2 Rackem Magazine - March 2011

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 3

About RackemRackem is a monthly publ icat ion, dedicated to the advancement of the sport of pool and to promoting enthusiasm and encouragement among the players at all levels, regardless o f t h e i r l e a g u e affiliation, in addition t o r e c o g n i z i n g those businesses who support them all. Covering the midwest. Look for Rackem by the 10th of each month.T h e o p i n i o n s expressed are those o f the au thor o r advertiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rackem 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 or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher. © 2011 Rackem

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What’s Inside

These schedules have been provided by ESPN.

These are tentative dates and are subject to change

Publisher

Do

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Ch

eese

” A

ker

low

All times are Central time.

By Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth

Trick Shots by SargeBANK/KICK DISCIPLINE (reprinted from June Issue 2003)

This month we are going to explore one of the harder Disciplines Bank/Kick. My first four articles on Artistic Pool were from the four easier Disciplines. The four easier Disciplines are performed on the first day of our two day, North American Artistic Pool Continental Qualifier for the World Championship. Starting this month I’ll be covering the four harder Disciplines that are performed on the second day, Bank/Kick, July - Stroke, August - Jump, and September - Masse. One of my greatest accomplishments is that I hold the World Record for: Most points scored for the four hardest Disciplines of Artistic Pool (Masse, Jump, Stroke and Bank/Kick), for all continental qualifiers ever held. I set this record in October 2001 during the North American Continental Qualifier held at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, California.

Onto this month’s shot that had a Degree of Difficulty, (D.O.D.) of 6. Object ball letter coincides with corresponding pocket letter. To set this shot up position the object ball B in the center of the table. The cue ball is placed on the vertical centerline, plus one diamond segment from pocket B. The objective of this shot is to shoot the cue ball to B ball. Object ball B will bank to cushion #4, then to #2 cushion, then back to #4 and finally be made in B pocket. A scratch is allowed. Here are some helpful hints on executing this shot. I use a touch of low and a lot of left English on this shot. I aim the cue ball at ball B for approximately a ¾ ball aim. On this shot you will use a hard stroke. Ball B travels 14 diamonds of distance before being pocketed. If you over cut ball B it won’t reverse back to cushion 4, so pay close attention to what the object ball does. Aim to hit ball B fuller if it doesn’t reverse, or use a little more left English. Please call me at (206) 719-2695 with your questions.

Cover Photo by:Don “Cheese” Akerlow

04/20/2011 10:00 AM 2008 International Speed Pool Challenge ESPN Zone Las Vegas, NV Elite billiards competition featuring the world’s best billiard players

Ken “Sarge” Aylesworth

4 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

By: Bob Jewett

San Francisco Billiard Academywww.sfbilliards.com

Read more articles by Bob Jewett at www.onthebreaknews.com

Bob Jewett

Read more articles by Samm Diep at www.onthebreaknews.com

Samm Diep

By Samm Diep © April 2011

In my recent interview with Hall of Famer Nick Varner, he said: “You're always liable to miss those hard shots; you got to brush them off and just try to learn from 'em what you can as far as getting used to the table and stuff so you don't miss the next shot you come up against. You try to not let it become contagious. It becomes like cancer where you go from bad to worse. That happens to a lot of players.” Unfortunately, there is no antibiotic you can take to keep this condition from progressing when you start to catch a miss. It could be that the balls are just getting a little sticky or maybe the air is humid and everything is reacting a little differently than you’re expecting. The spin exaggerates and combinations become much tougher. When you start missing a shot here and there due to the table conditions, it’s very common to start losing confidence. That’s when, as Nick says, “it becomes like a cancer where you go from bad to worse.” Once your confidence is shaken, it’s very difficult to regain your composure and that’s when we often make bad decisions too. It’s really easy to start questioning your mechanics or abilities when you miss a couple back to back shots. The key is to be aware of why you’re missing so that you can make the appropriate adjustments. It could be something mechanical or a variance in the equipment. Whatever it is, this is where all those long hours of practice come in handy. It’s so critical to be in tune with your game so that when the conditions and the equipment are slightly off, you can adjust quickly before it’s too late. Pay close attention to what’s happening. If you know your game, then you should know what the cue ball should be doing on certain shots. Home Remedy: Practice on as many different tables and in as many different playing conditions as possible. The only way to recognize when things go from bad to worse is by experiencing it. Learning to adjust to various circumstances will keep the cancer from spreading. When it starts happening in a match, reduce your speed and use less english until you can make the adjustment. Remember, each time you approach the table, it’s a new shot, a new opportunity to do your best, and anything that happened before is now in the past. Learn from it, and then let it go. The above excerpt is from the article, “Nick Varner: The Original Comeback Kid.” Go to AzBilliards.com to read the complete interview and other Pro Vision interviews.

Spinning The Wagon Wheel

In my column last month, I described the basics of the Wagon Wheel position system. The idea was to use just follow or draw to take the cue ball the right distance in the right direction to just touch a target ball for position. (You’re not actually getting position on the other object balls; they are just providing a goal for position. If you prefer, just place a coin where you want the cue ball to go.)

This time I’m going to ask you to perfect your side spin to achieve the same sort of result using a cushion. In the top shot in the diagram, the object ball is by the middle of the end cushion about one ball’s width off the rail for each shot. The target object balls are placed on each diamond. The cue ball is placed so that when shooting the shot, your stick passes over the 11 ball.For your first shot, pocket the 15 and use right English to send the cue ball towards the 1 ball. Adjust your spin and speed so the cue ball just reaches the 1. This will probably take your best side spin. Consider your control on the shot good enough

when you can leave the cue ball within a ball diameter of the position target, and go on to the next shot. For the 2 ball, you will need less right side spin, but you probably can’t get the angle off the cushion with just follow. By the time you get to the 4 or 5 ball, just follow with no side spin should be sufficient.To get to the 6, you have a choice. You could play with no side spin and hit the cue ball below center so it arrives at the 15 ball without follow or draw. Then the cue ball will simply bounce off the cushion more or less straight to the 6 ball. An alternative is to let the cue ball roll with follow and correct the angle off the cushion by adding a little left English. The two effects will fight against each other and the result can be the path you want depending on how much side spin you have added. This technique of cancellation is useful when you don’t want the follow to bend the ball forward but if you hit the ball hard enough to keep its draw it will also

have too much speed. Try both ways and see which works best for you.As you move on to the 7 and 8, you will need to use both draw and left English at some point and by the time you are sending the cue ball to the 11, you will need your best side and draw simultaneously. Table conditions can have a large effect on how both draw and side spin work. With sticky cloth, any draw will quickly turn into follow but the side spin will generally take more, especially if you are at maximum RPMs. With slippery cloth, the spin may not take completely on the cushion, but draw shots will be easier. If possible, try this drill on a variety of tables -- you could use it as a warmup in competitions.In the lower part of the diagram the cue ball has been moved to a harder cut shot. This will make it difficult or impossible to reach the spots nearest the corner pockets. Can you achieve the cue ball angles indicated? Experiment with your mixture of draw/follow/side to see which combinationmakes each shot easiest.Remember to shoot the shot in the other direction also, or you’ll get lop-sided.

Watch Out. It’s Contagious!

