Stroke Pool Magazine 2013 August Issue

U. S . O P E N

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U.S. O PEN C HAMPIONSHIP

ARTISTIC POOL CHAMPIONSHIP

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2013 August

STROKE POOL MAGAZINE

© 2013 Stroke

COVER ARTICLE

19 Morris Comeback U. S . O P E N

FEATURES

5 BCAPL Nationals 26 VNEA Nationals 11 Chalk Talk 30 Mr Cues II 15 BEF National 31 TAP Broward 25 Wally’s

U.S. O PEN C HAMPIONSHIP

ARTISTIC

POOL CHAMPIONSHIP

COLUMNISTS

8 Ask the Viper 9 Tom Simpson 10 Bob Jewett

12 Get A Grip 13 Michael Glass

JUNIOR NATIONALS

15 Results from Nationals

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS 33 Eastern U.S. Weekly Tournaments

TOURS

5 Predator 21 Tri State Tour

DEADLINE:

24 Flamingo

34 Eastern U.S. Tournaments POOL ON TV - POOL ON THE NET

Live Streamer’s links www.otbntv.com www.ontherailtv.com/ www.ustream.tv/user/cmbwsu/crowds

www.ustream.tv/channel/greatsouthernbilliardtour

www.actionpooltour.com/live-streaming.html www.theactionreport.com www.ustream.tv/channel/accu-stats-on-location www.povpool.com

4 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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Amy’s Billiards 12 Aramith 3 Ask the Viper 8 BCAPL/CSI 35 Bison Billiards 12 Bob Jewett 11 Corner Pocket Billiards 11 CueStix International 36 Gate City Billiards 17 Lucky 7 Billiards 21 Master Chalk 11 McDermott 2 Michael’s Billiards 17 Michael Glass 13 Mueller 4 National Billiard Academy 9 Sandcastle Billiards 21 Simonis 3 Subscription 32 Tiger Products 14 Zingale’s 17

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CONTACT US: ***NEW ADDRESS*** On The Break News P.O. Box 1566 Bozeman, MT 59771

Phone 1-406-285-3099 pool@onthebreaknews.com www.TheBreakMagazine.com Stroke is a monthly publication, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool. The opinions expressed are those of the author or advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Break or its staff.

We reserve the right to edit or reject any material submitted for publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced.

Don “Cheese” Akerlow

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Photo by: Don Akerlow

On The Cover

Local Coverage National Exposure ADVERTISERS

Publisher

Cintron / Shlemperis CaptureatWAmsterdam ins

The Predator Pro Am Tour’s ninth stop of the 2013 season was hosted by one of the most famous pool rooms in the USA, Amsterdam Billiard Club in NYC, over the weekend of July 13-14. Top talent including house pro Tony Robles, two-time US Open 9-Ball Champion Mika Immonen, WPBA pro Jennifer Barretta, and straight pool guru Danny Barouty are often seen both competing and teaching at Amsterdam.

OPEN/PRO EVENT: The Predator Tour’s Open/Pro event at Amsterdam showcased a breakthrough performance for open player

L-R Mhet Vergara, Travis McKinney, Dan Cintron, Phil Davis Dan Cintron of New Jersey and A+ player Phil Davis of Connecticut. Davis and Cintron earned the two spots in the hot seat in the event, facing off to see who would guarantee a place in the final match.

Phil started the event with wins over Keith Adamik 7-5 and Mhet Vergara 7-0 before losing to Dan Cintron 7-5 in the hot seat match. Phil bounced back with a win over Travis McKinney 7-5 in the semifinal to meet Dan Cintron, who went through the field undefeated.

Dan Cintron’s road to the finals featured wins over Travis McKinney 7-6, Sean Morgan 7-6, Tony Robles 7-4, and Phil Davis 7-5. In the finals, Dan would clutch out a breakthrough victory over Phil in a close battle, ending in a 7-5 scoreline.

After the event, I asked Dan what his most memorable moments of the tournament were, and Dan attributed his win against legendary pro Tony Robles and sinking his final winning 10-ball as being his two top highlights of the event.

Dan Cintron has had a longtime presence in the pool community in the New York Tri-State area, and was recently inducted into the Tri-State Tour Hall of Fame at the 2013 Tri-State Invitational. In recent years, Dan was also named tour’s Sportsman of the Year, as well as the A+ Class Player of the Year. Dan has also broadened his involvement in pool as he joined up with sponsors Kamui Tips, Dunkel Custom Cues, On the Snap Billiards, Clifton Billiards, Hustlin USA, and Active Wellness Center.

On Friday, July 12, Dan was featured on an online talk radio show called ‘What Are the Odds’, where he discussed his love of billiards and the lifestyle of the sport. Click here to listen to podcast.

While Dan has been a veteran on NY area tours and events, his renewed passion for the game and dedication to improve were clearly showcased in this event. Congratulations to Dan Cintron for his great showing that lead to his breakthrough first Predator Tour Open/Pro title.

In the Amateur 9-Ball division of the Predator Pro/Am Tour’s ninth stop, a full field of 64 players were in attendance at Amsterdam Billiards. The event got underway at noon on Saturday, July 13 and continued on Sunday, July 14. Players ranked from ‘D’ to ‘A+’ level competed in this handicapped 9-ball event, where players were spotted games on the wire based on the differing skill levels.

After battling through the first day of action, two players were yet undefeated… and they returned on day two to play for the hot seat. Trevor Heal (A) and Alex Osipov (B+) were the two feature players.

Trevor would edge out Alex in a well-played battle that ended in a double-hill finish, with a 7-6 final score which landed Trevor a spot in the final. Leading up to the hot seat match, Trevor’s road to the finals featured wins over Ryan Frech 10-7, Darwin Vergara 7-6, “Devil Dave” Ascolese 7-5, Tony Cosenza 7-4, and Romeo Singh 7-6.

Meanwhile, six players returned on day two with hopes of making a comeback after their previous losses on Saturday.

SEMIFINAL: After successfully making it through two rounds on the one-loss side, Dave Shlemperis earned himself a

rematch against Alex Osipov (rated B+), who earlier defeated him in the winner’s bracket. Dave would get redemption this time around, winning 7-2 against Alex to move on to the finals.

FINAL MATCH: The format for the final would be an extended race… where Dave Shlemperis, who came from the one-loss side, would have to get to seven games before Trevor to extend the race to 9 games, while Trevor would win it if he got to seven first. In the finals, Dave had a dominant performance en route to a final 9-3 scoreline.

The Predator Pro-Am Tour would like to acknowledge their sponsors for their ongoing support: Predator Cues, The National Amateur Pool League, Delta-13, NYCgrind, PoolOnTheNet.com, and host room Amsterdam Billiards.

Next up on the Predator Pro/Am Tour will be the 2nd Annual Steinway Classic on August 25-27, which has recently been added to the tour schedule as the 10th stop of the season.

This is a $7,000-added pro event, which is slated to feature a top-flight group of international pros.

The following tour stop will be the 3rd Annual George “Ginky” SanSouci Memorial, stop #11 of the 2013 season. This $5,000-added event will be held at Steinway Billiards in Astoria, NY, and will feature both an Amateur 9-Ball and Open/Pro 10-Ball division. Steinway Billiards is located at 3525 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11101. 718.472.2124.

Complete Payouts ABCD 1st: Dave Shlemperis $1000 2nd: Trevor Heal $700 3rd: Alex Osipov $500 4th: Jimmy Acosta $350 5th/6th: Romeo Singh, Rhys Chen $250 7th/8th: Carl Yusuf Khan, Gary O’Callaghan $150 9th-12th: Raphael Dabreo, Yomaylin Feliz, Rhio

Anne Flores,Tony Cosenza $100 13th-16: Glen Ramsey, George Poltorak,

Silven Fret, Phil Davis $80 Complete Payouts Open/Pro 1st: Dan Cintron 2nd: Phil Davis 3rd: Travis McKinney 4th: MhetVergara

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$700 $500 $500

L-R Winner Dave Shlemperis & runner-up Trevor Heal

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 5

The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World BY: DON AKERLOW

the crowds were larger.

The 2013 - 37th Annual BCAPL is billed to be the “Greatest Pool Tournament in the World”, which started in the middle of July, running 11 days and ending towards the end of July - lives up to it’s billing!

The BCAPL made a concentrated effort to call league operators and encourage them to come to Nationals in July. Mark said, “We wanted to break 6,000 players and we did. I think we ended up with about 6,250 which was real close to the number of unique players we had last year.”

No other national league championship offers so much. The two obvious changes this year were location and two months later in the year or smack dab in the middle of summer. If that is not enough, there are three pro events, two league championships, a 9 Ball Challenge, WPA World Artistic Pool Championships, the 25th U. S. Junior National 9-Ball Championships, a High Run Challenge and if that is not enought, let’s throw in a torrential rain storm with 71mph winds and couches flying off the roof of the Rio (by Mother Nature of course)! Want more, how about free practice all eleven days on the the 7’ Diamond tables. Oh, did I forget the 108 degree heat, but inside it was cool - at least most of the time.

I’ve played in sixteen different national league championships and have covered them in ten other years so when I tell you that there is always something to do, I don’t only mean in Las Vegas. Whether you are a casual or die hard pool player you have pro players from all over the world, the best on the planet playing, as well as the best league players the game may have ever seen both men and women. Both vie for their respected championship, team, singles or scotch doubles. You have booths around the main tournament floor offering any and all accessories and virtually any pool cue brand that you could think of. Pool cases, t-shirts, food, minis and even one vendor who was raffling off a $10,000 cue! I put my $20 in, but I don’t believe I won.

This is just part of all that you get at the BCAPL. “It is an amateur 8-Ball tournament with pro event,” Mark Griffin said.

In talking to Mark after the event was over, we discussed the overall pros and cons of these tournaments. As with all events in a new venue there are always kinks to be worked out. All in all the consensus was that the unique player turnout was only about 1% to 2% difference plus or minus. When I looked at the actual entries to each of the events between last year and this year, I found that the player entries in individual events were way up - approximately by 540 entries. Mark noted that with the inclusion of the Junior Nationals and the Artistic Pool Championships

6 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

I asked Mark why he decided to change to move the dates from May to July and he responded, “May is a month that conflicts with Mother’s Day, Graduation, kids still in school, so July just made more sense from the perspective that it is considered a vacation month. The only downside is the weather, it is a little hotter in July but inside the Rio it is a constant 72 degrees.”

Mother Nature had her own ideas about challenges for the tournament.

The third night saw a torrential rain storm with 71mph winds which picked up couches at the Voodoo Lounge on the 54th floor of the Rio and sent them flying off the roof and onto the street below. The storm caused a power outage for 12 hours which caused chaos with the bracketing. Three rounds were lost in the amateur and pro events and had to be rescheduled. Logistically it created some problems for players finishing up in one division and scheduled to play in another. It took about 3-4 days to straighten out the brackets and get the tournaments back on track. But all in all the Rio fared well throughout the storm.

Many of the other casinos in Vegas had to deal with flooding and more severe damage.

This was the first year that the U. S. Open 8-Ball Championship was held and according to Mark, “Since we are an 8 Ball tournament, it seemed to be a perfect fit. 8-Ball on the big tables and the level of the pro players could be almost a boring game but the finals were very exciting between Shane Van Boening and Carlo Biado. They ran a phenominal 19 out of 22 racks and it was exciting to watch.”

