Grapes of Rath of Austin, TX

Knights of the Pool Table of DeLand, TX

8 is Enough! of Glouchester City, NJ

Team Name Contest Winners

After online voting, the winners of the Team Name Contest are: Grapes of Rath of Austin, Texas (8-Ball Open), Knights of the Pool Table of DeLand, Fla. (9-Ball Open) and 8 is Enough! of Glouchester City, N.J. (8-Ball Ladies).  Nationally qualified teams in the 8-Ball Open, 8-Ball Ladies and 9-Ball Open were able to submit the story behind their team via http://www.poolplayers.com.  Submissions were then narrowed down and posted online for voting. These teams will receive a plaque with a laminated copy of the article to appear in The American Poolplayer magazine with their photo.

Jason Kane Crowned Dr. Cue Artistic Pool Champion

The Dr. Cue Artistic Pool Championship finals were held on Friday with Jason Kane of New York, N.Y., taking home the $500 first place prize for the third year in a row.  Coming in as runner-up was Dustin Gunia of Omaha, Neb.  Placing in 3rd was Stacey Lantz of St. Petersburg, Fla., and 4th place went to William Boggs of Newman, Ga.  Players were able to enter as many times as they like in the preliminaries during the week.  There was a $10 entry fee for each preliminary round.

Andy Fox

Andy Fox of Orange County, Calif., has been playing pool since he was about 4 years old.  His father was a semi-pro in the United Kingdom, back when he was a child, so he got Andy involved with pool at a young age.  When he was young, he would stand on top of a box so he could see the pool table.  After moving to the United States from England, back in 2000, a gentleman encouraged Andy to join his APA pool team after seeing him shoot in a bar. 

This is his first time competing at the National Team Championships, and it has been a great experience for him.  The tournament room was much bigger than he ever expected!

PoolAPAlooza – Round 2

The second PoolAPAlooza, party-by-the-pool, was held on Thursday evening.  There are two parties to ensure that everyone competing at the National Team Championships has a chance to attend.  A DJ entertained the crowd all night, and attendees danced the night away.  There were also game stations, where many APA prizes were awarded.  Guests could also take home a commemorative photo from the photo booth. Dr. Cue was on-hand performing his world-famous trick shot exhibitions and signing autographs. A great time was had by all!

Andy Segal Wins Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge

APA League Operator Andy Segal won the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge on Thursday.  Segal defeated Jamey Gray in the final round to capture the title.  The final score was 10-7. 

Segal competed against Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman in the semi-finals to earn his spot in the finals. Gray defeated Tim Chin in the other semi-final to earn his spot. 

MiniMania

In addition to the main tournament action, APA members have the opportunity to play in the nearly round-the-clock MIniMania tournaments.  These mini-tournaments are available in many formats to current APA members who have at least 10 League match scores within the last 2 years.  MiniMania keeps everyone busy with non-stop pool action throughout the week. It also gives those who didn’t qualify for the National Championship events the opportunity to capture the National tournament experience.

Garett Majoue: Crime Fighter

Garett Majoue of New Orleans, La., is helping keep his neighborhood safe.  Back in March, tenants at his apartment building noticed that their mail was going missing. One morning, Garett saw someone at the mailboxes acting fishy. The guy immediately left, so Garett decided to chase the gentleman on his bike.  After catching up to him, he tackled the man and held him in a wrestling move; the man had mail in his hand, but claimed he found it. After a neighbor called the police, they found out the man had been to jail before for mail fraud and was wanted federally for a crime ring.  Garett found out later that he was in connection with six men, and all were detained within 3-4 weeks of his heroic feat.

“I had things stolen before, and it’s a terrible feeling. So, when I caught the guy red-handed, I needed to go after him,” Garett said. “My wrestling experience gave me the confidence.”

This isn’t the only time he helped detain a criminal. Back in 1999, he captured a man who was stealing from a grocery store. And, very recently, he saw a man between two buildings vandalizing them, stopped and caught him. Also, he witnessed a hit-and-run accident and ran after the man until he tackled him.

Garett is at the National Team Championships playing with his team, Ninjas.  He has been an APA member since 2002, after forming a team with a friend who was a member. Unfortunately, he had to take a couple of years off after Hurricane Katrina, when his home was destroyed. This is his team’s second year in a row competing here.

Dr. Cue Exhibitions

Fan favorite, Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman is at the National Team Championships performing exhibitions and signing autographs daily.  Dr. Cue is famous for his trick shots and the humor he brings along with them. He is also conducting the Dr. Cue Artistic Pool Championship all week, with the finals in that event taking place on Friday.  In addition, Tom is playing in the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge, with other world-renowned trick shot artists.  He will also be at the pool party on Thursday evening, signing autographs and performing trick shots.

