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//FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE//
APA NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS A HUGE SUCCESS IN LAS VEGAS
More than $750,000 in prize money awarded in 22nd Annual Team Championships
LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO (September 16, 2002) — An estimated 10,000 APA members
flocked to Las Vegas, Aug. 16 – 24, for the American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) annual
National Team Championships. Teams from across North America came to the Riviera Hotel &
Casino to compete for three national championships and thousands of dollars in prize money.
In the 8-Ball Open Division, It’s Like a Nightmare of San Diego, defeated Double 7’s/Triple
Threat of Frederick, Md., 3-0 in the finals to take home $25,000 in cash and the championship
title.
In the first match, it was Karyn Horn (SL 3) of It’s Like a Nightmare defeating Douglas Adams
(SL 3) of Double 7’s/Triple Threat in a race to two games. Horn quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead
before scratching on a shot on the 9-ball, giving Adams ball-in-hand for a straight-on shot to
pocket the 8-ball and even the match at one game apiece. With both players on the hill, Horn
capitalized on a scratch by Adams to run out the table and win the match 2-1.
The second match featured Mark Droneburg (SL 4) of Double 7’s/Triple Threat versus David
Chen (SL 4) of It’s Like a Nightmare. Chen took an early lead winning the first game, but
Droneburg countered in the second with an impressive two-rail bank-shot to cut the 8-ball in the
corner and even the match at one game apiece. Chen regained the lead with a win in the third
game, but not to be outdone, Droneburg again made an impressive shot – banking the 8-ball in
the side pocket to even things up. With each player on the hill, Chen would take the seesaw
battle after Droneburg failed to hit the 8-ball and fouled, giving him ball-in-hand. Chen ran out
the table to win the match, giving his team a 2-0 lead.
Faced with elimination, Double 7’s/Triple Threat matched Dale Andrews (SL 4) against Eva
Wormus (SL 3) of It’s Like a Nightmare. Wormus won the first game, but sank the 8-out-of-turn
in the second to give Andrews the win. Andrews returned the favor in the third game,
accidentally making the 8-out-of-turn and losing the match.
As national champions in the Open 8-Ball Division, It’s Like a Nightmare received $25,000 in
prize money, a team trophy, individual team plaques and commemorative champagne.
“It feels wonderful to come this far, said team captain Brandon Gramse who added, “tried to get
the right match-up and made sure our players were ready to shoot.”
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PAGE 2 OF 4 (APA National Team Championships)
As Runner’s-up, Double 7’s/Triple Threat received $15,000 in prize money, a team trophy,
individual team plaques and commemorative champagne. Finishing in 3rd Place was B&N’s 8’sin-the-Hole, who received $7,500 in prize money. In a four-way tie for 5th Place were
Sandersville Mafia of Milledgeville, Ga., Cardiac Kids of Memphis, Creek Dogs of Girard, Ohio
and Beatin’ the Odds of Jacksonville, Ill.
In the finals of the Ladies 8-Ball Division, it was V 3’s of Louisville, Ky., defeating Chicks with
Sticks of Peoria, Ill., 3-1 for the win and $10,000 in prize money.
The first match pitted Shanon Knight (SL 4) of Chicks with Sticks against Kris Chism (SL 5) of
V 3’s. Chism took the match four games to none, to give V 3’s the early lead.
In the second match, Ginny Reed (SL 3) of V 3’s took on Carla Smith (SL 3) of Chicks with
Sticks. Smith evened up the overall match score at one apiece with a 2-1 win over Reed. The
third match featured Ashley Roehrich (SL 4) of Chicks with Sticks versus Susie Thrapp (SL 3) of
V 3’s. Thrapp made quick work in the match defeating Roehrich 2-0 and regaining the lead for
her team, 2-1.
The fourth and final match went hill-to-hill before Kai Hardison (SL 3) of V 3’s defeated Jenne
Smith (SL 3) of Chicks with Sticks 2-1 to cap off the championship victory.
“We didn’t expect to get this far, it’s amazing. When we got together we said no stopping until
Vegas – I can’t believe we won it,” said V 3’s team captain Stephanie Marcum.
In addition to the prize money, V 3’s also received a team trophy, individual team plaques and
commemorative champagne. As Runner’s-up, Chicks with Sticks received $5,000 in cash, a team
trophy, individual team plaques and commemorative champagne.
V 3’s advanced to the finals with a victory over 2001 defending Ladies 8-Ball Champions the
Hustler’s of Gretna, La., in the semifinals. Chicks with Sticks defeated Storm Chasers of Pueblo
West, Colo., in the semifinals to advance. Both Hustler’s and Storm Chasers each took home
$2,500 for their 3rd Place finishes.
In a tie for 5th Place were Bring It On of Ontario, Calif., Mill Creek of Morrisville, Penn., Once is
Never Enough of Foxborough, Mass., and Ladies of the Night of Memphis.
All teams in the $500,000 8-Ball championships squared off in a modified single elimination
format that ensured each team played at least twice before elimination. All Open Division teams
automatically received $350 in national qualifier money, and the top 8 teams won at least $5,000.
In the Ladies 8-Ball Division, all teams automatically earned $350 national qualifier money, with
the top 8 winning at least $1,000. The Open Division began play on Aug. 19 and concluded on
Aug. 24. The Ladies Division of the tournament started on Aug. 16 and concluded on Aug. 19.