I spoke with Mark about changes for next year. It is always a good thing to look back at the event and identify areas where improvements can be made. You have to take the complaints from both the players and your staff and evaluate what can be done better. Here are some of the things that Mark is looking to do next year, “Rearranging the pavillion so that the space functions a little better. We may have changes for the Pro events but that is being formulated now. We had some awesome foreign players

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37th BCAPL National Championships that participated in the event and want to encourage them to come back.

The pro side had 20 - 9’ tables which was very expensive from a gas and shipping point of view. The Juniors ended up finishing up in front of a very small crowd after everything else finished so that might have to change for next year. The lighting grid presented some problems which caused set up delays and there were electronic systems that were supposed to be set up for the players that could not be installed because of the time constraints caused by the lighting. We were supposed to have kiosks for the BCAPL players to track their progress in the brackets.

The traffic was slow during the first few days of the tournament for the vendors but seemed to pick up when the teams got there. Food prices were high but we are working with the hotel to provide better pricing, daily specials, smaller portions and longer hours.

This was the first time using the Cyclop Balls for play and the feedback from the players was that the balls didn’t skid. Even the room temperature went up causing claminess, the balls performed well on the tables. The only complaint came from the 9-Ball players who found some difficulty distinguishing the colors of the balls.”

Considering the size and scope of the entire events and the interference of Mother Nature, this truly was the “Greatest Pool Tournament in the World.” For those of you not in attendance the combination of Amateur and Pro events was second to none. You don’t want to miss this event next year, the dates are scheduled for July 16 - 26, 2014.

Sponsors for the events were: CueSports International (playcsipool.com) Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino (riolasvegas.com) Diamond Billiard Products (diamondbilliards.net) Mueller Recreational Products (muellers.com) Simonis Cloth (simoniscloth.com) Tweeten Fibre / Master Chalk (tweeten.us) Delta-13 (delta-13.com) TAR – The Action Report (theactionreport.com) Billiards Digest (billiardsdigest.com) Magic Ball Rack (playbca.com/magicballrack.aspx) Cyclop Billiard Balls Official Cue of the CSI U.S. Open Events: Predator Cues (predatorcues.com) Official Cue of the BCAPL & USAPL National Championships: OB Cues (obcues.com) For more results: http://ctsondemand.com/TournamentHome. aspx?TournamentID=6310014 BCAPL Results (continued on page 16)

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August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 7

“The“The Viper” Viper” An Interview by:

An Interview with World Ranked Professional Nick Ekonomopoulos This month I am introducing you to WPA world ranked player, Nick Ekonomopoulos from Athens, Greece.

The Interview:

Melissa Little

Melissa “The Viper” Little has been a WPBA Touring Professional for over 10-years, she has represented the USA in Four WPA World Championships and has over 20 top-10 WPBA career finishes.

She teaches monthly clinics, gives private lessons, and has created a juniors program that promotes billiards education to the local youth. Recently, Melissa opened a new billiard supply store www.qzetta.com For more information about Melissa please visit: www.melissalittle.com

Read more articles

by Melissa Little at www.onthebreaknews.com

Just a little history on how I met Nick…

I was representing the USA in the 2000 WPA World championships in Quebec, Canada and Nick was representing Greece in the Junior World Championships at the tender age of 17. We hit it off well and hung out the entire time we were there. I have not seen Nick since then until this year at the “Southern Classic” event in Tunica, MS. and boy was I surprised how much he has grown into a world-class pool player and I am proud to interview him in this month’s “Ask the Viper”. What an honor to introduce him to you now….

Viper: Where were you born?

Nick: I was born in Athens, Greece in 1989 Viper: What are your biggest accomplishments in the sport of billiards?

Nick: 2012 Austrian Dynamic Open Champion, 2013 Belgrade Open Champion, 2012 Mosconi Cup European Champion, Runner-Up Champion @ The 2010 European 8-Ball Championships, currently ranked 6th on the Euro-Tour and 15th in the WPA world rankings.

Viper: Do you have a nickname yet?

Nick: They call me “Nick the Greek” Viper: What are your short-term goals?

Nick: To get my world ranking up into the top-10 and of course to win a world championship.

Viper: What your next upcoming event?

Nick: I am participating in the upcoming “World Masters of Pool” and I’m partnering up with Athens Pro Alex Kazkis in a doubles competition called the “World Cup of Pool” both events will be held in the UK this Fall.

Viper: What do you do when you’re not competing?

Nick: I opened my own pool hall when I was 24-years-old and its name is “Different”. Ten tables, open 24-hours a day and a restaurant. It’s located in Athens. We have weekly tournaments and its home for me.

Viper: Do you have siblings?

Nick: Yes, I have a younger sister and “No” she doesn’t play pool…. lol.

(Viper continued on page 32)

For Juniors Events, Tournament News, Sponsors, Lessons & For My Fans...

The WPBA Touring Profession

www.melissalittle.com 8 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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Ball in Mind

Tom Simpson

Tom Simpson

Master Instructor, National Billiard Academy, “Beat People With a Stick!”

© April 2008 – All Rights Reserved – PoolClinics.com

“Ball-in-Hand” (BIH) is an enormous penalty for the player who fouls in 9-Ball, in 10-Ball, and in some rule sets for 8-Ball. It’s also an enormous opportunity for the incoming player. Often, this opportunity is wasted.

Advanced players take full advantage of BIH, intelligently planning cueball placement, the shot, the position, and the strategy. Working with many novice and intermediate players, I find they typically fail to consider some of the aspects of the situation that are obvious to their more experienced opponents. They tend to rush in and plop the cueball down and shoot the first shot they see, and of course, don’t get the appropriate shape on the next shot.

My advice is “When you get Ball-in-Hand, take Ball-inMind.” Stop and study the table and the game situation.

Consider the current possibilities, the next shots, the layout problems, your skills, and your opponent’s skills. Make a plan before you place that cueball. In pool, the standard concern is always “How do I shoot the current shot in such a way that I get an angle on the next shot that takes me to the one after that.” We’re nearly always planning at least three balls. With BIH, we can think the plan through and set up the “current shot” in a way that most easily or naturally pockets the ball and gets us to the next shot or solves the next problem. Let’s look at the primary factors.

Good Plan: Study the table until you have arrived at the plan you will try to execute. This is a big opportunity. Your first idea might not be your best. Don’t be shortsighted. Good plans don’t always mean you run out for the win. Sometimes a safety or strategic ball re-arrangement is the smart play.

Good Shot Sequence: Don’t just shoot the ball that’s closest to a pocket. And don’t consider just the closest pockets for your first ball. When possible, chose position routes that are simple and natural – don’t shoot extreme, fancy shots with BIH. If you can’t get to your second shot from your first shot, it’s probably not a good plan. Minimize use of english on the first shot. Why make it harder?

Good Distance: Make the shot easy. Place the CB reasonably close to the OB. Too close and you might not have room for your full, normal stroke. Typical good distance is about a foot. Note: There is nothing manly about putting the CB four feet away when it’s not necessary. If possible, don’t place the CB where you have to stretch or use the mechanical bridge. Avoid rail bridges too,

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when you can.

Good Angle: Consider the shot angle for your CB placement. Is it an angle for which you have high confidence in pocketing the ball? Can you see the path the cueball will take off the OB, and is that the path you want? Thin cut angles will leave a lot of speed in the CB, while thick hits will take speed out of the ball. Shoot angles that make it easy to move the CB the amount of distance you want.

Good Speed: Once you have a good cueball plan and placement, and it’s time to shoot, you just have to think about speed. How much speed will it take, given the distance, angle of approach, and spin? Is this a comfortable, reliable speed for you?

Good Landing Zones: If you stand behind your next shot, you can use your stick to help you roughly visualize the wedge-shaped position zone you need to land in for that shot.

The wedge is smaller near the OB, which means it’s harder to land in that part of the zone. Smart players often play to roll across the fat part of the wedge or to roll toward the OB through the distant portion of the zone. This makes it a lot easier to stop successfully within the wedge.

Good Results: Draw is hard to control. Go for simple follow or stop shots. Don’t move the CB more than necessary. Don’t disturb balls that don’t need to be moved. Go for the easiest plan to execute. If your plan calls for you to do things at the outer limits of what you can reliably do, maybe you need to switch to a defensive plan. After you sink a ball, re-analyze your plan, adding a new third ball and adjusting for the new reality of the table situation.

Good Improvement: In practice, shoot hundreds of “ThreeBall Patterns.” Throw three balls on the table, study the layout, make a plan to run out, place the CB, and shoot the pattern you saw. Try to find the simplest, most natural plan.

Learn from what happens. If you’re playing in a league that allows coaching, or if you’re playing a friendly game, talk through your plan and their plan and see whether there is a good alternative you haven’t thought of or a problem you haven’t foreseen.

So when you get Ball-in-Hand, don’t play Ball-in-Hope.

Seize the opportunity – take Ball-in-Mind. Plan your play and then play your plan. And remember the #1 rule of BIH: Don’t miss!

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 9

COLUMNIST

Bob Jewett

San Francisco Billiard Academy www.sfbilliards.com San Francisco Billiard Academy is a BCA Certified Master Academy.

The Billiard University

Would you like to have a more organized practice routine -- one that covers nearly all aspects of play?

Are you curious as to how you stack up against other players? If so, there is a new web site that can provide help. BilliardUniversity.Org was developed

by Dave Alciatore and Randy Russell. You may remember Dr. Dave as my co-author on the DVD series “Video Encyclopedia of Pool Practice.”

The basic idea behind Dave and Randy’s site is to provide a series of tests to allow two things.

The first is to test your current level of pool proficiency. A first exam has seven parts that test your basic pocketing and positioning skills. Each part is scored according to how many balls you pocket or how accurately you can move the cue ball to the required area. At the end you add up the individual scores to get a first estimate of your playing level.

You next move on to a second test -- labelled “Bachelors”, “Masters”, and “Doctorate” to fit in with the “University” theme -- depending on how well you did on the first test, with each test increasingly difficult. Adding up the scores from the two tests tells you whether you get your “diploma” and what level it is. A list of “graduates” on the web site shows how others have done. While access to all of the exams and help with how to work on them is free, if you want to be listed and get an actual diploma, there is a charge.

The diagram is from the Doctorate level exam and is one of three nine ball run out patterns that make up one of the ten sub-tests of that exam. The balls are placed as shown and you have to try to run out with ball in hand to start. You get one point for each ball pocketed before a miss or foul.

Bob Jewett

that is that you are “crossing the line of position” and you have to control your speed pretty well to get the correct angle on the 4.

A better way to get on the 4 is to place the cue ball at B and follow off the side cushion and back to B. Since you will be rolling along the line you want for quite a distance, your speed control is not so important.

An even simpler way to get to the 4 is to place the cue ball at D, pocket the 3 in X and follow softly to B. This kind of position with ball in hand is often overlooked because most players will not try for “short side” position during normal play if anything else is available. With ball in hand, you can choose the exact spot you need to make the follow shot easy and natural.

Well, we’ve covered the first shot of the layout and I hope you’ve learned something about what you can presently do and what you need to work on. How would you plan the rest of the shots for the run out?

X

D

6

3

4

C

A

B

7

5

If you work with this diagram for a while, you can learn a lot about the easy ways to get position as well as your own limitations. Consider the transition from the 3 ball to the 4 ball. The simplest way is to place the cue ball at A and draw it straight back to A. This will leave a cut on the 4 so you can go to the side rail and go towards the 5.

