Michell Monk, Jeannie Seaver and Stephanie Mitchell
When the day started – Saturday, August 27 – Jeannie Seaver was atop the Tiger Florida Tour’s leaderboard, having competed in all four of its 2022 events and winning the tour’s previous stop (#4) in July. The four women immediately behind her in the standings were on hand for stop #5, at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, FL, as were 20 other entrants. The top five were separated by 110 points (dependent on attendance, usually around 200 points for a win), with two events to go; the one at hand and the season finale on October 15, the tour’s annual “Cues for the Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser, to be hosted by The Corner Pocket in Largo, FL.
The Corner Pocket’s owner, Stephanie Mitchell, was in 2nd place in the standings, only 40 points behind Seaver. The Pink Dagger (14-year-old Sofia Mast) was 20 points behind Mitchell and Jeannie Seaver’s sister, Vanessa, was 10 points behind Mast. Jessica Barnes was in fifth place, 40 points behind Vanessa. In the day ahead, almost anything could have happened. All five of the top five were capable of winning the event and whoever did so would have the proverbial ‘leg up’ on the tour championship title, which would go to the competitor at the top of the heap at the conclusion of the “Cues for the Cure” fundraiser, seven weeks away. The Stop #5 winner would also receive a qualifying spot in the WPBA’s Dr. Pool Classic in December.
Jeannie Seaver went undefeated, maintaining her position at the top of the tour standings. All four of the competitors behind her in those standings stayed right where they were; Mitchell, Mast, Vanessa Seaver and Barnes. ‘Almost anything could have happened’ turned into ‘nothing about the tour’s top five happened at all,’ except. . . the 110-point gap between 1st and 5th place in the standings, which went from 110 points to 250.
“It will be hard for anyone to catch her,” noted tour director Mimi McAndrews, “unless Jeannie doesn’t play in our “Cues for the Cure” event in October.”
Stop #5 began with a standard, double-elimination bracket. It was played down until there were two on each side, at which point, they redrew into a single elimination bracket.
Jeannie Seaver played two of the four women below her in the standings to be one of the two that advanced to single elimination from the winners’ side of the double elimination bracket. She opened with a 7-2 win over Jessica Barnes, shut out Say Xiong and then locked up in a double hill fight with the Pink Dagger; Seaver is likely one of only a handful of competitors who don’t underestimate the 14-year-old Sofia Mast at the tables. Seaver prevailed, though, and then defeated Dawn Logan 7-4 to earn her spot among the final four.
Michell Monk, who’d climb from #20 in the standings to #8 with her eventual runner-up finish, got by Denise Gugliotta 7-3 and then faced another junior competitor, 13-year-old Gianna “Banks” Fiore, who is currently 7th in the Junior International Championships’ 13U Girls division. Monk got by her 7-3 and after defeating Danielle Marie Fee 7-4 began a two-match set against Stephanie Mitchell. Monk’s 7-4 win in the first set earned her the second winners’ side slot in the single elimination phase.
Logan and Mitchell moved to the loss side of the initial bracket. Logan drew a re-match against Crystal McCormick, whom she’d sent to the loss side in what was McCormick’s first match. McCormick advanced through four loss-side matches including wins over Debbie Hake 5-2 and Danielle Marie Fee 5-3 for a second chance against Logan. Mitchell, another member of the Don’t Underestimate the Pink Dagger Club, drew Mast, who’d followed her double-hill loss to Jeannie Seaver with loss-side wins over Vanessa Seaver 5-3 and Kira Brown 5-1.
In what were the event’s quarterfinals, McCormick avenged her earlier loss, eliminating Logan 5-1 and drawing Jeannie Seaver in the semifinals. Not surprisingly, the tour’s #2 and #3 competitors, Mitchell and Mast, battled to double hill in the other quarterfinals. Mitchell eventually moving on to face Monk a second time.
Though on the hill, ahead by four (6-2) in the semifinals, Mitchell saw Monk rally back to knot things at double hill and then win it to advance to the finals. Seaver dropped McCormick into the tie for third place 7-2. Seaver completed her undefeated run with a 7-4 victory over Monk in the finals.
