The wind blew, the rain came down and the sun came out. Your typical Lincoln City, OR October weather. 877 pool players from Washington, Oregon and Idaho were not deterred as they came to the Chinook Winds Casino Resort on the beautiful Oregon Coast for Western BCA’s 9-Ball Championships this October 12-18. This event was held just following the 3rd Annual Chinook Winds Open 10-Ball Championships (October 9-11, 2015) and made for a busy and exciting 10 days on the coast for players and spectators alike.
Western BCA would like to acknowledge the Lincoln City Convention and Visitors Bureau for their grant which made much of the Chinook Winds Open possible, Chinook Winds Casino Resort for their continued support and Bud Light for coming on board as the official beer of the Championships. With many thanks, we look forward to their continued support of future events.
Bad Boys Billiards Productions again supplied 80 7’ Diamond tables and tournament direction. Lenny Marshall of On The Rail TV lived streamed countless hours of matches which will be available soon for viewing. Head Referee Darryl Farley and his crew of certified national referees kept play on the tables up to the standards of sportsmanship we are all accustomed to and made sure the rules were adhered to. Steve Marker’s Tournament Official staff was always available to assist players as needed. Payouts made sure the checks were processed as quickly as possible and the Podium staff was there to assist the players in any way needed. Of course, enough cannot be said for the many volunteers who make these Championships possible twice each year. These events would simply not exist without them.
Fun Night was Sunday, October 11 and was a little different this time because the finals of the CWO were being played that evening. Even though the pre-tourney favorites either fell short of their final or got there but were unable to capture the title, the finals were well worth watching and many did.
For those who wanted to get on the tables, there were lots of mini-tournaments and the handicapped 10-Ball Singles. SignUps were down slightly (mainly due to the finals of the CWOs) but 57 WBCA players did play in the single elimination 10-Ball handicapped singles. GrandMaster Stan Tourangeau, fresh off his 3rd place showing in the Men’s CWO, took the first place prize of $450 from Andy Jellison (2nd/$230). Finishing 3rd/4th ($80 each) were Dirk Van Londen and Scott Brasher. In 5th-8th ($80) were Clayton Foran, Paul Marquez, Lawrence Sowell and Bill Swan and in 9th-16th, getting their $20 entry back, were Eddie Mataya, Raymond Bray, Shea Lanter, Bill Henderson, Adam Kolowinski, Tony Strezelczyk, Gary Crane and Diane Krause. The room was full and a good time was had by all.
As always, Mixed Scotch Doubles kicked of the competition. This time the Master Scotch division featured 52 pairs, including several past champions, all after the top prize of $2300. In the Open Scotch division there were 80 couples seeking the $1580 first place prize.
The finals of the Master Scotch Doubles came down to past champs Paul Marquez (CPL)/Cindy Sliva (NPL) hoping for a repeat of their win in 2013 and Nick Kruger (WWA)/Shari Ross (LTD). Shari also being no stranger to the MSD finals, having won several times in the past with different partners. Paul/Cindy were on the point, after dispatching Nick/Shari to the backside in the point match. Nick/Shari then met up with Eddie Mataya (NPL/Regene McDonnell (LTD) to see who would get to the final. Eddie/Regene couldn’t stop Nick/Share and ended their Scotch Doubles in 3rd place taking home $1210.
The race to 5 final match was even at 2-2 after Paul/Cindy ran out game 4 following Nick’s foul on the break. Nick/Shari then proceeded to bear down and take the next three games, including a break and run, to close out the first set on their way to what they hoped would be a double dip. Nick/Shari were looking good after getting to a 2-1 lead in the second set but that was as far as they would go as Paul/Cindy won the next 4 games to quash the double dip and capture the title. Nick/Shari’s 2nd place finish netted them $1670.