Simplest is not always best, however. If your draw is off a little, you may leave yourself straight in on the 4 ball or maybe not quite straight in and with an angle -- or lack of angle -- that makes it had to get to the 5. If your follow is better than your draw, you could place the cue ball at C and follow to the end cushion and out to B. The downside of

10 Stroke Magazine - August 2013 www.StrokeMagazine.net

8

9 REJ

CHALK TALK Sponsored by: Master Chalk

BY: DON AKERLOW

ARE YOU READY for some pool .... leagues

THE SKY IS NO LIMIT

In September and early October pool leagues are starting up all across the country. Players begin practicing, signing up, trying to get on a team, looking for the best player for your team. Hopes run high to be the top shooter, top gun, high points. For a team to win their league, to qualify for nationals, for singles and teams, anticipation runs high.

Time to get a new tip or the old one fixed, maybe a new shaft, a new case, new products, a jump cue and maybe .... even a new cue. Anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars.

What most players don’t do is more important than what they do. Learn how to chalk your tip. It will keep chalk on your tip when you hit the cue. This will help you not to miscue. The best chalk I have found, if you, like many others like to chalk your cue after each shot, is from our sponsor Master Chalk.

players and practice what they do especially when they have won the tournament. Watch what english they use and what the cue ball does after they hit the object ball. If you lose out in a tournament don’t get angry and leave, take the time to learn from players who have beat you and are better than you. Ask them what english they used on that shot you couldn’t believe they made. Most will talk or brag about it. You can learn and practice.

Most important have fun!!!

Hope to see you in Vegas next year!

In my opinion, never buy a cue unless you can road test it first. Play with it, make sure it feels good, how it strokes, the weight balance, whether a forward weight or rear. Can you chalk it up and hit the cue ball and make it dance?

Of course only when you are just showing off. The best stroke you can get from your cue is when you keep it simple. It’s like I have always told myself KISS .... (keep it simple stupid).

Now the next thing you need to know is to go out and play the best damn pool you know how. If you need to get some lessons, find a qualified instructor. They can and will improve your game. Be patient along with leagues, play some weeklies, some weekend tournaments and some big tournaments. A secret that you may or may not know is to watch better

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August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 11

Get a Grip

BY: SHARI ROSS

W.T.F. Shari?

I guess I need to explain in detail why I am writing these letters. It seems that my intentions have gotten lost in the words and the feelings they have brought about. Let me reiterate I am not calling people out nor am I trying to dog anyone or any organization. If it is looked at like a business we can then remove the hurt feelings because it is no longer personal. I set out on this journey with the intent of making us all aware of the status of our sport and how our actions influence it. So that we may bring about change that will validate pool as a respectable game that people want to watch and support. In the age of the internet we are being streamed around the world making it imperative we check our words and actions so we may start repairing our image rather than proving why we have the one we do.

Now is the time for the climb and we need to start it right, the next generation needs to step up and participate in helping make the changes and running things. It is very apparent that the world is not interested in what we are doing now, so how do we change that? This is one of the questions I have been racking my brain over.

What I do know is that not only is change needed but it is coming, how fast and does it arrive in time is up to ALL of us. Over the years I have

am getting involved in the WBCA. This is just witnessed this sport wither and rot like fruit fallen one of the places needing help from us, how from the tree. You use to be able to watch pool on many times have you seen a tournament director TV most every week, the women and men, now playing their event? Maybe next time offer to help its hard to find one a month. We used to have while they play to keep things moving. Don't several rooms in most towns to choose from, now know how to run a board... maybe its time to we are lucky to have one, and probably not even learn. In the end the only one who can help us is a good one at that. And when you did walk into us. We must demand better of and for ourselves. these rooms there was always something going Please offer your help but only where you have on. You may ask how can I help I don’t have the ability. Please don't accept roles you can not fulfill time? But all it really takes is being professional or offer time you don't have this only hurts. In and grown up with our actions. Now don't get order to rise to the status of other professional me wrong we do need new people to help with sports we first need to believe ourselves that we all aspects behind the scenes, that is people who belong. Am I the only one who sees the extinction have the time and the passion to improve on what on the horizon, or just the only one who cares? we have. Also in need are people with special skill If you do care about this sport then step up sets for the business side. If it takes a village to and prove it. So many want a place to practice raise a child what does it take to raise up a whole and expect there to be tournaments to play but community? If you are not sure how you can don't want to do their part for the growth and help but would like to please ask those who are progression of pool. The time is now, if we wait running things in your area. I don't know about till we are asked it will be too late. WE MUST where you live but here in Seattle those running EVOLVE OR WE WILL BE EXTINCT. Don't the show have been for a while and it is time for put off till tomorrow what must be done today a changing of the guard. They have put in their for tomorrow never comes! time plus some, now it is time for them to hand over the reins and relax and play. So you know I don't say these things IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND OR MAKE A COMMENT and not do it myself, I EMAIL- POOL@ONTHEBREAKNEWS.COM SUBJECT- GET A GRIP

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12 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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TABLE TALK

BY: MICHAEL K/ GLASS

Pool is Child’s Play

Michael K Glass Michael Glass has been teaching pool for close to 10 years. He is a Recognized PBIA Billiards Instructor, taught by none other than Bob Jewett of the San Francisco Billiard Academy.

Michael has been playing pool almost all of his life (except when he was in the Navy — it’s hard to install a pool table on a rocking ship!). He managed to stay away from the hustler life; he doesn’t believe in being dishonest in order to win money. He will, however, occasionally play for a beer or two at the local watering hole. Michael teaches all levels of pool players, from beginner to pro, and works on all aspects of the game, from fundamentals, to pattern play, to trick shots.

He can be found playing in his home town of San Ramon, CA at Crown Billiards. Visit his website at mikekglass.com for pool tips or to schedule a lesson!

I created this column to bring you, the reader, a fresh perspective on some professional and semi-professional matches. The goal is to share a video with you, and direct you to some highlights to illustrate my points. You enjoy a wonderful video of two great players, and get to bask in my immense wisdom. Ahem... or something like that.

This month, I attended the 2013 BCAPL National Championships at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada -- both as a participant in the Mixed Open Team Tournament, and as a spectator for the Pro events. I thought it would be great to share a video with you that was fresh and new, and was from an event I was fortunate enough to witness first-hand.

However, that is not going to happen. I have three reasons for that: 1. I could not record my own video. Video recording was strictly prohibited.

2. The authorized recording, done by The Action Report, is not yet published.

3. Something else happened during my stay there that I really want to talk about.

Ok, so the biggest reason is #3. I promise next month’s article will be all about the video, and I hope to use a match from the event.

I love to teach, and I love kids. So when I heard about the Billiard Education Foundation, I knew right away that I wanted to get involved. I spoke to their representatives, and I’m well on my way!

I also had the privilege of sitting next to the parents of two of the girls involved in the event. As we were waiting for the semifinal match between Carlo Biado and Walter Cheng, they told me how their daughters were doing (Amy, 10 and Karen, 13 -- not their real names). Both were still in the winners’ bracket! They told us how they placed 3rd and 4th in the Internationals, and how they owned six (six!!!) pool tables back home. They were obviously quite proud.

Or so I thought. Then the father kept talking. Here’s how our conversation went (slightly paraphrased, I am going from memory): Me: “Wow, you must be very proud of your daughters. Which one is Karen?”

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Dad: “That’s her over there, in the light blue.”

Me: “Ah, I see. Is she winning?”

Dad: “Yes, but she’s making mistakes. She keeps leaving the 9-ball in the pocket.”

Me: “Aw, that’s too bad. Must be tough pressure here for these girls.”

Dad: “Yeah, they’ve been through it before. Aw, she just missed again.”

As we continued to watch her match, her opponent made a difficult 7 down the rail. She left a tough 8-ball, and missed.

Karen stepped up to the table, and thought for a minute. She seemed very focused. She got down on her shot, and banked the 8-ball into the side pocket! Several of us applauded. Not Dad. He was shaking his head.

“Look at this. She has a long 9-ball shot up the table. She’s going to leave it in the jaws again.”

I stared at him for a moment in disbelief, then looked back at the table. We were a long way from the table, so we couldn’t tell how difficult the shot really was. Karen took aim, gave a few practice strokes, then neatly cut the 9-ball into the side to win the match! We all cheered! All but one, that is...

Dad just shook his head. I could understand the nervousness he must have felt, but wow, was he negative! Surely he wouldn’t put that onto his daughter, though... right?

Karen walked up to her parents, and I congratulated her on her win. She smiled warmly at me, and I saw that look in her eyes. She knew what was coming, because it probably happened all the time. She looked at her Dad... and he said to her “did you see how many times you left the 9-ball in the pocket for her? 4 times.”

I tried to give her a little support: “Aw, she was just trying to give her opponent a fighting chance,” and winked at Karen.

She gave a wan smile as her parents herded her away. He continued telling her everything she did wrong in that match as they disappeared into the crowd.

As we were watching the Cheng/Biado match, I watched Karen’s next match when I could (she was at the next table over). She got up 4-0 early. Then, she lost a few in a row. I cringed to think what her father was going to say to her. Soon, the match was tied 6-6 in a race to 7. Next time I looked, (Glass continued on page 32)

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 13

14 Stroke Magazine - November 2012

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entHome.

am and.com/Tourn http://ctsondem tID=6310014 aspx?Tournamen

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August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 15

SINGLES 2013 BCAPL Results

http://ctsondemand.com/TournamentHome.aspx?TournamentID=6310014 All League Photos courtesy of: Paul Smith - LasVegasPhotoVideo.com

Women’s Open (268 entries) 1st $3,800 2nd $2,700 3rd $2,100 4th $1,600 5/6 $1,200

7/8 $850

9-12 $600

13-16 $425

Khanh Ngo (San Francisco, CA) Eugenia Gyftopoulos (Baltimore, MD) Stephanie Hefner (Folsom, CA) Shaundra Norquay (Victoria, BC) Amanda Pulley (Phoenix, AZ), Masae Aitoku (San Francisco, CA) Kelly Hotchkiss (Portage, IN), Lynn Parsons (Huntington, WV) Sophie Lopez (San Antonio, TX), Sheila Clark (Newport, WA), Kim Shannon (Houston, TX), Bonnie Arnold (Racine, WI) Janet Leslie (Prince George, BC), Tammy Brooks (Rochester, NY) Rachel Petersen-Pagan (McAlester OK), Sonia M Flores (Mesa, AZ)

rand Masters 1st Women’s G t Brittany Bryan

Women’s Grand Masters

Women’s Open 9-Ball

(87 entries) single elimination 1st $900 Bonnie Arnold (Racine, WI) 2nd $600 Shar Vanderstyne (San Diego, CA) 3/4 $400 Samantha Barrett (Malden, MA),

Ashea Erdahl (Las Vegas, NV) 5-8 $200 Sharon Cohen (Antioch, IL),

Jaye Succo (Phoenix, AZ),

Lisa Porter (Paragould, AR),

Kelly Hotchkiss (Portage, IN)

Women’s Masters 1st $1,800 2nd $1,200 3rd $900 4th $600 5/6 $350

7/8 $200

9-12 $100

(25 entries) Eleanor Callado (San Bruno, CA) Tara Williams (Ft Worth, TX) Nicole Keeney (Littleton, CO) Betty Lea (Conyers, GA) Morgan Steinman (Hamilton, MT), Kim Broughton (Reno, NV) Stacy Allsup (Las Vegas, NV), Emily Duddy (Staten Island, NY) Susan R Williams (Chandler, AZ), Kim Hole (Auburn, WA), Cindy Sliva (Tacoma, WA), Edie Dean (Attica, OH)