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 5

6 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

$600 added McDermott 8 Ball Shootout Claws Billiards – Kenosha Wisconsin – Dec 12, 2010

1. $550 Tommy Paulowske, Racine, Wi 2. $300 Eddie Balderez, Chicago, ILL 3. $150 Matt Daiber, Milwaukee, WI

$400 added McDermott Cue Classic Amateur DivisionOut Break Billiards – Racine Wisconsin – Jan 29, 2011

1. $330 T.J. Brucker, Racine, WI 2. $200 Tim Nickl, Racine, WI 3. $130 Dean Derge, Kewasku, WI 4. $80 Dan Hau, Franklin, WI 5./6. $50 Jason Sprague, Waukesha, WI Tom Kukla, Waukesha, WI

$600 added McDermott Cue Classic Open DivisionOut Break Billiards – Racine Wisconsin – Jan 30, 2011

1. $460 Gil Hernandez, Mt. Prospect, ILL 2. $290 Marlon Angeles, Hoffman Estates, ILL3. $185 Tommy Paulowske, Racine, WI 4. $90 Jonathan Demet, Racine, WI

$400 added Simonis Cup Amateur DivisionRomines High Pockets – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – March 12, 2011

1. $340 Paul Repischak, Milwaukee, WI 2. $210 Dan Hau, Milwaukee, WI 3. $140 Rob Estlund, Glendale, WI 4. $80 Mike Regan, Round Lake, ILL 5./6. $45 Varun Raheja; Brett Lobbato, Palatine, ILL 7./8. $28 Joe Xiong, Franklin, WI; Rich Mager , Earville, ILLHighest female finish - Christina Hansen - $30

$600 added Simonis Cup Open DivisionRomines High Pockets – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – March 13, 2011

1. $550 Gary Johnson, Milwaukee, WI 2. $350 Mark Berry, Milwaukee, WI 3. $225 Tom Karabotsos, Chicago, ILL 4. $135 Chris Patterson, Beloit, WI 5./6. $75 Matt Daiber, Milwaukee, WI Marlon Angeles , Antioch, ILL 7./8. $45 Bill Fowler, Waukegan, ILL Gene Albrecht, Eau Claire, WIHighest female finish - Lisa Clemente - $30

TOUR STANDINGS

Gil Hernandez & Tommy Paulowske Paul Repishak & Dan HauGary Johnson, Mark Berry

AMATEUR TOUR1st Mike Regan 2472nd Dan Hau 2243rd Paul Repischak 1974th Chris Gitzlaff 1745th Walter Hayes Sr. 1536th Tom Piehl 1527th Chris Mason 1508th Gary Pinnola 1429th Jose Rivas Jr. 13010th Jonathan Stzezewski 12711th Dean Derge 10912th Paul Repischak 10213th Tim Nickl 9814th Rob Estlund 9815th Brett Lobbato 9016th Christopher Szarek 86

17th Terry Nixon 8418th Erick Hincks 7919th Jason Sprague 7220th Tyler Styer 7121st Douglas Lyyski 6722nd David Van Scyoc 6623rd Varun Raheja 6624th Dave Nelson 6225th Michael Stowe 5926th Terry O'brien 5327th Christina Hansen 5128th Joe Xiong 5129th Tom Kukla 4830th Joe Durham 4531st Jon Ola 4332nd Dean Coutee 43

More Tour Standings on page 9

Billiard Congress of Wisconsin

Tommy Paulowske

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 7

Come snow or shine the U.S. Bar Table Championships (USBTC) held February 21-27, 2011 brings players from all across the globe to “the Biggest Little City in the World.” Hosted at the Terrible’s Sands Regency Casino Hotel in Reno, Nevada, the $25,250 guaranteed added event celebrated its 18th anniversary in 2011. The event had over 450 entries in six divisions: Men’s / Mixed 10-Ball, 9-Ball, 8-Ball and Women’s 10-Ball, 9-Ball and 8-Ball. This was the first year in the event’s history to include a full set of women’s divisions and women’s All Around bonuses. The USBTC is produced by CueSports International (CSI), sponsored by Terrible’s Sands Regency and Diamond Billiard Products, and directed by Bad Boys Billiard Productions. During the event players were paid immediately on-site. Over $66,000 was available for cash payouts. The tournament began with the 10-Ball divisions, with 16 women and 93 men. The 9-Ball division started its engine mid-week with 23 women and 128 men. The 8-Ball competition, with 36 women and 157 men in contention, wrapped up the event. After two years of bandwidth issues at the host venue, the innovative team and internet live pool action leaders, TAR, this year was able to live stream. In the women’s competition, a tornado ripped through all three fields with little mercy. Vivian Villarreal, long time WPBA professional and fan favorite, took first place in all three women’s divisions. Her dominance solidly secured her the $500 first place All Around Women’s Bonus. Competing for the second place women’s All Around included Melissa “The Viper” Little, Nicole Keeney, Brittany Bryant, and Susan Williams. While the points were close, it was Bryant who came in second in the women’s All Around points behind

Villarreal. For the first time in several years, the Men’s / Mixed All Around competition was not dominated by one or two individuals. Instead there were a handful of players who were neck and neck in All Around points throughout the week. The final board of the Men’s / Mixed 10-Ball division included the diverse crowd of Stevie “the Blade” Moore from Georgia, Canadian Pros Stan Tourangeau and John Morra, Californian Louis Ulrich, Arizona monster Mitch Ellerman, Midwest young gun Branden Ashcroft and 2008 World Pool Master Champion Alex “the Lion” Pagulayan. Going into the 10-Ball finals between Pagulayan and Morra, the railbirds were putting “The Lion” heavily in favor over Morra. The live stream audience was treated to both men playing dead stroke in the first race to 7. However, two scratches on the break by Pagulayan gave Morra the edge needed to win the first set. Coming from the one loss side, Morra would need to beat Pagulayan again in a second set. It was not to be as Pagulayan came back strong and Morra seemed to lose steam, giving Pagulayan an easy win in set two. Heading into mid-week Pagulayan led the men’s All Around points with Morra hot on his heels. However in the 9-Ball division both were knocked out much earlier than anticipated. “The Lion” was ousted by Vegas player Ray Skenandore and the kid from Ontario, Morra, was sent to the sidelines by Phoenix player Nick DeLeon. Both Pagulayan and Morra finished 49th-64th place in the division. The gate was

now wide open to a slew of other players to pursue the meaty $2,000 first place Men’s / Mixed All Around bonus. Prime to take advantage of that opening were Moore, Tourangeau and lesser known Tennessee player Josh O’Neal who all cashed high in the 10-Ball division and two additional dangers, Larry “the Truth” Nevel and top Philippine player Warren Kiamco. The finals of the 9-Ball men’s division were those very two dangers who uncharacteristically didn’t catch the final board earlier in 10-Ball, but earned redemption in the 9-Ball. Nevel’s road to the 9-Ball finals was a long one. After a first loss to Beau Runningen in his third match, Nevel had to grind it through 9 more matches on the one loss side to make it to the mountain. Kiamco was more leisurely in his travel to the finals, enjoying the sweetness of being in the hot seat. The finals came down to Nevel and Kiamco. But even the best grinders can hit a wall. Although Nevel trounced Kiamco 9-2 in the first set, a little déjà-vu of the Pagulayan – Morra 10-Ball final took place. In set two Nevel lost a little steam and Kiamco played solid taking the set 9-6 and first place in the division. Now it appeared there was a new Sherriff in the All Around point list town. Going into the 8-Ball and final division, there were more horses in serious contention for the USBTC All Around bonuses than the 9th race at Aqueduct.The top contenders were Kiamco, Nevel, Moore, Pagulayan, Morra, Ashcraft, O’Neal and Tourangeau. Moore played consistently all week

placing 7-8th in the 10-Ball and 5-6th in the 9-Ball. Tourangeau was also one to watch with a 5-6th place finish in the 10-Ball and 7-8th place in the 9-Ball. Although they faltered in the 9-Ball, the 1st and 2nd place finishes in the 10-Ball still put Pagulayan and Morra in solid All Around position. Nevel and Kiamco garnered new life after their 9-Ball finishes and were slightly ahead of Pagulayan and Morra in the point list. Two darker horses but still in contention were Ashcraft with a 5-6th place finish in the 10-Ball and a 17-24th place in the 9-Ball and O’Neal with a solid 9-12th place finish in the 10-Ball and strong 5-6th finish in the 9-Ball. The top contenders still had to maneuver the 157 player 8-Ball field. Some fared well, some fell to the wayside. The final 8 players included: Amar Kang, O’Neal, Kiamco and Ashcraft on the winner’s side and Morra, Moore, Josh Smith and Ivan Doty on the one loss side. Kang, Smith and Doty could only cash in on the All Around bonuses if they won the 8-Ball division. Kang, Smith and Doty were motivated and potential spoilers to the other 5 players; evidenced when Doty knocked Moore out of the 8-Ball division 5-0. After the dust settled Morra and Kiamco were the last two players standing. While Kiamco again was the hot seat man, Morra meticulously made his way through 10 matches before facing Kiamco. It must have been the taste of his near 10-Ball victory that spurred Morra as he handily double dipped Kiamco 5-2, 5-2 to take the 8-Ball division title. With division play over and points list in hand, it was announced that Kiamco took the $2,000 first place Men’s / Mixed All Around bonus, Morra took the $1,000 second place bonus and the initial lion that roared early in the week, Pagulayan, squeaked past the rest of the field to take the $500 third place bonus.