For The Fun Of It

Although the team didn’t know each other prior to playing on a team together, For The Fun Of It of Newport News, Va., is competing in the 8-Ball Open National Championship.  They have been playing together for about 1 ½ years now.  Last year, they made it all the way to the finals of their Local Team Championship, but lost, so they are very excited to have made it this far this year.  Their team shirts display each member of the team as a caricature. The shirts were designed by Walt Wainwright.

So far, they won their first two matches.  Four players on the team are competing in Vegas for the first time, while 3 have been before. They are all excited to have fun!

Practice Tables

Practice tables are available to players 24/7 to ensure that they are on the top of their game.  There are several rooms in the Riviera dedicated for practice only.  These rooms stay packed with eager players who want to brush up on their game before the big match.  The Riviera is truly converted into a pool playing paradise at the National Team Championships! Pool tables are lining practically every square inch!

Spider Girls

The Spider Girls of Jacksonville, Ill., finished in 5th place in the Ladies 8-Ball division.  They all decided to get removable spider tattoos on their ankles to commemorate their team’s accomplishment.  The story behind their team’s name is that there used to be an Asian woman on their team named Michelle Brown.  One night at a bar, they asked some people if they had ever heard of “The Black Widow.”  When they replied that they did know who she is, they jokingly told them that Michelle was her cousin.  The player she was competing against was nervous playing a Skill Level 6, so she had a couple drinks. After a while, she started calling Michelle, Spider Girl.  So, the name stuck when they were deciding on a team name.

The Spider Girls had a great experience at the National Team Championships and are very proud of their 5th place finish!

Michael Gunderson

Michael Gunderson of Sharon Springs, N.Y., defeated Jeanette Lee in a challenge match on Sunday.  Winning the match wasn’t really on his mind; he just wanted to have fun.  Keith O’Dell, Jr., the 2-year-old pool prodigy is Michael’s grandson.  Little Keith has become quite a sensation!  When asked how it feels to have such a popular grandson, he replied that a more appropriate question is how it feels to have a grandson, which he loves.  He said he has a lot of fun with Keith, Jr.  Michael and his wife have a pool table on their back deck and enjoy opening it and playing with family when the weather is nice.  APA is truly a family affair for Michael!

Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge Begins

Some of the biggest names in the trick shot industry have come together at the National Team Championships to compete in the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge.  Players include Andy Segal, Tom Rossman, Bruce Barthelette, Jamey Gray, Mark Dimick, David Nangle, Jason Lynch, Sal Conti, Paul Danno, Stefan Mendrick, Gordon Hedges and Tim Chin.  It is a round robin format, with 2 flights of 5 players.  Players alternate selecting shots, with 10 shots per player. They are allowed three attempts per shot.  The event will run until Thursday.

APA Memorabilia

Official APA National Team Championship gear is available for purchase all week at the APA apparel booth.  Attendees may purchase men’s and women’s t-shirts, hats, shot glasses and much more.  Participants don’t want to forget their commemorative 2009 APA National Team Championship t-shirts.  Those who would like to purchase APA apparel should visit the Khamsin booth outside the main tournament room. or go to http://www.apaapparel.com.

Jeanette Lee Appearance

For the second time this week, players had the chance to play APA spokesperson, “The Black Widow” Jeanette Lee in a challenge match.  An autograph session followed the challenge matches on Sunday afternoon.  Those lucky and willing players who were up to the challenge, had the opportunity to play The Black Widow in a game of 9-Ball.  National Team Championship participants packed the room in hopes for a chance to play the billiard superstar or capture an autograph.  She will be in attendance at her Black Widow booth until Tuesday morning.

Johnny Capps & Marybeth Nix

Johnny Capps and Marybeth Nix of Birmingham, Ala., play on the 9-Ball team, That’s How We Roll, together.  While this is Johnny’s fourth time out to the National Team Championships, it is Marybeth’s first.  They have been concentrating on pool for now, not going out and seeing too much else of Vegas. Marybeth says it has been fun getting out here.  She got nervous on Friday, but feels that it was just first match jitters.  Their team consists of common friends who got together to play pool.

Adam Pickren & Angela Ward

Adam Pickren of Auburn, Ala., has been an APA member for about 1 ½ years now, while teammate Angela Ward has only been a member since January.  They feel that their team, Harold’s Pool Dogs, are ready to take home the 9-Ball division trophy. They have been doing well thus far, winning all of their matches.  In addition to the pool action, they have been enjoying the city of Vegas.  This is Adam’s third time in Vegas this year, and Angela’s first.  Adam said this trip is the most fun he has had, compared to his past trips. 

