastic members: Shannon Dunn, Lupe Harpster, Melissa Kipp, Sherrylrodaka Latterell, Jaki Lovrince, April Martin-Frederick, Connie O’Heron, Jen Polik, Shari Ross, Ali Seattle, Rebecca Venson, and Rosetta Wood. These ladies certainly proved their place among the intense competition.
However, a few favorites left the tournament earlier than expected: Kipp, Latterell, Goens, Carmack, Polik, and Wood lost out in just a couple of rounds. Dunn, an early favorite to win the tourney finished 9th along with heavy-hitters Harpster, Ross, and Mears.
In an intermission, MLRT gave out various pool accessories courtesy of Ozone Billiards to 5 ladies in a free raffle for players only. Also, McDermott sponsored the event with a cue; MLRT players received a free raffle ticket. Jason “The Michigan Kid” Lynch ironically won the cue—McDermott is Lynch’s sponsor!
After the surprising upsets in the early rounds, the quarter finals were a real treat to watch! Debbie Cervantes beat out local lady “Crazy” Jaki Lovrince 7-1, and Connie O’Heron defeated her dear friend Angela Williams 7-4. On the B-side, Seattle dominatEd Martin-Frederick 6-2, and Venson squeaked out a victory over Monica Hill 6-5.
After her first loss, Williams was adamant to get back to the finals. The fight between Williams and Venson was intense, going tit-for-tat until the end, Williams finishing 6-5 over Venson, who subsequently finished 4th in the tourney.
The surprise came when Cervantes defeated O’Heron, another of the favorites to win it—both women having played in the WPBA Masters numerous times. However, Cervantes’s relentlessness and consistency served her well! She defeated O’Heron by the skin of her teeth, 7-6.
Semi-finals of the B-side saw O’Heron up against Williams again. But, Williams wasn’t going down this time—she needed to get revenge on Cervantes. Williams came out on top 6-4, and O’Heron finished 3rd.
With great determination in her eyes, Williams had to return the double-tap to Cervantes after the upset of Stop #2. Williams came out swinging a big stick, firing in shots, banking like a pro to take the first set 7-4! You could see the disappointment in Cervantes’s eyes, as the women took a break to regroup.
The second set began, and no one could deny the well-oiled machine that is Cervantes. The woman didn’t miss! Williams fought hard, playing defense, pulling shots out of nowhere, and trying to keep Cervantes off the table. But she missed a few times, and Cervantes swooped in to kill, every… single… time. The match was quick, Cervantes ran 4 solid racks, snapped the 9 to put her on the hill, and came out victorious again, 6-1 over Williams. Ouch!
No one can doubt the skill and consistency of this little lady from Ohio: Cervantes has a solid pre-shot routine, smooth stroke, and an eagle-eye for safeties. Watch out, though, Debbie—you’ve got a target on your back now!
MLRT Stop #4 will take place on July 11, 2015 at Brickyard Billiards in Indianapolis, IN. For more info, see their website at www.midwestladiestour.com and/or contact the tour directors at director@midwestladiestour.com.
Steve Legault-owner of Black Diamond, Sheila Clark, Mary Coffman and Ford-Tournament Director
On September 13-14, 2014, the NWPA’s sixth tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Black Diamond in Spokane, Washington. Not only did the Black Diamond add $500 to the tournament, but staff provided excellent service to all players and spectators for the entire weekend. The Black Diamond is the premier location for great pool, food, and entertainment in the Spokane area. They host many Open tournaments throughout the year and the NWPA would like to thank them for their continued support. In addition, The NWPA would like to thank our sponsors Ozone Billiards and Volturi for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com and www.volturicases.com. Two drawings were completed at this stop, Cassie Bryant was drawn for the Ozone case donation, while Shari Ross was drawn for the $500 voucher for a Volturi custom case. Congratulations ladies! If you are interested in getting in on the final raffle drawings for the year, please contact your favorite ladies of the NWPA for tickets. Ozone raffle tickets are 2 for $5, 5 for $10 while the final Volturi voucher tickets are $10 each.
The NWPA is sanctioned by the WPBA. Tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Twenty-one ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. The tournament was run on 8 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. In addition to the live stream, this event was the first, of hopefully many to come, where live scoring of all matches was available via Score Saloon, www.scoresaloon.com. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were several first round byes, but play sped right along.
