Torres Wins Big at Bogies

Torres Wins Big at Bogies

Junior National Qualifier / Houston, TX
by InsidePOOL Staff
Eleven-year-old Joey Torres, pool-playing prodigy, made his way through a 22-player field at Bogies Billiards in Houston, TX, to earn a ticket to the Junior Nationals in Tucson, AZ.
In the quarterfinals, Torres wreaked revenge upon Brandon Turner, who had sent him to the one-loss side earlier, in a hill-hill match that ended in a tough loss for Turner. Torres moved on to play Aaron Hughey in an all-Texas shootout, with Torres capturing the win.
The final round saw the undefeated Eric Calhoun, who traveled all the way from Albany, GA, and Torres dueling in a final race to 7. Torres took an early lead and maintained it throughout, besting Calhoun 7-4.
The players not only receive a spot for Nationals, they also take home certificates and trophies, most of which are donated by the South East Texas APA League. South Texas Junior Pool Tour (stjpt.com) is a nonprofit organization that holds 22 junior events per year, holds qualifiers for Nationals, and raises money to make sure they get there. When a junior wins a qualifier, they want them to accept that spot and will help provide them with the financial means to make that dream a reality. Each of the six players who qualified at Bogies received $50 each for travel expenses. All 14 of the juniors will benefit from BBQ fundraisers being held throughout May. If you would like to help make a youngster’s pool dream come true, you can make a donation by visiting stjpt.com.

Results:
1st Joey Torres
2nd Eric Calhoun
3rd Aaron Hughey
4th Brandon Turner

Sisemore and Butler Qualify For Nationals

Sisemore and Butler Qualify For Nationals
The South Texas Junior Pool Tour held its first Junior Qualifier at its newest sponsor poolroom, Bogies Billiards and Games, in Houston, TX, Saturday, March 22. They came from as far as Sherman, TX, to qualify for a chance to compete and win a qualifying spot for Junior Nationals.
Nineteen juniors, along with parents, family members, and friends, converged on Bogies Billiards to battle it out for qualifying spots for the 2008 Junior Nationals. For junior hopefuls and brothers Joey (11) and J.C Torres (14), this was their first event, and even though they were eliminated, they were determined to qualify. Joey wowed the crowd on Saturday, taking down opponents in record time in an attempt to fight through the one-loss side after a first-round hill-hill loss to Brandon Sisemore (17). Eric Molina (17) also fought his way back from the one-loss side, finally eliminating Joey Torres and Sam Burns in order to meet up with the undefeated Sisemore for one final race to 7. Eric’s methodical and collected style couldn’t see him through to the end, for Brandon powered his way through to a 7-4, come-from-behind win, earning him a first-place trophy and the qualifier spot.
On the ladies’ side, Macy Bullard and Shelby Butler met in the semifinals. Shelby defeated Macy, who took home a very impressive third-place finish. It was the seemingly unstoppable Taylor Satterwhite and one-loss side player Shelby Butler competing in a final race to 7. Shelby took it home with a score of 7-4, winning her first junior tournament and qualifier. Taylor had previously qualified for Nationals a few weeks earlier, so these two best friends will be traveling to Arizona together.
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Dr Cue Gives Surprise Exhibition to Dallas High School Students

