Kew Gardens, NY (April 24, 2007) – HighRock Productions, in association with Dragon Promotions, is proud to officially announce the ESPN debut of 3-cushion billiards this summer - starring none other than the internationally acclaimed World Champion, Semih Sayginer, also known as “The Turkish Prince” – in this special presentation titled “3-Cushion Grandmaster”.
Those who have been lucky enough to catch Semih Sayginer at a trade show or on YouTube sneak previews rave of his uncanny brilliance and charismatic presence at the billiard table. American fans will have the opportunity to witness the event in person during the taping at 1:00 PM on May 16, 2007 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.
"3-Cushion Billiards being brought to the masses through a major broadcaster is a milestone in carom history. This has been a dream of mine and my late mentor, Sang Lee – the twelve-time United States 3-cushion champion. With his induction into the BCA Hall of Fame, and this high-profile exposure to a national audience, I am confident that we will see a resurgence of 3-cushion. I urge all billiard players across America to petition their local clubs to install a 3-cushion table so that everyone will have easy access to this fascinating game." -Ira Lee, Director of HighRock Productions.
An entertaining, action-packed, judged format will present Mr. Sayginer competing against two favorite American trick-shot champions, attempting the most difficult shots in 3-cushion billiards. Two thirty minute shows will display Mr. Sayginer's skills against the legendary, celebrated BCA Hall of Famer, Mike “Tennessee Tarzan” Massey, widely known for his numerous wins in ESPN's “Trick Shot Magic”; and against the up and coming young gun, 2006 WPA Masse World Champion, Eric Yow.
In this entertaining format, the players will be required to make their ball zig-zag, jump, curve and swerve across the table tracing impossible-looking patterns. They must demonstrate their imagination, power, technique and style while trying to impress a celebrity panel of judges including Jeanette Lee (“The Black Widow”), Ivan Lee, President of Simonis, and Bob Jewett, President of the United States Billiard Association. "We are very excited about bringing 3-Cushion Billiards to ESPN. The players we have in the event are simply amazing and the best in the business. We're happy to help the growth of carom worldwide." - Cindy Lee, President of Dragon Promotions. ESPN is the recognized worldwide leader in sports programming. ESPN billiards programming yields hundreds of hours of broadcast time and is aired in USA, Asia, Australia, and Latin American countries. This event will be no exception.
"We were impressed by some past performances of Mr.Sayginer, and we thought audiences worldwide would be very entertained by his magical array of shots. ESPN is pleased to air this historic event." - Doug White, Director of Programming for ESPN.
This event will provide millions of television viewers the opportunity to witness 3-cushion for the first time. 3- Cushion is an action packed form of billiards that emphasizes cue ball mastery; the extreme spins and multi- cushion bank shots are sure to keep fans watching in amazement. Each player's cue ball must strike three cushions at the minimum as a rule, but players will commonly shoot five, eight and even ten cushion shots to score under extreme competitive pressure. The dynamic motions of every shot taken are impressive and captivating.
This ESPN event is sponsored by Iwan Simonis Cloth, The Adam Cue Co., Schuler Cues, Gabriels, Diamond Billiards, Aramith, CFR Productions, 3CushionCues.com, HeatUpBilliards.com, Carom Cafe´ and CueTable.com.
Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in USA and Korea including The World 14.1 Championship, King of Carom, and Korea vs USA. Dragon also manages some of the world's best players including Thorsten Hohmann, Mika Immonen, Yu Ram Cha and many more.
HighRock Productions produces entertaining television shows that highlight the exciting action and international drama of championship level 3-cushion billiards – a very unique, difficult, and visual cue sport. HighRock produces the prestigious Sang Lee International Open, a professional 3-cushion event held annually in NYC.
