Sally Timko

July/August 2010 Issue of Inside POOL Magazine Available for Free

Taylor Reynolds – Growing up in the Sport
The July/August 2010 online issue of Inside POOL Magazine, featuring teen pool player Taylor Reynolds as she grows up in the sport of billiards, has been made available for free viewing at InsidePOOLmag.com. This month the download features more banking secrets from new instruction writer Freddy “The Beard” Bentivenga along with tons of great new technology in online billiards magazine viewing such as enhanced clarity, Bonus Content, loads of videos, links to favorite web sites, flipping pages, zooming, emailing, sharing, and printing.

Taylor Reynolds graces our front cover for July/August 2010. Lee Van Corteza claims the Mezz Hard Times event and the U.S. Open 10-Ball. Dennis Orcollo wins the World Pool Masters in Las Vegas. “Rocket” Rodney Morris snaps off the Seminole Pro Tour event in Hollywood. See coverage of the APA National Singles Championships. Want to know what’s hot for Summer? Check out our Summer Buying Guide for Billiards. Get pool lessons from the top instructors in the world. Tom Simpson teaches us how to own the line. Jason Lynch shows us how to get a kick out of pool. Bob Henning gives us a lesson on knowing your limits. Freddy Bentivegna romances the stone while Matt Sherman teaches us that pacing beats chasing. Check out the APA Player of the Month and get to know the BilliardCommunity.com featured member. Get the latest regional billiard news from around the U.S. and internationally.

View the July/August 2010 issue of Inside POOL Magazine for Free

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Inside POOL Magazine publishes both print and online versions of each issue. The online version is usually made available for FREE (without a membership) viewing and downloading around the second week of each month. If you would like to receive the print version of this wonderful magazine, please visit InsidePOOLmag.com to subscribe.

About Inside POOL Magazine
Inside POOL Magazine launched in 2001 and, with pool player-based content and high impact photography, quickly became the largest magazine in the world for the sport of billiards. The official web site, InsidePOOLmag.com, followed shortly after and became one of the largest web sites in billiards. The web site features videos, image galleries, pool lessons, custom Pool Cue makers, online games, player profiles, tournament brackets, live streaming video, rules, product reviews, and the latest billiard news from around the world.

U.S. Open Down to Final Eight
WPBA U.S. Open / Norman, OK

by InsidePOOL Staff

The WPBA’s U.S. Open has wound down to its final 8 players after redrawing into the final 16 Friday evening. The event began July 29 with a full 64-player field at the Riverwind Casino in Norman, OK.

Defending champion Ga-Young Kim has made it to the final eight undefeated, besting Veronique Menard 9-2, Dawn Hopkins 9-5, and Monica Webb 9-4. In the final 16 redraw, Kim had to play Webb again, but this time she was barely able to eke out a 9-8 victory to advance. Her next opponent will be Gerda Hofstatter, who just eliminated Hopkins 9-3.

Number-one ranked Jasmin Ouschan still leads the top half of the bracket, having notched victories over Rhio Flores 9-5, Melinda Bailey 9-0, and Iris Ranola 9-4 to reach the final 16. There she faced off against Montana’s Morgan Steinman and bested her 9-5. Her next challenge will come from Vivian “The Texas Tornado” Villareal, who earlier ousted Melissa Little 9-5.

Fourth-ranked Karen Corr is still undefeated, and has dealt blows to Dana Aft 9-3, Tamara Rademakers 9-3, and Nicole Keeney 9-5. She most recently eliminated Ranola 9-7 and will have to play Kim Shaw in the next round. Shaw just sent Kelly Fisher home 9-5.

View the Women’s U.S. Open 9-Ball tournament brackets

Two favorites were eliminated in the previous round—number-two-ranked Xiaoting Pan went undefeated to the final 16, where she went hill-hill with Julie “Motor Molly” Kelly. Kelly prevailed and will next face Kyoke Sone, who just won a double-hill bout of her own—against Allison Fisher.