In the Open Scotch Division, two pairs of newcomers met in the final. Eric Scribner/Bonnie Andrews (CC) were on the point. Stan Beard/Tammy Williams (NPL) came from the backside (sent there by Eric/Bonnie in the point match for their preliminary bracket) and, 5 matches later, made it to the final to battle Eric/Bonnie for the top prize. Stan/Tammy played well as the match began, taking the first set 4-2. Eric/Bonnie, however, were warmed up by the 2nd set and shut Stan/Tammy down to take the set and the match by a score of 3-0. A very happy Stan/Tammy accepted 2nd place ($1150) and Eric/Bonnie will reign as 9-Ball Open Scotch Champs until the next 9-Ball Championships.
The Men’s B Division got on the tables on Tuesday evening with a field of 147 on a quest for first place and $880. Tyler Hanson (CPL) and Evan McClendon came through their preliminary brackets undefeated to get to the “big board”. There they bot proceeded to the point match where Tyler prevailed and captured the hot seat to wait and see if Evan would come through for a rematch. Only Zack Hill (CC) stood in Evan’s way. Zack left in 3rd place ($485) and Evan moved on to the final.
The race to 6 final match was even through the first 6 games (3-3) before Tyler took control and won the next 3 games to put an end to Evan’s singles (2nd place/$665). Tyler accepted the title and big check and will try his luck in the Men’sA Division next time he comes to Lincoln City.
Also starting on Tuesday were the GrandMaster Singles, with 16 men and 9 women playing for $1000 and $650 respectively. Kim Jones (NPL) was looking for another GM title to add to her collection and a hot shooting Kimberly Kirk wanted it just as much. First, however, Kimberly had to deal with Jing Liu and she was up to the task, leaving Jing in 3rd place ($100). On to the final. Kimberly came out red hot and took the first set 7-3 with three break and runs along the way. Kim Jones is as tough as they come though and, after falling behind 0-3 in the second set, got down to it and took seven of the next 8 games to close out the match 7-4.
On the men’s side, Jim Conway (LTD), in his first outing as a GrandMaster, showed he is worthy of the designation as he bested Stan Tourangeau in the point match and went undefeated to the final. To get to the final, Stan first had take down Bobby Campbell (NPL), shutting him out 9-0. Master Bobby finished in 3rd place ($300), a great showing. The final between Jim and Stan was a good one. The first set was a tight one with Stan coming out on top by a score of 9-7. The second set was similar to the first and with the same result. Stan was just a little too much for Jim (2nd place/ $650) this day as he captured another title and showed us he is, indeed, a great champion.
The Men’s A Division started Wednesday at noon, with 129 entered and $1170 waiting at the other end of the brackets. Isaac Norman (CPL) made his way to a spot in the final unbeaten through his preliminary bracket and the “big board’ to await a challenger for the title. David Lash (NPL) knocked out Brian Roberson (NPL) in the backside semifinal to get a shot at the title. Brian earned $650 for his 3rd place showing.
Isaac got off to a quick start in the race to 7 final, reeling off three straight wins. David then answered back with five wins of his own to take the lead (5-3). Isaac broke and ran game 9, but that was it for him as David followed with his own break and run plus a win in game 11 to close out the first set 7-4, setting up another possible double dip. In the second set, the boys split the first 6 games (3-3). Isaac then took control of the match and won the next four games and the match was over with David finishing in 2nd place ($875) and relative newcomer Isaac walking off with the title and $1170.
Also starting on Wednesday was the Men’s Senior Singles with 35 seasoned veterans seeking the title and the $500 first place prize. Vernon Joe (LTD) made his way to a spot in the final undefeated. His eventual opponent, Richard Green (LTD) had a tougher road to the final. Richard met up with David Pasciyo (LINC), in round 5 and went to the back side. David went on to the point match against Vernon, lost that match and went to the back side. Richard won his next two matches to get a rematch with David and sent him home in 3rd place ($230). Richard went to the final against Vernon, which turned into a 2 set affair with Richard winning the first set decisively 7-1. The second set went hill-hill. Vernon won the decider and was the champion.
