Record Attendance at APA Poolplayer Championships in August
After a two-year absence forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, APA made a big return to Las Vegas in August with the APA Poolplayer Championships.
Traditionally held in the spring, the rescheduled 2020-2021 Poolplayer Championships featured both the 8-Ball Classic and 9-Ball Shootout, in addition to several events typically held during the APA World Pool Championships each August, including the Masters, Ladies 8-Ball, Team Captains, Wheelchair and Doubles Championships.
The revamped event lineup was necessary to ensure that all events could accommodate two years worth of qualifier participants, while also allowing for an expected surge in participation later in the year at the APA World Pool Championships, also scheduled in Las Vegas in October.
APA’s highly anticipated return to Vegas was well received by members excited to once again compete in one of APA’s signature events. This year’s tournament featured a record number of participants as well as a record payout for this event.
After ten days of nearly non-stop action, 16 new champions had cemented their poolplaying legacy and laid claim to a portion of more than $1.2 Million in prize money.
The final round of the 9-Ball Shootout featured four championship matches, one for each Skill Level Tier, with two shooters in each tier competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes.
In the Green Tier, Joe Koltcz of Indianapolis, Ind., defeated Jerry Jones of Memphis, Tenn. In the White Tier, Matthew Smith of Bardstown, Ky., defeated Darlene Bartlett of Oak Lawn, Ill. In the Gray Tier, Kevin Grimes of Yorba Linda, Calif., defeated Jacob Fields of Swainsboro, Ga. In the Black Tier, Brandon Ashcraft of Adrian, Mich.., defeated Lucas Taylor of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Each of the four Champions received a cash and prize package worth $10,000. Runners-Up in each tier took home a prize package worth $5,000.
In the finals of the 8-Ball Classic, five champions each took home a cash and prize package worth $15,000 for their performances.
In the Blue Tier, Veronica Spero of Palm Harbor, Fla., defeated Trihona Givens of Minneapolis, Minn. In the Yellow Tier, Jonathan Pavelsky of Anchorage, Ak., defeated Krish Brahmadesam of Clarksbury, Md. In the Red Tier, Allen Guerry of Corsicana, Texas, defeated Gregory Straube of Gassboro, N.J. In the Orange Tier, Kajone Ky of Woodbridge, Conn., defeated Fabian Briceno of Lubbock, Texas. In the Purple Tier, Ernesto Bayaua of Tomball, Texas, defeated Matthew Walling of Walterboro, S.C.
First Place winners received cash and prizes worth $15,000. Each Runner-Up received cash and prizes worth $9,000.
In the Masters Championship, White Out – Brian White, Billy Ussery, Jeff Abernathy and Joseph Fox – of Charlotte, N.C., defeated Main Shots – Jeff Sergent, Dan Hayes, Jason Gongol and Leonardo Lopez-Hernandez – of Joliet, Ill. The victory earned them a $11,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Main Shots took home $5,000.
In the Ladies 8-Ball Championship, BB Cues – Yuvia Roman, Christine Degrange, Adina Fried, Alison Lewis and Teresa Jimmerson – of Chicago, Ill., defeated We’re Feelin Lucky – Annie Steen, Katie Ottaway, Barbara Teal, Chrystal Privett and Patty Krekelberg – of Huntsville, Ala. The victory earned them $11,000 in prize
money while We’re Feeling Lucky took home $5,000.
In the Team Captains Championship, Double Nickels – Justin Tyree, John Lyon, Angela Carr, Christopher Barnes and Robert Ust – of Azle, Texas, defeated Whose Idea Was This – Allen Davis, Jonathan Emerson and Michael Buchanan – of Richmond, Va. The victory earned them $11,000, while Whose Idea Was This received
$5,000 as Runner-up.
In the finals of the Wheelchair Championship, Charlie Hans of Harrison, Ohio, defeated Travis Eubanks of McDonough, Ga., to take home $2,000 in prize money. Eubanks received $1,200 as the Runner-Up.
In the 8-Ball Doubles Championship, The A Team – Migdoel Diaz and Michael Gomba– of Lancaster, Pa., defeated Sharpshooters – Dillon Forrestier and Dylan Fontenot– of Carencro, La. The victory earned them a $8,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Sharpshooters took home $4,000.
In the 9-Ball Doubles Championship, Around the World – Ernestas Stanulis and Nabil Gana – of Downers Grove, Ill., defeated Limping to Victory – Hanna Limp and Jacob Shane – of Indianapolis, Ind. The victory earned them a $6,000 payday. As Runners-Up, Limping to Victory took home $3,000.
In the Jack & Jill Doubles Championship, Love At First Break – Rebecca Westfall and Jordan Conqeni – of Cleveland, Ohio, defeated You Can See It – Chaz Mullinax and Stephanie Mullinax – of Panama City, Fla. The victory earned them $4,000, while You Can See It received $2,000 as Runners-up.
The final of each championship round was live-streamed (courtesy of PoolDawg) and can be viewed online at http://www.youtube.com/apaleagues.
The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces four major tournaments—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships, the APA Junior Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, PoolDawg and Valley-Dynamo.
For more information on the APA Poolplayer Championships, visit https://poolplayers.com/poolplayer-championships/.