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

Brothers and Sossei Split Mezz Honors
Mezz Pro-Am Tour / Drexel Hill, PA

by Jose Burgos

Josh Brothers and Jeremy Sossei split top honors at the Mezz Pro-Am Tour’s July 25 installment. The $1,000-added tournament drew 52 players to Drexeline Billiards in Drexel Hill, PA.

Brothers raced through the top half of the bracket, scoring victories over Joe Dadich 7-0, Joe Chester 7-1, Raphael Saldana 7-2, Mark Stewart 7-4, and Danny Bell 7-5. Sossei took care of the bottom half with wins over Mike Miller 7-4, Tom Zippler 7-0, Brett Stottlemyer 7-5, and Shaun Wilkie 7-5. Inevitably, Brothers and Sossei collided in the hot seat match, which went hill-hill, and Brothers earned the 7-6 victory.

Manny Chau awaited Sossei on the one-loss side in the semifinal match, but Sossei was driven by a desire for revenge and easily eliminated Chau 6-3 to meet Brothers again. In the true double-elimination finals, Sossei had to win two matches to Brothers’ one, but it was never an issue—the players decided to be co-champions of the event.

Results:
1st Josh Brothers $1,056
Jeremy Sossei $856
3rd Manny Chau $390
4th Shaun Wilkie $225
5th Dave Daya $150
Danny Bell
7th Mark Stewart $100
Brett Stottlemyer
9th Shaun Dobson $80
Eddie Abraham
Matt Krah
Ed Matushonek

ACS Updates Formats and Rankings for 2011 ACS Nationals at Tropicana Las Vegas

The American CueSports Alliance (ACS) has teamed up with the Canadian Cue Sport Association (CCS) to update and standardize the Tournament Formats and Player Rankings between the two affiliated organizations.

For ACS, the biggest change is the adoption of a new top level ‘Advanced’ Division for all Events and a new ‘Advanced’ Player Ranking, which the CCS has used since its incorporation six years ago.

Here is a full summary of all the changes which will be effective for the 2011 ACS Nationals, May 7-14, at the Tropicana Las Vegas:

1. Divisions

* The ACS will now offer Divisions categorized as Standard, Open and Advanced for all events – Singles, Scotch Doubles and Team – for both 8Ball and 9Ball, where applicable.
* There will no longer be a Division category labeled as Master in any event.

2. ‘Bump Up’ Ratio

* The player and team ‘bump up’ ratio for both the 8Ball Singles and 8Ball Team events will be set at 12% between Standard / Open and 12% between Open / Advanced.
* This ratio is being applied retroactively to 2005.

3. Player Rankings

* All players will be given a separate Singles Player Ranking and a Team Player Ranking of either C – Standard, B – Open, A – Advanced or M – Master.
* The Player Rankings will be based on the highest of their last 2 Performance Rankings in the 8Ball Singles event and the 8Ball Team event, as follows:

Advanced

(i) Finished in top 12% – M Master

(i) Finished in money but not top 12% – A Advanced

(ii) Finished out of money – B Open

Open

(i) Finished in top 12% – A Advanced

(ii) Finished in money but not top 12% – B Open

(iii) Finished out of money – C Standard

Standard

(i) Finished in top 12% – B Open

(ii) Finished in money but not top 12% – C Standard

(iii) Finished out of money – C Standard

* This means that there will now be a full performance history for every player who has played in these two events regardless of their finishes.
* Since your Player Ranking will be based on the highest of your last two finishes, any move up is immediate but the move down will only happen after you come back and finish out of the money in (2) consecutive appearances at the ACS Nationals.
* There will be no automatic dropdown for those with an M – Master Player Ranking.
* A Player’s Team Ranking cannot be lower than their Singles Ranking.
* The ACS will continue to recognize the Player Ranking Lists of both the VNEA and the BCAPL and ACS administration will have the right to assign Player Rankings based on KA – Known Ability.
* The ACS Player Ranking Records will be maintained in an online database accessible by everyone on both the ACS and CCS websites by September 1, 2010..