(6 entries) 1st $1,000 Brittany Bryant (Guelph, ON) 2nd $550 Melissa Little (Denver, CO) 3rd $300 Jia Li (Newburgh, NY)

1st Women’s Adva nced Briana Miller

Women’s Advanced (53 entries) 1st $2,900 2nd $2,000 3rd $1,400 4th $1,000 5/6 $700

7/8 $400

9-12 $250

Briana Miller (Allentown, PA) Bernie Store (Meza, AZ) Liz Lovely (Centerville, OH) Kelly O’Heron (Wausau, WI) Carol James (Lakewood, CO), Aimee Peterson (Aurora, CO) Cindy Yazzie (Farmington NM), Andrea M Shiffman (Woodside, NY) Connie O’Heron (Wausau, WI), Eve Stockstill (Oregon Cit,y OR), Noel Campos (Modesto, CA), Katy Moore (Las Vegas, NV)

Luke Thomas (Salem, OR) Joey Gray (Oklahoma City, OK) Jamie Welch (Beloit, WI) Adam Behnke (Dubuque, IA) Brian Sanders (Leander, TX), Tommy Paulowske (Kansasville, WI) Tres Kane III (Glendale, AZ), James Davis Sr (Manor, TX)

d

dvance 3rd Women’s A Liz Lovely 16 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

(206 entries) 1st $3,500 2nd $2,400 3rd $1,800 4th $1,300 5/6 $900

7/8 $650

9-12 $475

13-16 $350

Don Owen (Allen, TX) L C Carter (Kent, WA) Frank Almanza (Upland, CA) Lupe Rosas Sr (Saginaw, MI) Ed Borrego (Denver, CO), Harry Platis (Mill Creek, WA) Mickey Elefterion (Houston, TX), Al O’Rear (N Little Rock, AR) John Aranda (Gresham, OR), Roy Goodwill (Regina, SK), Angel Garcia (Thornton, CO), Joe Ross (Colorado Springs, CO) George Swackhammer (Wildomar, CA), Paul Weigand (Wichita, KS), Bob Oliver (Little Rock, AR), Ron Lincoln (Aurora, CO)

Men’s Open

Men’s Masters

(28 entries) 1st $2,300 2nd $1,300 3rd $800 4th $500 5/6 $300

7/8 $225

Men’s Super Seniors

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(1,086 entries) 1st $10,500 2nd $6,500 3rd $4,500 4th $3,500 5/6 $2,700

7/8 $2,000

9-12 $1,500

13-16 $1,100

T J Steinhaus (Clearwater, MN) Paul Scott (Antioch, IL) Tyler VanWulven (La Mesa, CA) Lake MacKay (Victoria, BC) John Sullivan (Enfield MIDDX), Ryan Anderson (Avondale, AZ) Reynaldo Campana (Stockton, CA), Chad Behnke (Farley, IA) Jaynard Orque (Pleasanton, CA), Corey Fuld (Red Oak, TX), Skip Nikakis (Corona, CA), Anthony Beeler (Bradfordsville, KY) Eric Packar (Claremore, OK, Chris Paradowski (Tucson, AZ), Steve Boucher (St Peter’s, MO), Thom Wan (Sparta, NJ)

SINGLES 2013 BCAPL Results

http://ctsondemand.com/TournamentHome.aspx?TournamentID=6310014

9-Ball Challenge (144 entries) 1st $2,700 2nd $1,900 3rd $1,400 4th $$$$ 5/6 $900

7/8 $700

David Alcaide Bermudez (Cangas De Morrazo PON) Marc Vidal Claramunt (Aurora, CO) Danny Gokhul (London GREAT) Daryl Peach (Blackpool CHESH) Zeke Morrison (San Diego, CA), Jimmy Moore (Las Vegas, NV) Jayson Shaw (Glasgow GB), Nick Tafoya (Albuquerque, NM)

Women’s Senior 1st 2nd 3rd

(67 entries) $1,800 Linda Asleson (Billings, MT) $1,300 Connie Williams (Broken Arrow, OK) $900 Kim Anderson (Boise, ID)

1st 9-Ball Challen ge David Alcaide Ber mudez

1st Men’s Advance d Matt Beckwith

Men’s Advanced

anced 2nd Men’s Adv ch Steven McAnin

Men’s Senior

(135 entries) 1st $4,200 2nd $3,000 3rd $2,300 4th $1,700 5/6 $1,300

7/8 $900

9-12 $650

13-16 $450

Matt Beckwith (Big Rapids, MI) Steven McAninch (Toledo, OH) Dean Flanders (Fargo, ND) Adam King (Aurora, CO) Jerry Young (Hobbema AB), Ruben Silva Jr (Colorado Springs, CO) Chris Kovacs (Kings Langley NSW), Jim Carmona (Las Vegas, NV) Brett Stottlemyer (Pasadena, MD), Scott Cohen (Haanover Park, IL), Craig Powers (Greenfield, WI), Randy Jordan (LaGrange, GA) Ray Skenandore (Las Vegas, NV), Dario Woodside (Nassau, NP), Bob Herchik (Las Vegas, NV), Clay Dorrell (Texola, OK)

SINGLES

d Masters 3rd Men’s Gran Dennis Hatch

Men’s Grand Masters (14 entries) 1st $3,200 2nd $1,100 3rd $700 4th $400 5/6 $220

Stan Tourangeau (Ferndale, WA) Marc Vidal Claramunt (Aurora, CO) Dennis Hatch (Buffalo, NY) Harvey Shognosh (Forest RR2, ON) Shane McMinn (Ponca City, OK) Tony Robles, Jr (New York, NY)

(251 entries) 1st $3,500 2nd $2,500 3rd $1,800 4th $1,300 5/6 $900

7/8 $650

9-12 $525

13-16 $400

Gil Hernandez (Mt Prospect, IL) Bob Pisut (Joliet, IL) Elias Garza (Richwood, TX) Bill Pence (Sherman Oaks, CA) Ron Dobosenski (Madison, WI), Junior Brown Jr (Wichita, KS) Bill Skinner (Aurora, CO), Bob Greenstein (Medicine Hat, AB) Arturo Rivera (Atascadero CA), Kenny Ellis (Austin, TX), Joe Cannella Jr (Las Vegas, NV), Mando Canales (El Paso, TX) John A Abruzzo Sr (Aurora, IL), David Hathman (Springfield, MO), Ken Crane (Langley, BC), John Kastris (Spokane, WA)

1861 W Tennessee St. Tallahassee, Florida

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Men’s 9-Ball Open

(342 entries)-single elimination 1st $2,000 Crispian Ng (Carrollton, TX) 2nd $1,350 Chad Behnke (Farley, IA) 3/4 $850 Jaynard Orque (Pleasanton, CA),

Tommy Najar (Marietta, GA) 5-8 $550 Ryan Behnke (Farley, IA),

Doug Whaley (Antioch, CA),

Johnny Vasquez (Fort Collins, CO),

John Rizya (Indio, CA)

BCAPL Results (continued on page 22)

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August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 17

Dennis Orcollo is U.S. Open One Pocket Champion Dennis Orcollo won a marathon 5-hour One Pocket final against Corey Deuel 5-3 to claim the crown. In a discipline which he is still learning Orcollo’s pure shotmaking ability prevailed and enabled him to beat the odds and the field to the top.

Orcollo is a fast learner. He picked up some of the pointers on the game from Jay Helfert before the matches began and then used his powers of observation to absorb the facets he needed to win. Along the way he had to beat Corey Deuel twice as well as other experienced one-holers like Chris Bartram and Larry Nevel.

Accustomed to the much faster-paced rotation games like 9-Ball and

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Dennis ORCOLLO Corey DEUEL Carlo BIADO Scott FROST Francisco BUSTAMANTE Chris BARTRAM Ike RUNNELS Justin HALL Warren KIAMCO Bernie PETTIPIECE Larry NEVEL Joey GRAY Shane VAN BOENING Jose PARICA Santos SAMBAJON Tommy TOKOPH

10-Ball, Orcollo never lost patience or composure as the One Pocket matches drug out to their conclusions. He never got hurried or resorted to overly-risky moves, though he found few situations that he could not turn to an advantage. He sank numerous two-rail offangle banks that garnered him the respect of the experienced fans watching him work his magic.

$7,500 $4,800 $3,300 $2,200 $1,500 $1,500 $1,000 $1,000 $600 $600 $600 $600 $360 $360 $360 $360

s i n n e D o l l o c r O Photo by: Don Akerlow

18 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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y e n d o R s i r r o M

Rocket Launches Late, Then Soars to Victory in US Open 10-Ball Rodney “Rocket” Morris has won the US Open 10-Ball Championship in fine style. He came into the finals facing a dominant Dennis Orcollo who had run through the brackets undefeated to claim the hot seat.

The first half of the match was all Orcollo. He ran rack after rack while Morris cooled in his chair and soon enjoyed a 9-2 lead in the race to 13 games. But then Orcollo suffered a dry break and Morris took over. From that point on Orcollo would only claim one more point while Morris kept racking up win after win. In the end Morris got to the hill at 12-10 and looked good to win easily. Then he dogged the 10 ball and Orcollo faced a shot everyone was certain he would make. But he failed in that attempt and Morris pocketed the 10 for the win.

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Rodney MORRIS Dennis ORCOLLO Lee Vann CORTEZA Jia-Qing WU Pin-Yi KO Carlo BIADO Jin-Hu DANG Mike DECHAINE Jayson SHAW Jonathan PINEGAR John MORRA Denis GRABE Charlie WILLIAMS Shane VAN BOENING Thorsten HOHMANN Darren APPLETON Francisco BUSTAMANTE Jeremy SOSSEI Santos SAMBAJON Mike DAVIS Karl BOYES Mika IMMONEN Travis MCKINNEY Kenichi UCHIGAKI

$15,000 $8,500 $5,400 $4,100 $3,100 $3,100 $2,300 $2,300 $1,650 $1,650 $1,650 $1,650 $1,250 $1,250 $1,250 $1,250 $925 $925 $925 $925 $925 $925 $925 $925

Photo by: Don Akerlow

Victory in U.S. Open 10-Ball

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 19

e n a g h n i S n e o B n Va BY: DON AKERLOW All pool players know playing 8-Ball on a 9’ table is a mere break make a ball and run out, at least that is the scenario for the pro players. In my opinion, 8-Ball should be played on 8’ or 7’ tables. The reason is simple, more clusters.

With clusters it gives the player a chance to show off your skills, sometimes weaving your way through the clusters and the balls. Any league player will tell you, it gives you the opportunity to get to the table. The pros play 8-Ball on 9’ tables like a hot knife through butter. Impressive run outs with little to no clusters. This was the story in the first four games.

In the 5th game Carlo Biado missed, Shane Van Boening runs out, goes up 3-2 with the break, very important in a race to 11 win by 2. For whatever reason Shane misses, taking his eye off the ball, concentration... It really doesn’t matter the reason, he missed. The 250 spectators sigh ... an unexpected miss that would have put him up 2 games. Carlo runs out and ties it 3-3.

They trade back and forth through the 18th game. Again Carlo misses. You could see the frustration on his face. Shane runs out and goes up 10-9 and Van Boening is breaking. He makes a few balls and again misses, same scenario.

Shane hits his shaft against the top of the rail in frustration. I have never seen this from him before. You could hear the crowd gasp in disbelief. Carlo again ties the match for a 3rd time. Shane has another chance to go up by 1 and he’s breaking.

