Borana Andoni has won two Tri-State tour events
The error was mine as the author of a recent report on the Tri-State Tour; specifically, the June 16 stop on that tour, won by Kim Meyer-Gabia. In the opening paragraph of that report, I noted that "tour representatives couldn't remember the last time that a female player won a stop on the tour and were only comfortable noting that it hadn't happened in the last 10 years." Tour representatives were wrong, but their name(s) will go unmentioned because the error was strictly and solely mine. I passed insufficiently researched information along as fact.
In actual fact, and only after some lengthy research into my own files, I had reason to know that Meyer-Gabia was not the first woman to win a stop on the Tri-State Tour. In those files of mine, specifically, one dated June 13, 2010, I discovered a report I wrote on a Tri-State stop that was won by Neslihan Gurel. Further, more exhaustive research led me to the fact that three women (at least) have won a stop on the Tri-State Tour, five times in the last three years (including Gurel's 2010 win). In June and August of 2009, Borana Andoni won twice, and then chalked up a third one in January of 2010. In October of 2009, Rhio Anne Flores won a stop on the tour. I may have actually written up reports on those other four tour stops, but couldn't locate them in my personal files.
As best as I can determine, Meyer-Gabia was the first woman in two years to win a stop on the Tri-State Tour, which would have been a significant point of information, but a failure of memory on my part, and the part of Tri-State Tour representatives led me to the conclusion that it had been "at least 10 years."
No excuses. I made a mistake, and wish, here, to correct the error. I try, whenever possible, to create context for tour reports; points of information that clarify and/or expand on the basic information embodied in a report. If, for example, a player wins his/her first tour stop, I try to make that point. If two players have met previously in finals or happen to be battling for the top spot in tour rankings, I try to include that information. All in the name of context, embracing not just an individual report, but an expansive glimpse at a given tour and its players. None of this information is generally included in the raw data I receive about a tour stop, so I have to go look for it, either in the AZ archives, my own personal files, or God forbid, my own memory banks, which, as can be seen here, are not without their flaws.
I sincerely apologize to Neslihan Gurel, Borana Andoni and Annie Flores (and any other women I may have missed) for my failure to recognize their winning achievements on the Tri-State Tour. I will endeavor to see that it doesn't happen again. All this said, it is somewhat encouraging to note that the AZBilliards pool community for whom I write weekly, was quick to recognize the error and point it out. It's nice to know that you're all paying attention.