Kiamco and Villarreal all around TiTles

Warren Kiamco

Alex Pagulayan John Morra

Vivian Villarreal

10-Ball Men’s / Mixed1st: ($4,400) Alex Pagulayan2nd: ($2,500) John Morra3rd: ($1,600) Louis Ulrich4th: ($1,100) Mitch Ellerman5th-6th: ($500 each) Brandon Ashcraft Stan Tourangeau(Paid down to 24th place) 10-Ball Women’s1st: ($825) Vivian Villarreal2nd: ($450) Brittany Bryant3rd: ($250) Susan Williams4th: ($125) Nicole Keeney5th-6th: ($75) Bonnie Plowman Heather Pulford 9-Ball Men’s / Mixed1st: ($4,650) Warren Kiamco2nd: ($3,100) Larry Nevel3rd: ($2,000) Ross Fregoso4th: ($1,250) Bobby Emmons5th-6th: ($800 each) Josh O’Neal Stevie Moore(Paid down to 32nd place)

9-Ball Women’s1st: ($850) Vivian Villarreal2nd: ($550) Nicole Keeney3rd: ($350) Brittany Bryant4th: ($200) Heather Pulford5th-6th: ($100 each) Bonnie Plowman Susan Williams 8-Ball Men’s / Mixed1st: ($5,000) John Morra2nd: ($3,000) Warren Kiamco3rd: ($2,000) Amar Kang4th: ($1,100) Josh O’Neal5th-6th: ($800 each) Brandon Ashcraft Ivan Doty(Paid down to 48th place) 8-Ball Women’s1st: ($875) Vivian Villarreal2nd: ($525) Melissa Little3rd: ($325) Shawn Modelo4th: ($225) Bonnie Plowman5th-6th: ($150 each) Brittany Bryant Susan Williams(Paid down to 12th place)

RESULTS / PAYOUTS (through 5-6th each division)For the full lists of players, payouts and match results visit CueSports Tournament System (CTS) at www.ctsondemand.com

8 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

Little River, SC, Mar. 17th, 2011 - TAP Pools Amateur Tour is about family and tradition. TAP is also about innovation, taking the old and mixing it with the new, striving to be better, promoting the industry with sportsmanship and class, with an owner that is the key to our success because of his unbelievable foresight. TAP has been learning from our past to take us all to a very bright future. TAP is one team, with one goal. In 1996, TAP’s founder and owner Loyd Schonter started the Rally in the Valley Dream Team event and concept, in conjunction with his good friend Allen Hopkins, who had the Super Billiards Expo, in Valley Forge, PA. At that first event, less than 30 teams were there from Virginia and Maryland. Charlie Brocklehurst, Owner of MidAtlantic TAP Licensee # 01, stated “It’s hard to believe that 15 years have passed already. I can still remember the first rally. There were very few teams in a large convention center. Now, we’re overflowing with players. As one of the few territory owners who was there at the start, I can’t express enough the joy and pride I have with the TAP Members.” “Every year, they come and play with the understanding that it’s about the love of the game that binds us all together.” Today, TAP’s Rally in the Valley event has to be limited to 144 teams through out the USA and Canada. It now has 5 Singles Brackets, by skill level and it’s infamous midnight mini tournaments that players line up, to sign up and compete in. Last year, it’s little brother event Rally at Bally’s was formed and ran in conjunction with the TAP National event, due to the popularity of this Valley Forge event. If you ask Loyd Schonter, What do you think when you look at the event from the first year to now, does it surprise you how it’s grown? He will tell you he knew the event would be successful and popular, but he credits his tournament staff for making the event, one that services the player and has evolved it into what it is today. Schonter states “Now, that we have 144 teams, we will keep it there until we make sure it is the best served event we have. It is all about the player. The staff I have in place, can take care of it without involvement from me. That’s what I am extremely proud of.” “They need the deadlines we have put into place to organize and coordinate and each time, it continues to get better because of that planning time.” TAP is proud of the event staff they have, comprised of all TAP Licensees, Operators and Representatives from throughout the USA and Canada. This hardworking, dedicated staff works long hours at these events and come back every day to do it again, but are happy to commit and dedicate themselves to each other, the corporate office and the player. Kelly Senior, TAP Operations and Event Director stated, “Two years ago, when I came into this position, I didn’t fully appreciate as a player or an operator, what this staff truly does, today I know.” “Throughout the planning, setup and running of the event, you tend to get caught up in the moment and in the heat of the battle, but the stress, the sleepless nights are all worth it, when you know you have brothers and sisters up there with you, not above you, not below you, but beside you who appreciate you, because we are one team, with one goal.” “That goal, to give the TAP player the best we have to give; organize and run an event they can appreciate, that always has them in mind.” Senior continued, “You know you have met that goal, when a player says, “Thanks for all you do”, when they acknowledge they see it; when they respond on the TAP message board and Facebook page with more positives than negatives, and constructively tell us what they see that can be improved and their suggestion to help make it better. With each event we see it getting better and better. “That is what makes it all worth it.”

But Senior, who is new to the crew, looks to those that have been in it for the long haul.

Bruce Williamson, TAP’s National Director and Sam Rullo, TAP’s Singles Director have been working these events for 13 to 14 years. The balance of old school and new school coming together and reviewing each process of this team, is what makes this the successful group that it is. Returning from the good ole days, is Chuck Schonter TAP’s Licensee Support Director. Chuck, the brother of owner Loyd Schonter, can tell many stories of the past and appreciate what TAP and this event are today. He stated, “ It was awesome, very well run, best I have been at , definite improvement over the years, all of you should be very proud of such an accomplishment.” This year, additional licensees have stepped up to the plate to help and help they did. April Bradley and staff from Upstate TAP, SC; Charlie Brinkman L & N TAP, PA, George and Nancy Natili Route 19 TAP, PA; John Heiken Southwestern Indiana TAP; Dan Mitchell Rock Solid TAP, ME; Carl Johnson Big Dawgs on TAP, FL; and Cindy and Rusty Williard, North Texas TAP with many more committing to help at future events as well. Senior stated, “this will help us with continued success in the future, a willingness to help and be a part of our events by our licensees, operators and representatives. You can have a first rate staff, but you always need new blood to help with breaks, on the job training for their own events and if needed potential replacements that are all ready to go. A back up plan and team are never a bad idea.” As a result of not only a great staff, TAP is growing at record numbers. Territories are selling every week. So, for the first time in history the Rally in the Valley Dream Team event sold out in Mid February. The 144 dream team event kicked off at 8 a.m. and ran through Sunday. TAP’s dream team event is a round robin event, that goes to single elimination of Elite, Championship and Best of the Rest . This guarantees 4 rounds of team play. Over $100,000 in total prizes were given out at the event. Players enjoyed 100% payback in the singles event; open Diamond tables during their events, along with great competition of players throughout the USA and Canadian leagues representing each of their TAP territories and mixing it up with others. As always, entry of all score sheets for team and singles events, ensures an overall solid handicap based on player performance week to week and at National competitions. New Pool Net features were used for the planning of the event, which took manual processes and made them automated, which efficiently and effectively streamlined preparations. Autoflag was used once again at the event, ensuring any player playing two levels above their handicap twice, is disqualified from the event. As players are getting use to this new feature, it enables the National Director to explain to the player about this disqualification process and show them the reasoning behind it. Taking an upset player, with politeness and professionalism showing them why such action must be taken, so they can accept it with the facts and figures. Once again, the Predator Group was an event sponsor providing items from their Predator and Poison lines to all TAP players; Poison Jump Cues to each player on the Elite Bracket Dream Team various Cues for the player prize giveaway. Their overwhelming support of our Rally and National event has been greatly appreciated, through out the years. Additional sponsors included, AZ Billiards, Fox and Hound, D & D Cue Repair and Staybridge Suites in Malvern.

On Sunday, March 13th the Champions were crowned ! Congratulations to the 2011 TAP Rally in the Valley Elite Board Champions, “Shot Gods” from Kansas. Players; Jeff Wharton, Patrick Cady, Joe Johnson,

Shot Gods Elite 1st Place

TAP, LLC celebrates 15

Years of Rally in the Valley

Events !