Both the Women’sA Singles (50 entrants/$660 for 1st place) and the Women’sB Singles (46 entrants/$410 1st place) started their quests for the titles on Wednesday as well. In the Women’s A Division, NPL’s Barbara McKinney-Garza (2014 9-Ball Women’sB Champ) continued her upward journey to capture this event’s title and will next test her feet in the Women’s Master Division. 2nd place ($450) finisher, Mary Olney (CWY) was no match for Barbara in the final, losing 5-1. In the Women’s B Division, Nicole Donisi (CPL) lost her first match and came all the way through the backside to the final against undefeated Brooke Williamson (LTD), playing in her first regional championships. Nicole took the first set 5-1. Brooke, though, had another plan for the second set and reversed the score and she was the champion.
All that remained of the singles divisions were the Masters, getting underway on Thursday. The Women’s Master Singles started at 11am, with a field of 37, and by Friday at 5pm, only undefeated Misty Saldana (TC) and Susie O’Conner (LTD) remained to see who would be champion and $940 richer. It proved to be a 2 set affair with the first set going to Susie by a score of 6-4. In the second set, Misty won the first four games before Susie got on the board (4-1). Misty won the next game and was on the hill (5-1). Susie then played the best 5 games of the match to capture the title, including a table run to close it out.
The Men’s Master Singles featured 66 strong shooters looking to take home the $1370 first place check. Four made it to the “big Board” undefeated: Randy Baker (CC), Clayton Foran (CWY), Steve Lingelbach (NPL) and Bob Olson (NPL). Randy and Steve would go on to the point match, Clayton and Bob would go to the backside to battle on. The point match was as good as any final and had a little of everything. There were three run outs following miss-steps on the break (one foul, one failed push and one dry break), two break and runs and one 3 foul loss among the 13 games of the match. There were safety games and few unforced errors. But in the end, Steve prevailed by a score of 8-5 and moved on to the final. Would Randy come back for a second shot at Steve?
Bob Olson had other plans that didn’t include Randy Baker (3rd place/$660) in the final. Bob wanted another crack at Steve himself, having met him earlier in the front side semis and losing. The final between Bob and Steve was a little more lopsided than Bob would have liked. Steve was simply in the zone. The first four games hinged on one mistake in each game - a missed shot or a poor safety or an ill-timed foul – and, just like that, the score was 2-2. Those were the only two games Bob would win. Steve took advantage of Bob by either forcing errors with great safeties, good pushes or just plain great shot making. Steve shut Bob (2nd place/$960) down, winning the next 6 games and proving himself a great champion and more than worthy of GrandMaster status.
As the singles divisions were winding down, the teams were coming in to get started on Friday evening. The largest division, Men’s/Mixed Teams, had 99 teams all hoping to win the $3210 1st place prize. By Sunday afternoon, there were two teams in the final, each arriving there from opposite directions. LTD’s Hammertime (Dexter Ambang, Davyn Arscott, Gary Sankey) came the long way around, losing their 1st match and having to win eleven matches to get to the final. Their last obstacle before the final was NPL’s Men of the People
(Charlie Burnett, Bill Ermatinger, Steve Tune) who gotten to the point match and lost. Hammertime wasn’t ready to call it a day after winning 10 matches and beat Men of the People (3rd place/$1710) 11-5 to get into the final. In the meantime, LTD’s Cues Brothers (Cody Clark, Greg Odal, Scott Perry) went all the way to the final unbeaten. The first set was Hammertime over Cues Brothers 11-7. The second set was a repeat of the first with Hammertime winning 11-7 again and leaving Cues Brothers in 2nd place/$2340 and completing the double dip.
The Men’s/Mixed B Teams had 55 teams playing for $1590 and the division championship. The eventual finalists, NPL’s Brunswick Kings (Matt McInnis, Todd Molinari, Scott Pahl) and CPL’s Amateur Hour (Blake Fierro, Chris Nicol, Eddie Parenti) were, unfortunately, in the same half of the bracket and met in the match just prior to the point match. Brunswick Kings beat Amateur Hour 11-8 as they went on to the point match against EYOCUES B (Sandro Menzel, Mike Schamens, Michael Cyrus) and sending EYOCUES B to the backside. EYOCUES B lost to Amateur Hour and finished in 3rd place/$810 and the final was set. Again it would be a two setter and again there would be a double dip. Amateur Hour won the first set 11-4 and the second 11-8 as they sent Brunswick Kings (2nd place/$1125) packing.
