President's Message - 2003 National Singles Championships

President's Message

Welcome to the 2003 National Singles Championships. As a participant in an APA National Championship, you are about to experience excitement and competition unlike that which you faced during weekly League play and regional qualifying competition.

With so much at stake in the 2003 National Singles Championships, you will need to stay focused, challenging yourself to play your best, as this is the highest level of APA amateur competition. You’ll experience more excitement, more intensity and more grueling competition than you may have ever encountered. But if you are up to the challenge, you just may return home as an APA National Champion.

Before you begin to focus on what lies ahead, take a moment to reflect on what you have already accomplished. Only a small portion of our more than 215,000 members ever makes it this far. Almost 45,000 members competed locally, trying to qualify for this competition. Of those, nearly 5,600 of them competed at the Regional Level in an attempt to get here. Now you understand why we consider all of you winners – you have already accomplished so much just getting here. And regardless of where you finish in this event, you should take pride in the fact that you were one of the few to make it all the way to Las Vegas.

We want to make sure your experience here in Vegas is one-of-a-kind, which is why we have plenty to keep you busy. In addition to the 8-Ball Classic and 9-Ball Shootout, we’ll be hosting our Jack ‘n Jill Doubles Championship and running 20 hour/per day MiniMania tournaments – both in the MiniMania room. World famous trick-shot artist Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman will also be on-hand throughout the week performing some of his exciting exhibitions. (Check out his exhibition schedule on Page 15.) Finally, be sure to join us on Saturday night as we party poolside here at the Riv to wrap up an exciting weekend of competition.

On behalf of the entire APA staff, our sponsors and our network of League Operators we wish you the best of luck and hope you enjoy the tournament!

Best regards,
Renee’ Lyle Poehlman
President