Seaver chose not to play the event for its qualifying spot in the December WPBA event, so that spot went to Monk. In addition to the cash prizes for the final six competitors, the tour awarded a $50 prize to the highest-finishing league player (APA 4-5 or equivalent). Brittany May, who’d had the misfortune of drawing Sofia Mast on the winners’ side of the early bracket, won two on the loss side before being eliminated by Danielle Marie Fee and finished in the tie for 9th/12th, took home that cash prize.
Tour representatives thanked all of the players who attended the event and Lisa Carroll for running the side-by-side Open event, which contributed to a “great day at Diamonds.” They also thanked GM Lisa Cobb and her Diamond Billiards’ staff for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Tony Kalamdaryan and Tiger Products for their continued support of the tour and players. Thanks, as well, went out to sponsors Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, AZ Billiards, Stitch It To Me, Brutal Game Gear, Eastern Billiards, Andy Cloth and to Janis Sessions and the Florida Coast Ladies Tour for sponsoring the APA Prize.
Livingston’s Billiards in Bradenton Florida was the place to be on July 23rd if you wanted to watch top level pool as the Sunshine State Predator Pro/Am Pool Tour held a 44 player open event as well as a 23 player open ladies event.
When all of the balls had been pocketed early Sunday morning, it was Raymond Linares standing undefeated in the open event. Linares had wins over Juan Trevino, Dawson Kleist, Alec Saputo, Randal McLuckie and Desi Derado to get to the hot-seat match, where he had to face David Singleton.
Linares took the hot-seat with a 7-3 win over Singleton.
On the one loss side, Lee Heuwagen was on a tear. Heuwagen had lost his first match of the day to Mike Mathieu 7-3, but wasn’t going to let that stop him. Heuwagen won six straight on the one loss side, without allowing an opponent to even get to the hill against him. That winning streak was only slowed down when Donny Mills got to hill-hill before Heuwagen sent him home in 4th place. Heuwagen then made quick work of Singleton in the semi-final match 5-1.
The final match was an extended race to 9 that didn’t get started until early Sunday morning. Heuwagen looked to have things well under control as he raced to an early lead, but Linares fought back to win the match 9-7.
Vanessa and Jeannie Seaver with Kimberly Housman
While the open event was crowning its champion, the Open Ladies Event came down to a sisterly split between Jeannie and Vanessa Seaver. Both players went undefeated until they faced each other for the hot-seat. Jeannie won that match 7-1, but Vanessa was right back in the finals after a 5-2 win over Kimberly Housman in the semi-finals. Instead of duking it out one more time in the finals, the Seaver sisters agreed to split first and second place.
Tour operators sent out their thanks to Livingston Billiards owners Jesse and Teresa Marlow, as well as tour sponsors Predator Group, Kamui Brand, Diamond Billiard Products, Stitch It To Me Embroidery, Central Florida USA Pool League and Jamison Daniels.
Stephanie Mitchell, Jeannie Seaver, Sofia Mast and Jessica Barnes
Jeannie Seaver’s gotten off to a slow start this year. Following a year (2021) in which she won three tour titles – two on the Tiger Florida Tour and one on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour – it wasn’t until this past weekend (July 16-17) that she claimed her first 2022 tour title. In her fourth appearance on the tour this year, the victory moved her ahead of Stephanie Mitchell to the top spot in the current Tiger Florida Tour standings. She did it at Stop #4, going undefeated through a modified double elimination bracket, downing six opponents, including, in the finals, the junior competitor known as “The Pink Dagger,” 14-year-old Sofia Mast (#3 in the standings). The event drew 34 entrants to Shooters Billiards in Port St. Lucie, FL.
Initially, in the double elimination phase of the event, its 34 competitors were racing to be among the final four standing on both sides of the bracket. Among the eight who advanced to the single elimination phase were the top six in tour standings when the event began. The four who advanced to single elimination without a loss were the top four; (in order) Stephanie Mitchell, Vanessa Seaver, Jeannie Seaver and Sofia Mast.