Sunday morning, only eight players remained. A side match ups included Suzanne Smith vs. Sheila Clark and Mary Coffman vs. Kimberly Kirk. Sheila and Mary both advanced through their morning matches, by the scores of 7-6 and 7-4, advancing them to the hot seat match. Table speed got the best of Sheila during this match and Mary capitalized on mistakes to advance to the finals by the score of 7-1. B side match ups included Amber Foster vs. Alicia Kvasnicka and Rebecca Slyter vs. Jing Liu. Alicia and Jing both advanced through their morning matches by the scores of 6-5 and 6-3, respectively. Fired up from their morning losses Suzanne and Kimberly rallied back through their next round, defeating Jing and Alicia by the score of 6-3 and 6-0. Suzanne then squared off against Kimberly in a hill-hill match up, that had Kimberly make a clutch out to advance 6-5. Kimberly then played Sheila to see who would play Mary in the finals. Sheila took down that match by the score of 6-4, earning herself a rematch.
Mary Coffman path to the final: Fran J (2), Jenny L (), Kim T (4), Kimberly K (4), Sheila C (1)
Sheila Clark path to the final: Bye, Jing L (5), Alicia K (6), Suzanne S (6), loss to Mary C (1), Kimberly K (4)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. During the first eight racks, both players struggled with the table speed, creating more difficult patterns to work through. Tied at 4-4, Sheila settled in and found her groove, while Mary struggled to find the confidence she had during the hot seat match. In rack 9, a miss on the 4 ball, by Mary, led to a strong run out by Sheila to take her first lead of the match. Sheila proceeded to shoot with minimal errors, closing out each of the remaining racks to win the set 9-4 This was Sheila’s first tour stop win on the NWPA. Congratulations to both ladies for an excellent tournament.
With Jing’s finish, she maintained her position on top in overall standings, guaranteeing her first WPBA Regional Tour Championship appearance. Suzanne also stayed at 3rd, while Sheila jumped up to 4th place in overall standings. Going into the final tournament of the season, the tour champion and guaranteed spots at the WPBA Regional Tour Championships will still be up for grabs. The NWPA’s year-end event is at The Parlor in Bellevue, WA on November 1-2.
On August 9-10, 2014, the NWPA’s fifth tour stop of 2014 was hosted by The Parlor in Bellevue, Washington. The Parlor added $500 to the event and a Volturi custom case voucher raffle added another $350 to the prize fund ($250 to the main event and $100 to the Second Chance.) Some tickets remain on the raffle, so if you are interested please contact Suzanne Smith (suzos78@gmail.com).
The NWPA would like to thank our sponsor Ozone Billiards and Volturi for their support for the 2014 season. Please check out their websites and show them your appreciation at www.ozonebilliards.com and www.volturicases.com. The NWPA tour standings and 2014 schedule are available at www.nwpatour.wordpress.com and is sanctioned by the WPBA. All skill levels are welcome to play and players can accrue points towards their semiprofessional status while gaining experience playing some of the top women players in the northwest.
Thirty ladies came out to compete Saturday morning. Only one new player joined in for the fun, Kirsten Fery out of Portland, OR. The tournament was run on 11 9-foot Brunswick Gold Crowns with Rail2Rail Productions providing a free live stream all weekend. The format was a race to 7, alternating break, 9 ball, with a race to 6 on the B side. There were only two first round byes, but play moved along. As usual play finished early Saturday evening, many of the ladies were given complimentary comedy club tickets to The Parlor Live. Thanks to Parlor GM, Dave Lauer, for taking care of us!
Sunday morning, eleven players remained. A side match ups included Jing Liu vs. Liz Cole (NWPA #1 and #2) and Shari Ross vs. Kim Benson. Liz and Kim both advanced through their morning matches, by the scores of 7-3 and 7-1, advancing them to the hot seat match. Liz and Kim battled it out for the hot seat, with Kim edging out Liz by the score of 7-4. On the B side, due to the early finish on Saturday, there were 3 matchups that needed to play before the money rounds. These matches include Rebecca Slyter vs. Sheila Clark, Stacy Eilts vs. Elizabeth Jensen, and Natalie Seal vs. Kim Toops. Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Natalie advanced into the money matches with the scores 6-4, 6-3, and 6-5 respectively. Following that round, the 7/8 matches were played, with Rebecca playing Suzanne Smith and Natalie playing Elizabeth. Suzanne and Elizabeth advanced by the scores of 6-1 and 6-3. Fired up from their morning losses Shari and Jing matched up next against Elizabeth and Suzanne. While Shari advanced by the score of 6-3, Jing went hill-hill against Suzanne. In the final game, Suzanne broke dry and Jing attempted to play a safety on the 1. Suzanne proceeded to run out the rack to advance by the slimmest of margins, 6-5. Shari then squared off against Suzanne. Suzanne picked up some steam and won that match 6-2. Suzanne then played Liz (fresh off the hot seat loss), and Suzanne continued with her strong shooting and defeated Liz 6-1 to earn her first final appearance of the 2014 season.
