Captain’s Log, October 14th, 2012 

We really enjoyed the positive feedback from last week’s newsletter. Apparently there are quite a few league members who value the fun that APA offers and don’t want others spoiling it for them. Our thanks to those of you who took the time to let us know you appreciated the newsletter. It has inspired me to start writing more newsletters to stay in closer touch with our league members.  



Our once a year Masters League is starting up this coming Saturday, October 20th. This is the one APA division where we toss skill levels out the window and play straight up races of a combination of 8 Ball and 9 Ball. We have some new teams already signed up, but we certainly have room for more. Fees are $30 per team for each match and 3 people play. Rosters can have as many as 5 players. Non APA members are allowed in this format, but non members must pay APA membership fees and they must have a minimum of 10 matches in either 8 Ball or 9 Ball Open divisions in order to be eligible to compete in the APA Masters Championships in Las Vegas. Each individual match up is a race to 7, featuring eight 9 Ball games and five 8 Ball games. Each game won earns a point for your team. 21 is the maximum amount of points in a team match. We play a relaxed schedule at 5pm approximately every other Saturday. If teams want to get together and play on Friday night or the next Saturday, we don’t have a problem with that. All that we ask is that you don’t fall too far behind in make up matches.


Ladies Divisions are currently in playoffs and the new session starts November 2nd. We are currently looking for new teams to play in this very competitive league where one team will win a chance to compete in the APA National Team Championships in the Ladies Division. Team handicap limits are 19 in the Ladies Division. This is the same format where “Study Buddies” out of the Library finished in 5th place at this year’s National Team Championships.


The APA National Singles ChampionshipsThe Fall Singles Regional was held at the Hungry Stick last weekend. The SDAPA qualified 9 players for the APA Singles National Championships in Las Vegas this coming April/May. Qualifying for Nationals in 8 Ball was Tim McCord (skill level 4 tier), Marakai Fellows (skill level 5 tier), Dan Acheson (skill level 6-7 tier) and Paul Langley (skill level 6-7 tier). In 9 Ball, Stephanie Santos (skill level 1-3 tier), Chris Bazner (skill level 4-5 tier), Brian Critchfield (skill level 4-5 tier), Nikh Nobouphasavanh (skill level 6-9 tier) and Paul Langley (skill level 6-9 tier) each won a trip to compete in the Singles Nationals. Pictures of all of our winners can be found on our Facebook page. Congratulations to all of our winners. Have you beat one of these people in a league match recently? If the answer is yes, that means you too have a shot at winning a trip to compete in the APA Singles Championships in Las Vegas. The window to qualify for the 2013 National Singles Championships is the end of November. There are a few “Boards Days” scheduled at the Hungry Stick before that window closes. You can use your MVP vouchers to compete in these events. Check out the message board on our web site (address below) for details on where and when!


We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of a long and upstanding member of the San Diego APA. William Simms Jr. was loved by many and he was a valuable part of our league for many years. He had been battling health issues for the last two years and attempting to get back to playing in our league, but unfortunately he lost that tough battle. He was 59. He captained teams out of the Library and in South Bay for many years and he will truly be missed.

 

We have been approached by many about some of the new stats that are featured on our APA web site. Some of those stats are rackless nights and skunks. While it’s nice that you have these stats to look at and it’s a nice accomplishment, we have no designs on awarding patches for these achievements. The budget for adding anything right now just isn’t there. When we increased the fees to $8.00, the increased revenue we generated increased the end of session prize money for Division and Playoff winners from $400 to $800, we added a 2nd and 3rd place prize in the City Championships for each board (10 boards this year) and we doubled the travel assistance to Nationals for each team. Those three things alone add up to nearly $150,000 in increased prize money each year.


 

Beginning with the Summer 2013 Session, the SDAPA will be moving to a 3 point scoring system in 8 Ball. Each individual match will be worth up to 3 points and a maximum point total of 15 for a team match. Here’s how it will work… 
 

If you skunk your opponent, the score will be 3-0. If your opponent wins at least one game but doesn’t get to the hill, you win 2-0. If your opponent gets to the hill, you win 2-1. The same scores apply for your opponent if they win the match. The league areas that have been testing this scoring system have been pretty happy. We will talk about this more prior to the start of the Summer Session, but we think this will be a positive move for the league. Even if you lose, you can still contribute points for your team, which is something people like about the 9 Ball league. It will likely change the match up strategy entirely, especially in playoffs, with skill level 3’s having some of the best potential for a 3-0 match with a 2-0 win.  


Have a great week and Shoot Pool Good!
 
 
Brian, Jill and Lindsay
619-303-0183
sandiego.apaleagues.com

Office Hours 9am-7:30pm Daily