Last but not least were the Women’s Teams. There were 53 teams, all going after the $1920 first place prize. NPL’s Carissa’s Crew (Carissa Biggs, Dara Koch, Kim Toops) and CPL’s Diamond Cutters (Melyssa Chasteen, Kira North, Jennifer Windell) met in the point match, with Carissa’s Crew winning 9-6. Diamond Cutters went to the backside to, hopefully, win one match and get into the final. LTD’s Poolalicious (Lisa Foster, Cassie Francios, Jessica Aarhaus) had the same idea but there was only one spot left in the final and Poolalicious (3rd place/$990) didn’t quite make it. Carissa’s Crew would need only one set to claim the title, beating Diamond Cutters (2nd place/ $1380) 9-7. And that brought to a close the 2015 9-Ball Championships.
But that’s not all, Folks! While all the regular divisions were playing out, there was more competition to be had. All divisions offered 2nd Chance Tournaments to players who finished out of the money and that were large enough to fill at least an 8 person bracket. Turns out, 9 of the 14 divisions filled brackets for 2nd Chance Tournaments. These were all $10 a stick, single elimination brackets with the race being one less than the regular division.
Here’s the results:
MMSD (19 entered): 1st – Kenny Dodd/Susan Preston ($140), 2nd – Junior Sardoncillo/Deby Welfringer ($70).
OMSD (29 entered): 1st – Roy Chevalier/Robin Adams ($200), 2nd – Shane Palmer/Berni Michel ($100).
MAS (44 entered): 1st – Charlie Burnett ($100), 2nd – Travis DeJong ($60).
MBS (55 entered): 1st – Jose Villa ($200), 2nd – Greg Barquist ($100).
MSS (12 entered): 1st – John Aranda ($50), 2nd – Steve Marker ($30).
WAS (15 entered): 1st – Robin Adams ($65), 2nd – Julie Goodman ($45).
WBS (13 entered): 1st – Teri Klyzek ($85), 2nd – Laura Smith ($25).
MMT (21 entered): 1st – 3 Shoguns/Fred Matzke, Akio Nakashima, Robert Niemeyer ($250),
2nd – Ralph’s Crew/Jim Barth, Kevin Fong, Bill Henderson ($125).
MBT (17 entered): 1st – Plan B/Bryan Bernard, Cody Garner, Brian Goodrow ($245),
2nd – RBS/Ray Bray, Scott Gentry, Brian Hanson ($124)
There were also raffles and drawings:
Ernie Omori Custom Cue Raffle: Ronda Clark
Payouts Winners: Men’s Gift Box – Ramil Oregas.
Free entry into regional event – Ed Slade, Cody Clark, Windy Manuelito, Wendy Taff.
Women’s $25 Visa gift card – Kimberly Kirk.
Men’s $25 Visa gift card – Jessie Blayden.
5lb Chocolate Hershey Bar – Leann Russell.
Chinook Winds Winners Circle Entry Cash Winners: $250/Joel Peck, $150/Corky Kyle, $100/Shawn Gibson.
Chinook Winds Sand Dollar Drawing Winners - Pam Carraway, Jose Trevino, Robert Cooley, Donald Anton, Nathan Dunford, Dave Schneider, Mary Coffman, Elaine Eberly, Barbara Ekstrom, Brett Ekstrom, Cindy Medina, Tammy Culbertson, Allen Mock, Darrel Lund Bonnie Russell, Dewayne Harvill, Cathy Earley, Kevin Miller, Alfreda Amyotte, Ford Rice, Sue Eklund, Robert Olson and Leontyne Davis.
As these Championships come to a close and we look forward to the next event – The 21st Annual Western BCA 8-Ball Championships – in March of 2016, we can only relax for a very short time. Planning and preparation is already underway and there is surprisingly little time to get it all done. If you have ideas or suggestions, please contact any Western BCA officer or staff member or, better yet, come to the next membership meeting (all you have to do is ask your League Operator to add you to your leagues list of Registered Player Representatives). If you’d like to help out at an event, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@westernbca.org. Get involved!