June 2, 2010
Western BCA Elects New Board of Directors
courtesy Western BCA (BCAPL)

On June 1, 2010, Western BCA welcomed a new President for the first time in four years. Election results at the Association’s May 2 Annual Meeting saw current President Bill Henderson, who opted for some true retirement time, passing the gavel to current Vice President, Darcy Williams. Darcy will be working with newly-elected Vice President Bret Baker and Secretary Julie Fraser, and current Treasurer Joyce Gumm.

Elected to the Board of Directors were incumbent Mike Jensen and new Directors Andrea Saenz-Maes, Bill Henderson and Danny Burdick. They join current Chair Sassy Campbell, and Directors Andrew Monstis and Cindy Doty.
Elected to Members-at-Large positions were Bill Henderson, Ed Slade, Darryl Farley, Robbin Iredale and Asker Amed.

Western BCA puts on the best regional pool tournaments in the nation. It takes a lot of work by a lot of great volunteers, and Western BCA always welcomes new faces and ideas. Become a volunteer with Western BCA by contacting Volunteer Coordinator Cathy Dunford at volunteercoordinator@westernbca.org.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 2, 2009
CueSports International (CSI) 

BCAPL New Policies for 2010 National 8-Ball Championships

Team Master Category Added:

The BCA Pool League is instituting a new player category for forming Open Teams at the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships called Team Master.

The reason for forming this new category is to eliminate the same people from forming all-star teams year after year.

All individuals who were on the rosters of the top 16 Men’s Open Teams and the top 4 Women’s Open Teams since 2005 are under this new designation effective at the 2010 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships.

A Team Master rating by an individual does not affect their rating as a singles player. If a player is rated as an Open player (and a Team Master) they are still eligible to participate in the Open Singles divisions.

The new requirements for forming an Open Team are as follows:
1. One Master is allowed on an Open Team
2. Two Team Masters are allowed on an Open Team
3. One Master and one Team Master are allowed on an Open Team.

Men’s Open Teams are still required to have 3 original members on the roster.

The list of Team Masters will be up on our website at www.playbca.com by Wednesday, July 8th, 2009.

Women’s Team Goes to 4 Players:

Women’s Open Teams and Women’s Master Teams will be 4 person teams for the 2010 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships. There are many leagues that do not have many women in the league. By changing the women’s teams to 4 players it will make it easier to form teams from their leagues. It should also increase the number of teams that participate.

Women’s Open Teams will race to 9.
Women’s Master Teams will race to 11. 

BCA Pool Leagues Revised league policy: Players pay $15.00 BCAPL league membership fee only once per year. (July 2009)
From: Bob Winter - Players Choice Pool Leagues, Denver Colorado
Reprinted by permission from Bob Winter. Published initially in the July issue of the Cue Times Billiards News, Denver, CO.