Kim Benson path to the final: Teri K (2), Patricia T (2), Suzanne S (2), Shari R (3), Liz C (4)
Suzanne Smith path to the final: Cassandra B (6), Melissa D (4), loss to Kim B (2), Jenny L (0), Rebecca S (1), Jing L (5), Shari R (2), Liz C (1)
The final was one race to 9, alternating break. Throughout the entire final, Kim’s stellar shot making and Suzanne’s missed safety opportunities would be the theme. Suzanne ended up down 5-2 before she would take her break. Kim expanded her lead steadily throughout the match, making fewer mistakes and maintaining her confidence throughout the set. Kim defeated Suzanne 9-4 to claim her second tour stop win on the NWPA, skyrocketing her to 3rd place in overall standings. Jing and Liz maintained their #1 and #2 spots, while Suzanne moved up to 4th with her finish. Should make for an exciting last two stops. Congratulations all the ladies for an excellent tournament.
The NWPA’s next event is back in Spokane WA at The Black Diamond on September 13-14, 2014.
The Parlor in Bellevue, Washington hosted the fifth tour stop of the Northwest Women’s Pool Associations’ 2013 season. Located in beautiful downtown Bellevue, the Parlor offers a full variety of entertainment featuring The Parlor Live Comedy Club, the Ultra Lounge, and the Parlor Billiards & Spirits. In addition to the main floor, The Parlor has two private suites and full catering available for your company gatherings. Check out all they have to offer at www.parlorlive.com.
The tournament was run on eleven Brunswick Gold Crowns with Centennial balls. Twenty-eight players came out to compete Saturday morning and Rail2Rail Productions provided a free live stream all weekend. The format was 9 ball, alternating break, race to seven on the A side and 6 on the B side. New players to the tour included Jocelyn Liu, Helen Wragg, and Gloria Villa. Play wrapped up early Saturday evening and only twelve players returned on Sunday morning with a chance to win the event. On the A side, Liz Cole played Mary Hopkin, while Eve Stockstill took on Suzanne Smith. Liz and Eve both advanced through their morning matches, 7-3 and 7-6, respectively to advance. Liz continued in her winning ways, defeating Eve by a similar margin at 7-4. B side matches included: Gloria Villa vs. Shari Ross, Denice White vs. Natalie Seal, Tamre Rogers vs. Kim Jones, and Stacy Eilts vs. Jocelyn Liu. Shari (6-1), Natalie (6-3), Kim (6-1), and Stacy (6-4) advanced through their morning matches to the money rounds against each other, where Natalie and Kim defeated their opponents Shari and Stacy by the same score (6-3). Fresh off their first round losses, Mary then played Kim, while Suzanne took on Natalie. Kim picked up steam defeating Mary 6-3, while Suzanne recovered from her morning loss defeating Natalie 6-2. Kim and Suzanne then played each other. Up 5-4, in a race to 6, Kim seemed to have the edge in this match, but a failed safety and a missed 4-9 combination gave Suzanne the opportunity to close out both of the last two games with early 9s. Suzanne then went on to defeat Eve 6-3 to earn a place in her first final of the 2013 season.
FINAL Match- Liz Cole vs. Suzanne Smith
Liz Cole- path to the final: Sheila C (2), Jessica O (0), Natalie Seal (1), Mary H (3), Eve S (4)
Suzanne Smith- path to the final: Kathy S (3), Gloria V (2), Jocelyn L (4), loss to Eve S (6), Natalie S (2), Kim J (5), Eve S (3)
The finals were one race to 9, alternating break. Liz won the lag and both players didn’t really catch a groove until the middle of the set. At 5-4 Liz, Suzanne missed a 9 to tie the match. Liz capitalized there to take the 6-4 lead, and never looked back. Then, a miss on the 1 ball and dry break, by Suzanne resulted in Liz running out both of those racks. Liz picked up steam and Suzanne couldn’t withstand the heat. At 8-4, both players made and missed shots. Suzanne got into a tough position late in the rack and ended up making the 8 and scratching, giving Liz ball in hand on the 9 to win the tournament. Liz closed the gap between herself and Mary for top slot in overall standings, while Suzanne jumped up from 9th to 3rd place overall. With two more tour stops, it should be a battle, as always.
Thanks again to The Parlor for their continuous support of the NWPA, our title sponsor Mueller, and all the ladies that make our tour what it is. The next NWPA event has yet to be confirmed, but is planned for Oct 5-6, 2013. Please confirm information on the next stop on the NWPA’s website : nwpatour.wordpress.com
Jana Montour (File photo courtesy of Ray Lassilat)
Jana Montour has advanced to the hot seat in all three of the Northwest Women’s Pool Association Tour stops this year, and won two of them. She began in March with a victory over Liz Cole. In April, her advancement to the hot seat, included a victory over Kim Jones, who came back from the loss side to defeat her in the finals. At the latest stop on the weekend of June 16-17, Montour, once again, sent Jones to the loss side, but this time, when she came back, Montour hung on to win and complete an undefeated weekend. The $750-added event drew 28 entrants to Malarkey’s in Tacoma, WA.
