It is now after the 4th week of the Summer Session for all divisions. Players that have not paid their memberships have been dropped from the team. You can add them back at this time, but they must pay their membership fees first. If you play someone without paying their membership, we will mark them paid and the team becomes past due for their membership fees. No bonus points are awarded to past due teams.
Except for a few 8 Ball teams that lost big in the first week of the session that claimed they did not like the new point system J, all of the comments we are hearing now is that everyone loves it. We really appreciate the feedback as this is just as new to us as it is to all of you. The comments we are hearing is that every game takes on a little bit more meaning. Teams now want to shut out their opponent and are paying a little more attention to detail than ever before. Some teams have changed how they match up, but most teams still do it the same way they always did. I don’t know what the best strategy will end up being, but don’t forget that you want the match ups to be fun and competitive for your teammates.
Are you showing enough support to the location that is supporting you? The host locations that provide free pool tables for league play on week nights are doing so with an unwritten rule that you will provide monetary support to their establishment in return. Without these locations, we do not have leagues. A pitcher of water at your league table is not doing anything to support that establishment. Eating at In ‘N Out on your way to league instead of eating the bar food at your host location is doing nothing to support the location. If you don’t drink, buy your teammates a drink. Play the jukebox. Come back and practice on an off night and pay for the tables. Invite your non APA friends to hang out there with you. Help your location get another team playing out of there on another night. We have watched some locations close their doors forever over these past few years, mostly non APA establishments, and we can’t help but wonder that if they had a better weeknight entertainment like our APA pool league competing each week, maybe that would have been enough to keep them open. Maybe your location is currently struggling to make ends meet and they are the next ones considering closing their doors forever. Now is the time for all of us to find a way to show our loyalty back to the locations that have helped us become one of the biggest APA leagues in the entire country, and the 2nd biggest west of the Mississippi River. In other parts of the country, league players pay for table time as well as their league dues. Want new rails or cloth on the table you call home each week? Ask yourself if you’ve provided enough support to the location to ask for new rails or cloth. Ask yourself if you’ve reminded your teammates about showing their support to the establishment.
Have a great week and…..
Shoot Pool Good!