Jason Tysinger & Kevin Jackson
No entry fees for a $3,550 prize package draws 138 entrants
Given the concept and its apparent success in terms of patrons drawn to participate, it’s a surprise that more rooms don’t do it more often. For two years in a row, The League Room in Parkersburg, WV has held a Customer Appreciation Tournament. Owner Chris Wilson, with the help of donations and sponsors has put money up for a tournament prize fund and opened his doors for an event that requires no entry fee. In its first year, $3,500 was raised from sponsors and drew 114 entrants. This year’s event (Sept. 16-17) – with $1,500 from sponsors and $2,000 from the room – drew 138 players.
Both events drew a mixture of seasoned players with established Fargo Rates and a number of competitors without them; this year, 84, to be exact, 60% of the field. According to Wilson, he’d tried the ‘Big Dawg’ approach, drawing names like Earl Strickland and Alex Olinger for example, in the hopes that it would draw other ‘big names’ and hopefully a recurrent crowd of spectators interested in watching them and then, stepping to the tables, inspired to add pool to their entertainment menu. It didn’t work for him and his room and he began to look for ways to increase the numbers he was drawing.
“The idea,” said Wilson, “was getting new eyes onto something I built. I’ve got 15,000 sq. ft., 20 tables and three bars in the room.”
“In a town of less than 15,000 households,” he added. “that’s not a recipe for success and I wanted to see if I could do something to get the masses out.”
Original 9 ft. tables installed to accommodate the ‘Big Dawg’ kinds of tournaments were not being utilized as much as he would have liked, so Wilson started swapping out the 9 ft. tables for predominantly 7 ft. tables. The League Room now features 16, 7 ft. and four 9 ft. Diamonds with two 9 ft. Diamonds in storage that Wilson can change out when he hosts larger events. And then, he came up with the idea of a Customer Appreciation Tournament, which has already drawn a significant pair of ‘new eyes’ into the room. Last year’s 114-entrant event was the largest tournament that had ever been held there, and this year, that number jumped up by 20%.
The bad news/good news from a player’s perspective is that with 138 competitors in a 256-player bracket that’s using a front-loaded payout formula (6 places), it’s tough to walk away with cash in your pocket, though it’s important to remember that “pool is easy,” has been said by nobody, ever. The good news is that you don’t have to pay to play in the first place. There’s related good news in the fact that you don’t risk any cash while you’re fearlessly competing against someone who’s better than you, which is recognizably the only way to improve.
The 2nd Annual League Room Customer Appreciation Tournament, an 8-ball event with races to 3 on the winners’ side and 2 on the loss side, was won by Kevin Jackson, who went undefeated through eight matches, two of them (hot seat and finals) against Jason Tysinger. To no one’s surprise, they were two of the event’s 10 competitors with Fargo Rates in the 600s (there was only one player in the 700s; Lucas Hawkins, 702, who finished in the tie for 33rd).
Jackson won over half of his eight matches, including the first four, by shutout, until Clay Davis challenged him double-hill, in a winners’ side quarterfinal. Jackson advanced to face Ernie Jones in a winners’ side semifinal. Tysinger won three straight shutouts before Brian Hoover threw him a double-hill curve ball. He got out of that jam and downed Dave Vickers by shutout to draw Jerrold Hesson in the other winners’ side semifinal.
Jackson chalked up his fifth shutout against Jones and advanced to the hot seat match. Tysinger gave up one to Hesson and joined him. In what was a second, double-hill match for both of them, Jackson claimed the hot seat.
Cody Stumbo
There was a Cinderfella story at work on the (brutally quick races to 2) loss side, but he was knocked out five rounds before the ‘glass slipper’ went on somebody else’s foot in the final. His name was Cody Stumbo, he’s Fargo-rated at 466 and he’s 14 years old. After being shut out by Eric Pierce in the opening round, Stumbo went on to win more loss-side matches (7) than any competitor in the event and won 14 of the 17 games he played to do it. All of which left a strong impression on League Room owner Chris Wilson.
“Cody only started playing about two years ago,” said Wilson, “and it’s really all he does; plays pool and goes to school.”
“He played his heart out,” Wilson added. “He’s put in the time and he’s reaping the benefits. There isn’t anybody in the area who has more heart and plays as much as he does.”
Clay Davis stopped Stumbo’s streak in the 9th/12th-place battles and was then shut out himself by Brian Hoover, who picked up Hesson, fresh from his winners’ side semifinal loss. Ernie Jones, coming over, drew Terry Barker, who’d shut out Tri Hinton and Dave Vickers to reach him. As noted, quick and brutal races to 2.
Hesson gave up one rack to Hoover and advanced to the quarterfinals. Barker joined him after shutting out Jones. Two more loss-side shutouts – Barker over Hesson in those quarterfinals and Tysinger over Barker in the semifinals – sent Tysinger back for his second shot against Jackson. He completed his undefeated run 3-1 to claim The League Room’s second Customer Appreciation Tournament title.
Chris Wilson further thanked all of the customers who showed up to compete in his appreciation tournament, along with sponsors Diamond Billiards Products, Jacoby Custom Cues, DigitalPool, Bull Carbon, Capitol Printing, Perimeter Billiard Lights and Byers Concrete Construction LLC. You can follow activities of The League Room on their Facebook page.
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