Now it wasn’t as simple as that being up one game and breaking then running out. It would come down to the last three shots. He would have to bring it.

Getting a little bit out of shape more and more but making each shot harder, but making them. With the cue straight on to the 8, this would be a back door cut to the side pocket no easy shot for anyone. He looks at it... gets up... re-looks at it... and then with the precision of a master craftsman drills it in the center of the side pocket with authority to win the first annual U. S. Open 8-Ball Championship! Over four hours of great shot making and superb play from both players.

I was told by a friend during the match that Shane was helping some players with their game the night before. He was breaking and cracked his ferrule. He was shooting in the finals with a new ferrule and tip that he had to get replaced in the morning hours.

Carlo won the Hard Time Bellflower 10-Ball tournament just weeks before, shook Shane’s hand, like the gentleman he is, and left the arena before the photos. After the match Shane stayed around to take photos with fans and event coordinators. A true ambassador of the game.

Shane has been the best player in the United States for at least half a decade and maybe longer. The only thing left for him other than adding to his resume in the States is to become a world champion many times over. This is within his reach!!!

20 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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Shan VAN BOENING Carlo BIADO Walter CHENG Jayson SHAW Warren KIAMCO Pin-Yi KO Rodney MORRIS Sean CHENG Francisco BUSTAMANTE Oscar DOMINGUEZ Chris BARTRAM Mark HADDAD Jeremy SOSSEI Juan Carlos EXPOSITO Shaun WILKIE John MORRA Jia-Qing WU Jin-Hu DANG Karl BOYES Scott FROST Ernesto DOMINGUEZ Phil BURFORD Can WANG Lee Vann CORTEZA Santos SAMBAJON Chris MELLING Daryl PEACH Hunter LOMBARDO Erki ERM Ping Chyng KO Adam BEHNKE Shane MCMINN

15,000 8,500 5,400 4,100 3,100 3,100 2,300 2,300 1,650 1,650 1,650 1,650 1,250 1,250 1,250 1,250 925 925 925 925 925 925 925 925 675 675 675 675 675 675 675 675

Photo by: Don Akerlow

U. TheS.goodOPEN 8-BALL FINALS and the bad of playing on a 9’ table ... playing 8-ball.

Neil Walsley goes

undefeated

at Clifton Billiards’ A/D Tri-State Tour event Neil’s tournament trail included wins over Dave Shlemperis 7 - 4; Scott Bannon 7 - 5; Harry Guevarez 7 - 5; Scott Simonetti 7 - 5; and Tony Ignomirelo 7 - 5 for the Hot Seat. During this time, up and coming, Yomaylin “Smiley” Feliz, suffering a first round match to Dave Ascolese 7 - 6. On the loss, Smiley won eight matches in a row against some strong players, like Carl Yusuf Khan; Scott bannon; and well known Scott Simonetti, to reach the Finals.

During the Finals, Neil and Yomaylin traded games until tied at 4 to 4. Neil got a second wind and won three games in a row to win the event 7 - 4.

The next Tri-State will be held on August 3, 2013 at Castle Billiards in East Rutherford, NJ. Thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.

1st Neil Walmsley 2nd Yomaylin Feliz 2rd Tony Ignomirello 4th Grant Weldon 5th Scott Simonetti, Ambi Estevez 7-8 Rhio Anne Flores, Jay Choi 9-12 Harry Guevarez, Rajesh Vannala, Mike Davie, Greg Matos

Left-Right: Tony Ignomirello, Neil Walmsley, Yomaylin Feliz

KEITH ADAMIK wins

During the Tour's opening 2013 - 2014 season event, Keith won 10 straight matches after suffering a first round match to Stewart Warnock 7 - 0. While Basdeo "Shawn" Sookhai sat patiently in the Hot Seat, Keith went through the loss side.

His tournament trail included wins over Chuck Giallorenzo 7 - 3; Meshak Danial 7 - 5; Dave Shlemperis 7 - 4; Paul Bramwell 7 - 5; Marco Costello; Bogie Uzdejczyk 7 - 3; Lidio Ramirez 7 - 6; Bob Toomey 9 - 6, and Kim Meyer-Gabia 8 - 6, to face Basdeo in the Finals.

During their match, the two players tied at 2 games all before Keith asserted himself and never looked back with a 9 - 3 victory. Congratulations goes out to Kim for a solid 3rd place finish and Bob Toomey with an impressive 7 win/ 2 loss record.

Thank you to Sterling-Gaming, Ozone Billiards, Qpod, Heptig Cues, Steve Dunkle Cues, Kamui Tips, Phil Capelle, BlueBook Publishing, and Human Kinetics for their sponsorship leading to this event.

1st Keith Adamik 2nd Basdeo Sookhai 3rd Kim Meyer-Gabia 4th Bob Toomey 5-6 Lidio Ramirez, Tony Ignomirello 7-8 Bogie Uzdejczyk, Robert Veit 9-12 Yomaylin Feliz, Marco Costello Moses Okoro, Steve Persaud

Lucky

Left -Right: Basdeo“Shawn”Sookhai; Kim Meyer-Gabia; Keith Adamik

7 Billiards

4850 South State Road 7

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Hollywood, FL 954-239-8254

Home of the Pink Table (pinkie)

14 Pool Tables - 1 Snooker Table - Weekly Pool Tournaments APA - TAP - Player Leagues

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August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 21

2013 BCAPL Results

http://ctsondemand.com/TournamentHome.aspx?TournamentID=6310014 All League Photos courtesy of: Paul Smith - LasVegasPhotoVideo.com

8MSD

h Doubles tc o c S d e c n a v d 1st A x Olinger Liz Lovely, Ale

(28 teams) 1st $1,900 2nd $1,300 3rd $900 4th $600 5/6 $300

Master Scotch Doubles Sulsar-Williams (Dennison, TX) Kuhl-Larsen (Henderson, NV) Robles Jr – Glazebrook (New York, NY) Sanders – Sanders (Leander, TX) Davis Sr – Kraber (Austin,TX), Thomas – Stockstill (Salem, OR)

1st Open Scotc h Doubles Rob Metz Jr, E ugenia Gyftop oulos

SCOTCH DOUBLES

8ASD

Advanced Scotch Doubles (59 entries) 1st $2,000 Olinger – Lovely (Dayton, OH) 2nd $1,400 Johnson – Hansen (Little Canada, MN) 3rd $1,000 Bayaua Jr – Garland (Houston, TX) 4th $650 Carmona – Martinez (Las Vegas, NV) 5/6 $400 Harada Jr – Huang (Los Angeles, CA),

Fitzpatrick – Maglio (Madison, WI) 7/8 $250 Marquez – Carter (Portland, OR),

Bersenadze – Jones (Seattle, WA)

22 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

8OSD

tch Doubles 3rd Master Sco ok , Gail Glazebro Tony Robles Jr

www.StrokeMagazine.net

Open Scotch Doubles (299 teams race to 4) 1st $3,100 Metz Jr – Gyftopoulos (Baltimore, MD) 2nd $2,100 List – Williams (Catoosa, OK) 3rd $1,600 Barbosa – Bedard Smith (Edmonton, AB) 4th $1,300 Sena – Holl (Kewashkum, WI) 5/6 $1,000 Rosas Sr – Rosas (Saginaw, MI),

Burkhart – Pulley (Phoenix, AZ) 7/8 $700 Hanson – Jacobs (Devils Lake, ND),

Ensley – Linerode (Converse, TX) 9-12 $500 Kane – Madiener (Brooklyn, VA),

Golarz – Hotchkiss (Portage, IN)

Real – Zamorez (Indio, CA),

Robles – Lopez (San Antonio, TX) 13-16 $375 Phillipe III – Rogers (Everett, WA),

Barrett – Asleson (Billings, MT)

Goodman – Preston (Springfield, OR),

Ambang – Rose (Vancouver, BC)

TEAMS

2013 BCAPL Results

http://ctsondemand.com/TournamentHome.aspx?TournamentID=6310014

1st Mixed Adv anced/Master T eam: The Pool Steven McAnin Room ch, Dave McIl hargy, Danny Smith, Dennis Woolle y

8MAMT

Mixed Advanced/Master Teams (30 teams race to 11) 1st $4,000 The Pool Room (Toledo, OH) 2nd $2,800 The Heina Kings (Victorville, CA) 3rd $1,900 The Assassins (Houston, TX) 4th $1,300 MOJO (Calgary, AB) 5/6 $800 Mad Dog Saloon (Sheboygan, WI),

Team McDermott (Greenfield, WI) 7/8 $500 Senior Discount (Columbus, MN),

Ship It (Mount Laurel, NJ) 9-12 $300 Charberis 1 (Roanoke, VA),

Joes Regency Boys (Edmond, OK) With Ourselves (Denver, CO),

Bullfrogs No Chance (Grand Valley, PA)

eam: Bad Boyz 1st Mixed Open T son, Kenny Tran aw L n ea D r, le ee B Anthony

9MOT

Mixed Open Teams (96 entries race to 11 – single elimination) 1st $2,800 Bad Boyz (Frankfort, KY) 2nd $1,800 Hurricane Higgins (New York, NY) 3-4 $1,000 Fun N Run (Everett, WA),

Sam’s Billiards (Tigard, OR) 5-8 $500 Bull Shooters (Hartshorne, OK), Who Needs a Billiard Coach? (Cottage Grove, MN)

Odessa BAD BOYS (Midland, TX),

Grindin’ Golf Co. (Sherwood, AR)

TEAMS

8WOT

Women’s Open Teams (112 teams) 1st $3,800 Born Ready (Grand Prairie, TX) 2nd $2,700 Lady Bull Shooters (Catoola, OK) 3rd $1,900 Moark Angels & Demons (Paragould, AR) 4th $1,600 Get the Stew (Kettering, OH) 5/6 $1,000 Victorious Secret (Houston, TX),

Boom Shaka Laka (Dallas, TX) 7/8 $750 That’s Unfortunate (Kirkland, WA), River City Billiards (Peoria, IL) 9-12 $600 Sportsmen’s Ladies (San Antonio, TX), On the Prowl (Pico Rivera, CA)

Do Something (San Antonio, TX), Fox Force Four (Chula Vista, CA) 13-16 $450 Lookin’ for Trouble (New York, NY), Anchorage Billiard Palace (Anchorage, AK)

Sportsmen’s Misfits (Marysville, OH),

5 Corners (Pocatello, ID)

8WAMT

(14 teams) 1st $2,500 2nd $1,700 3rd $1,200 4th $700 5th $300

icane Higgins rr u H : m a e T n e ebat, 2nd Mixed Op ne, Roger Pach a K n so Ja l, a e Trevor H om Wan Ed Sumner, Th

9WOT

Women’s Open Teams (29 teams single elimination) 1st $1,350 On The Prowl (Brea, CA) 2nd $850 We Win (Las Vegas, NV) 3-4 $450 Main Street Jugs (Omaha, NE),

Anchorage Billiards (Anchorage, AK) 5-8 $200 Night Shift (Romulus, MI),

Bad Azz Babes Minus 1 (Glendale, AZ)