Valley Forge, Pa

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 9

Marcus Alonzo, Tom Czajkowski, Troy Ramirez, Shane Duffee, and Jaime Garcia (See Picture) Congratulations to the 2011 TAP Rally in the Valley Championship Board Winners, “More Cow Bell” from Pennsylvania ; Players; Joe McCarthy, James Hammond, Jeremy Lepley, Shannon Wanamaker, John Parks, III, Erik Bell, Tom Rishel, Kyle Eberlin and Paul Snyder (See Picture) Congratulations to the 2011 TAP Rally in the Valley Best of the Rest Board Winners, “D & D Misfits”; Picture not available at press time. Congratulations to Singles Championship Winners; Jagdesh Raghoo 7 Handicap; Sean Nave 6 Handicap; Dave Bardo 5 Handicap; Carol Clark 4 Handicap and Richard Brown 3 Handicap. A complete list of team and singles winners will be posted on www.tapleague.com and on TAP, LLC Pools Amateur Tour Facebook. $10, In November 2011, TAP will be returning to Las Vegas, Nevada for our Nationals and hosting , RALLY AT BALLY’s. Want more information about TAP? Check out our website, www.tapleague.com and contact us, through our corporate office, at the Live Help desk, via email or IM. Join the countless others that have been checking us out. We look forward to hearing from you ! Until then, TAP ON!Championship Board Winners More Cow Bell

OPEN TOUR1st Jonathan Demet 2532nd Tommy Powaulski 2483rd Gil Hernandez 1954th Bill Fowler 1875th Gary Johnson 1826th Marlon Angeles 1547th Tom Karabatsos 1438th Matt Daiber 1409th Claudio Parrone 12610th Ike Runnels 12311th Eddie Balderez 9312th Jon Giles 8713th Henry Brodt 7614th Chris Patterson 7015th Frank Bashir 5816th Sompop Vichiensae 5017th Paul Scott 4718th Tom Karabotsos 4619th Gene Albrecht 4320th Jonathan Strzezewski 4121st Robert Treffeisen 4022nd Jim fitzpatrick 4023rd Walter Hayes Sr. 3924th Patrick Mcguire 36

25th Bill Hagen 3426th John Ribbich 3427th Mark Berry 3228th Lisa Clemente 3229th Bob Scianna 3130th Jose Rivas Jr. 3131st Tim Nickl 3132nd Kenny Williams 2933rd Craig Powers 2934th Tom McCluskey 2835th Tom Piehl 2836th Pons Cruz 2637th Joe Xiong 2538th Scott Patrick 2439th Varun Raheja 2240th Trent Kruczkowski 2141st Jack Wu 2042nd Dave Adrian 2043rd Ben White 1944th Tiger Sing 1945th Dennis Babcock 1946th Marko Stanosevic 1847th Bob Treffeisen 1848th Jose Rivas 1849th James Clemente 17

BCW TOUR STANDINGSThe Rivercity Eagles Arie #4023 Evansville, Indiana is hosting the 1st Annual River city Classic, April 29Th,30Th and May 1st. All proceeds to benefit The Peoples Burn Foundation - Bravehearts Camp for Kids. Brave Hearts Camp is one of several in the country, but unique from many others because it is a camp designed for emotional healing with year long support for the entire family. This Emotionally rehabilitative camp helps the children to understand that although their skin was burnt their hearts and minds were not. Their time at camp allows them to enjoy typical camp activities while working to heal the often negative images they carry of themselves. Being around other children who have suffered similar tramas allows the children to heal through one another while also working together to have appropriately directed emotional strength to carry beyond the confines of camp. Campers are joined by firefighters and others from across the country who serve as their counselors within the cabins and throughout activities.Highligths of the camp include the Firefighter Challenge Course, Fishing Tournament, Horseback riding and many other activities.The Brave Hearts Camp is at Bradford Woods, Indiana University Outdoor Center it has a rich and interesting history! Indiana's largest preserved natural area outside the state and national parks systems, and a national and international leader in outdoor education and summer camp programming. This will be a 96 player tournament. Double Elimination, 96 players 1st place $1,500.00 with pay-out to the top 10 finishers. Winners Bracket race to 4, Losers Bracket race to 2. There will be T-Shirts for Sale anyone donating $100.00 will receive a Shirt with their name on it.The River City Eagles #4023 is located in Evansville, Indiana anyone who is interested in participating in this tournament please contact John Ulrich with any questions at 812-746-0159. Hope begins with people helping people. Article submitted by John Heiken Owner and League Operator Southwestern Indiana TAP Pool League, serving the players of the tri-state area.

PLAYERS WANTEDSouthwest Indiana TAP Pool League

Contact812-454-6600

10 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

by: Don “Cheese” and Mary Akerlow

We left as we usually do a couple days ahead for Rapid City, South Dakota. We had been commissioned to live stream the South Dakota Valley 8-Ball Championships. This is a singles and team event that draws over 1500 pool players from all across the state. Our company, OTBnTV, arrived in Rapid City on Tuesday, checked in and headed to Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. It

took the crew about 3 hours to set up the booth, cameras, internet and get everything ready for the start of the event on Wednesday. Singles started Wednesday morning and OTBnTV started the Prime Time Show at 3 pm. One of the pool players had come up to me with his book, “Wanna’ Win?” This person was Tom Bourdeon. The picture on the cover was of 6 gentlemen dressed in cowboy garb and in the middle was Shane Van Boening. OTBnTV has filmed Shane a few times, the first being at the Reno Open in December 2007. Our first match was to be Tom and Ken Nash but the table assignments were not clear and we ended up filming Pat Smith and Tom Vroman. We would later film Tom and Ken on Thursday on the one loss side. We shut down filming about 11:30 Wednesday night and were to be back Thursday at 2 pm. You can view the Video On Demand of the live streaming at http://www.otbntv.com One of the biggest hits at the tournament was the projection of the OTBnTV Live stream on to a 100” Big Screen and various other wide screens throughout the venue. Anyone could watch the live stream from anywhere on the tournament floor. In the semi-finals of the Master/AA Division, Bourdeon and Nash met again. Tom went on to win 7-3 to meet Danny Olson waiting on the point. Tom won the first set 7-2. In the second set Danny caught fire on the wily veteran and beat Tom 7-4.

Danny a mere 18 years old showed poise, determination and smoothness like silk along the table. Danny will be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. He is calm, cool and collected and doesn’t seem to let anything bother him. Even though in the first set he seemed to be a little distracted, he was able to find his gear in the second set. Congratulations to Mr. Danny Olson, 2011 Masters Champion. I was to find out later that I was butchering Tom Bourdeon’s last name. The pronunciation looked to be French but wasn’t. Tom would sit in on one of the matches in the team event and give a moving testimonial to the recently deceased Rick John. Just a footnote: Tom and Danny’s match had over 1,000 views after the match was done in the first two days, which is a lot of interest in this young man. Dave Pearson, the Ginger Wizard, was on hand to perform and raise money for the VNEA Junior Nationals event. Dave holds numerous titles in the Guinness

Book of World Records for pocketing the most balls on multiple tables in the shortest period of time. In total they raised an amazing $2,000, a record! Team play started on Friday, early signups were taken Thursday night so all teams were ready

to go first thing Friday morning. The OTBnTV crew arrived to start a 4:00 pm Prime Time show, had some internet problems, everything got resolved and the show started around 4:30 pm with an Open A Division Team. Cody, one of the team members sat in to help with the commentary. That match was followed by the Women’s A Teams of Kelly’s Wild Ones vs Phoenix I. As a side note, OTBnTV filmed the Phoenix I team at the 2009 VNEA International 8-Ball Championships where they took first place in the Intermediate Division. Some of the team members were the same. Karen a team

South Dakota State 8-Ball ChampionShipS

Dannys #1

Phoenix #1

Danny Olson

Muiriggins

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 11

member who was not present was watching online from Singapore, China and was rooting her team on. They lost that match and continued on the one loss side. Next up, Break Room #1 and Danny’s #1, two Open AA Division teams fought it out on the live streaming tables. We ended the evening just before midnight. Saturday’s Prime Time show would start at 3:30 pm. The stage was set for the Ladies A Team finals. Knuckle Knockers was on the point and would meet Phoenix I who came through the one loss side. The ladies of the Knuckle Knockers were supported in the chat by Captain Kim Shama’s two daughters who were watching from North Carolina! Karen was again watching her team Phoenix I from Singapore. This is the best part of what we do at OTBnTV with the live streaming! The interaction from family and friends in the chat with a little friendly competition. The match went two sets with Phoenix I prevailing to become the Women’s A Champions for the sixth time. I had the opportunity to sit in with Cheese and commentate

on the match and it was a lot of fun. This was the first time I had tried it and the banter between Cheese and myself was hilarious. We really enjoyed ourselves, having fun poking each other like we do in our everyday life. Cheese made it easy for me. Following the ladies was an Open AA match between Danny’s #1 and The Pocket of Sioux Falls which ended out the night. All team events were concluding on Sunday and we started the live stream at 9:30 am with the Open AA Team Finals. South City Flying J was on the point and Danny’s #1 on the one loss side. Now the Danny’s team would have to beat South City twice to take home the victory. Cheese was joined in the booth by Bob Monlux, the Professional Cue Repair guy from Sioux Falls. He had a booth at the tournament, repairing cues all weekend and knew the player on both teams. During a short break (when the stream crashed) Tom Bourdeon joined Cheese in the booth to commentate and tell stories. He is the author of the book “Wanna Win?”

