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 Leave it up to the ladies to rise to the occasion, as Sandy's Place from Jackson, Miss. became the first team in the history of the APA to win a 1st
Place title twice in any division with the prize of $10,000 each time!
When the three days of competition ended on
Monday, Aug 2., the ladies of Sandy's Place found their way to the final rounds just as they did back in 1996. Only instead of going head-to-head with Deja Vu
from Battle Creek, Mich., they found themselves this time up against the Looney Tunes from Kenner, La. "This national tournament has grown so much bigger over just the
past couple years, and it has improved in quality so much since we were in this position before," said Team Captain Theresa Burgardt. "The APA format gives players a chance to play pool more
competitively with their different skill levels-and in our opinion it makes for the best pool play in any League." Teammate Sandy Whatley agreed and added, "Everyone we played
against was concentrating on the game, but having a great time doing it. The teams here this year were laid back, fun and displayed some of the best sportsmanship around!"
Peggy Strassel got the Looney Tunes thinking seriously about a title after her opening match win, but Michele Brown knocked off Angela Robert in a battle of skill level 4's to even the score. Sandy
Whatley, a skill level 3, delivered the knockout blow in the decisive match against Michele Wise. While some team members of Sandy's Place have been with the
APA for over 10 years, they still felt a tremendous amount of pressure to be back in the final rounds again. "Our team has been in the pit in the past and we know just how to pull ourselves out.
We had nothing to lose once we got into second place," said Burgardt. Runners up for the Ladies Division team were discouraged by their loss, but took it in stride with APA team spirit. The crowd gave a
cheer and thumbs up to Team Captain Elise McCullough, who said, "We had a great time being here and making it this far was something we thought we would never get to do." Her team, which
also placed second in the Team Shirt Contest, earned $5,000 for its performance. The two 3rd place teams, Moose on the Loose (Springfield,
Mississippi) and Third Base's Ladies (Rockdale, Ill.), both received $3,000 in cash, a trophy, plaques and champagne. Wolf Pack (Des Moines, Iowa), Jus 4 Fun (Houston, Texas), New Attitude (North
Charleston, S.C.) and Jayness's Wild Ones (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), each took home 5th Place trophies, plaques and $2,000 in cash. |
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