4. 8Ball Team Event Restrictions

* The above Team Player Rankings will be applied as follows:

Advanced – No restriction as to the number of A Advanced or M Masters players.

Open – Maximum (1) A Advanced player or (1) M Master player.

Standard – Maximum (1) B Open player. No A Advanced or M Master players.

5. 8Ball Entry Fees

* A progression has been given to the 8Ball Entry Fees between the Divisions:

Singles – Standard $125, Open $150, Advanced $175

Team – Standard $200, Open $300, Advanced $400

6. Original Member Rule

* The ‘Original Member Rule’ has been eliminated for all Advanced Team divisions.
* The ‘Original Member Rule’ has been eliminated for all Women’s Team divisions.
* The ‘3 Original Member Rule’ will remain in effect for Men’s/Mixed Standard and Men’s/Mixed Open Team divisions.
* The ‘Same League Rule’ will continue to be in effect for all Team events.

7. ACS Hotel Room Voucher Program

* The economic reality today for the ACS Nationals to remain in Las Vegas and be at a host property like the very desirable Tropicana, is that the majority of players must support the host property by staying there during the tournament.
* If they don’t, then the deal that the ACS struck with the Tropicana no longer works financially, the ACS would be subject to very severe financial penalties and any future Event would be in jeopardy.
* In dealing with this critical issue and to encourage players to stay at the Tropicana, the ACS Board felt it had no choice but to introduce a Hotel Voucher Fee with every entry to the ACS Nationals.
* So, if you stay at the Tropicana, the Hotel Room Voucher acts like a Room Deposit and you will have prepaid a part of your Room Bill.
* If you don’t stay at the Tropicana, the unredeemed Hotel Room Voucher will be used to help offset any financial penalties charged to the ACS by the Tropicana.
* The Hotel Room Voucher amount per Entry at the ACS Vegas 2011 Nationals are as follows:

$50 – Singles

$50 – Scotch Doubles

$75 – 9 Ball Team (3 player)

$100 – 8 Ball Team Womens (4 player)

$125 – 8 Ball Team Mens Mixed (5 player)

The ACS is very excited with the move to the Tropicana Las Vegas in early May and complete information and entry forms will be posted on the ACS website – www.americancuesports.org – by September 1, 2010.

ACS: www.americancuesports.org // Toll-free 1-888-662-1705

Hlavachek Lacerates Field at Denver 10-Ball Open
By Samm Diep, PoolTipJar.com

On July 24 & 25, Tables Steaks South (soon to be known as Billiards Ink) in Englewood, Colorado hosted the Denver 10-Ball Open and Cue Show. This inaugural $1,500 added event boasted 47 of the best players from across the state, including a couple from New Mexico and Ontario, Canada. Chris Byrne Custom Cues and many other local cue makers and vendors also took the opportunity to display their handcrafted work.

Of the elite, Boulder resident Jay Hlavachek was crowned the Denver 10-Ball Open Champion. He has competed in several professional events in the past but this hometown victory was so sweet for many reasons. When Hlavachek arrived Saturday morning he was less than impressed with his warm up performance. The full-time real estate agent has been focusing more on his career than his pool game.

But once the tournament kicked off, the slimmer new healthier Hlavachek came alive and tore through the field to go undefeated into the finals. In the first match on Sunday, Hlavachek would send Bill Skinner to the B-side with a 7-4 victory. While there, the senior player eliminated Tony Piazza, Reuben Silva, and Kiko Ibarra for a chance at a rematch with Hlavachek.

Skinner came on strong claiming the first set 7-2. Now, in a shorter race to 5, it seemed he still had the momentum, taking the first game. The two kept it close, exchanging racks until 3-3 when Hlavachek pulled away to close out the set 5-3. “I’m excited. It feels good to win. This is something to improve on,” said the modest Hlavachek.

