BCA Junior National 9-Ball Championships
Elite junior event offers many options to compete, win prizes and have fun!

Colorado Springs, CO - Over 150 junior cueists are scheduled to compete in the 2004 Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Junior National 9-Ball Championships that will be held July 21-24, 2004 at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Entrants have either won a BCA-sponsored qualifier or have been nominated by their BCA Junior League Operator and will compete in o­ne of three divisions: 18 & Under Open, 14 & Under Open or 18 & Under Girls. Results will be posted o­n the BCA website ( www.bca-pool.com) courtesy of Southern Billiards.

Top finishers may be invited to represent the United States in the 2004 Junior World 9-Ball Championships that will be held November 1-7, 2004 in Sydney, Australia.

The three-day event is sponsored by Connelly Billiards, Iwan Simonis, Brunswick Billiards, McDermott Cue, Tweeten Fibre Co., Billiards Digest, InsidePOOL Magazine, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Willard's Cue Products, Showcase Billiards, Tiger Products, Pepsi, Billiard Education Foundation (BEF), Tayco Screen Printing, United States Professional Pool Players Association (UPA) and the Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA).

The special guest speaker will be women's professional Tiffany Nelson, with appearances by men's professional Frank Alvarez, women's professionals Sarah Rousey, Laura Smith and Kim Shaw, as well as TV actor Emanuel Lewis (Webster), who organized a junior qualifier in Atlanta.

In addition to the 9-Ball competition, players can also enter the Junior Artistic Pool Challenge, artfully orchestrated by Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman and his wife Marty "Ms. Cue" Rossman.

Pool & School - A Great Combination
The BEF will be o­n hand to recognize excellence in the classroom. Players with a GPA of 3.5 or higher will be awarded the BEF Academic All-American Junior award. The BCA Junior League with the highest average GPA will be awarded the BEF Academic All-American League award.

9-Ball Nationals in November

BCA Pool League and the BCA are teaming up to send BCA Junior National finalists to the 2004 BCA National 9-Ball Championships in Las Vegas, November 16-21, 2004. BCA Pool League owner, Mark Griffin, is inviting the 1st and 2nd place Junior National Champions in each age division to compete in the November event. Mr. Griffin has agreed to waive the entry fee for these six young cueists and encourages all juniors to compete in the event.

Players will be responsible for their own travel, hotel and per diem. A parent or guardian must accompany the player to satisfy the hotel's requirements. BCA Pool League will waive the singles entry fee o­nLY for the 1st and 2nd place winners of the 18 & Under Open, 14 & Under Open and the 18 & Under Girls divisions. If a winner cannot attend the event or wishes to not participate, the next finisher will be contacted.  For more information o­n the BCA National 9-Ball Championships, visit www.playbca.com.

Trip For TwoThe BCA and the Arizona Student Unions have combined forces to send o­ne Junior National finalist and a parent to o­ne of the world's most prestigious professional tournaments, the BCA Open 9-Ball Championships (televised matches played o­n May 20 & 21, 2005) in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Riviera Hotel & Casino. 

The prize package includes:

·         2 round-trip airline tickets to Las Vegas

·         2-night hotel accommodations at the Riviera Hotel & Casino

·         2 general admission tickets to the BCA Open 9-Ball Championships Semi-Finals and Finals Matches

All Junior National participants will automatically be entered into the drawing. The winner will be announced during the Awards Ceremony o­n July 24, 2004 that begins at 6:00 p.m. Must be present to win!

For complete details o­n the BCA Junior Billiard Program or the BEF educational programs, please visit www.bca-pool.com.

Visit InsidePOOL for the latest news from the sport of billiards and pool.