After 17 years as a recognized pro, and a long string of victories that began about three years after she'd picked up a pool  cue for the first time, Jeannie Seaver has chalked up a win on the WPBA's annual Regional Tour Championships (RTC). Held on the weekend of January 12-15, the event was the first of three RTC's to be hosted by Zingale's Billiards in Tallahassee, FL, who hosted the 2016 RTC, as well. The event drew 64 entrants, who competed in a combination of round robin and double elimination brackets for $11,000 in prize money.

 

"I don't know what made it different this year," said Seaver, who competed in her first WPBA event, the WPBA US Open, in 1999 (finishing 17th), and finished fifth in last year's RTC. "I ran out when I could and played safe when I could.

 

"I never think I'm going to win," she added. "I just go in trying. I know when I hit a gear, though, and when it happens, it happens."

 

It happened for her at this year's RTC. By the time the field of 64 completed the round robin phase of the event, half of the competitors were gone, leaving a field of in-the-money 32, Seaver among them, to compete in the double elimination phase. Seaver got by Tam Trinh, Kimberly Pierce, and Ricki Casper to move into a winners' side semifinal match against Betty Lea. Gail Eaton, whose career goes back as far as Seaver's, with a number of previous head-to-head matchups, had defeated Angela Garza, Denise Berlanger (double hill), and Michell Monk, and faced Leslee Blaikie in the other winners' side semifinal.

 

Seaver and Eaton moved into the hot seat match with identical 7-3 scores over Lea and Blaikie. Seaver's 'gear' slipped a little in the winners' side final, as she managed only a single rack against Eaton and with Eaton in the hot seat, moved west to the semifinals.

 

On the loss side, Autumn Duncan, who'd lost her opening round match, double hill, to Debbie Teichert, was in the midst of a six-match winning streak that would take her as far as the quarterfinals. She downed Michell Monk 7-3 and  Windy Tang 7-4 (loss-side wins # 4 and #5) to face Betty Lea. Ricki Casper, who'd been sent to the loss side by Seaver in a winners' side quarterfinal, defeated Krista Walsh 5-4 and Jessica Human 7-1, to draw Blaikie.

 

Duncan and Casper advanced to the quarterfinals; Casper with a double hill win over Blaikie, and Duncan 7-4 over Lea. Casper ended Duncan's loss-side streak 7-5, and then had her own four-match, loss-side effort ended by Seaver 7-4 in the semifinals.

 

Eaton jumped out to an early, slim lead in the finals, taking a 2-0 lead, before Seaver responded with two racks to create the first of four ties in the match. They traded racks to a 3-3 tie, before Eaton chalked up three in a row. Seaver came right back with three to tie it again. They traded racks to the last tie of the match at 7-7, but Seaver's 7th win was the first of three in a row that gave her the 9-7 win and her first RTC title. 

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.