Montour and Jones met first in the third round. Montour had received a bye and defeated Sandy Badger. Jones had gotten by Sheila Clark and Cindy Sliva. In that first meeting, Jones got to the hill, ahead by five games. Montour roared back, and won six in a row. That win put Montour among the winners’ side final four, where she faced Shari Ross. Suzanne Smith, in the meantime, met up with Deby Welfringer. A double hill win for Welfringer set her up for the hot seat match against Montour, who’d defeated Ross 7-5. Montour sent Welfringer to the semifinals 7-2, and awaited her second straight final against Jones.
Jones moved over and defeated Kathy Stanley 6-1 and Mary Hopkin 6-2 to draw Smith. Ross drew Liz Cole, who’d defeated Badger, double hill and Kit Dennis 6-1. Ross ended Cole’s day 6-4, and in the quarterfinals, met up with Jones, who’d downed Smith 6-3. Jones then defeated Ross, 7-5 and earned her second chance versus Montour with a 6-4 win over Welfringer in the semifinals.
As had happened in their earlier match, Jones took an early lead in the race-to-9 finals. She was up by four games before Montour got on the board. Each then won a game to make it 5-2, Jones. Montour then won four straight to take her first lead, and another to go up 7-5. Jones won a game to pull within one.
Montour won the 14th rack to reach the hill first. Jones took the 15th rack to pull back within one, but Montour closed it out with a victory to complete her undefeated weekend. The victory left Montour atop the NWPA tour rankings, with Jones right behind her.
TULSA, OK – Results are in for today’s first semi-final matchup between the #1 and #2 seeds in the WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships taking place this week at the River Spirit Event Center. ESPN cameras rolled as Monica Webb and Allison Fisher, two veteran champions, took the stage.
Monica took the first point in the race to seven, but Allison quickly answered with two games of her own. Monica won the next three to lead 4-2. In the seventh game, Allison missed a surprising five ball in the corner that put Webb back at the table to extend her lead 5-2.
Allison picked up the next game to trail 5-3, and then another to trail 5-4 when Monica ended up short on a nine ball and missed a cross-side bank. She then broke and ran out to tie the match 5-5, and again to get to the hill, 6-5!
With no shot after the break, Fisher was forced to push out. A safety battle ensued but Fisher got first look at a long, sharp cut on the one. She nailed that, and proceeded to execute a tricky rack to take the win 7-5! Webb finishes tied for third place.
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be broadcast by ESPN in seven one-hour national shows, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf Refresh the link for the most up-to-date results — scoring updates will take place throughout the day’s play!
Schedule of Events:
Sunday, June 10 at 3 pm and 5 pm
ESPN Semifinal #2 and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
It’s all taking place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
TULSA, OK – The WPBA US Open 9-Ball Championships at the River Spirit Event Center in Tulsa have whittled the field down to 48 players from the original 64. The first sixteen players were eliminated after two consecutive losses. Here are the results of the first round in the one loss bracket. Winning players are matching up in day session play today and another sixteen players will soon say farewell to their US Open title hopes…
Elimination Round One (Defeated Players Eliminated)
Fans and media can keep up with ongoing results at http://www.wpba.com/images/stories/brackets/2012_us_open.pdf (refresh the link for the most up-to-date results!)
Schedule of Events:
Friday, June 8 at 10 am
Double elimination play in day and evening sessions
Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm
ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm
ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP)
The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2).
It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
Tickets are just $10 on June 8th and $20 on June 9th and 10th! VIP tickets are available for $25. Visit www.riverspirittulsa.com/entertainment/eventcenter for tickets and more information!
TULSA, OK – Following the player’s meeting and draw at the River Spirit Events Center, the following are the times and match ups for Round One. Double elimination rounds continue until the field is narrowed to the final 16 on Friday, when the tournament becomes single elimination. #1 ranked Allison Fisher will attempt to defend her title!
Schedule of Events: Thursday, June 7 at 10 am Double elimination play in day and evening sessions Friday, June 8 at 10 am Double elimination play in day and evening sessions Saturday, June 9 at 1 pm ESPN Quarterfinals (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP) Sunday, June 10 at 1 pm ESPN Semifinals and Final (Tix are $20 general admission, $25 VIP) The quarter final, semi final and final matches will be taped by ESPN for seven one-hour national broadcasts, airing Saturday, July 14, (Quarterfinals 12-4pm on ESPN2) and Sunday, July 15, (Semifinals/Final 1-4pm on ESPN2). It all takes place at the River Spirit Event Center, adjacent to the River Spirit Casino at 81st and Riverside in Tulsa.