1st $1,330
Jay Hlavachek

2nd $640
Bill Skinner

3rd $330
Kiko Ibarra

4th $240
Reuben Silva

5/6th $150
Rick Field
Tony Piazza

7/8th $110
Nelson M
Chuey Rivera

9-12th $70
Mike D
Bill Meacham
Sam Cordova
ATM Andy

Women’s U.S. Open 9-Ball Kicks Off
WPBA U.S. Open / Norman, OK

by InsidePOOL Staff

The Women’s Professional Billiard Association’s (WPBA) U.S. Open event has kicked off at Riverwind Casino in Norman, OK. There is a full 64-player field of ladies primed to attempt to wrest the title from Ga Young Kim, the defending champion, and the event will crown a winner August 1.

So far Kim is doing well, having won her first-round match against Canada’s Veronique Menard 9-2. In fact, there have been remarkable few upsets in the first round, with the exceptions of Cristina De La Garza’s double-hill defeat of Megan Smith, recent Lone Star Billiards Tour victor, and Melinda Bailey’s 9-7 upending of Kim White.

View the Women’s U.S. Open 9-Ball tournament brackets

Last year’s Player of the Year, Jasmin Ouschan, remains undefeated after two rounds on the winners’ side, first besting Rhio Flores 9-5 and then Melinda Bailey 9-0. Vivian “The Texas Tornado” Villareal, who placed very high in several tournaments last season, continues to wreak havoc on the field, delivering first Brianna Miller 9-5 and then Brittany Bryant 9-5 to the one-loss side. Also undefeated after the first two rounds are Karen Corr, Julie Kelly, Iris Ranola, Kelly Fisher, and Melissa Little.

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

Atwell Named Oklahoma State Champion
OB Cues Ladies’ Tour / Tulsa, OK

by InsidePOOL Staff

Janet Atwell escaped a close call in her double-elimination final match with Ashley Nandrasy to claim the title of Oklahoma State champion at the OB Cues Ladies’ Tour’s July 24-25 stop. Hosted by Magoo’s Billiards in Tulsa, OK, the $750-added tournament attracted 28 ladies to play, including three current WPBA pros.

As the event wound down to its second day, winners’ side matches included two regular tour top players, Tara Williams versus Nandrasy, and WPBA veteran Atwell against Melinda Bailey. Atwell attended last year’s Oklahoma State Championship and took second place, so she was looking to improve upon that finish this time. On the B-side of the bracket was another WPBA veteran, Belinda Calhoun, taking on Jennifer Kraber and Tracie Voelkering versus Lisa Marr. As the matches progressed, it was Atwell and Nandrasy playing for the hot seat, and Atwell ended up taking the winners’ bracket handily 7-2.

But Nandrasy had managed a tough bracket and had come too far to back down. After ousting Williams at third place 7-3, she went up against Atwell in the double-elimination final match. As the first set commenced, Atwell missed critical shots while Nandrasy finished games to win 7-2 and force a second set. The second set was a back-and-forth battle that saw the score ultimately reach hill-hill. It all came down to Atwell’s kick at an 8 ball—with a little nudge off the 9 ball, the 8 went in, leaving a straight-in shot on the 9 for the win.

Results:
1st Janet Atwell $750
2nd Ashley Nandrasy $550
3rd Tara Williams $335
4th Melinda Bailey $235
5th Belinda Calhoun $150
Lisa Marr
7th Jennifer Kraber $100
Tracie Voelkering
9th Lisa Henderson-Major $50
Cindy Parvala
Julie Comitini
Amanda Lampert
13th Michelle McDermott $30
Kathy Knuth
Theresa Wilson
Veronica Perez

Francisco Bustamante, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart Gain BCA Hall of Fame Election
Filipino star enters in Greatest Player category; Hubbart, Bell recognized for Meritorious Service

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 27, 2010 — Francisco Bustamante, one of the most accomplished players to come out of the Philippines, has been elected for induction into the Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame in voting conducted by the United States Billiard Media Association. Also, in the Meritorious Service, Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart, founders of the American Poolplayers Association league system in 1979, were elected for induction. Bustamante, 46; Bell, 66; and Hubbart, 69, will be formally inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame on Oct. 21 during ceremonies in conjunction with the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship in Chesapeake, Va.

