Longshots— Jeff Long, John Wesley, Martin Estrada, Joe Johnson, Phil Nishimoto, Cory Berlekamp and Carly Miltz—from Perrysburg, Ohio have been playing together for about a year.
When a new bar opened in Perrsysburg, the owner approached Jeff and asked him if he could get some people together to play in the League. After he started asking people, the response was tremendous and he had to start turning people away. The team started out with Jeff and two “kids” from his neighborhood. They grew up playing pool together in his basement and couldn’t wait to play in the League. One other friend that he asked to play with them said he couldn’t, but he had two friends that would enjoy APA. Jeff had never met them before but they are both still on this team. The rest of the teammates came from their Host Location, Fat Jack’s.
After much debate, the team decided on the name Longshots because they were long shots to win and their Team Captain’s last name is Long. There are several different things that make Longshots a special team, but one very unique thing about this team is the extreme distance that several players have to travel to play (up to 2 ½ hours each way).
“I have not had the problems that many captains have of trying to get enough players to show up each week,” Jeff said. “Plus, I never hear complaints from anyone if they don’t get to play. We play as a team, we lose as a team and we win as a team. This is a great bunch of poolplayers who get along and love playing pool and up until a year ago almost all of us were complete strangers.”
They competed in the 8-Ball Open Division. This was the first time to the National Team Championships in Las Vegas for the entire team, so they were thrilled to be in Vegas. The team hoped to have a great time both on and off the tables in Vegas. They’ve made memories to last a lifetime. Most of the team will not be playing together after returning from Vegas, but they have made friendships that are sure to continue on.