We Aim to “Cheese” (St Joe, MI),

21 Pool Room (Huntington, WV)

Women’s Advanced/Master Teams

NPL Chix (Kelso, WA) Bad Azz Babes (Chandler, AZ) Get Outtha Way (Henderson, NV) California Cue T’s (San Leandro, CA) Fight Like a Girl (Sandusky, OH), Jackson Custom Cues (Madison, WI)

www.StrokeMagazine.net

8MOT

Mixed Open Teams (554 teams) 1st $12,000 Pocket Pool Junkies (Hickory Hills, IL) 2nd $8,000 Club 91 (Pocatello, ID) 3rd $6,100 West Coast Sharks (La Mesa, CA) 4th $5,000 21 Pool Room B (Hurricane, WV) 5/6 $4,000 Sam’s Billiards (Beaver Creek, OR),

Bullshooters (McAlester, OK) 7/8 $3,000 What’s Your Team Name? (Lakewood, CO),

Grandpa & the Morons (Victoria, BC) 9-12 $2,200 No Flash (Anthem, AZ),

Team Jackson Cue (Heartland, WI)

The System (Sachse, TX),

No Air (San Diego, CA) 13-16 $1,600 Foreign Policy (Las Vegas, NV),

LJB X-Men (Victoria, TX) SLC Terminators (W Jordan, UT),

LV Rum Runner (Las Vegas, NV) 17-24 $1,100 DJ Cues (Everett, WA),

Strokes of Genius (Winnepeg, MB)

Strokers – Tx (Plano, TX),

Reservoir Dawgs (Brooklyn, NY)

CENSORED (St Peters, MO),

Ball Busters (Estero, FL)

Bad Boyz (Frankfort, KY),

Clean Slate (Cottage Grove, MN)

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 23

Amy Chen wins Tour Stop #4 at Wally’s

Nine new players came out for our first FBT Tour Stop at Wally's in Lakeland! Among the new players - Amy Chen - new to the FBT but certainly not new to women's 9-ball. After taking a break from pool, Amy proved she can still play,winning her first FBT event.

Several of the players' games were off that day, including Chen's, who was quickly sent west by Jeannie Seaver 7-0 at the beginning of the day. But Amy worked her way back to the final board, and midway through the quarterfinal against Cassidy Mulligan Amy finally kicked in to gear. Jessica Barnes came back from the one-loss side as well, going double hill with Seaver and putting an end to Seaver's attempt at three wins in a row. Barnes finished second, losing steam as Chen took advantage to win the event. And congratulations to Erikka Halbert winning $50 for the highest finishing Wally's player.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip to Wally's. A huge thanks to Wally's, owner Jim,and his staff, Letha Needham, Erikka Halbert and Manager Larry for sponsoring our event! Also thanks to Martz Cues for donating a cue for this event and thanks to our sponsors Z9 Billiard Cloth and Boynton Billiards.

UB Thanks to Janis for making the wonderful collage for Ultimate Billiards that we will be giving to Bill and Gary. We still have copies available. And Happy Birthday to Marcia Polenz!

You can also read about the event as reported by AZ Billiards. Some of the matches can be view on our Live Stream page or Ustream.

24 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

www.StrokeMagazine.net

Wally’s

This was the place to be if you wanted to play in a tournament. The owner Jim and Larry the manager along with the staff opened their doors at 10am on July 13, 2013 to the ladies 9-ball Flamingo Billiards Tour.

This was the Flamingo Billiards Tour 4th stop for the year; which travels to various pool rooms in the South Florida. Wally’s has 13 – 9 foot tables and these would be the tables that the Flamingo Billiards Tour would play on. Amy Chen would win this event and this was her first time coming to this event.

For more information about the Flamingo Billiards Tour check out this link: http:// flamingobilliardstour.com/ Wally’s own staff members Letha Needham and

in Lakeland, FL Article and photos by Janis Sessions

Erikka Halbert played in the ladies event. They got $50 prize for being the highest finisher from the host location.

The other tournament that was going on was the APA Captains Qualifier Tournament, which Robin Dunnam the league operator was running. Dunnam was holding this event on the 8 foot tables; which Wally’s has 16 of these.

Dunnam has done a lot to build the APA up in this area and she had a nice turn out. 4 different boards with 8 players on each board all captains. The winner advance to the APA Region Tournament to be held in Tampa (location and date TBD).

www.StrokeMagazine.net

Darlenne Mckissock – Won for board 1 in 8-ball. She also won a Lucasi pool cue.

Peter Jankowsky - Won for board 2 in 9-ball.

Ronald Hamlet - Won for board 3 in 8-ball.

David Webb - Won for board 3 in 9-ball.

Wally’s was able to accommodate all players that showed up for either event. It’s a large room and they even had a party of 40 that came in later that night.

Pool player’s check at Wally’s located at 1136 E. Main St. Lakeland, FL 33801; if you find yourself in the area.

Great pool room.

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 25

The VNEA International Championships!

With 43 unique divisions to display their talents, VNEA’s league players converged on the strip in Las Vegas to decide who would go home with the coveted “Charlie” awards and titles of International Champions .

Mini-tournaments, including the popular Scotch Doubles events began on Thursday while the double elimination, 8-Ball and 9-Ball Singles competition began on Friday, May 24th. The competition was terrific.

With the Singles competition in the history books, the VNEA was well prepared to recognize them at the ever-popular VNEA Team Opening Ceremonies Celebration. Gary Benson, Tournament Director and emcee, was welcomed by over 3,000 players attending this incredible show which opened with a colorful parade of flags from around the world, and the Singles Awards Presentation to honor the top players accomplishments.

Once all of the states and countries were acknowledged and the Singles winners were presented with their coveted Charlie awards, the VNEA had a drawing for a Valley Home Pool Table. The lucky winner was James Esparza from Eagle Vending in Tucson, Arizona and was awarded the table by Valley’s Dave Courington.

With 96 members already enshrined in the hall, it was time for the VNEA to add 5 more names to the prestigious “VNEA Hall of Fame”. Receiving this tremendous honor, along with a beautiful Hall of Fame jacket, certificate and limited edition VNEA Hall of Fame trading card set, were the following inductees: • Bob Basset - Aactive Coin (Manitoba) • Charles Castonguay - Alliance (Quebec) • Dawn Fital - Coin-Op Specialist (MI) • Beth Fondell - D & R Star (MN) • Kale Woodside - V.V.S. (NE) The Team competition kicked off Tuesday morning right on schedule.

Nearly 600 teams participated in the Team events at this 33rd Annual Championships. Results of the Sports, Redemption, Regular, Intermediate and Masters Team events can be found at www.vnea.com 2nd Annual “World Team Championships”.

For the second year in a row, the VNEA conducted the fun and exciting World Team Championships! Countries put together one, four-person team to represent their flag.

Australia, USA, Spain, Portugal, Bermuda, Canada and Germany all formed teams for a chance to win the coveted “World Cup” Trophy. When the dust cleared, it came down to Australia and Germany in the finals with TEAM GERMANY capturing the

26 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

www.StrokeMagazine.net

The VNEA International Championships!

“World Cup” title. Congratulations to all of the teams that participated in this fun-filled and exciting event.

The President’s Choice Award, presented by current VNEA President David Hawkins, was awarded to longtime VNEA Charter Holder, Bob Thomas, from Minnesota Pastime in Virginia, Minnesota. Dave honored his old friend for his dedication to the VNEA. Congratulations Bob and thank you for your many contributions.

Another unique feature of the VNEA Championships was the Team Uniform Award. This award was named the “Red Jones” Team Uniform Award in 1997 after Mr. Pool, Red Jones, passed away. Red was always known for his classy wardrobe around the tournament room and it was an honor to keep his name alive by permanently affixing it to this award.

Many teams, from all over the world, concentrated hard on having a unique tournament look. Several interesting and one of a kind fashions were unveiled. The women’s competition was strong which made it very difficult to pick a winner. The women’s winner, and perennial favorite, was Alaska Girls Gone Wild from Tri Valley Vending in Wasilla, Alaska whose members included Veronica Hereimi, Yvonne Powell, Tammie Kerby, Debbie Criss and Barb Glick. On the men’s side, Color Of Money, also from Tri Valley Vending captured first prize. Team members included Mohammed Hereimi, Damien Turchetto, Billy Stephan, Milan Janulek, T.J. Frank and Richy Orem. Free “Team Photos” were e-mailed to every entry and the winners were given “Free Banquet Tickets”.

Alaska Girls Gone Wild

Color of Money

www.StrokeMagazine.net

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 27

The Kellogg Arena • Battle Creek, Michigan • June 20-23, 2013 The beautiful Kellogg Arena served as a terrific setting for our 23rd Annual event. The facility boasted plenty of floor space and nice bleacher seating for the parents and fans.

80 Valley Pool Tables were neatly arranged throughout the arena including (6) highlighted tables making up the soughtafter Finals Arena.

At noon sharp on Thursday, the VNEA opened its tournament doors, as usual, to hundreds of juniors lined up outside to begin their practice routines for the Singles event that would begin that evening. For the first time at our Junior Championships, the entire event was run using our incredibly popular Compusport Software Program. There were (4), 42” monitors set up on the Control Stage where players could enter their names and see exactly who they played, when they played and what table they played on. Players were able to play their matches, scan their scoresheets, instantly see their next match and play continuously throughout the entire event. The system was flawless and the players absolutely loved it! At 6:00pm sharp, Singles matches began and the event was officially underway!

At 9:00am on Friday morning, the Singles matches continued with everyone trying to make it to the Finals Bracket of their division.

Throughout the day, incredible matches were witnessed throughout the room with no one wanting to get knocked out of this prestigious event.

Both singles and team competition for the weekend were broken down into 3 divisions: Youth - Ages 9-13 / Minor - Ages 14-17 / Major - Ages 18-20 Male singles events recorded 163 entries while

28 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

the female singles had 46 entries. In total, 214 shooters would square-off in a double elimination format that would lead to some great shooting and refreshing sportsmanship.

The Team competition, consisted of 60, 3-player squads. These great numbers represented an incredible 20 Charter Holders from an impressive 9 States and Ontario, Canada.

This made up for a total of over 250 ENTRIES in the team and singles events.

State Representation Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota & Wisconsin with International Representation from Ontario, Canada After playing all day Friday, the pool playing group was treated to a fun-filled Players Reception that evening at 7:00. Players were able to relax, grab a slice or two of pizza and a soda.

Those top juniors who found themselves still in the thick of the singles tournament action would prepare to battle it out in the finals brackets of the regular competition.

When the dust finally settled on the arena floor, the following young shooters were crowned the 2013 Int’l VNEA Singles Champions: MALE SINGLES YOUTH DIVISION Jacob Elit - D & R Star - Rochester, MN MINOR DIVISION Stuart MacTaggart - G & G Enterprises London, Ontario, Canada MAJOR DIVISION Tyler Steinhaus - D & R Star - Rochester, MN FEMALE SINGLES

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YOUTH DIVISION April Larson - D & R Star - Rochester, MN MINOR DIVISION Taylor Hansen - D & R Star - Rochester, MN MAJOR DIVISION Chandra Campion - D & R Star - Rochester, MN

Male Majors Singles Finalists

(l-r) Tyler Steinhaus (1st), Nate Mindham (2nd), Nathan Burpee (3rd), Larry Simmons Jr. (4th - not shown)

Male Minor Singles Finalists

(r-l) Stuart MacTaggart (1st), David Moyer (2nd), Alex Payne (3rd-not shown), Andrew Casarez (4th-not shown)

THE ULTIMATE TEAM COMPETITION

Sunday morning produced some of the most incredible junior pool action ever experienced as the top teams went head to head for international junior titles. When the team competition finished around noon, the following 23rd Annual VNEA International Junior Team Champions had been crowned.

