The Billiard Congress of America today announced its team's captain to face the Europeans during this year's staging of the Atlantic Challenge Cup taking place November 29 - December 1, 2018 in Las Vegas.
"We are delighted to appoint Allison Fisher to lead Team USA as its captain for the 2018 Atlantic Challenge Cup," said BCA CEO Rob Johnson. "Allison's accomplishments as a player speak for themselves and now she is not only committed to competing at the highest level, but also working with our next generation of players. She has been on our radar for some time and the stars aligned for her to be able to lead our team in 2018. We are also excited to announce Allison will be supported by former ACC Team Captain and BEF Junior Nationals Tournament Director Earl Munson and former Mosconi Cup Team USA Captain and current head coach of Lindenwood University's billiards program, Mark Wilson. Team USA is fortunate to have these three individuals donate their time and energy to supporting our junior players."
A 2009 Billiard Congress of America Hall of Fame inductee, Fisher won 80 Snooker titles, including 11 world championships (four of those in doubles competition). She moved to the U.S. in September 1995 to try her hand on the WPBA Classic Tour, and promptly won two 9-ball titles in three months and finished 3rd in her first World 9 ball Championship. Fisher won an astounding 80 Classic Tour and WPA titles in the next two decades. She also won the WPA World 9-Ball Championship in 1996, 1998, 2001 and 2002. During Fisher's reign, she earned POY honors from both Billiards Digest and Pool & Billiard Magazine 11 times in 12 years. In 2009 she won a World Games Gold medal.
"I am very honored to be chosen to lead Team USA," said Fisher. "Preparing our junior players for such a prestigious event is very exciting. With Earl and Mark assisting me, I look forward to working with the team to prepare them for what to expect and how to handle the pressures of this format. We will work with them in advance of the event and during the matches to help them play to the best of their abilities. We have a very formidable opponent, so we know we have our work cut out for us."
Fisher has also chosen Munson and Wilson to support her efforts to prepare Team USA. Munson has nearly two decades of experience working with US junior players, including serving as captain for the first two Atlantic Challenge Cup events. Munson also brings more than a decade of experience working with juniors as the USA BEF Junior National tournament director and five-time USA team leader for WPA World Junior Championship events.
Wilson, has been a billiards instructor and coach for more than 40 years and as a professional player, has been ranked in the top 25 in the world. He is currently the head coach for Lindenwood University, one of the country's premier collegiate billiard programs. He is also a former Team USA Mosconi Cup captain.
Launched in 2015, the Atlantic Challenge Cup features the best youth players from Europe and America in a Mosconi Cup style event. Six players on each team, four boys and two girls, battle it out on an annual basis to see who has bragging rights across the Atlantic. The event is the result of a joint venture between the Billiard Congress of America and the European Pocket Billiard Federation.
Stay tuned to AtlanticChallengeCup.com for continuous updates on the 2018 event.