Attention Players and League Operators, here is an update from the BCA Pool League about Players Sanctions for upcoming years.
The following are "some quotes" from an e-mail from the BCA Pool League dated to me on 6-12-2009. All BCA league operators that sanction with the BCA Pool League should have received this e-mail and will be notifying their players in good time.
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"Dear BCA Pool League Operator, We have been in discussions for some time both within our office and with League Operators in the field, regarding whether and how to allow players to pay only once during the league year, no matter how many local BCAPL leagues the member may join." “...After many discussions, we have decided to allow every player to pay a single membership fee each year. Of course, the goal is to save our most loyal members some much needed funds during these difficult economic times. But the trade off is more effort on your part and ours. "Players pay a $15 BCAPL league membership fee only once per year -- no matter how many local leagues the player joins during the year.”  “Effective June 1, 2009 -- A player who has paid the annual $15 league membership fee in one league does not have to pay the sanctioning fee in any future leagues that they join for the same league year. The league year is form June 1 to May 31.” “Please Note: The BCA Pool League Membership Fee is $15. Any additional fee added by the League Operator MUST be called a ‘local registration fee’ or similar.” “Example: A player joins the first league and pays a $15 membership fee “ (along with any league admin or registration fee).“ When they go to sign up for another league, they need to show the second League Operator the membership card from the first league. In this example, the 2nd League Operator may still collect their ‘local registration’ fee.”
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This move by the BCAPL should help with the multiple sanctioning issue but YOU the player will need to know the name of the league, and when, you paid your sanction. This is a positive move for the BCAPL and may be able to bring more tournaments to the players in the future, And save some cash for the players that play in more than one BCAPL.
Note: Most league operators add a local registration fee or Admin fee to the initial BCAPL annual league sanction fee to help compensate for their efforts involved to process each player for monthly and annual league documents, this Admin fee is not unreasonable, example would be a $15 BCAPL sanction fee plus a $10 per year Admin fee for a total of $25 for the year.
Other league operators may not charge this fee but may remove additional funds (*beyond the normal nightly fees)
from players nightly dues during a league session or multiple league sessions. If you have questions about this you can ask your league operator just what they do. Some In-House operators may not have any additional fees and may even add money to the In-House league they are operating. *Many league operators charge an additional fee of $1.50 to $2.00 or even more per night per player to help with the operation of the league, this helps to pay for time, effort, promotion, gas, supplies and other expenses involved in running a league (almost 24/7 support to the players to help with questions and such). This information is supplied to you to help keep you informed, you may find more information by going to: www.cuetimes.com and clicking on any of the league links found on the main page of the Cue Times Web Site.
 

Thanks for your time and I hope you find this helpful for your upcoming league journey.
Bob Winter, Players Choice Pool Leagues, Denver, Co.
 

National Championship Series Announced by CueSports International, LLC (October, 2008)

CueSports International, LLC (CSI), the parent company of the BCA Pool League (www.playbca.com), the United States Bar Table Championships (USBTC) and the Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament, would like to announce the National Championship Series (NCS). The NCS will be a series of five national events in the following cue sport disciplines: 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, 14.1Continuous and One Pocket.

The first NCS event will be the 8-Ball Division. For players to participate in the 8-Ball Division they must be either a U.S. resident or possess a U.S. passport. The winner will receive all paid expenses to the prestigious World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) 2009 World 8-Ball Championship. Last year’s world event was held in Fujairah, UAE. The 2009 event is anticipated to be held in mid-April.

The following information applies to all five NCS events. Qualifier tournaments will be held at billiard rooms throughout the United States. All NCS events will be open to men and women - both amateurs and professionals. Players are not required to be a member of any national league or association. In the initial years of the NCS, everyone must qualify - there will not be any invited players. 

Mark Griffin, CEO of CSI expressed the need for a more formalized national championship system, “The U.S. is one of the few countries that does not conduct national championships. CSI saw the possibility of creating opportunities for pool players while offering national exposure for the billiards industry. This structure will determine for the first time a true national champion in all five disciplines.”

More information will be released in the next few weeks. Room owners with any questions, interest in hosting a qualifier in your state or region, or in hosting the national event, please contact Holly Ryan at holly@cuesportsintl.com or at 702-719-7665. 

CueSports International, LLC, goal is to create and improve opportunities for pool players of all abilities through fair governance and equitable policies.

BCAPL National Referee Class

Road Trip Update

 

 

Several months ago the BCA Pool League announced that due to increased demand, and to minimize the cost of learning how to become a referee without traveling to Las Vegas, they would begin offering their National Referee Training Class several times a year at selected locations around the country.  It didn’t take long until they were on the road.

 

During the weekend of September 21-23, 2007, the BCA Pool League conducted their first National Referee Class ever held in a venue outside of the National 8 Ball Championships in Las Vegas.  The first stop was in the greater Nashville area, and the BCAPL wants to thank the owners of the Murfreesboro Billiard Club in Murfreesboro, TN, for their great hospitality and superior accommodations in making this class possible.  We also want to thank BCAPL National Referee Rick Doner for his recruiting efforts and training support for our inaugural trip.

