The BCA Pool League and the new Arizona state tournament committee have made great strides promoting tournament pool for Arizona since announcing the formation of the new AzSTC (Arizona State tournament Committee). It has been only a few months and already a venue has been selected, significant added money has been secured, contracts are in hand and the tournament date finalized.
The Arizona State BCA Pool League Team and Singles Championships will be held March 24-26 at the very up scale Blue Water Casino and Resort in Parker, Arizona. This $5,000 added event is exactly what the BCAPL players deserve. "Arizona players have always shown tremendous support for both our 8-Ball and 9-Ball National Championships in Vegas, and when we had the opportunity to assist in securing a tournament for them, it was just the right thing to do for Arizona pool", said Phil Bohanon, Director of Field Operations for the BCAPL.
A meeting was held Friday, December 23, 2005 at the Blue Water Casino to finalize preparations for the event. In attendance were Mike Howerton, Ron Merseal and Phil Bohanon who toured the facility with representatives from the casino. This casino is truly a Diamond in the Rough with every room supporting a view of the Colorado River and a fully operational water slide right off the casino floor. It is going to be a great get away weekend for all who attend the event in March.
Within a few days of the meeting, there was buzz in the air concerning the event as word spread throughout Arizona . This buzz has already produced inquiries and potential additional sponsorship for the event in the form of added money. Although $5,000 is on the table for now, we fully expect to announce additional added money in the near future as well as additional tournament date in August 2006.
The efforts of Phil Bohanon and the BCAPL were tireless. Phil personally took on this project after discussions at the BCA National 9-Ball Championships in October and created this event. Initially, the event was to be held the second week of March but scheduling conflicts with the casino forced the event to be moved to its current date.
Many new faces are expected to begin contacting the BCA Pool League and Arizona League Operators to join a league and get qualified for the event. Tucson, Arizona will have a Tuesday night BCA league forming at Clicks Billiards. Interested players should contact Chris at 520-887-7312 for more information. This is great news for the Tucson players who have not had a BCA league to participate in and a tournament that provides such a large tournament purse.
If you have additional questions about how to join a league or questions about how to qualify for this event, contact the BCAPL toll free at 866-USA Pool. If you want to inquire about the tournament production, contact Mike Howerton at AZBilliards.
Good luck!!! You don't want to miss this one.