Bustamante, nicknamed “Django” because of a resemblance to the lead character in a Western film of the same name, was born in the Philippine province of Tarlac. He began playing pocket billiards at 10-years-old, and began competing in the United States in the early 1990s. He hit his stride in the United States in 1997, winning two Camel Pro Billiard Tour events. He was named Billiards Digest’s and Pool & Billiard Magazine’s Player of the Year in 1998 after notching four major tournament wins, and he earned Billiards Digest’s and Inside Pool’s Player of the Year titles again in 2002, winning five major events in the U.S. and abroad, and finishing second at the World Pool Championship.

Bustamante finally garnered his first recognized world title in 2010, winning the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in Doha, Qatar. His strongest game is 9-ball, where his blockbuster break is legendary; although he is more than proficient at all the major games, as witnessed by his All-Around title at the 2008 Derby City Classic.

Upon hearing the news that he would be the second Filipino in the BCA Hall of Fame (after Efren Reyes’ 2003 induction), Bustamante was completely shocked.

“Really? I’m still young!” Bustamante said. “Two things that I always dreamed of were to be world champion and to be in the Hall of Fame. This year both dreams came true. We all dream to be in the BCA Hall of Fame, so I am very happy today. We are heroes in the Philippines, but for the American people to recognize me like this makes me very proud.”

Longtime road players and accomplished professionals, Bell and Hubbart decided to reach out to the grassroots players in 1979 through an amateur pool league they called the American Poolplayers Association (APA). Nationwide league systems like the BCA National 8-Ball leagues and Valley National Eight-Ball Association were just getting started as well, but Bell and Hubbart opted to go in another direction. They developed a handicapping system to allow players of all skill levels to compete against each other. With the handicapping system in place, they began franchising their concept.

Bell and Hubbart spent several years pouring all of their time and resources into developing the APA and its franchise system. With the support of sponsorship from Busch beer as a title sponsor beginning in 1981, the APA grew from 1,000 to 100,000 members over the next decade. Their ability to garner such non-endemic national sponsorship allowed the APA to grow into a league that today has more than a 250 thousand players and 270 franchisees. As a matter of fact, the APA was listed earlier this year as one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s “10 Great Franchises For Less Than $20,000.”

“We were outcasts for a long time because we were looked at as competition,” Bell said. “But Larry and I just tried to build a business and do something worthwhile. We’ve always felt like we’ve done things that have helped the industry.”

Voting was conducted by the USBMA Hall of Fame Board, which consists of USBMA members, elected At-Large members and living members of the BCA Hall of Fame. Induction is awarded to the player named on the most ballots. A second player is elected if he or she is named on more than 70 percent of the ballots. Bustamante (56 percent) was the leading vote getter, edging out familiar foe Ralf Souquet (46 percent) and fellow Filipino Jose Parica (44 percent). No other players were named on more than a quarter of submitted ballots.

According to BCA Hall of Fame voting rules, this was the last year of eligibility for Parica and Jim Mataya in the Greatest Players category. Both individuals will be past the age of 60 in 2011, which means the Veterans Committee will consider them for possible induction in future years.

To be eligible for consideration in the Greatest Player category, a player a) must be 40 years old by Jan. 1 of the year of their induction; b) must have a professional playing career of at least 10 years; and c) must have recorded significant achievements in U.S.-based events.

Hubbart and Bell were placed on the general election ballot after the USBMA’s Board’s 10-member Meritorious Service Committee named them as its official nominee. Thirty-one of 39 board members voted to approve Hubbart and Bell, with a simple majority required for induction.