YOUTH DIVISION: M.P.A. Cue Kids: C & N Sales, Mankato, MN MINOR DIVISION: Sharky’s Kids 1: Cox Music, Davenport, IA MAJOR DIVISION: North Stars: D & R Star, Rochester, MN HIGHEST FEMALE TEAM Youth Division: Valley Girls: Kalamazoo Amusement - Kalamazoo, MI Highest Mixed Team Youth Division: M.P.A. Cue Kids C & N Sales - Mankato, MN

Female Majors Singles Champion

(l-r) Chandra Campion (1st), Ashton Rowley (2nd), Shaiana Thibault (3rd), Jennifer Petrowiak (4th)

Female Minor Singles Finalists

(l-r) Taylor Hansen (1st), Kayla Roloson (2nd - not shown), Meighan Cassidy (3rd), Hannah Zeigler (4th)

For complete information and standings visit: www.vnea.com

Male Youth Singles Finalists

(l-r) Jacob Elit (1st), Skyler Butterfield (2nd), George Kieslat (3rd), Tristan Hansen (4th)

www.StrokeMagazine.net

Female Youth Singles Finalists

(l-r) April Larson (1st), Alyssa Little (2nd), Hailey Fullerton (3rd), Ashley Fullerton (4th)

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 29

Shaw, Nevel and Clay Win

at the 4th Annual Richard Sweet Memorial

Mr. Cues II in Atlanta played host to the Simonis Cloth's 4th Annual Richard Sweet Memorial over the July 4th weekend which is a memorial event and a celebration of his life and contributions to our sport, featuring four separate events; two, single-elimination, 'King of the Hill' format (one $500 1st prize) tournaments, a Thursday 8-Ball tournament and a Friday 9-ball tournament , a 1-day $1,000-guaranteed prize fund 9-Ball race to 4 double elimination tournament on Sunday, and a $3,000-guaranteed prize fund main event in 10-Ball which ran Saturday and Sunday. Jayson Shaw won two of them, and almost won a third. He opened the weekend's proceedings with a finals victory over John Maikke in the first of the single elimination tournaments(8Ball) on Independence Day that drew 86 entrants. The following day, in the second of the single elimination tournaments (this one, with 79 players and 9-Ball), Shaw made it to the finals again, only to be denied his second win,

by Michael Clay, who shut him out in the finals.

In the Saturday, main event, the 10-Ball Competition, Jayson Shaw squared off the event's defending champion, Phil Burford, twice; once in the hot seat match, and again, in the finals. Shaw had sent Jeff Hooks to the loss side 7-3 among the winners' side final four, as Burford was busy doing likewise to Randy Jordan 7-2. Shaw got into the hot seat with a 7-5 win over Burford and waited for him to get back.

It wasn't long.

Jordan and Hooks moved to the loss side, where they were picked up by J. R. Rossman and Tim Orange. Rossman had gotten by Matt Bulfin 7-2 and John Maikke 7-4. Orange had defeated Dustin Byrd (The Parakeet) 7-5 and John Jones 7-3. Jordan advanced to the quarterfinals, double hill, over Rossman. Orange handed Hooks his second straight loss 7-5 to join him.

Jordan took the quarterfinal match over Orange 7-5 and earned himself a re-match against Burford, who'd sent him west among the winners' side final four. Burford, anxious for his own rematch against Shaw in the hot seat, downed Jordan 7-5. Shaw, though, hunkered down and gave up only a single rack in the opening set of the potential two-set final to claim the event title.

Events shifted to double elimination with commencement of the races-to-4 9-Ball Tournament on Sunday, which drew 59 entrants. Larry Nevel (who'd won both single elimination tournaments at

Jayson Shaw, Rick Sweet and Phil Miles Burford last year's Sweet Memorial) started out by dropping his opening round match to Danny Cash, but rallied on the loss side to win nine straight, and then, two more in the finals against Bernardo Estevan.

Estevan had advanced to the hot seat with a winners' side final four victory over Tommy Najar 4-2, while the winner of the second single elimination 8-ball tournament, Michael Clay, advanced to meet him with a 4-1 victory over Pat Cooper. Estevan shut Clay out in the battle for the hot seat and waited on the return of Nevel.

Meanwhile, on the loss side, The Truth was mowin' 'em down, one by one. With four down and five to go, he defeated Tony Riley 4-1, and survived a double hill battle against Jason Lyons, to pick up Majar. Cooper drew Andy Stewart, who'd squeaked

by Horace Goodwin 4-3 and defeated Dana Aft 4-1.

Nevel and Stewart handed Najar and Cooper their second straight defeats; Stewart shutting out Cooper and Nevel advancing to the quarterfinals 4-2 over Najar.

Nevel gave up only two racks over his next 14 games. He shut out Stewart in the quarterfinals, and gave up a single rack to Clay in the semifinals. Moving into the opening set of the finals against Estevan, he gave up one that forced a second set. Estevan battled him to double hill in that second set, but Nevel prevailed to claim the title.

30 Stroke Magazine - August 2013 www.StrokeMagazine.net

RESULTS 1.

2.

3.

4.

5/6 7/8 9-12

13-16

17-24

25-32

Jayson Shaw $1,850 Phil Burford $1,050 Randy Jorday $650 Tim Orange $400 Jeff Hooks, JR Rossman $200 John Jones, John Maikke $130 Bucky Souventhong, Jeff Jordan, Matt Bulfin, Dustin Byrd $60 Jeff Crawford, Larry Nevel, Ken Hall, Jared McGee $40 Andrew Stewart, Billy Tyler, Justin Kaleb, Nick Varner, Lane Simons, Ramone Rodriguez, Tommy Najar, Bill Huffman $20 Carlos Murillo, Michael Clay, Horace Godwin, Travis Barber, Tony Riley, Tim Hart, Bruce Nagle $10

Sunday 9-Ball Event 1.

2.

3.

4.

Larry Nevel Bernardo Estevan Michael Clay Andy Stewart

$400 $300 $200 $100

The Best of The Best Titleholder for Broward TAP 2013 Article and Photos by Janis Sessions

On June 22, 2013; 8 Teams played on two boards at Big Dawgs 2, Davie FL. The league operator is Carl Johnson.

Team “The Shockers” bet EZ-DUZ-IT and then bet Team “Crazy 8’s” on one board. They did what it took to say they are the Best-Of-The-Best.

Team “The Angry Pirates” bet “The Natives” and then bet “Run To Eight” on the other board. Frank Sirico played very strong for The Angry Pirates, Sirico may be in his senior years but he still can play the game and run the table. To win he had a nice bank on the 8-ball to seal the deal. This team also did what it took to be called the Best-Of-The-Best.

Team Angry Pirates Patrick Ceruti Dan Colicelli Chris Yap Frank Sirico Brenda Ortiz Alan Goldberg Reinaldo Pena Dean Washabaugh

Team Shockers Steve Riewe Christy Lawrence Richard Potter Dave Pecoraro Raymond Pacheco Brett Baumgart Bill Davidson Chris Robinson

www.StrokeMagazine.net

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 31

GLASS (continued from page 15)

they were gone, and I didn’t know who had won.

I ran into her father a few minutes later while I took a quick refreshment break.

“Oh, hey there, how did your daughter do?”

“Which one?”

“The older one. Karen. I saw she was at 6-6. Did she win?”

“Yeah. Barely. She made a few mistakes. She was up 4-0 at one point. She really needs to start focusing more.”

I still could not believe his negativity! “Well, these girls are under a lot of pressure.

You should be proud she’s gone as far as she has. Wish her luck for me!”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll do that.”

Something Karen and Amy’s mother said to me really stuck with me. She told me that her youngest, Amy, was very aggressive, and outgoing. Karen, however, was

Viper

more shy and reserved, and not very aggressive. I sensed that she and her husband saw this as a weakness.

Every person is different. Each daughter must be approached differently, and coached in a way that gives them the best chance to succeed in future matches. Browbeating them, and pointing out their mistakes (especially in the midst of a tournament) is not the way to do this.

Dad, I hope you get a chance to read this. I hope and pray that you give your daughters lots of love, support, and positive reinforcement while they play.

Otherwise, all you are going to do is make them resent the sport, and they will quit.

It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. Let them enjoy the sport, and please don’t turn it into a chore. Celebrate their successes, and console them when they lose.

Save the constructive criticism for the practice table.

(continued from page 8)

Viper: Ok, then did your parents play pool? Who got you started?

Nick: None of my family members play pool. When I was a young kid I was introduced to the game by some friends and fell in love with the game right away.

Viper: What did your parents think of your pool career?

Nick: At the beginning, they were not happy about me playing pool for a living but later as I improved and started representing my country in world events, then they started taking me more seriously.

Viper: In your opinion, what parts of the world produce the best players?

Nick: The best pool players in the world have always dominated from the Philippines and Taiwan.

Viper: Why: Honestly, I believe its in their blood. They are just born to play championship pool. They have so many players over there that haven’t even surfaced yet.

Like here in Greece, we to have a few players that if they travelled to the US would become the next pool stars. But because of the bad economy, they have not gotten an opportunity to come over and compete just yet.

Viper: Who is/was your favorite pro player growing up?

Nick: Of course my favorite player has always been Pilipino world champion Francisco Bustamante.

Viper: Where and when did you first start playing pool?

Nick: I was 15-years-old when I was introduced to the sport of billiards.

Viper: Do you currently have any sponsors?

Nick: Here in Las Vegas I picked up a new cue sponsor; Pechauer Custom Cues. But of course, I am always looking for new sponsors. I have a lot to offer a sponsor being one of the best players out of Greece, owning a pool hall and with my ranking I am invited to every WPA event.

Viper: Did you ever play in a pool league?

MOSCONI C WINS STATS RESULTS HISTORY RECORDS

UP

NIELS N FEIJE MVP AS TEAM PE EURO S NATE DOMI

Nick: No, we don’t really have leagues over here in Greece just lots of tournaments for the federation.

Viper: Are you good at any other sports?

Nick: I am also good at Tennis, Soccer and Table tennis (Ping-Pong).

Viper: Describe yourself in three words?

Nick: Outgoing, friendly and a little lazy.

Viper: If you had to live your life over again, what would one thing you change about yourself and/or your pool career?

Nick: I took a couple of years off from travelling the world tour so if I could have done it all over again, I would have travelled as much as possible.

Viper: How do you prepare for events?

Nick: I practice 5-days or so before majors about 2-hours per day. I practice with a lesser player to get lots of time on the table and they rack a lot for me. In return they love to play with me….lol.

Viper: What was the best advice you were ever given?

Nick: If you make the balls, you can beat anyone. If you miss them, anyone can beat you - Dad Viper: What is one thing that you enjoy most while playing pool?

Nick: The excitement of the competition and travelling around the world doing what I love to do.

Viper: If you could say one thing to a young up-coming player what would it be?

Nick: I would remind them to be patient, it takes a lot of time to win championships and not to get discouraged when they have not won yet… in time the titles will come.

Viper: What’s your Favorite game?

Nick: Any rotation game and I really enjoy 14.1 Straight Pool.