The finals went a second set and Danny’s #1 pulled off the victory for a back-to-back title! All during the live stream on Sunday cheers could be heard off in the background for the Women’s B team finals which was also going on a few tables away. That title was won by the “Muiriggins” team from Sally O’Malley’s in Rapid City. These ladies really had team spirit. It was a shame we were not able to get them on the live stream, but there were more finals going on all morning and early afternoon. We at OTBnTV would like to thank Lloyd Friedel and Traci of Rushmore Amusement and all of the South Dakota Coin Operators for giving us the opportunity to live stream this amazing event for pool players at

the State 8-Ball Championships. It was a blast! If you didn’t get a change to watch the South Dakota State Valley 8-Ball Championships live you can still enjoy the tournament by watching the Video On Demand matches. Just go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/otbntv-live Keep checking OTBnTV.com for the South Dakota State Valley 8-Ball Championships Video Magazine (coming soon) with photos and video links. You can also see all the photos at http://www.facebook.com/otbntv See you next year at the State 8-Ball Championships and see you in the chat for future OTBnTV live Prime Time streamings.

Dave Pearson Exhibition

Lisa Trenhaile

12 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

SinglesRapid City, Sd, March 16-17, 2011

Open ‘AA’ Singles1st – Danny Olson 2nd – Tom Bourdeon3rd – Ken Nash4th – Justin Brandt5th – 6th David Olson Jr5th – 6th Joe Audino7th – 8th Lou Lends His Horse7th – 8th Chad King Open ‘A’ Singles1st – Keith Olson2nd – Bob Brinkhuis3rd – Mike Kelner4th – Willie Anderson5th – 6th Jeremey Sloan5th – 6th Lamar Goddard7th – 8th Fran Archambeau7th – 8th Brian Ruth

Open ‘B’ Singles1st – Eric Machmuller2nd – Darrell Phillips3rd – Lee Gourneau Jr4th – Kip Cameron5th – 6th Robert Pugh5th – 6th Shannon Coyle7th – 8th Chip Brandis7th – 8th Morgan Hullinger

Open ‘C’ Singles1st – Mike Thompson2nd – Russ Merrills3rd – Ron Slowbear4th – Shane Schaefbauer5th – 6th Adam Masloski5th – 6th Brent Hood7th – 8th Ted Rederth7th – 8th Gene Hanisch

Women’s ‘A’ Singles1st – Lisa Trenhaile2nd – Kim Shama3rd – Patty Maher4th – Jackie Gerkin

5th – 6th Kristi Mccoy5th – 6th Michelle Berens7th – 8th Jana Thompson7th – 8th Ann Clifford

Women’s ‘B’ Singles1st – Jane Harms2nd – Kim Jaragoske3rd – Quiana Greaves4th – Brenda Leader5th – 6th Darla Swain5th – 6th Terri Beek7th – 8th Wendy Mork7th – 8th Jill Hunhoff

Women’s ‘C’ Singles1st – Charlotte Johnson2nd – Kristi Bluebird3rd – Trina Lends His Horse4th – Brenda Vespested5th – 6th Jennifer Angerhofer5th – 6th Melissa Moulton7th – 8th Kennedy Oliva7th – 8th Elizabeth Olson

Teams: March 18-20, 2011 Open ‘AA’ Team1st – Danny’s #1 David Olson Jr, Danny Olson, Justin Brandt, Don Tanner, Jason Seeman2nd – South City Flying J Jim Hunsley, Jim Mcnenny, Jim Corean, Dave Carrick, Vince Archuleta, Mike Jacobs, Lamar Goddard3rd – Off At The Pocket Dan Hein, Troy Oberembt, Dave Jennings, Rick Ochs, Terry Narum, Rick Kuhnert4th – Breakroom #1 Allen Duprel, Dick Spitzer, Josh Boos, Ken Nash, Lou Lends His Horse, Wayne Lettau Open ‘A’ Team1st – Johnnys Lucky Dawgs Terry Henrikson, Jim Obrien, John Dethlefs, Steve Handboy, Tim Carrick, Mike Kelner 2nd – Dakota Cue Club Blind Squirrels Todd Farah, Joe Kidd, Jason Naglestad, Brian Lambertz, Aaron Stoterau

2011 SD STATE 8-BALL TournamenT

2011 OPEN A SINGLES

2011 OPEN B SINGLES

2011 OPEN C SINGLES

2011 WOMEN B SINGLES 2011 WOMENS C SINGLES 2011 OPEN B 1ST RELIANCE #2

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 13

2011 SD STATE 8-BALL TournamenT 3rd – Team Dumas Gary Nelson, Guy Trenhaile, Steve Onkka, Dan Davis, Kurt Peterson, Larry Jaragoske4th –South Main Pub I Todd Voss, Mike Brinkman, Dave Hoff, Bob Raabe, Ken Boynton Open ‘B’ Team1st – Reliane #2 Lee Gourneau Jr, John Big Eagle, Michael Hoffer Jr, Cheyenne Ziegler, Rod Byrd2nd – Horses To Harleys Contenders Doug Gerkin, Jackie Gerkin, Kurt Ranta, Toby Corean, Ruben Pierce3rd - Skinners Pub Deuces Jim Lerdal, Mark Garrow, George Faehnrich, Shannon Brown, Brad Pederson4th – 212 Bait Shop Tim Hawkins, Chuck Isenburg, Curt Gerkin, Todd Geddes, Oliver Gerkin

Open ‘C’ Team1st – Casino Bar Hustlers Josh Luckett, Mace Luckett, Scott Wenzel, Wayne Willman, Charla Willman, Jarad Mohnen2nd –Schwans Kathy Fuller, Bev Bieber, Nancy Petersen, Tracy Berg, Kim Jaragoske3rd – Skinners Longshots Neil Burghardt, Paul Larsen, Eric Bothun, Steve Springman, Josh Peterson, Ron Loban4th – Schwans Time Bandits Mike Saylor, Eric Duven, Rob Zimmerman, Steve Cogley, Mitch Wilson

Open ‘D’ Team1st – North Star 2 Ray Bokker, Jim Hoffie, Russ Merrils, Derek Merrills, Ken Dooley, Scott Fiebelkorn2nd –Woodys Smooth Macadamiens Adam Masloski, Eric Masloski, Dan Fjerstad, Jeff Lamb, Doug Nygaard3rd – Vfw #2 Doug Yost, Kami Yost, Chad Erickson, Tyler Vance, Jeremy Tullar4th – Oasis Outcasts Jim Mauch, Lynn Mauch, Melissa Brimmer, Chris Fiddler, John Kjellsen, James Rugg, Dion Hinzman WOMENS’S “A” TEAM1st – Phoenix I Laura Baker, Sheila Smith-Hahn, Leanne Paulson, Angie Montgomery, Paula Oldenkamp2nd – Knuckle Knockers Kim Shama, Gail Cook, Deb Corean, Jackie Schwartz, Pat Schwartz,