Mitchell, in a quest to maintain her position at the top of the standings, had to deal with an opening-round, double hill match against Xare Qualis. She survived that and then defeated Ivette Fernandez and Margie Soash, both 7-3 to earn her winners’ side slot in the final eight. Vanessa Seaver got by Erin O’Brien 7-4, Jessica Karamia Human, double hill and Katie Bowse 7-1 to advance. Sister Jeannie defeated Aalyssa Gonzalez 7-4, Roe Guarnero 7-3 and Jessica Barnes 7-3 to arrive, while The Pink Dagger (Mast) sent Chris Baumgart 7-4 and Crystal McCormick 7-3 to the loss side, before battling Kaylee McIntosh to double hill, eventually sending her over as well.
Two of the four who just missed advancement from the winners’ side came right back after winning their only loss-side match. Barnes moved over and survived a double hill fight versus Julia Spinella, returning to square off against Vanessa Seaver in the opening round of the single-elimination phase. McIntosh faced Guarnero on the loss side, defeated her 5-2 and was faced with Mitchell in the single-elimination group.
Joining those two from the loss side were Human, defeated by Vanessa Seaver on the winners’ side and then defeating Susan Damschroder 5-3, Sandy Cheng, double hill and Margie Soash 5-1 to face Mast in what amounted to the event’s quarterfinals. Rounding out the single-elimination field of 8 was Tracy Mullen, who followed her initial, first-round loss to Crystal McCormick with victories over Chris Baumgart 5-2, Ashley Jones 5-3, Kira Brown 5-2 and finally, in a double hill battle, Katie Bowse. Mullen picked up Jeannie Seaver in the event quarterfinals.
Due to time constraints, the quarterfinal and semifinal matches were reduced to races to 5. Three of the quarterfinals were decided by 5-2 scores; Jeannie Seaver over Mullen, Mast over Human and Barnes over Vanessa Seaver. Mitchell advanced over McIntosh 5-3. In the semifinals that followed, Mast and Barnes locked up in a double hill battle that eventually sent Mast to the finals. She was joined by Jeannie Seaver, who eliminated Mitchell 5-3.
After agreeing to a final race-to-3 (again, due to time constraints), Seaver and Mast opted to split the top two prizes and played the race-to-3 anyway. Seaver claimed the event title 3-1, moving her into the top spot in tour standings. Mitchell’s tie-for-third finish (with Barnes) dropped her into second place, while, as runner-up, The Pink Dagger moved up a notch, from fourth to third place in the standings.
Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Dave Citron and his Shooters Billiards staff for their “welcoming hospitality,” along with Josh Arnold and Stephanie Mitchell for their assistance with running a smooth event. She also thanked title sponsor Tiger Products, AZBilliards, Boynton Billiards, Andy Cloth, Eastern Billiards, Stitch-It-To-Me Embroidery and Brutal Game Gear. The next stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for Saturday, August 28, will be hosted by Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, FL.
Nicolle Cuellar, Vanessa Seaver and Jessica Barnes
Coming off of her best recorded earnings year (2021), Florida’s Nicolle Cuellar is getting a bit of a late start to better those earnings in 2022, although her undefeated run at the Tiger Florida Tour’s (TFT) third stop this past weekend (Sat. May 7) has started her off in the right direction. Her last recorded win on the TFT occurred last August. Cuellar has, in fact, had two good years at the tables, 2020 being her best recorded earnings years until the total figure improved in 2021. She’s been combining work on the TFT with appearances on the Sunshine State Pro Am Tour over the past few years, and earlier, dating back to when her efforts began notation here at AZBilliards 10 years ago, on the Flamingo Tour. The TFT’s $750-added event last weekend, Stop #3 on the 2022 tour, drew 36 entrants to Brewlands North in Lakeland, FL.
