Karen Corr
Amidst a blend of familiar faces and new challenges, Karen Corr faced seven opponents during the inaugural North American Pool Tour's (NAPT) 10-Ball Women's Invitational Tournament, held on the weekend of June 3-5. Those opponents averaged just over two racks against her, leading to her undefeated run through the field of 56. The $5,000-added inaugural event was hosted by Breakers Sky Lounge in Herndon, VA, and in addition to women invited from regional tours all across the country, featured a strong, familiar (for Corr) contingent from the regionally nearby J. Pechauer Northeast Women's Tour (JPNEWT), whose director, Linda Shea, coordinated this event.
The brainchild of its president, Adrianne Beach, in consort with women from the JPNEWT, the Northwest Women's Pool Association, the OB Cues Tour, the Northern Lights Tour, and the North Star Tour (to name just a few), this North Americanl Pool Tour was set up to offer women more opportunities to play; opportunities that were not being offered by the WPBA.
"We're not trying to compete with the WPBA," said Beach from Boston, the day after the event. "We just want to provide more opportunities to play. We learned a lot from the WPBA, and (competitors) can play on both.
"We think," she added, "that we're building a good system that's going to be beneficial to everyone."
According to Beach, while the first few events produced under the auspices of this North American Pool Tour will be for women, plans are already underway to include Open events that will accommodate men, as well. Beach is quite pleased with how the inaugural effort played out, including her own finish in the eight-way tie for 25th.
"I'm thrilled with the way it turned out," she said. "We got positive responses from all of the players, and didn't hear any complaints.
"There were minor issues," she added, "but there always are."
Five of the seven opponents that Corr faced over the weekend were veterans of the JPNEWT, including fellow finalist, Jia Li. Last year, when Corr was winning eight of the 11 stops on the tour, she and Jia Li matched up in a final in August. Corr had to get by her twice at this event to claim the title.
They met first in a winners' side semifinal. Corr had gotten by Nicole King, Kia Sidbury, Eugenia Gyftopolous and Canadian Sara Miller, to draw Li. The other winners' side semifinal featured two Canadians who'd competed in the finals of the Canadian Cue Sports Championships (Women's Open 9-Ball) in May; Naomi Williams and Brittany Bryant. Corr took her first against Li 7-3, and in the hot seat match, faced Williams, who'd sent Bryant to the loss side by the same score. Corr dominated the hot seat match, denying Williams so much as a single rack.
On the loss side, Li and Bryant walked into two immediate double hill matches. Li picked up Tara Williams, who'd eliminated Brianna Miller 7-2 and Atlantic Cup Challenge team member and teenager April Larson 7-5. To reach Williams, Larson had defeated and thus, eliminated Janet Atwell, double hill. Bryant, who'd been sent to the loss side by Larson in the fourth round, drew Sueyen Rhee, who'd defeated Sara Miller 7-3, and Meredith Lynch, double hill, to reach her.
Li and Bryant advanced, double hill, to the quarterfinals over Williams and Rhee. For a variety of different reasons, match progress was noticeably slowing down, particularly as the loss side opponents took the extra time that they often do, when elimination is possible, and every shot is analyzed just a tad more carefully. Comments began circulating almost immediately about the need for a shot clock.
Li took the quarterfinal match over Bryant 7-5, denying Bryant the opportunity to play her fellow Canadian in the semifinals. Li and Williams then locked up in a double hill semifinal that at midnight, officially turned the proceedings into a four-day event. And it looked, in the early going of the true double elimination final, as if it were going to get even longer.
With a $1,000 differential between winner and runner-up, Li opened the first set of the finals with three straight. Corr responded with five straight. Li closed the gap to within one, before Corr chalked up her sixth, putting her on the hill. Corr used a 3-10 combination that finished it.
The next event on the North American Pool Tour, scheduled for August 19-21, will be hosted by Shooters Bar & Billiards in Grayslake, IL, just outside of Chicago.