 

Those who attended performed superbly.  With the recent introduction of the new Official Rules of the BCA Pool League, there was a lot to digest.  Our new National Referees in Training are well on their way, needing only to complete the tournament floor portion of the course to achieve full certification as a National Referee.  

 

Keep checking our website for announcements of future classes. Class sizes are limited and fill up quickly.  The cost for the class is $125 and includes all materials.  If you would like the BCAPL to come to your area, contact Bill Stock, Director of Referees, at 866-872-7665.  

BCA Pool League Sponsors Shane Van Boening

Just days before his breakthrough runner-up performance at the Enjoypool.com Open in Las Vegas, South Dakota’s Shane Van Boening accepted a sponsorship agreement from the BCA Pool League (BCAPL).  A week later, he won the World 10 Ball Championship. 

 

According to BCAPL CEO Mark Griffin, “What a great start to our new partnership.  We are flattered that Shane has chosen to represent the BCAPL.  It’s a natural fit, since Shane and his family have such a long history of participation and success in league play”.  

         

Shane’s grandfather, Gary Bloomberg, was instrumental in starting Shane’s career and the pool leagues in South Dakota.  When Shane was a year and a half old, he watched Gary play and was mesmerized by the balls.   That Christmas, Gary bought him a 2 X 4 mini pool table.  At first sight of the table Shane dropped his toys, grabbed a short cue, crunched his fingers around it to make a bridge, and took a near perfect stance.  Gary realized his potential, and Shane’s destiny was set in motion.

 

Jeanne Bloomberg is Gary’s wife and Shane’s grandmother.  Her BCA  league accomplishments include a 1980 3rd place singles, 1989 2nd place seniors national team champion, 1990 national team champion, a 1993 2nd place in seniors and 3rd in national teams.

 

Timi Bloomberg is Shane’s mother.  She is the 1988 BCA national singles champion, 1989 and 1990 BCA national team champion, 1993 2nd place singles and 3rd in national team, 1994 2nd place singles 9-ball, and 1996 2nd place in singles.

 

Gari Jo Bloomberg is Shane’s aunt.  She is a 3 time BCA national team champion, in 1989, 1990 and 1993.  Gary and Jeanne were inducted in the South Dakota Hall of Fame, followed by Gari Jo and Timi.  Between 1977 and 2002 these women won 21 of the 25 top honors in the state tournaments. 

 

From 2003-2006, Shane continued to uphold the family tradition of excellence with a 2nd in open singles, a Masters singles championship, and third place finishes in both Master singles and Grand Master singles.

 

Only in his early 20’s, he has progressed from young prodigy to league player to national singles champion to winning the World 10 Ball Championship.  We welcome Shane to the BCAPL family, and look forward to a long relationship with one of the game’s fastest rising stars.

BCAPL Announces New Rule Book

The BCA Pool League (BCAPL) today announced the creation of a new rule book designed exclusively for BCAPL play. Over one year in the making, The Official Rules of the BCA Pool League becomes effective October 1, 2007. At that time, all BCAPL play will be governed by the BCAPL Official Rules.

According to Mark Griffin, "The BCAPL believes the time is right for the introduction of its own set of rules. We feel our loyal and valued members deserve a single, easy to understand document covering all aspects of BCAPL play. Our new book will ensure consistent application of the rules regardless of whether you play in a local, state, regional or national event."

The driving force behind the project was the BCAPL's observation that the recent development of billiards rules has not been very user-friendly to its players. Rule changes, wording changes, and vague statements were frequently confusing, incomplete, or contradictory. Rule interpretations by various governing bodies were not always made available in print. The upcoming BCAPL publication eliminates those problems by providing you with the most complete and carefully written set of rules the industry has ever seen.

As for the game we all love, don't worry! We didn't change the game – we just made it clearer to understand and easier for you to play. In fact, there are only a few changes to the games you've been playing for years.

Our mission has and always will be to serve our membership and give them the most enjoyable playing experience possible. This is just another step in that direction. Thank you all for your support!!

