As of today, May 14, 2015, things are progressing in a timely manner. As we all know, the date that we are all anticipating is July 25, 2015. That is the date that the $75,000 in added money must be accounted for. This is also the added money amount required to be sanctioned as a WPA Tier 2 event. All indications are that this is very doable. At this time Barry Behrman has every hope of securing sponsors who have given every indication that they are on board and want contracts for three more years.
I also visited with Bank of America officers in Norfolk to establish check cashing policies. The bank is within walking distance from the Sheraton. They will have enough cash on hand and will be prepared to cash checks up to $5,000 for players presenting proper identification. Arrangements have also been made for players to transact Cashiers Checks and Wire Transfers of U.S. Currency to other countries.
The Sheraton Norfolk Waterside Hotel exceeds expectations more than Barry Behrman or I could have hoped for. Maybe he got lucky, I don’t know. What I do know is that the hotel is a wonderful venue with extremely low room rates for us, especially for being in the heart of Norfolk. To reserve hotel rooms, call 757-622-6664. Use code “USOPEN” for the $89 room rate. See your savings by going to sheratonnorfolkwaterside.com to compare the rates for everyone else! The hotel is spacious; plus their food and beverage prices are discounted for this event. The staff is doing everything possible to accommodate this event. The city is planning on having U.S. Open artwork placed on buses and overpasses. This is a big deal for Norfolk, VA.
In the 1960’s, Norfolk was a hotbed for pool as Luther “Wimpy” Lassiter was the man to beat. And in 1976, it was the birthplace of the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships.
We started receiving entry fees and many requests from our foreign friends from Taiwan, Philippines, Nigeria, and Romania for Letters of Invitation to compete in this event.
The seating is spread through four undivided convention rooms, similar to the Conference Center in Chesapeake. The TV Arena will be centered in the spacious ballroom. Its wide open space makes seating more manageable and viewable for the attendees. VIP seat reservations for previous VIP ticket holders have begun to sell. VIP seats will be open to the general public on May 22 through ticketfly.com.
Go to http://www.usopen9ballchampionships.com/fans.php for ticket purchases.
For those of you that like to get “out and about”, there are lots of Norfolk attractions. Here’s a sampling:
American Rover Sailing Cruise
Chrysler Museum of Art
Chrysler Museum Glass Studio
d’ART Center
Hampton Roads Naval Museum
Hermitage Museum & Gardens
Hunter House Victorian Museum Spirit of Norfolk
MacArthur Memorial
Moses Myers House
Nauticus/Battleship Wisconsin
Naval Station Norfolk Tour
Norfolk Botanical Garden
Norfolk History Museum
Norfolk Fire-Rescue Museum
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
Victory Rover Naval Base Cruise
Virginia Zoo
To reserve hotel rooms, call 757-622-6664.
To purchase seating tickets, go to http://www.usopen9ballchampionships.com/fans.php.
To reserve BCA Hall of Fame Dinner tickets, call 312-341-1110 ext 2004.
All entry fees are escrowed by Accu-Stats. Go to accu-Stats.com to pay entry fees.
All prize monies will be paid by Accu-Stats.
Any questions regarding this report should be directed to Pat Fleming.
Phone: 973-838-7089
Email: patscue@yahoo.com
