ACS Elects New Directors

ACS Elects New Directors
At its recent Annual General Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) elected some new directors and officers. Janet Ybarra (Texas ACS) and Judy Griffith (Pacific ACS) joined the directors for the first time, while Dot Cyr (River City Billiards in Omaha, Nebraska) was elected to the Secretary position, joining incumbent officers Cecil Messer (IN) [President], Mike Wilson (VA) [Vice President] and Ray Lambotte (IL) [Treasurer].

The 2008-2009 board of directors now includes:
Cecil Messer (Portage, IN) – President…Director of Referees
Mike Wilson (Virginia Beach, VA) – Vice President…Non-State Association Director
Dot Cyr (Omaha, NE) – Secretary…Non-State Association Director
Ray Lambotte (Chicago, IL) – Treasurer…State Association Director
Terry Anderson (Davenport, IA) – Room Owner Director
Sandra Chamberlain (Tulsa, OK) – State Association Director
Judy Griffith (Vancouver, WA) - State Association Director
Ted Harms (Calgary, AB) – Director representing Canadian Cue Sport Association
Joseph Mejia (Millbrae, CA) – Director representing United States Snooker Association
Robbie Morito (Tampa, FL) - State Association Director
Rodney Morris (Humble, TX) – Director representing the United States Professional Poolplayers Assn.
Janet Ybarra (Grand Prairie, TX) - State Association Director

The ACS sanctions leagues, produces the national All American Tour, certifies coaches and referees, and is a non-profit, national organization dedicated to heightening the interest and awareness of cue sports through the support and sanctioning of organized competition throughout the United States. Information on the ACS is available at Americancuesports.org.

Team Canada Regain Can-am Snooker Challenge

Team Canada Regain Can-am Snooker Challenge
Team Canada have repeated their success in the first Can-Am Team Snooker Challenge, after winning the third staging of this annual event by narrowly defeating Team USA 11-9 at the Riviera Hotel Casino in Las Vegas.

After the first of the three days of competition played alongside the American CueSports Alliance (ACS) National Pool Championships and organized in partnership with the ACS, the Canadian Billiards Snooker Association and the United States Snooker Association, Team Canada held a 4-3 points advantage but it was Team USA’s Paul Kimura who won the first match point after he deafeated Team Canada’s Pat McCarthy 3-1.

However Team Canada were back on level terms after the first session’s play, as on the other table the reigning United States National Snooker Champion George Lai went down on the final black in the final frame to Team Canada’s Eriks Malderis.

The next two matches of the second session’s play were both shared as Lai, assisted with breaks of 31, 51 and 40, defeated McCarthy 3-1, and the former United States National Snooker Champion Kimura lost 3-2 to Malderis.

Team Canada, the 2008 Can-Am Team Snooker Challenge champions.
(Left to right) Odie Willet, Pat McCarthy, Eriks Malderis and Lester Mianskum

The next session featured a doubles match consisting of Team USA’s Jack Kung and Truman Wu against Team Canada’s Lester Mianskum and Odie Willet, which saw the Canadian pairing take the tie 3-2.

The final two matches of the first day’s play were also shared as Team Canada’s Mianshum defeated Team USA’s Kung 3-0, and Team USA’s Wu clinched a 3-2 success over Team Canada’s Willet.

A doubles match kicked off the second day’s play, and a 3-1 victory for Team USA’s Lai and Kimura over Team Canada’s McCarthy and Malderis got the Americans back on level terms at four match points each.

Though the next two sessions of play saw disaster for Team USA, as they went on a run of four successive match defeats which put a huge dent in their hopes to retain the Challenge trophy.

Team Canada’s Mianshum overwhelmed Team USA’s Wu 3-0 and on the other table Team Canada’s Willet inflicted the same scoreline on Team USA’s Kung, while in the following session Team Canada’s McCarthy and Malderis defeated Team USA’s Kung and Wu, 3-1 and 3-2 respectively.

At 8-4 down in match points going into the second day’s final session of play, Team USA’s Lai and Kimura rescued the situation somewhat by winning their matches over Team Canada’s Mianskum and Willet, 3-2 and 3-1 respectively.

A good start from Team USA on the third and final day’s play would have put the Canadians under real pressure, and Team USA’s Lai got off to a wonderful start for the Americans in the first session as he defeated Team Canada’s Willet 3-0 to close the deficit to one match point. It was victory however for Team Canada’s Mianskum over Team USA’s Kimura that concluded the first session’s play, and draw ever closer to that eleven-point match winning score.

In the next session, Team USA’s Kung had a comprehensive 3-0 success over Team Canada’s Malderis, but that was countered by victory for Team Canada’s McCarthy over Team USA’s Wu on the final colors in the final frame.

In reaching ten match point wins, Team Canada had now secured at least a playoff, but they wanted to claim victory with no need for a tense one-frame shoot-out that can go in anyone’s favor.

The final session’s matches were doubles ties involving Team USA’s Lai and Kimura against Team Canada’s Mianshum and Willet, with the other match consisting of Team USA’s Kung and Wu against Team Canada’s McCarthy and Malderis.

McCarthy and Malderis got the victory Team Canada needed to regain the Challenge trophy as they won 3-0, but it was better news for the Americans in the other doubles tie as Lai and Kimura gained a 3-1 success.

It was again a great conclusion to this year’s event, and the organizers would like to thank Pacific Billiard Sports of San Francisco for the supply and use of the two full-sized BCE Westbury steel-blocked snooker tables.