The Official Rules of the BCA Pool League will be available on September 1, 2007.

BCA National 8-Ball Championships  "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World"

 

Location: The Riviera Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas.

 

For the first time in the history of the sport, players of all skill levels – from amateur to professional – had the opportunity to compete on equipment built to the same superior playing specifications.  284 Diamond pool tables filled every corner of the Riviera Convention Center – all covered with “Tour Blue” Simonis 860 cloth, and equipped with Super Aramith Pro ball sets, with Aramith Red Circle cue balls.

 

Add 11,000 competitors, exhibitors, and fans who came to participate, spectate, and appreciate competition in 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 3-Cushion, and general billiard ball wizardry and what do you have? The BCA National 8-Ball Championships -- "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World."

 

The 31 year-old event is the world's oldest national pool league championship.  For the last three years, the event continues to grow under the guidance of cue sport nut Mark Griffin.  So has the added money; this year, almost $100,000.  Mark's goal is "To create and improve opportunities for pool players of all abilities through fair governance and equitable policies."  And, of course, live up to the moniker of "The Greatest Pool Tournament in the World."  Once again this year he and the BCAPL team, headed by David Vandenberghe, outdid themselves.

 

In all, over 7,100 individual players competed in the 8-Ball Championships.  The growth in turnout was encouraging, since travel expenses have risen considerably. The elevator conversation, which is usually, "How long did it take you to drive here?" was, " How much did it COST you to drive here?"

 

Many new features provided added incentives and excitement for attendees.

 

Predator Cues sponsored a random drawing for 10 of their fine cues, given to BCAPL members to demonstrate their appreciation of the support they receive from BCAPL members.

 

The BCA Pool League 9-Ball Challenge is new and open to all BCAPL league and player members.  Beau T. Runningen from Falcon Heights, MN took out Canadian Tyler Edey in the finals, with Ike Runnels from Hopkins Park, IL running 3rd.

 

The 9-Ball Challenge offered league members the opportunity to play both 8-Ball and 9- Ball at the same venue. “This will allow 9-Ball participation to grow," says CEO Mark Griffin. "In November, Qlympics, a new event produced by playbca.com--our umbrella website--will host the BCAPL Big Table Championships on 9 foot Diamonds, as will the U.S. Open professional events in 10-Ball, Banks, One Pocket and 14.1 Straight Pool. Plus, we'll have our BCAPL Regionals--teams and singles--on 7 foot Diamond Smart Tables. Then there will be action rooms going 24/7, so we have a perfect environment to create an audience when Accu-Stats tapes the pros. Qlympics is destined to be huge.”

 

The BCAPL has created the 8-Ball Men's, and Women's, Grand Master Singles divisions. "Everyone can play in our League, as long as they are a member. You can't get too good and then have nowhere to go." says Griffin, "We want our members to improve. We like having the best players. Maybe one day we'll have a multi-league challenge."

 

Speaking of wanting to improve. Enter the CUE-Tech Pool School. Free classes were given all week by BCA Master instructors Randy Goettlicher and his crew. Not only was this hands-on at the table, videos were taken so that one's strengths and weaknesses could be studied.

 

Dr. Cue, Tom Rossman, served as instructor, entertainer, and judge of the 15th Annual BCAPL National Artistic Pool Championship. Members got to compete against other members and stump the doctor with trick shots of their own. We usually view Tom in person as pool entertainer extraordinaire, or winning an artistic billiards event on ESPN. During his instructional series, BCAPL members learned that his deep knowledge of pool was the foundation of his success.

 

Lessons were also available in the Gabriel’s 3-Cushion Billiard & Pool Clinic. The clinic was organized and promoted by Professor Q-Ball’s Paul Frankel, and offered personal instructions by 2006 USBA Champion, Mazin Shooni.

