Welcome back to the Fall Session! The new 3-point scoring system proved to be pretty successful in the first go around, with many divisions coming right down to the final week and in some cases, the final match of the final week to determine the division standings winners. We thought the phone lines would light up during 8 Ball playoffs with assistance needed to determine when a match was decided, but apparently everyone figured it out on their own.
The 2013 APA National Team Championships are over and our top finisher this year was the Ladies 8 ball team “Study Buddies” from the Library. They finished in 5th place to the team that ended up winning it all. I watched some of that match and it was one of those that could have gone either way, and unluckily for the Study Buddies, things didn’t work out their way. However, 5th place is an outstanding finish and we are very proud of them. We are proud of all of the San Diego teams that competed this year. You represented San Diego extremely well, whether humble in your wins or gracious in your losses. We ran into several players that won minis while they were there, and we always like to hear that. While there has been talk of moving the event away from the Riviera, APA did sign a contract for the next two years at the Riviera, and I was pretty impressed with how the Riviera Hotel and Casino treated our players this year. It seemed like a renewed vigor to make everyone happy. Moving a tournament of this magnitude isn’t as easy as you might think, and the cost to the individual player will likely increase significantly if it ever does move to a different location. The new ownership at the Riviera really likes this event and wants to do whatever is necessary to keep us there. Our Southwest Challenge events are also contracted through 2015 at the Riviera.
Please visit the APA National web site (www.poolplayers.com) to see all of the results of this year’s events. I really enjoyed the videos that they made on site this year. I especially liked the one where Jimmy Langston (Skill level 7 in Escondido) was caught in the act doing a little dub step out at the APA Poolapalooza pool party at the Riveria. Check it out. Jimmy’s got some moves!
With the start of each new APA session comes new APA members. New members have the first four weeks of the session to get their membership fees paid up and the starting skill level for new members is 4 for men and 3 for ladies in 8 Ball, and 4 for men and 2 for ladies in 9 Ball. The reason for the difference in skill levels for males and females is based on the national skill level average of these players. Of course, any player who is known to be better than the starting skill level is required to start at a skill level that reflects their true ability.
Schedules can change in the first few weeks of a session. Inform all of your league members to double check for schedule changes before driving to the wrong location the next week. If you are scheduled for a bye in the first or second week, make sure your teammates are available to play anyway, as we sometimes get last minute adds or drops that will change the schedule. It’s always easier to play it now rather than try to do a make up later.
Make sure whoever is keeping score for your team knows the definition of a defensive shot and how to mark it properly on the score sheet. Scorekeeping accuracy is necessary to create accurate handicaps, which in turn makes it more fun for everyone.
There are still openings for the Southwest Challenge 9 Ball tournament in Las Vegas October 24-27. I think this will be San Diego’s year to win this event, so get signed up and just maybe it will be your team that wins the tournament. Why do I think that? I have absolutely no idea, but it doesn’t hurt to be optimistic. J
Membership applications have been provided for new members to fill out. Make sure you tell your new members to go to our web site and claim their online account, as well. Registration has become extremely easy to do now, and we’ve also gotten pretty good at helping people get registered. There is so much stuff to see, and APA is promising even better stuff to come as we continue to improve the sites.
If you are playing a new team, please help them learn how to keep score properly. It’s not easy or fun being the teacher, but it sure can be rewarding if you end up with a lasting friendship with the team you help acclimate to our league. While it is competitive, fun should never be cast aside in your attempt to win a match. Fun is why we are all here. We need to escape the pressures of our everyday lives and banging some balls around a pool table is sometimes the perfect remedy. Thanks for playing APA and watch for an important announcement in next week’s newsletter.
Have a great week and…..