ACS Supports UPA

ACS Supports UPA
by John Lewis
An Open Letter in Support of the UPA
Bravo to the UPA for standing up to the recent “BCA Resumes Control of Men’s Rankings, Communications” release!
The UPA - United States Professional Poolplayers Association, is an affiliate to the ACS - American CueSports Alliance. The ACS – a member-governed association – fully supports a pro men’s player union in the United States and their right to administer and govern their own affairs.
When issues arise that negatively affect the players, too often there’s a lack of activism. Regardless of -
- who is promoting a pro men’s event
- who claims to be a governing body
- who advertises themselves as the next savior of pool,
it is paramount that the professional pool players in the United States remain focused on their own union, whose sole purpose is to look after their interests.
In recent years, that has been the UPA. Some may criticize the organization for doing too little, but such critics should never lose sight of one vision - the UPA is “the men pro player’s thing” to which they can look to when outside forces make decisions that affect their future without including their “union” in the decision-making.
The Billiard Congress of America trade association should only be supported for what it is – a trade association that is necessary to the industry.
However, since 2004 when the BCA divested itself of its player programs, it has unfortunately insisted on continuing to adopt a governing body stance, with the also unfortunate backing of the world-governing body for the sport of pool, the WPA - World-Pool-Billiard Association.
The WPA is a credible world sports body, but even a credible body can make poor decisions. The WPA interference in United States pool growth by their continuing to recognize a trade association whose entire board of directors is trade people, is a black mark on the world-governing body. Unlike all the other confederation members of the WPA, the BCA is NOT a sports organization! It has no sports structure. If it walks like a trade association and quacks like a trade association…IT’S A TRADE ASSOCIATION! No amount of coaching from the WPA to be otherwise is going to change the BCA’s true profile.
The ‘Committee’ formed by the BCA of various Player Member organizations (which included the UPA) to somehow satisfy the WPA and to somehow address their complete lack of player membership, has shown itself to be the ‘window dressing’ of which it was suspected. In the United States, the women pros have a strong player’s union, and the WPBA serves that function very capably. But the men pro player’s in the United States should never lose sight of their best interest in supporting their own player’s union, and the UPA currently serves that purpose!
When the BCA announced a new ranking system that will affect the men pro players in the United States without consultation or input from representative players from their player’s union, the trade association showed its true colors.
Players in all member-governed associations should not support such actions. Let your voices be heard! Support the UPA on this issue and discourage the BCA trade association from any involvement in governing the sport.
Especially with the current overall weakness in the billiard industry, we need the BCA to fully focus on trade issues. The BCA should be working with and fully supporting Player Member organizations such as the UPA, instead of needlessly meddling with player issues that it is simply not organized or suited to responsibly handle.
John Lewis
Current ACS Executive Director
Lewis is the longest-tenured BCA employee (1991-2004) in the association’s history and a former board member of the WPA (1991-2007).

McKeon Cracks Pechauer Billiards Competition

McKeon Cracks Pechauer Billiards Competition

Pechauer All-American Tour / Colorado Springs, CO
by InsidePOOL Staff
The fiftieth and final stop of the 2007/2008 Pechauer All-American Tour was hosted by Antique Billiard Museum in Colorado Springs, CO, the weekend of May 3-4. The $1,000-added event featured a $5 entry and drew 72 players in a double-elimination 9-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes, with Jeff McKeon recovering from an early loss to take top honors.
Ruben Silva marched undefeated through his bracket to the finals, while McKeon, despite an earlier round 9-4 loss to Silva emerged from his bracket to the finals.

In the last eight, Jim Barber eliminated Mark Morgan 7-3, while Nick Smith dominated Adrian Ayala 7-1. Both Smith and Barber fell at fifth place in the next round at the hands of Nate Smith and Bobby Hibbetts, respectively. Hibbetts, whose only loss came at the hands of Silva earlier, kept his momentum by dumping Nate Smith at fourth place by a 7-2 margin. Hibbetts’ recovery ended on the hill in the next round, courtesy of a 7-6 loss to once-defeated McKeon. The final match was a single race to 11, and McKeon took a small lead over Silva and never looked back in his 11-7 title win.

Results:
1st Jeff McKeon
2nd Ruben Silva
3rd Bobby Hibbitts
4th Nate Smith
5th Jim Barber
Nick Smith
7th Mark Morgan
Adrian Ayala

Parke Takes Home Billiards Title

Parke Takes Home Billiards Title

Pechauer All-American Tour / Decatur, IL
by InsidePOOL Staff
Larry Parke took home first place on the April 19 stop of the Pechauer All-American Tour. Hosted by Brickhouse in Decatur, IL, this $500-added event drew a full 32-player field in a double-elimination 8-ball format on 7-foot bar boxes.
In the hot seat match, Parke outmaneuvered Max Stortzum 5-2. Earlier, in the A-bracket semifinals, Parke turned back Larry Miller 5-2, while Stortzum outgunned Craig Hauck 5-2. In the B-side round of 8, Mike Green eliminated Mike Durbin at seventh place, while Dave Carr also exited at seventh place via a loss to Josh Johnson 2-5. The B-side quarterfinals featured Hauck ousting Mike Green 5-2 and Johnson finishing off Larry Miller 5-2. Johnson survived the semifinals by clipping Hauck 5-4, and he continued his hot hand in the B-side finals over Stortzum 5-1 to get a crack at Parke in the finals. Johnson appeared to be on cruise control in the finals after whitewashing Parke 5-0 in the first set, but Parke recovered nicely in the deciding set to claim the title by a 5-3 margin.

Results:
1st Larry Parke
2nd Josh Johnson
3rd Max Stortzum
4th Craig Hauck
5th Mike Green
Larry Miller
7th Dave Carr
Mike Durbin

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