 

In a special debut of 3-Cushion billiards on ESPN, entitled the 3-Cushion Grandmaster, the internationally acclaimed World Champion, Semih Saginer, was challenged by the legendary BCA Hall of Famer, Mike Massey, and the 2006 WPA Masse World Champion, Eric Yow.  Massey and Yow were invited by event producers, High Rock Productions and Dragon Promotions, to see if they could put a dent in Semih's reputation as the world's foremost master in billiard ball artistry. Watch for it on ESPN. It's mesmerizing to see what these guys can do with a billiard ball.

 

The Billiard Congress of America moved the BCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony from the International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo to where the real pool fans are. This year's induction was posthumously awarded to former World 3-Cushion Champion Sang Chung Lee.  Sang also won, from 1990-2001, 12 consecutive national USBA championships. Lee is considered the driving force behind the current resurgence of 3-Cushion play in the US. The coveted award was accepted by Sang's daughter, Olivia, who was deeply touched and visibly moved by the tribute to her father.

 

More innovations were at hand as Hall of Fame attendees had the opportunity to view some of the finest works of art known to cue sports. Collectors Rick Goulden from Des Moines, Iowa, the Glenn family from Houston, Texas, and Mark Kulungian from pooltablemagic.net displayed Balabushkas, Szambotis, Palmers, Schicks, and so many cues that an accumulated value was estimated at $750,000.

 

Victor Stein, of Billiard Encyclopedia fame, presented a diverse collection of pool memorabilia secured in a glass display case. And if that wasn't enough, Charlie Ursitti offered reproductions of many of the great posters from his collection. Denny Glenn's goal is that, one day, there will be a Billiard Museum so that the world can enjoy this great American Art.

 

Awe is the word that best describes what the pool fans had to experience at the Enjoypool.com 9-Ball Championships. Where else do you get to see the men and women's pro organizations play in the same venue? And the league members loved it. They knew that, for the first time in tournament history, men, women, amateurs, and professionals were playing, other than table size, under the exact same playing specifications. The same pocket size, the same table, the same cloth, and the same balls – the standardization of equipment is considered one of the hallmarks of when a game evolves into a sport.

 

And what better an audience to show their appreciation than the pool savvy BCAPL members. No other amateur group appreciates cue sports skills as much as BCAPL members.  They had already had fun with pros at the Billiard Education Foundation’s Challenge the Stars. Fans lined up. They learned a few moves first hand, got to mingle with the best, and shake a few well-known hands. And, even though most lost, now they have a lifetime memory of the experience, and someone familiar to root for at the pro event.

 

The pros love the applause, the yells, and the cheers. They also commented positively on how the tight-pocketed Diamond tables allowed the cream to rise to the top. No more hitting the second diamond and seeing the ball fall. Finally, equipment they could trust.

 

And no one trusted it more than men's finalist Shane Van Boening -- "The Dakota Kid."

Shane’s finishes in recent pro events have been so consistent that he caught the attention of management at playbca.com. It was decided to sponsor Shane in the enjoypool.com event. "Who better to represent the league than Shane?” Griffin asked. "He has competitive pool in his bloodline and he is respected by his peers."

 

The 23 year old roadrunner turned pro is no stranger to league play. As a BCA certified instructor Shane's grandfather, Gary Bloomberg, got the family competing; his aunt, Gari Jenson, is a 3 time VNEA Women's Master Champion, while his mom, Timi Rae Bloomberg, is the '88 BCAPL Women's Open Champion. Shane learned well. He has back to back VNEA titles (2004/2005), and he won the Predator World 10-Ball Championships in Jacksonville, Florida one week after finishing 2^nd in the EnjoyPool.com pro event at the Riviera.

 

No one is more pleased on Shane's high finishes than Mark. "Shane's passion for the sport and will to win is second to none. He's fearless. All he wants to do is compete. We are honored to have him as part of the team and look forward to his contribution and to our mutual, continued success." I guess that's why the BCA Pool League had signed him to a yearlong deal. They walk the talk.

 

Visit playbca.com and check the results of the more than 3,000 who cashed in this year's BCA National 8-Ball Championships. You're bound to know someone. And next time you see them, ask “What’s the greatest pool tournament in the world?”