In Open 9-Ball National Championship action, it was Fava Bean of Hamden, Conn., beating Road
Warriors of Albemarle, N.C., in the finals 54-46, to take home $15,000 of the $100,000
guaranteed purse.
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Fava Bean took an early lead behind the strong play of Anders Pederson, Jr. (SL 4). Pederson
defeated Johnny McIntyre (SL 4) of Road Warriors 31-21 to win the match and give his team a
15-5 overall lead. Jim Franco (SL 5) of Fava Bean followed Pederson’s lead with a victory over
Gary Thompson (SL 5) of Road Warriors in the second match 38-22, increasing team Fava
Bean’s overall lead to 31-9.
Ronnie McIntyre (SL 4) got Road Warriors back in the match by defeating Joseph Proto (SL 4)
31 – 25, bringing the overall match score to 38-22. The Road Warriors would continue to mount
a comeback behind the shooting of Theodore Harris (SL 4) who defeated Kathy Minutillo (SL 3)
of Fava Bean to close the gap in the overall score to 42-38.
In the fifth and final match, it was team captain James Brennan (SL 5) of Fava Bean securing the
win for his team with a 39-12 victory over Denny Brewer (SL 3) of Road Warriors. In addition to
$15,000 in 1st Place prize money, Fave Bean also received a 1st Place team trophy, individual
team plaques and commemorative champagne.
“We had excellent coaching, good match-ups and great shooting,” said Brennan following the
finals, adding that most of his team would be putting their prize money towards bills. Brennan
said he planned to let his prize money ride on the craps table in Las Vegas.
As Runner’s-up, Road Warriors received $7,000 in cash, a team trophy, individual team plaques
and commemorative champagne. Gettin’ Spanked of Denver and The Firm of Memphis, finished
in a tie for 3rd Place after being defeated in the semifinal round by the Road Warriors and Fava
Bean, respectively. Each 3rd Place team received $3,500 in cash. Finishing in 5th Place were
Schneider’s 9’ers of Kalamazoo, Mich., Control Your Rock of Atlanta, T.J. Whelan’s Wizards of
Philadelphia and 9-Ball Busters of Tampa.
The Open 9-Ball National Championship was held Aug. 16-19, with each team competing in a
modified single elimination format similar to 8-Ball. All national qualifiers received a minimum
of $350, with the top 8 teams winning at least $2,000.
After winning their divisions in weekly APA 8-Ball and 9-Ball League play and then placing in
Local Team Championships throughout the United States and Canada, 554 Open 8-Ball, 206
Open 9-Ball and 55 Ladies 8-Ball teams, all consisting of five to eight players, qualified to
compete in the 2002 National Team Championships.
In the Open 8-Ball Doubles Championship, it was hometown team Rack’em, Inc., Dennis and
Pamela Fletcher of Las Vegas, winning $5,000 in the finals with a victory over Double Trouble,
Keith Milisits and Kenny Nemire of Toledo, Ohio. Double Trouble received $3,000 as Runner’sup in the 256-team event.
The finals of the Open 8-Ball 3-Person event featured The Hurricanes, Mike Defino, John
Pasquarella and Shane Manaole of San Diego, defeating 2001 defending 3-Person Champions the
Three California Amigos, Frank Almanza, Jose Garcia and Elias Valles of Upland, Calif. The
Hurricanes took home $7,500 in 1st Place prize money, while the Three California Amigos
received $2,700 as Runner’s-up in the 128-team event.
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The finals of the National Speed Shot competition were also held at the Riviera during the
National Team Championships. Defending 2001 Speed Shot Champion Jason Kane of New York
City retained his title, needing only 10.65 seconds to pocket three balls in the final round to take
home $3,500 in cash.
In addition, the APA conducted 454 MiniMania tournaments, which took place daily and were
open to all APA members. The MiniMania tournaments offered multiple formats with 100%
prize money payback that awarded more than $143,000.
Also held in conjunction with the National Team Championships was the inaugural Las Vegas 9Ball Invitational, hosted by Allen Hopkins Productions. In the finals of the event, Francisco
“Django” Bustamante defeated Ralf Souquet in three consecutive sets, winning 5-3, 5-2 and 5-4.
Tournament promoter/player Allen Hopkins finished tied for 3rd Place with Rodney Morris.
The APA National Team Championships marked the second time in APA history that a National
Tournament was played on the Diamond Smart Tables, complete with Simonis 860 cloth and
Super Aramith billiard balls. Each table was also equipped with a Sardo Tight Rack M3000 to
ensure a proper rack in every match.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league,
known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League
in Canada. Nearly 200,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9-Ball league play.
The APA National Championships are played on the Diamond Smart Table, the official table of
the APA. Simonis 860 billiard cloth, the official cloth of the APA, and Super Aramith billiard
balls, the official billiard balls of the APA, are both used in conjunction with the Diamond Smart
Table. The Sardo Tight Rack is the official rack of the APA National Championships. The
Billiard Club network (BCn) is also an official sponsor of the APA, and features APA League
and National Championship coverage in their programming.
The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the
official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
One of the keys to the success of the APA league, administered by local League Operators, is The
Equalizer, the handicap and scoring system that makes it possible for men and women of
different playing abilities—especially beginners—to compete on an equal basis, much like they
do in golf and bowling.
The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA National Team Championships,
the APA National Singles Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together,
award more than $1 Million in cash and prizes annually!
For more information about the APA, its amateur leagues and championships, visit the official
APA Web site at poolplayers.com or call 800-3-RACK-EM.
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