The event started out with a double elimination bracket, which, being a 64-entrant bracket, featured four matches in the opening round of play and 28 byes. Three rounds later, when the bracket had narrowed to eight players, four on each side of the bracket, it became a single-elimination race to the finals.
Cuellar’s path to the winners’ circle, after being awarded one of the 28 byes, went through Angel Kotewa (1), Kimberly Housman (3) and Stephanie Mitchell (3), at which point, she became one of the final eight. Joining her among the four to emerge from the winners’ side of the bracket were Lisa Perez, Jeri Bouvette and Jessica Barnes. Facing those four from the loss side of the bracket were Helene Caukin (facing Barnes), Jessica Karamia Human (facing Cuellar) and the Seaver sisters; Vanessa, squaring off against Bouvette and Jeannie facing Perez.
Human, who’d been sent to the loss side in the final winners’ side round by Barnes, played only one match on the loss side, surviving a double hill match versus Kaylee McIntosh to join the final eight. Cuellar stopped Human’s bid right there, downing her 7-3 and advancing to the semifinals against Barnes, who’d defeated Caukin, double hill.
Only one of the Seaver sisters survived the first single-elimination round and as it turned out, Lisa Perez faced them both. She faced Jeannie in that first round and battled her to double hill before advancing to meet Vanessa, who’d battled to double hill before defeating Bouvette to earn her spot in the semifinals against Perez.
Time constraints forced the semifinals and finals to be cut down to races to 5. Vanessa Seaver punched her ticket to the finals with a shutout over Perez. She was joined by Cuellar, who eliminated Barnes, double hill; a ‘heartbreaker,’ according to TD Mimi McAndrews, because in the deciding game, Barnes broke and hung the 9-ball in the teeth of the side pocket. Cuellar stepped to the table and though unable to work herself into shape for an easy combination on the 9-ball, ran the table to get it and advance to the finals.
Cuellar completed her undefeated run with a 5-2 win over Vanessa Seaver. Having not competed in the TFT season opener back in January and finishing in the tie for 8th on the February stop, Cuellar was way down in the tour standings when she began her title quest at the third stop. Her victory moved her among the tour’s top 10, into 9th place on the list that now has Stephanie Mitchell at the top. Vanessa Seaver’s runner-up finish moved her into second place with Carrie Metz, Kaylee McIntosh and Jeannie Seaver behind her. Cuellar’s victory also netted her paid qualifier spot for the WPBA’s Soaring Masters event in July.
Tour director Mimi McAndrews thanked Larry Walthall and his staff at Brewlands for their hospitality, along with title sponsor Tiger Products, AZBilliards, Boynton Billiards, Andy Cloth, Eastern Billiards, Stitch-It-To-Me Embroidery and Brutal Game Gear. She also extended thanks to Josh Arnold and Stephanie Mitchell for their assistance with running the event. The next stop on the Tiger Florida Tour, scheduled for Saturday, July 16, will be hosted by Shooter’s Billiards in Port St. Lucie, 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.
Jeannie Seaver has been very active during the pandemic. She’d finished first and third on two stops on the Tiger Florida early in 2020; the win in January and the third place finish in March. She then cashed in two of the WPBA’s Ghost Challenges; 4th place in June and then, third place in the Ghost Tournament of Champions in September. Both of those ghost events were won by Kelly Fisher, who seemed to find a ‘home’ playing against pool’s ‘ghost.’ In October, Seaver won the Tiger Florida Tour’s 12th annual Cues for the Cure event, a breast cancer fundraiser that she has won the last five out of six years (’15-’17, ’19 & ’20). And going into the last weekendof February, 2021, she’d already won a stop on the Tiger Florida tour and finished 9th at a stop on the Predator Sunshine State Pro Am Tour.
In the first of what Tour Directors Janene Phillips and Nicolle Cuellar are planning on being four events this year, the Sunshine State Pro Am Ladies Tour held an Open tournament on that last weekend in February (Feb. 27-28) at Brewlands in North Lakeland, FL. Jeannie Seaver went undefeated to claim her second 2021 title. The $450-added event drew 26 entrants to Brewlands.