3rd – Teddys Omg! Fab Five Michelle Yankton, Anne Clifford, Darla Swain, Amy Garcia4th – South City English Majors Stephanie Rhodes, Heather Jacobs, Laurie Hawkins, Linda Rhodes, Deb Merrival, Shelby Jacobs WOMEN’S “B” TEAM1st – Sally O’malleys Muiriggins Robin Biggins, Crystal Biggins, Chantel Biggins, Pam Sachtjen, Brittany Muir, Jessie Muir2nd Thirsty Shooters Deb Olson, Christy Davis, Amber Garry, Jane Harms, Jami Decker, Kim Wright3rd Branch Time Buddies Elizabeth Olson, Steph Paul, Cindy Paul, Lisa Etzkorn4th – Elk Creek Nobs Mob Terrie Keyser, Trudy O’brien, Wanda Newbrough, Connie Martin, Susan Atwater

2011 OPEN C TEAM 1ST = CASINO BAR HUSTLERS

2011 OPEN A 1ST - JOHNNYS LUCKY DAWGS

2011 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEECheryl Loban with Lloyd Friedel

2011 OPEN D 1ST - NORTH STAR 2

2011 OPEN AA SINGLES 2011 WOMEN’S A SINGLES

Phoenix Lounge

27121 Bluebird PlaceHarrisburg, SD

605-743-2800

CongratulationsPhoenix I

Angie, Sheila, Laura, Leanne

Thanks to ALL our pool playersSally O’Malley’s Pub 3064 Covington Street Rapid City, SD 57703

605-721-8636

Cold Beer - Coctails - Great FoodEntertainment - Pool - Darts - Lottery Machine

Congratulations Muiriggins

Join Sally O’Malley’s Pub Facebook Page

Jessie, Robin, Pam, Brittany, Crystal, Chantel

14 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

Visit AZBilliards.com for the latest pool information

Souquet Crowned Pro 10-Ball Champion at Super Billiards ExpoGermany’s Ralf Souquet went undefeated to claim the 2011 Open 10-Ball Pro Players Championship at the Super Billiards Expo. Souquet, who had a fifth place finish in 2009, had his eye on the prize this year. It seemed he had notable wins this weekend over nearly the entire U.S. Mosconi team, Dennis Hatch, Johnny Archer, and Shane Van Boening.

The tournament was played using WPA rules where a pocket must be called for each shot. If a ball is slopped in, the incoming player has the option to take the shot or return it to the shooter. Ironically, Souquet helped in implementing the rule.

The 2008 and 2010 champion Van Boening fought hard to defend his title but was unable to get through the steady Robb Saez who sent Van Boening to the one-loss on Saturday in a hill-hill back and forth battle. Van Boening went on to defeat Hatch with a convincing score of 10-3 while Saez and Souquet met up on the a-side. Souquet was ahead 4-0 before Saez won the next five games. The players exchanged the next few

racks until Souquet played a combination on the 10 ball to pull ahead at 8-7, winning 10-7. This would give Saez and Van Boening a chance for a rematch.

Saez and Van Boening captivated fans for another hill-hill saga. Saez immediately jumped to a 5-1 lead over Van Boening. Both men appeared confident and missed very few shots. Toward the end of the set, they each hooked themselves toward the end of the rack and couldn’t finish the run allowing the other to capitalize. In the final rack, Van Boening made an error that would cost him when he got poor position on the three ball resulting in a miss on the four ball. This would allow Seaz the opportunity to bank in the four and run out for another chance at Souquet.

In the finals, both Souquet and Saez appeared to be getting fatigued the percentage of errors were increasing. Souquet remained ahead for the entire match and Saez struggled to close the gap. While down 8-7, Saez had an opportunity but was unable to capitalize, missing the one ball and giving the rack to Souquet. Another miss on the one ball would allow Souquet to get to the hill first and ultimately the match and title. Final score: 13-8.1st $20,000 Ralf Souquet2nd $7,000 Robb Saez3rd $4,000 Shane Van Boening4th $3,000 Dennis Hatch5th $2,100 Johnny Archer, Darren Appleton7th $1,800 Alex Pagulayan, Gabe Owen9th $1,500 Mika Immonen, Jason Klatt, Dee Adkins, Stevie Moore13th $1,250 Shawn Putnam, Rodney Morris, Tony Robles, Max Eberle17th $900 Thorsten Hohmann, Matt Clatterbuck, Raj Hundal John Morra, Shaun Wilkie, Ryan McCreesh Hunter Lombardo, Tommy Kennedy

Scoreboard

World Artistic Pool Championships1st $3,500 Andy Segal2nd $2,500 Jamie Gray3rd $1,800 Tim Chin4th $1,300 Gabriel Visiou5th $1,000 Nick Nikolaidis6th $800 Abram Diaz7th $750 Florian Kohler8th $700 Jamie Moody9th $650 Tom Rossman10th $500 Chris Woodrum11th $450 JR Owens12th $400 Bruce Barthelette13th $100 Paul Danno, Javier Gomez Steve Markle, Joe Bonge Sebastian Giumelli, Gordon Hedges Steve Geller, Tom Kinzel, Jason Lynch Mark Dimick, Dave Nangle

Fury Straight Pool Challenge1st $1,500 Darren Appleton2nd $900 John Schmidt3rd $400 Mika Immonen, Dave Daya5th $200 Mike Davis, Max Eberle Bobby Chamberlain, Nick Varner

Pro Am Division1st $1,500 Charlie Williams2nd $1,000 Justin Hall3rd $700 Masafumi Mochizuki, Bill Dunsmore5th $500 Shane Clayton, Marc Vidal Tommy Tokoph, Michael Delawder

Amateur Open Division1st $5,000 Bucky Souvanthong2nd $2,000 Tony Long3rd $1,500 Gary Lutman, Ben Zimmer5th $1,200 Brett Stottlemyer, Chris Mitchell Alex Olinger, Danny Mastermaker9th $950 Houston Rodriguez, Mike Wishwanick Steve Mack, Jorge Rodriguez Greg Antonakos, Shayne Morrow Toshiki Kiuchi, Phil Wines

Amateur Ladies Division1st $1,500 Jia Li2nd $1,000 Stacie Bourbeau3rd $700 Liz Lovely, Gail Glazebrook5th $450 Amy Theriault, Grace Nakamura Diana Rojas, Lonnie Fox

Seniors Division1st $3,000 Sy Brown2nd $1,500 Horace Godwin3rd $1,000 Ike Runnels, Ed Matushoneck5th $725 Gary Nolan, Horace Aughtry Ray MacNamara, Marc Pantovic Mark Hatch, Tony Mougey Bob Talford, Victor Nau9th $450 Joe Sauro, Patrick O’Neill Al Muccilli, John Jennings

Super Billiards Expo Results

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 15

The weekend of February 19-20 the Tiger Amateur Tour held stop #2 of the season at Houstons newest billiards room, Big Tyme Billiards. The event had 76 players show up and it was played down to 16 on Saturday, all who would be back Sunday to fight it out for the cash. We had players from all over Texas and a few Cajuns that attended also. We appreciate them all and look forward to seeing them again. So starting out at noon Sunday we had 8 on the winners side and 8 on the one-loss side, the races were to 11/9, the match results were Ernesto Bayaua over Daniel Herring 11-7, Brian Hickman over Danny Roland in a 11-10 thriller, Ray Porter over Durango Duran 11-8 and Dale Briones bested Victor Rojas 11-6. This set up the winners side final four which pitted Dale Briones against Ray Porter, Dale got the best of this one 11-7 to earn his spot in the hot seat match. His opponent would be Ernesto Bayaua who

made a great comeback after being down 7-3 and winning 11-9 over Brian Hickman. So the Hot seat match was set and it was past tour winner Ernesto Bayaua against first time tour player Dale Briones and Ernesto got the nod 11-8. The one-loss side 13-16 round matches were Bobby Gonzales over Roy Payton 9-1, Rodney Stewart got by Steve Braswell 9-6, Frank Cherry 9-5 over Justin Pena and Richard Rodriguez got by Patrick Hill 9-6. The 9-12 round saw Frank Cherry keep rolling as he ousted Victor Rojas 9-3, Durango Duran squeaked by Richard Rodriguez 9-8, Daniel Herring 9-8 over Bobby G., and Danny Roland over Rodney Stewart. Next was the round of 7-8th, and Daniel Herring took Danny Roland out 9-7 and Durango got the nod over Frank Cherry 9-5. The 5-6th place round saw Durango keep his roll going as he bested Brian Hickman 9-5 and Ray Porter

