National Singles Championships participants have arrived to the Riviera Hotel and Casino this week. Hundreds of faces and personalities will be attending, all with a story to tell. Stay tuned, throughout the tournament we will be posting stories, pictures and video clips from the tournament. You could see someone you know!

Making Friends from Opponents

Bonnie Hall and Mike Braswell met Denise Martin and Scott Franklin during the Jack 'n Jill Doubles Event.

"Denise and Scott were great to play with," said Hall, "they were fun to play the entire match. They had great attitudes and were showed fantastic sportsmanship."

Hall and Braswell were on the side lines while Martin and Franklin played in the finals, "We just had to cheer them on!" said Hall.

Hall and Braswell are from Georgia and placed third in the Jack 'n Jill Doubles Tournament. Martin and Franklin are from Illinois and placed first.

Competing On Her Own

On October 7, 2001 APA member Bonnie O'Connor, from Fruitvale, TX, had more to celebrate than qualifying for the APA 8-Ball Classic, it was also her 71st birthday!

"I was so excited! I could hardly hold my cue stick, or the chalk, during the qualifying rounds," said Bonnie, "Last August our team made it out here, but I did not get to play, I was determined to come out here on my own to compete in the Singles event."

"I have met so many wonderful people out here at the Championships and in the League, it has been a lot of fun, I can't wait to come out here again for the Team Championships," said Bonnie.

Vegas Rookie

This is the first trip for Jerry Haselden to the National Singles Championships. He and his girlfriend Shirley made the trip all the way from Lexington, South Carolina.

"It was pretty hard to qualify in my area, there was a lot of competition for Vegas slots," said Haselden, "I did not qualify my first time, but I am glad I tried again, the tournament has been great so far." Haselden is joined by about 10 other qualifiers from South Carolina.

"The competition out here is about even, every one is ranked pretty well," said Haselden, "we are having a great time, it's great to play people from all over the United States; and the tables they have here are great, they are fun to play on." Haselden won his first match Thursday evening and will advance in the tournament.

Celebrating Milestones in Las Vegas

This is not the first Singles Championship for long time APA member Jim Drier of East Peoria, Ill. Drier has been a member for 12 years, and he is no stranger to the National Tournaments. "I've been out here before, have not placed very well, but it's great to have the chance to be here," said Drier.

"There is always strong competition out here, there always has been," said Drier, "but I come out here, play my best and have a great time doing it."

Drier and his wife will be celebrating their 27th wedding anniversary this weekend in Las Vegas. He also has much more to celebrate as he retired from his job just two days ago. Drier worked for a mining company for 37 years.

Family Ties Meet in Las Vegas

After 30 years, cousins Denise Martin and Michael Bittenbinder finally got reacquainted. Martin thought the name on the scoresheet looked familiar and said out loud "I have cousins in West Pueblo, Colo. named Bittenbinder."

Thinking that not too many people could have that last name, she asked; sure enough the player was Mike, a cousin of hers from Pueblo, Colo. whom she has not seen in over 30 years!

"It is so weird, neither of us could believe we met here," said Bittenbinder. "It's still weird!" said Martin.

Denise and Mike are competing in the Jack 'n Jill Doubles Tournament. Denise is from Pekin, Ill., and is playing with Scott Franklin on their team The Best from Pekin Illinois. Team Bittenbinder consists of Michael and his girlfriend Shelly Kearns.

Martin's team won the match. They both plan to keep in touch after the tournament.

Diamond Billiards had the inner workings of their "Smart Table" on display. The APA has created a partnership with Diamond Tables, who has an existing partnership with Simonis cloth and Aramith balls; together they form the "Diamond Smart Table Package." Diamond provided their Smart Tables for the National Singles Championship main tournament room and MiniMania Tournament room.