Seaver faced separate challenges in the hot seat and finals of this event. After an opening round bye, Seaver defeated both Sherie Hensley and Sonya Chbeeb 7-3, which set her up to face Candice Garcia in one of the winners’ side semifinals. Nicolle Cuellar, in the meantime, while maintaining her co-tour directing role in the event, downed Lisa Anderson 7-5, survived a double hill fight against Julia Sheerman and dispatched Katie Bowse to the loss side 7-1, to face Kaylee McIntosh in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Seaver advanced to the hot seat match with her third straight 7-3 win, this time over Garcia. Cuellar joined her with a 7-3 win, as well; hers, over McIntosh. Seaver claimed the hot seat 7-2 over Cuellar and waited on what turned out to be the return of McIntosh.
On the loss side, McIntosh picked up Sofia Mast, who’d been sent over in a winners’ side quarterfinal loss to Garcia and then defeated Cami Becker, double hill and Alissia Alvarez 5-2.Ness Seaver, who’d also lost a winners’ side quarterfinal match, to McIntosh, defeated Ashley Delaney 5-2 and Katie Bowse 5-3.
The quarterfinals set up as a rematch. Ness Seaver eliminated Garcia 5-3, as McIntosh downed Mast 6-1. McIntosh was apparently on a roll, because she not only defeated Ness Seaver a second time, she shut her out. McIntosh completed her three-match trek on the loss side with another rematch, a solid 5-1 victory over Cuellar in the semifinals, and an aggregate loss-side score of 16-2.
McIntosh carried that momentum with her into the finals against Jeannie Seaver. The two battled to double hill before Seaver completed her undefeated run to claim the event title.
Phillips and Cuellar thanked the staff and crew at Brewlands for their hospitality, and gave a shout out to Central Florida USA Pool League, Poison Cues (for cue donation), Stitch It To Me Embroidery and AZBilliards. The next stop on the Sunshine State Pro Am Ladies Tours is yet to be determined. Stay tuned and check the tour’s calendar for information about the exact date.
Once again, Jeannie Seaver went undefeated to win the Tiger Florida Tour’s 12th Annual “Cues for the Cure” breast cancer awareness fundraiser. Thirty-seven women competed at this $1600-added event which benefitted Susan G. Komen, Florida.
In a modified double-elimination format, the women played down to four on each side.Four players from both sides of the bracket redrew onto a final single-elimination board.The eight finalists included Seaver, Chris Fields, Nicolle Cuellar, and Michell Monk from the winners’ side, and Sonya Chbeeb, Vanessa Seaver, Kaylee McIntosh and Deanna Frost from the one-loss side.
Seaver took out Chbeeb 5-3 in the Quarter Finals, Fields lost to Vanessa Seaver 5-2, McIntosh took the win from Cuellar 5-1, and Monk defeated Frost 5-1.In the Semi-Final matches McIntosh stopped Monk 5-2, and the Seaver sisters paired up with Jeannie winning 5-2 over “Ness.” That left Seaver and McIntosh in the final match, with Seaver taking the win 5-3. Seaver has won this event so many times that we have lost count, giving it up only a few times over past years. Room owner Stephanie Mitchell won the event in 2018, and Crystal McCormick took the title back around 2014.
This was the first TFT event since March due to Covid-19. It was great to see everyone again, even if only from the eyes up!Mask restrictions were still in place in Largo and the players were great in complying with the mask requirement.
The players came from around the state. All players received Cues for the Cure T-shirts and pink masks. All monies raised through the raffles and other games benefitted Susan G. Komen, Florida. Shanelle Loraine guessed the number of Hershey Kisses and Elizabeth Tully won the M&Ms!