PoolAPAlooza

The first PoolAPAlooza party-by-the-pool of the week was held on Saturday evening.  Players danced the night away to the music provided by the DJ.  They also enjoyed many APA giveaways at the game stations, including APA hats, t-shirts and backpacks.  Billiard superstar and APA spokesperson, Jeanette Lee “The Black Widow” was in attendance signing autographs.  World famous trick shot artist Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman was also on-hand performing exhibitions and signing autographs.  Attendees could also take home a commemorative PoolAPAlooza photograph from the photo booth.  The next pool party will take place on Thursday evening.

Jan Moran

Jan Moran of Shreveport, La., is the only woman on her 9-Ball Open team, the Piranhas.  She says the men on the team make her feel very welcome and always look out for her.  Her husband and son also play on the team. She has been an APA member for 10 years now and this is her team’s 4th time competing at the National Team Championships.  Jan says the APA is a great organization and an excellent way to meet people.

If Jan’s team wins the tournament, they plan to donate part of the money to the American Cancer Society.  She is an 18-month survivor of breast cancer and is happy to be able to play pool again.

WHATEVER

Team WHATEVER of Levittown, Pa., is competing in the Ladies 8-Ball division.  Team members Debi Ralston, Pamela Hulehan-O’Neill, Stacy Linsinbigler, Debra Toth, Michele Wright, Becky Miller, Jennifer Tullio and Irene Myers are just like family.  Some members of the team have been members for 17 years, some for 7 years and two just joined last session.  Each of their husbands’ play in the League also, and they sometimes have to compete against them. 

The story behind the team name is that whenever things happen, they just say “whatever” and they all have a very sarcastic sense of humor.  This is the third visit to the National Team Championships for six members of the team; they were also here is 2005 and 2006.  The ladies play out of My Brother’s Pub. They are excited to be here, are having fun and hoping for a win!

Pool Emporium

In addition to the tournament action, players also have a chance to shop for billiards merchandise.  Representatives from many of the top names in the billiards industry are on-hand all week with merchandise for players to purchase. Many vendors are in attendance including Longoni Professional Cues, Lucasi Custom Cues, Ozone Billiards, Predator, PoolDawg.com and MANY more! 

Hakuna Matata!

Shandra Record and Timothy Neary of Charleston, S.C., are at the National Team Championships competing in the preregistered 8-Ball Doubles Championship.  The pair named their team Hakuna Matata; it was something Shandra came up with.  Timothy is Shandra’s brother-in-law and the two said that playing together has really strengthened their relationship.  They decided to partner up after Shandra’s husband was unable to play with her.  They really got lucky in their city tournament, as another woman’s husband had to go to Iraq and was unable to play, and they were next in line for a spot.  Hakuna Matata ended up winning 9 out of 10 racks to qualify for the national tournament. 

Neither has been to Vegas for pool, but Timothy has competed in Vegas for bowling.  They say that they have really met some down-home people and that everyone has been extremely nice.  The competition has been good, and they won their first two matches thus far.

The Black Widow Challenges Players

Billiard superstar, Jeanette Lee “The Black Widow” conducted free challenge matches with willing opponents on Friday.  Players were able to enter for a chance to challenge “The Black Widow” herself in a game of 9-Ball.  Those lucky entrants who were selected and up to the challenge took home an APA hat or t-shirt.

On Saturday evening, Jeanette will be signing autographs at the PoolAPAlooza celebration. She will also be signing autographs and conducting more challenge matches on Sunday afternoon. 

Dr. Cue Artistic Pool Championship Begins

The Dr. Cue Artistic Pool Championship officially began preliminaries on Friday evening.  Players are able to enter for a $10 fee per preliminary round and may enter as many times as they like.  There is a guaranteed $500 first place prize that will be awarded on Friday, August 28, when the finals occur. Those players who accumulate a certain number points during the preliminaries automatically advance to the finals. 

Tournament Officially Underway

The APA National Team Championships are officially underway!  The 9-Ball Open, Ladies 8-Ball and 8-Ball Doubles Championships all began play today.  The event kicked off with the Opening Ceremonies at 12:30 pm.  APA President Renee Lyle, along with billiard sensation, Jeanette Lee "The Black Widow" got things started. 

Play will continue until Saturday, August 29.  The 8-Ball Open division  and Masters Championship begins on Monday, while the 9-Ball Doubles Championship begins on Wednesday and Wheelchair Challenge kicks off on Thursday.