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit www.bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.

Alicea and Robles Take Predator Titles
Ozone Billiards Predator Tour / New York, NY

by Alison M. Fischer, NYCgrind.com

A field of 67 players visited Amsterdam Billiard Club in New York, NY, July 24-25 to participate in the Ozone Billiards Predator Tour. Offering a wide range of top NYC-area amateur and pro players, the event showcased plenty of competition, but it was John Alicea and tour promoter Tony Robles who won their respective divisions.

Alicea ran to the top of the A-D 9-ball division, rolling through the A/B bracket to meet custom cue case maker Jim Murnak, who won the C/D bracket in the hot seat match. A 7-4 victory left Alicea sitting in the king seat.

Daniel Dagotdot claimed four winners’ side matches before Alicea sent him west after their winners’ side final four match. He returned for a rematch with Alicea by besting Murnak in the semifinals 7-2. Though he rallied in the final match against Alicea and came back from behind, Alicea was able to complete his undefeated run 7-6 to win his first Predator Tour event of the 2010 season.

In the open/pro division, “The Silent Assassin” was handed a first-round loss by Jeremy Sossei 8-4 but then charged through the one-loss side to earn revenge on Sossei 8-2 to advance to the finals. George “Ginky” Sansouci was busy firing through the winners’ bracket to claim the hot seat. In the final match, Sansouci faced Robles in a match that Robles dominated to take the title.

Amateur Results:
1st John Alicea $1,000
2nd Daniel Dagotdot $650
3rd Jim Murnak $475
4th Alberto Estevez $325
5th Victor Nau $215
Mathew Harricharan
7th Mike Panzarella $150
Luis Novas
9th John Stiles $100
Simon Lau
Andrew Kane
John Ortiz
13th Gail Glazebrook $75
Robert Plaut
Jerry Tarantola
Noel Bensurto

Open/Pro 10-Ball Results:
1st Tony Robles $700
2nd George Sansouci $400
3rd Jeremy Sossei $150

BCA Names Ivan Lee of Iwan Simonis 2010-2011 Board Chairman

Broomfield, Colo. – July 28, 2010 – During its general membership meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 13, 2010, the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announced the results of the 2010-2011 Board of Directors elections, which are as follows:

Category 1 (Manufacturer/Distributor)

* Austin Rothbard (Brunswick Corporation), three-year term
* Elaine Gerber (Presidential Billiards, LP), three-year term
* Martin Bloom (Olhausen Billiard Mfg., Inc.), three-year term
* Thomas Rodgers (Robertson Billiard Supplies), three-year term

Category 2 (Retailer)

* Tony Stick (The Billiard Factory), three-year term

Category 3 (Room Operator)

* Nick Alexander (Clicks Billiards), three-year term

In follow-up elections, Ivan Lee (Iwan Simonis, Inc.) accepted a one-year term as BCA Board Chairman, as did each of the remaining seated officers: First Vice Chairman Karim Belhaj (Predator Group); Second Vice Chairman Kathy Vegh (Danny Vegh’s Billiards & Home); Secretary Skip Nemecek (Tweeten Fibre Co., Inc.); and Treasurer Mike Serra (MBS Group).

The remaining directors include: George Darafeev (Mikhail Darafeev, Inc.); Tom Gregory (Toltec Lighting); Danny Kuykendall (Danny K’s Billiards); Fred Cohen (D&R Industries/Championship LLC) and Eric Weber (CueStix International, Inc).

“I look forward to teaming with a very experienced and talented group of individuals who are committed the Billiard Congress of America and its mission to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards,” said Chairman Lee. “The additional representation from the table manufacturers is welcome and their support and input will be invaluable over the next three years.”

About Billiard Congress of America

BCA logo
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards through education, marketing and promotional efforts, an annual industry trade show, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s games. For more information, please visit bca-pool.com or call 303.243.5070.