ousted Daniel Herring 9-4. This pitted Ray verse Durango in the final 4 and Durango steam rolled Ray 9-2 in record time. Durango was rolling, so the finals of the one-loss side saw Durango take on Dale Briones, and Dale had seen enough of the Durango tear and Dale sent him packing 9-7, to earn his rematch with Ernesto in the finals. And what a thrill of a finals it was, it kept everyone on edge. The finals was set and it was a race to 11 between Dale and Ernesto. They stayed close up to 4 , then Ernesto put some space between them reaching the hill first at 10-6, but Dale was not done, he fought and clawed back until it was hill-hill and he finally got the first set nod when it was all set and done 11-10. So on to set #2 we went, and going to 9, Ernesto jumped out quick again, and held a 7-3 lead at one point, as we saw earlier Dale is not one to give up , so he fought and clawed back again, he took the next 5 games to reach the hill first, and on his break it looked as if he was going to run out, but he got alittle straight in on the 4 ball and gave himself a tough angle to get to the 5, so he fires the 4 at warp speed and the pocket was not having it and spit it out, Ernesto jumps up, runs out and what do you know we got another hill hill match. In a thriller of a last game Dale finally got the nod and earned his first Tiger Tour win in his first try. Congrats to the both of them on a great tournament. Also the Second Chance Event on Sunday had 18 players and it was won by Carl Miranda, second went to Jim Walker, third to Will Felder and fourth to Grady Cooper. They earned 300,150,100, and 75 respectively, congrats to them as well. We want to thank everyone who came out and played and also just came out to sweat the action. Also we want to thank room owners Bob McFerren, Jim Henry and Mark Avery, and boss man Billy Sharp they did a wonderful job on hosting their first major tournament at their new 24 hour room. And a super special thanks to all of our sponsors. Tony Kalamdaryan of www.TigerProducts.com , Jay Helfert author of Pool Wars www.JayHelfert.com , Gil Castillo ofwww.

castilloleathergoods.com , Heather Bryant of www.DreamlinePromotions.com , and Terry Russel of www.Htownbilliards.com . Also thanks to our referee Bob Mcferren, Auctioneer Chuck Adams, and cue repairman Roger Allen. The cue raffle for the Tiger cue was won by big Joey B. We hope to see everyone at the next event on March 5-6 at Big Johns sports Bar. For more info you can always check on the website at www.TigerAmateurTour.com PAYOUTS:1st $875 Dale Briones2nd $575 Ernesto Bayaua3rd $335 Durango Duran4th $215 Ray Porter5-6th $140 Daniel Herring, Brian Hickman7-8th $105 Danny Roland, Frank Cherry9-12th $75 Bobby Gonzales, Rodney Stewart,Victor Rojas, Richard Rodrigu13-16th $60 Roy Payton,Steve Braswell, Justin Pena, Patrick Hill AUCTION:1st $1,3802nd $8603rd $5504th $3505-6th $2307-8th $150

The Tiger Amateur Tour held its 3rd event of the season at Big Johns Sports Bar in Houston, Texas the weekend of March 5-6. This was also our first bar table event of the year. Other events in the area kept our attendance down a little with 51 players, still not shabby, but we will always work with everyone to not have any schedule conflicts in our future events. So this event paid out 12 spots and was played down to 12 to comeback Sunday to fight it out for the cash, along with everyone who attended the Second Chance Eventon Sunday. So more to the point, there were 8 players left on the winners side and 4 on the one-loss side. Winners side matches were Don Bullard vs Will Felder, Don got the nod here 11-7, up and coming rap sensation David Parker squeaked by Wendell Moser 11-10, Machine Gun Mike Alonzo 11-6 over Brian Rosenbaum, and the battle of the cajuns saw super fly Jimmy Majors

get by Derrick Cantu 11-2. The round of 4 winners side saw Jimmy over Brian R. 11-6, and David over Don 11-7. This set up Jimmy vs David in the hot seat match, this match was a see saw match all the way till 8-8, when David missed a key ball to take the lead, and from there Jimmy slammed the door on him and got the nod 11-8. So with super fly Jimmy Majors in the hot seat we move on to the one loss side battles. The one loss side round of 9-12th place matches saw Mike Alonzo knock Carl Miranda out 9-4, Brent Thomas over Derrick Cantu 9-3 Will Felder over Danny Lee 9-6 and Brian Hickman got

by Wendell Moser 9-2. The round of 7-8th place matches were Brian H. over Will 9-6 and Mike got by Brent 9-5. The 5-6th place round saw two U.S. Amateur qualifiers face off and Machine Gun Mike was firing many rounds here as he shot Don B. full of holes 9-1. On the other side it was a battle of the

Briones wins two hill-hill thrillers to take the second stop on the Tiger Amateur Tour.

Ernesto Bayaua, Dale Briones

Jim Walker, Carl Miranda

Alonzo Double Dips Em Again!

Mike Alonzo, Jimmy Majors

continued on page 16

16 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

Wednesdays Oshkosh, WI Varsity Club (920) 651-0806 9-Ball Beginners $8 CallThursdays Oshkosh, WI Varsity Club (920) 651-0806 9-Ball Intermediate $10 CallFridays Tulsa, OK Q-Spot Billiards (918) 779-6204 8-Ball 7 & under $5 9 PM Oshkosh, WI Varsity Club (920) 651-0806 9-Ball Open - Break Pot $15 $5/player Guar. CallSaturdays Tulsa, OK Q-Spot Billiards (918) 779-6204 9-Ball 7 & under $10 (incl. g.f.) 9 PM

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without noticeDATE CITY LOCATION PHONE EVENT/RULES ENTRY ADDED TIME

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS

Ochoa and Kielar Heading to VegasThe first qualifiers for both the 12th U.S Open One Pocket Championship and the 3rd U.S Open 10-Ball Championships were held March 19-20. At Drexeline Billiard Club in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, young gun Adam Kielar won the paid spot to the U.S. Open One Pocket event. While simultaneously in Houston, Texas at Bigtyme Billiards, Sylver Ochoa grinded it through a strong lone star state field to nab the paid U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship spot. Produced by CueSports International (CSI), both U.S. Open events will take place at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in conjunction with the 35th BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships. The One Pocket kicks off Thursday, May 12 and concludes the 15th. The 10-Ball Championship will start Monday, May 16th and conclude Saturday, May 21st. For more information about both U.S. Open events including all upcoming qualifier dates and locations visit www.playcsipool.com. Both events will be live streamed and available via PPV by The Action Report (TAR) at www.theactionteport.com. CSI would like to thank the following sponsors: Diamond Billiard Products, Simonis, The Magic Ball Rack, Mueller Sporting Goods, McDermott and Billiards Digest for their support of the 12th U.S. Open One Pocket and 3rd U.S. Open 10-Ball Championships. This year the Riviera reduced their room rates and the registration numbers have been tremendous. For anyone booking 8 or more nights, the rate is $60 per night (restrictions apply). For reservations less than 8 nights the rate is $80. These rates include Friday and Saturday evenings; allow up to 4 people per room and no resort fee will be added. To make your reservation call (800) 634-6753 and use group code BCAPCPP. CueSports International is dedicated to creating more choices for all players. CSI is the parent company of the BCA Pool League and the USA Pool League. CSI also produces independent events such as the U.S. Bar Table Championships, the Jay Swanson Memorial, the U.S. Open One Pocket Championship and the U.S. Open 10-Ball Championship. Visit www.playcsipool.com, www.playbca.com and www.playusapool.com for more information about CSI and its divisions.