We cannot thank everyone enough for their support and contributions to this worthy event! Nicolle Rasmussen Cuellar (Stitch It To Me) did a fantastic job with the event T-shirts, the pool towels, pool t-shirts and toilet paper (yes, toilet paper)! Thank you to Michell Monk, Rollie Dixon and Brutal Game Gear for donating shirts for the raffle! Thanks, of course, to good friend, player and supporter Jan Sesh (Florida Ladies Coastal Tour) for adding $100 for highest finishing APA players and running the 4-ball game. A shout out to Dixie Sutton and Relocations by Dixie, Lisa Perez for her help with the raffle, Jessica Human and others for their assistance with the technical issues. A shout out to Alex for his great bingo calling! Of course, we couldn’t run the tournament without Jerry Sotelo. And most importantly, the event would not be the same without Stephanie Mitchell and The Corner Pocket and staff, and Stephanie’s support of the TFT and the Cues for the Cure! And last but not least, thanks to all of the players who came out to participate, posted your photos and contributed to the success of this event!
As ALWAYS we thank and appreciate our title sponsor, Tiger Products and Tony Kalamdaryran, Larry Wood with Boynton Billiards, Great Lakes Billiards, Simonis Cloth and AZ Billiards. Last but not least, thank you to Susan G. Komen, FL for its never-ending work and dedication to women’s health!
Some of the matches can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cch_3RTJfw8&t=85s.Or check our Facebook page for links to the videos.
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-six players turned out to compete at the Tiger Florida Tour Stop #2 at Shooters Billiards in Port St. Lucie. After a long day on these tight Diamond tables, Jessica Barnes with the lead but ending up in a hill-hill final match against Asia Cy to take the win! This day saw several surprising early knockouts as top players Michell Monk, Nicolle Cuellar, Jeannie Seaver, Crystal McCormick and Stephanie Mitchell were all out of the money.
The women play a modified double elimination format. The final two from the one-loss side redraw back into the final two on the winners' bracket. The Final Board is a single elimination race to seven. Barnes and Cy made it to the Final Board undefeated. Roe Guarnero and Vanessa Seaver came from the one-loss side. Seaver lost to Barnes and Guarnero lost to Cy, leaving Barnes v. Cy in the Final match. Both women played brilliantly all day, with the lateness of the night starting to show. Finally, however, Barnes won the double-hill match and Tour Stop #2.
Thanks to all the players who turned out for this opening event and all the new players who we hope to see at our next event! A huge shout out to our title sponsor Tiger Products; and sponsors Great Lakes Billiards, Ultimate Chalkers, Boynton Billiards, Simonis Cloth and AZ Billiards. Thank you to room owner Dave Cintron for hosting us again! Videos of the matches can be viewed on our Stream page or at YouTube and YouTube.
Jeannie Seaver, Vanessa Seaver and Nicolle Cuellar
Nicolle Cuellar showed that she still has what it takes to get to the top, winning her first Tiger Florida Tour event in a long time, taking down the TFT Tour Champion Jeannie Seaver along the way.
33 women came to Boulevard Billiards in Ocala last Saturday, including several new players from the Ocala area. Cuellar made it past Kaylee McIntosh, a talented 17-year old junior player, and Tour Director Mimi McAndrews before going west thanks to Jeannie Seaver. Cuellar then fought her way back to the finals with wins over Kristen Bennington, Jeri Bouvette and Vanessa Seaver.
Jeannie Seaver, in great form fresh off her 5th/6th place finish at the WPBA US Open, got past Angela Ger, Wendy Langford, Windy Tang, Jessica Human and Michell Monk to meet up with Cuellar in the finals for Cuellar’s revenge match. The final match between Cuellar and Seaver was close, and a few missed shots by Seaver left the door open for Cuellar, who quickly stepped up and closed the door 7 – 5 for the win!
Vanessa Seaver, Michell Monk finished 3rd/4th. Jeri Bouvette, Windy Tang, Jessica Human and Roe Guarnero finished 5th – 8th.
Thanks again to Boulevard Billiards and Diane Chauliac and Donald Kreischer for being great hosts again this year! Thanks to our title sponsor, Tiger Products, and Great Lakes Billiards, Ulterior Chalkers, Boynton Billiards and Discount Mugs.