Dr Cue Gives Surprise Exhibition to Dallas High School Students
Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman and his wife, Marty, provided Dallas high school students with a visit that they will always remember when they stopped in at AMF Richardson Lanes in Richardson, TX, February 26. Several high schools were scheduled for a billiard competition, and everyone was surprised to see the world-famous trick shot champion arrive to see the high school billiard program and give a quick exhibition.
Their appearance was short notice: the Dallas-area high school billiard program director, Earl Munson, got a surprise telephone call from Marty Rossman, asking if he would like for them to visit. Having watched Dr. Cue in action at the Junior Nationals and the BCA Expo, the response was an immediate Yes, the students will love it.
Some of the students, having competed at the Junior Nationals, immediately recognized Rossman and were thrilled to see him again. As the buzz spread around the room of who he was, the excitement and anticipation grew as everyone watched in amazement. One particular shot that “Dr. Cue” made repeatedly was his famous wing shot where he would roll an object ball down table and effortlessly shoot the cue ball and pocket the object ball when it was still in motion. He made bank shots and kick shots from ANYWHERE on the table with ease. One student noticed and picked up an over-sized cue stick and held it in bewilderment of what this cue was for. Another cue stick he had which looked liked a giant pencil would later be demonstrated for his world-famous draw shot.
Even veteran BCA instructors and players Bill Suden, Mike Bearskin-Winger, Nolan Shaw, Carl Oswald, and Earl Munson laughed and shook their heads in amazement as they witnessed Rossman perform his craft of artistic pool. Rossman is the modern-day founder of artistic pool, in which several Dallas area high school players have been very successful in competition at the Junior Nationals Artistic Pool Championship hosted and organized by Tom and Marty.
Trey McMullen from the Rockwall H.S. Yellowjackets had taken second place in the artistic pool event in 2006 at the University of Arizona with Trey’s brother Trent McMullen taking third place the following year at the Minnesota State University in the same event. Wylie H.S. Pirate Vince Villarreal had taken second-place honors also in last year’s event in Minnesota. Players who will be selected to compete this year at the 2008 BEF Junior Nationals will once again try to be the best in artistic pool.
The students, teachers, and parents were impressed by Rossman’s visit, but also equally impressed were Dr. Cue and his wife after witnessing the high school billiard program firsthand and remarking that this could be a program that could spread around the United States.
Tom Rossman understands the need to promote billiards to the youth in this country and has many years of experience working with youth, having served on the Billiard Education Foundation board and promoted and run the annual Artistic Pool Championships held jointly with the BEF Junior Nationals. Everyone in attendance was awed and thankful for the visit, and talks were of hopefully them visiting again in the future and giving an exhibition at several of the Dallas-area high schools.
For more information on high school billiards, please contact the Billiard Education Foundation at Billiardeducation.org.

2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-Ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona Tuc

2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-Ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona Tucson
The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) has scheduled the 20th Annual Junior Nationals to be played in conjunction with the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-Ball Championships for the 4rd consecutive year. The University of Arizona, Tucson, will host this prestigious tournament July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior excitement will take place Thursday thru Sunday, July 10th – 13th.
The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will be the stage to an expected 250 young athletes competing for scholarships, prizes and invitations to represent the United States at the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships.
To participate in the BEF Junior Nationals, players must earn an entry through a BEF qualifier or must be appointed by their local junior league. Qualifiers for the 4 divisions: 19 Under Boys, 19 Under Girls, 14 Under Boys and 14 Under Girls will be held through May 2008. For more information about hosting a qualifier, league guidelines or upcoming qualifier dates and locations, visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/) . Collegiate participants must be invited to participate through an ACUI regional tournament, visit acui.org for more information.
A warm thanks to all the contributors and supporters of the BEF and junior programs. In addition, thanks to the event sponsors: Brunswick Billiards, the official table sponsor; Iwan Simonis, the official cloth sponsor; Billiard Congress of America (BCA) and Predator Products.
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders.
To become a sponsor, make a donation or inquiry, please visit BilliardEducation.org or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org

Scholarship Opportunities for High School Billiards Players

Scholarship Opportunities for High School Billiards Players

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce that they are accepting applications for the 2008 scholarship awards. The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is administered annually under the direction and guidance of the BEF Board of Trustees. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 15, 2008 and can be downloaded by going to the BEF website at www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/).
The BEF Academic Scholarship Program is divided into two categories: Excellence in Education scholarship (one $5,000 scholarship awarded over a two-year term) and Aiming for Higher Education scholarships (seven individual scholarships at $1,000 each). The objective of the BEF Academic Scholarship Program is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are pursuing a college education.
Prospects must adhere to the following scholarship criteria: 1) hold a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale); 2) must have an ACT score of at least 23 or SAT score of at least 1050; 3) submit a 500-1000 word essay on how billiards has been an integral part of their life; 4) must be accepted to an accredited undergraduate academic program by June 1, 2008; 5) must attend an accredited undergraduate institution and carry at least 12 hours per semester. .

The final application must also include a letter from the applicant outlining academic achievements, leadership and/or community service work, a description of the applicant’s background and career objectives, personal and professional (academic) goals, and chosen discipline of study. Applicants must also submit an official High School Transcript and SAT/ACT scores.

The BEF would like to thank all the contributors that make this scholarship and other BEF programs possible. If you would like to become a donor and make a difference in the growth of billiard programs for our youth, please contact the BEF office at 303.926.1039
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders.
For more information about the BEF, please visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/), contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039, or e-mail info@BilliardEducation.org (mailto:info@BilliardEducation.org).

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