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32 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

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Bowling Green, KY

Columbus, OH Wednesdays Tallahassee, FL

Butler, PA

Monroe, MI

Livonia, MI

Livonia, MI

Dayton, OH

Columbus, OH Thursdays Williamsville, NY

Mooresville, NC

Levittown, NY

Bowling Green, KY

Lansing, MI

Warren, MI

Vernon, IN

Columbus, OH

Columbus, OH

Columbus, OH

Springboro, OH Fridays Greensboro, NC

Port Clinton, OH

Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids, MI

Adrian, MI

Portage, MI

Columbus, OH

Wheeling, WV Saturdays Hollywood, FL

Greensboro, NC

Mooresville, NC

Port Clinton, OH

Leitchfield, KY

Holland, MI

Grand Rapids, MI

Grand Rapids, MI

Battle Creek, MI

Battle Creek, MI

Columbus, OH

Canton, OH

Reynoldburg, OH

Wheeling, WV Sundays Mooresville, NC

Jackson, MS

Jackson, MS

Orlando, FL

St Claire Shores, MI

Portage, MI

Livonia, MI

Vernon, IN

Columbus, OH

Dayton, OH

Columbus, OH

Fairfield, OH

Mansfield, OH

Springboro, OH

LOCATION Leisure Time Billiards & Cafe Good Time Emporium Brookhaven Billiards Ultimate Sports Bar Hall of Fame Airway Bankshots Crown Billiards Sandcastle Billiards Michael’s Cue Time Sportsmen’s Zingales P J s Cones & Cues Snookers The Rack Airway Player’s Bison Billiards 150 n Out Billiards Leisure Time Billiards & Cafe Cue Time Coaches Ultimate Sports Bar Phat Guy Birds 8 Ball Sports Bar Player’s Sportsmen’s Whiskey Barrel Gate City Billiards Club Rack Attack Billiard Cafe The Break Room The Break Room Good Times Play Time 8 Ball Sports Bar Corner Pocket Billiards Lucky 7 Billiards Gate City Billiards Club 150 n Out Billiards Rack Attack Billiard Cafe Scooters on Main St Guppies The Break Room The Break Room Brickyard Brickyard 8 Ball Sports Bar Fiddlestix Scotty’s Corner Pocket Billiards 150 n Out Billiards Rack Rack Clicks Billiards Pepperbottoms Play Time Snookers Phat Guy Birds 8 Ball Sports Bar Airway Cushions Michael’s Sundown Whiskey Barrel

PHONE (516) 796-4600 (617) 628-5559 (601) 754-4422 (586) 751-2222 (586) 939-8880 (937) 274-1230 (614) 777-0022 (330) 644-3985 (732) 632-9277 (513) 860-0044 (270) 782-2740 (614) 279-5888 (850) 224-8644 (724) 285-7307 (734) 241-5533 (734) 422-9510 (734) 422-7665 (937) 274-1230 (614) 239-7665 (716) 632-0281 (704) 660-5363 (516) 796-4600 (270) 782-2740 (517) 882-2013 (586) 751-2222 (812) 346-0870 (614) 436-2948 (614) 239-7665 (614) 279-5888 (937) 829-7948 (336) 856-8800 (419) 732-7225 (616) 454-0899 (616) 454-0899 (517) 263-9490 (269) 323-2295 (614) 436-2948 (304) 905-8495 (954) 239-8254 (336) 856-8800 (704) 660-5363 (419) 732-7225 (270) 230-1879 (616) 396-1071 (616) 454-0899 (616) 454-0899 (269) 968-0692 (269) 968-0692 (614) 436-2948 (330) 498-8422 (614) 755-9407 (304) 905-8495 (704) 660-5363 (601) 372-6576 (601) 372-6576 (407) 275-6064 (586) 419-4144 (269) 323-2295 (734) 422-9510 (812) 346-0870 (614) 436-2948 (937) 274-1230 (614) 882-5986 (513) 860-0044 (419) 564-4538 (937) 829-7948

EVENT / RULES ENTRY ADDED 9-Ball Call 8 Ball $15 8 Ball $5 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $10/$20 Call Open 9 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $10 Call Open 9 Ball $8 Call Open 9-Ball $30 Calcutta One Pocket Hdcp 9’ Diamonds $15 $100 w/13+ 8 Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball-Ladies play free $10 Call 9-Ball Handicap $10 8 Ball $6 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $13 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $8 200% payout 9-Ball Handicap-SE $15 (incl g.f.) Call 9-Ball Handicap-Round Robin $15 $$$ 9-Ball $Call 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 9 Ball $20 $100 w/32 Open 9 Ball $5 Call Open 9 Ball $10 Call 8 Ball $7 100% payout 3 Cushion $15 Call 9 Ball $15 $200 Scotch Doubles 8 Ball/9 Ball Call 8 Ball $10 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball - Race to 1 $10 Call 8 Ball $15 Call 8 Ball $8 Call Pool Tournament $12 Calcutta 8-Ball-Race to 2-DE $5 Match w/20+ 8 Ball/9 Ball (1st Sat) Round robin Call 8-Ball Race to 2-DE $5 $$$ 9 Ball $10 8 Ball 8 Ball $15 9 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $5 Call 8 Ball $20 Call 9 Ball $20 Call 8 Ball $8 5 Chip Elim.

8 Ball $7 Call 8 Ball Call 200% payout Pool Tournament $12 Call 10-Ball Handicap-Race to 5 $15 $$$ 9 Ball $10 9 Ball $10 Mixed 8 Ball & 9 Ball $7 8 Ball $10 Call 9 Ball $15 Call 8 Ball - bank the 8 $10 Call 8 Ball Call Call 8 Ball $5 $$$ Alt 8 & 9 Ball Call Call 9 Ball $10 Call Alternating 8/9 Ball $10 $100 w/23+ 8 Ball $7 1/3 pot 8 Ball $10 $3/player

TIME Call 7PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 7PM Call 8PM 7:30PM 7PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 7PM 5PM 8PM 8PM 7PM 7PM 7:30PM Call 8PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 7:30PM 8PM 7PM 6PM 6PM 6PM 1PM 7PM 7:30PM 7PM 3PM 7PM 2PM 6PM 8:30PM 2PM 6:30PM 4PM 2PM 7:30PM 7PM 7PM 8PM 8PM 5:30PM 2PM

Call to see how to list your weekly pool tournaments 406.285.3099 www.StrokeMagazine.net

August 2013 - Stroke Magazine 33

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

Click on the MAP link online to get directions to each location DATE Aug 3 Aug 3 Aug 10 Aug 10-11 Aug 10-11 Aug 10-11 Aug 17 Aug 17 Aug 24 Aug 19-24 Aug 25-27 Aug 31-Sep2 Aug 31 Sep 7 Sep 7 Sep 7 Sep 7-8 Sep 7-8 Sep 14 Sep 14 Sep 14-15 Sep 19-22 Sep 21 Sep 21-22 Sep 28-29 Sep 28-29 Oct 5 Oct 5-6 Oct 9-13 Oct 10-13 Oct 10-13 Oct 10-13 Oct 11-13 Oct 11-13 Oct 12-13 Nov 2-3 Nov 9-10 Nov 30-Dec 1

CITY Williamsville, NY Lafayette, LA Boynton Beach, FL New York, NY Sterling, VA Mobile, AL Sterling, VA Bayside, NY Clifton, NJ Astoria, NY Astoria, NY Astoria, NY Greensboro, NC Williamsville, NY Lafayette, LA E Rutherford, NJ Lindenhurst, NY Herndon, VA Brooklyn, NY Greensboro, NC W Hempstead, NY Verona, NY Rockaway, NJ Bayside, NY NYC, NY Catonsville, MD Williamsville, NY Bayside, NY Gary, IN Gary, IN Gary, IN Gary, IN Gary, IN Gary, IN Gary, IN E Rutherford, NJ Astoria, NY Lindenhurst, NY

LOCATION Bison Billiards Fast Eddies Billiards Slate Billiards Amsterdam Billiards First Break Cafe Breaker’s Billiards First Break Cafe Cue Bar Clifton Billiards Steinway Billiards Steinway Billiards Steinway Billiards Gate City Billiards Bison Billiards Fast Eddies Billiards Castle Billiards Mr Cue Billiards Breakers Sky Lounge Gotham City Billiards Gate City Billiards Raxx Pool Room Turning Stone Casino Rockaway Billiards Cue Bar Eastside Billiards VIP Billiards Bison Billiards Cue Bar Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Majestic Star Casino Castle Billiards Steinway Billiards Mr Cue Billiards

PHONE 716-632-0281 337-237-6577 561-735-7802 212-995-0333 703-444-2551 251-341-1117 703-444-2551 718-631-2646 973-928-6622 718-472-2124 718-472-2124 718-472-2124 336-856-8800 716-632-0281 337-237-6577 201-933-6007 631-226-9486 703-713-0021 718-714-1002 336-856-8800 516-538-9896 518-356-7163 973-625-5777 718-631-2646 212-831-7665 410-747-2551 716-632-0281 718-631-2646 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 219-465-8101 201-933-6007 718-472-2124 631-226-9486

EVENT / RULES 8-Ball Bar Box 10-Ball Open - Limit 64 Ladies Event C-D 9-Ball 9-Ball 9-Ball Bar Table 9-Ball A-B/C-D 9-Ball A-B/C-D 9-Ball World 14.1 Steinway Classic - Pro Event Geo “Ginky” Sansouci Mem Action East Coast Qualifier 8-Ball Bar Box 10-Ball Open - Limit 64 A-B/C-D 9-Ball Open/Pro 9-Ball 10-Ball A-B/C-D 9-Ball Q-City Tour Ladies Event Turning Stone 21 - 9 ball A-B/C-D 9-Ball Open/Pro 9-Ball Open/Pro 9-Ball 8-9-10-Ball Round Robin 8-Ball Bar Box Open/Pro 9-Ball GMPA Early Bird 9-Ball GMPA Senior 8-Ball GMPA Singles 8-Ball (M) GMPA Singles 8-Ball (W) GMPA Sportsmens Singles GMPA 3 Person Team GMPA Sportsmens Teams Open/Pro 9-Ball Open/Pro 9-Ball Open/Pro 9-Ball

ENTRY ADDED TIME LINK $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon MAP $25 $500 11AM Call $250 11AM Call $1,000 Call Call Call Call $65 + $20 g.f. $10,000 payout 2PM $40 Call Noon Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call Call $54,000 payout Call $150 $7,000 Call Call $5,000 Call Call Call Call MAP $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon MAP $25 $500 11AM Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call $40 Call Noon Call $1,800 Call Call Call Call MAP Call $1,500 Call $150/$200 $25,000 Call Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call $40 Call Noon $35 (incl g.f.) $250 Guar Noon MAP Call $1,000 Call $50 incl. g.f. Call 3:00PM MAP $50 incl. g.f. $5,000 1:00PM $50 incl. g.f.

1 & 4PM $50 incl. g.f.

6 & 8PM FREE 2:00PM $150 incl. g.f.

7:00PM Call $500 2:30PM Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call Call $1,000 Call

Local Coverage National Exposure If you don’t see the Results of a Pool Tournament you played in or WON then ask the OWNER where you played that Tournament... WHY? You deserve it!!!

CALL US: 406.285.3099 or Email: pool@onthebreaknews.com Thank You! 34 Stroke Magazine - August 2013

www.StrokeMagazine.net

Thank You To the Following Sponsors of the

37th BCAPL National Championships 3rd USAPL National Championships 14th US Open One Pocket Championship 5th US Open 10-Ball Championship Events Produced by 1st US Open 8-Ball Championship

See you in 2014!

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A Samurai who answers to no man, he is now bound by his own code of honor.

He will live and die as a free warrior, solitary in mind and spirit, depending on a single weapon to deliver justice, his

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