Brians, as Hickman and Rosenbaum faced off and Rosenbaum got the nod here 9-5. This pitted Brian against the blazing MikeAlonzo and Mike kept the pedal to the medal and scored a 9-5 victory. Now Mike would face MC David, and Mike kept his run alive getting by David 9-5. Now with five straight victories Mike had made his way to the Finals. The Finals: Super Fly Jimmy Majors from Lafayette,La. Would face local Machine Gun Mike Alonzo. This match saw Jimmy grab control early at 3-0, then Mike reeled off 4 games to make it 4-3, then they see sawed back and forth up until 8-8, then Mike put a few together to take the first set of the true double elimination finals 11-8. Now they played a second set for the crown, and oh my was this one a show, they kept it close all the way to the end with some flawless play and kept everyone watching on the edge of their seats. In the end Machine Gun Mike put seven matches in a row together and got by Super Fly in a hill hill thriller 9-8. Mike became the first 2 time winner on our tour that has been running now around 7 months, and 8-9 events. The last event he won he also double dipped his opponent to win as well. Congrats to Mikey !!!! The Second Chance Event had

12 players and saw the top 3 cash, they were as follows: 1st place went to Roy Payton, 2nd to Cajun Dallas Broussard and 3rd went to another of the Cajun Robert Dorsey, thanks to all

for participating in this event. Also a special thanks to all the out of town players, we had 4 from San Antonio, 5 from Louisiana, and 4-5 from the Victoria/El Campo area. And of course all of our local players too. And a super special thanks to all of our sponsors. Tony Kalamdaryan of www.TigerProducts.com , Jay Helfert author of Pool Wars www.JayHelfert.com , Gil Castillo of www.castilloleathergoods.com , Heather Bryant of www.DreamlinePromotions.com , and Terry Russel of www.Htownbilliards.com . PAYOUTS:1st $650 Mike Alonzo 2nd $430 Jimmy Majors 3rd $290 David Parker 4th $170 Brian Rosenbaum 5-6th $100 Don Bullard, Brian Hickman7-8th $70 Brent Thomas, Will Felder $709-12th $40 Carl Miranda, Derrick Cantu, Danny Lee, Wendell MoserAUCTION:1st $9202nd $6903rd $4604th $230

Dallas Broussard, Roy Payton

TIGER continued from page 15

April 2011 - Rackem Magazine 17

FAMILY BILLIARDS ROOMPRO SHOP - CUE REPAIRCUES - CASES - SUPPLIES

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High School Seniors Apply Now!

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is accepting applications for the 2011 scholarship awards. The objective of the BEF Academic Scholarship Program is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are pursuing a college education. The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is divided into two categories: Excellence in Education scholarship (a single $2,000 award) and Aiming for Higher Education scholarships (three individual scholarships at $1,000 each). Each applicant will be considered in both categories; only one completed application is required and must be postmarked no later than April 18, 2011. Applications can be downloaded by going to the BEF website at www.BilliardEducation.org. Students must adhere to the following

scholarship criteria: 1) hold a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale); 2) must have an ACT score of at least 23 or SAT combined score (critical reading + math) of 1050 or higher; 3) submit a 500-1000 word essay on how billiards has been an integral part of their life; 4) must be accepted to an accredited undergraduate academic program by June 1; 5) must attend an accredited undergraduate institution and carry at least 12 hours per semester. The final application must also include a letter from the applicant outlining academic achievements, leadership and/or community service work, a description of the applicant's background and career objectives plus personal and professional (academic) goals. Applicants must also submit an official High School Transcript and SAT/ACT scores.

About Billiard Education FoundationThe Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is a 501 (c)

(3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders. The BEF funds academic scholarships, produces the Junior National 9-Ball Championships, sponsors billiard athletes to attend the WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships and promotes “Pool In School” programs. For more information about the BEF please visit www.BilliardEducation.org . To become a sponsor, make a donation or inquiry, please contact Laura Smith at info@

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DATE CITY LOCATION PHONE EVENT/RULES ENTRY ADDED TIME

Call First - All Tournaments are subject to change without notice

Apr 1-3 Saratoga, WY Platte Valley Open (307) 329-8924 8-Ball 3 Divisions $60-$160 $9,000 6 PMWatch it LIVE on OTBnTV.com presented by Tiger Products

Apr 2 Alsip, IL CSI Qualifier (708) 388-3700 Red Shoes 10 Ball Qual. $75 (incl g.f.) $250 w/16 max 10 AMApr 2-3 Houston, TX Click’s Billiards (713) 895-9992 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 1 PMApr 8-10 Billings, MT MCMOA (See ad Mar) League Operator State 8-Ball Champ. M/W (A/B) Qualify at bars $10,000 3:00PM

Watch it LIVE on OTBnTV.com presented by Tiger ProductsApr 9 Houston, TX Q-Stix Billiards (281) 580-0880 Lone Star Tour 9-Ball on Bar Tables $45/$65/$25 Call CallApr 15-17 New Town, ND Four Bears Casino (701) 421-0604 8-Ball Classic M & W Apr 16 Sedalia, MO Sharky’s Billiards (660) 826-5855 Mo State 10 pt. HCP 8-Ball Call Call CallApr 30 Alsip, IL CSI Qualifier (708) 388-3700 Red Shoes One Pocket Qual. $75 (incl g.f.) $250 w/16 max 10 AMApr 27-May 1 Beijing, China Beijing Open Check matchroomsport.com for detailsApr 29-May 1 Mtn View, CA California Billiard Club (605) 965-3100 Seminole Pro Tour 10-Ball $115 $12,000 CallApr 30-May 1 Houston, TX Q-Stix Billiards (281) 580-0880 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 1 PMMay 3-8 Asia Dragon Promo Mx Doubles Check dragonpromotions.com for detailsMay 7 Houston, TX Bogie’s Billiards (281) 821-4544 Lone Star Tour 8-Ball on 8’Tables $45/$65/$25 Call CallMay 9-15 Manila WPA World 10-Ball Check matchroomsport.com for detailsMay 12-15 Las Vegas, NV CSI (702) 719-7665 U S Open One Pocket Call $10,000 Guar CallMay 11-22 Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 BCAPL 8-Ball Nationals Varied $750,000 payout CallMay 11-22 Las Vegas, NV BCAPL (702) 719-7665 BCAPL 9-Ball Nationals Varied $750,000 payout Call May 16-21 Las Vegas, NV CSI (702) 719-7665 U S Open 10 Ball Call $25,000 Guar CallMay 21 Sedalia, MO Sharky’s Billiards (660) 826-5855 Hardcore 8-Ball NO HCP $40 Call NoonMay 30-Jun 5 Venue Changes World Pool Masters Check matchroomsport.com for detailsJun 4-5 Wichita, KS Side Pockets (316) 729-4000 Bobby Wells Memorial $35 $2,500 11 AMJun 6-12 China China Open Men/Women Check matchroomsport.com for detailsJun 11 Port Arthur, TX Crazy 8’s (409) 960-7399 Lone Star Tour 9-Ball on 8’ Tables $45/$65/$25 Call CallJun 11-12 Madison, WI The Brass Ring (608) 256-9359 Simonis 9-Ball Challenge Call $550/$950 10 AMJun 11-12 Tulsa, OK Magoo’s (918) 663-3364 9-Ball Open/Ladies $65/$55 $2,500 11 AM Jun 18 Sedalia, MO Sharky’s Billiards (660) 826-5855 King of the Hill 8-Ball Call Call CallJun 24-26 Fargo, ND Fargo Billiards (701) 282-4168 9-Ball (Fri)/8-Ball (Sat-Sun) $40/$60 $500/$2,500 6 PMJun 25-26 San Leon, TX Casper’s Billiards (281) 559-1400 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 1 PMJun 25-Jul 2 Qatar Men’s WPA World 9-Ball Check wpapool.com for detailsJul 7-10 Olathe, KS Shooters (913) 780-5740 One Pocket $60 $1,000 8 PMJul 7-10 Olathe, KS Shooters (913) 780-5740 9-Ball Open/Ladies $65/$50 $4,000 8 PMJuly 16-17 Houston, TX Rose Country (281) 590-1954 Tiger Amateur Tour $40 $1,000 1 PM

18 Rackem Magazine - April 2011

Streaming SchedulePresents

Apr 8-10, 2011MCMOA Montana State 8-Ball

Apr 1-3, 2011Platte ValleyOpen - WY

March 2011 - Rackem Magazine 15March 2011 - The Break 35www.TheBreakMagazine.com

Spring Is In The Air... It’s Time To Rock The Riv!$750,000

35th BCAPL

National 8-Ball

ChampionshipsMay 11-22, 2011

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May 12-15, 2011$10,000 Added

May 16-21, 2011$25,000 Added

BCAPL National 9-Ball Championships

9-Ball Challenge May 11-129-Ball Open Singles May 12

9-Ball Teams May 21-22FOR INFORMATION ON ALL EVENTS

VISIT:Produced by Sponsored by

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Photos by Ashi Fachler (ashi@billiardphoto.com)

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