Eighteen APA 8 Ball Teams converged on The Arena Sports Grill and Bar at the corner of Enchanted Drive and First Street in Simi Valley, California this past Saturday May 30, 2009.
The APA South Coast 8 Ball Tournament of Champions got under way at 9:00 AM and everyone there had high hopes of finishing in the money plus locking up a berth in the following weekend's APA South Coast Regional to be also held at the Arena in Simi Valley.
League operators Phil and Taz Brooker were on hand to run this event in their usual efficient manner. Phil and Taz are a couple of the most dedicated and respected APA league operators in the nation. Phil proudly advertises the APA by driving a Pontiac wrapped in the APA Logo, Slogans and web addresses. The usual announcements about rules etc. were made then table assignments were made and the battles began.
All the teams worked hard to get here and they all pretty much felt that they were the team that would come out the winner. That is the way pool players think, after all! That is also one of the things that makes playing pool so great and playing team pool is a step up from just playing individually against your peers. Many times in events like this the team has to come before the individual and that is as it should be. "The good of the many must outweigh the good of the one." Of course there is a little bit of peer pressure when your team gets to participate in an event like the Challenge of Champions. Egos and reputations were worn on the sleeves for all to see and others to consider ways to meet the challenge.
The APA is an amazing opportunity for newer pool players to benefit from the knowledge and experience of many highly skilled players. There is the opportunity for newer players to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Both are in abundant supply and ripe for the harvest by those lucky enough to compete.
Win or lose the game of pool is full of rewarding memories and should be viewed as a life time challenge to improve and become the best you can be both on the table and off. Friendship bonds are made over a pool table that can last a lifetime as well.
All the teams worked hard to get here and they all pretty much felt that they were the team that would come out the winner. That is the way pool players think, after all! That is also one of the things that makes playing pool so great and playing team pool is a step up from just playing individually against your peers. Many times in events like this the team has to come before the individual and that is as it should be. "The good of the many must outweigh the good of the one." Of course there is a little bit of peer pressure when your team gets to participate in an event like the Challenge of Champions. Egos and reputations were worn on the sleeves for all to see and others to consider ways to meet the challenge.
The APA is an amazing opportunity for newer pool players to benefit from the knowledge and experience of many highly skilled players. There is the opportunity for newer players to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Both are in abundant supply and ripe for the harvest by those lucky enough to compete.Win or lose the game of pool is full of rewarding memories and should be viewed as a life time challenge to improve and become the best you can be both on the table and off. Friendship bonds are made over a pool table that can last a lifetime as well.
Of course winning is always more fun than losing and when a player pulls out a particularly tough match you can usually see the results in his (or her) face. 
Look at Mr. Moss of the "Tuesday's Gone" team. Can you tell he just won his match by looking at the smile on his face? His team went on to lose the match over all but for the few moments following his match the whole world was coming up roses. (**Note**I have been alerted by Marty - The Captain of "Tuesday's Gone" that their team did win that match and went on to collect the $1400 prize...Congratulations to the team and sorry about the error. Best Wishes in the Regionals, Tom)There were smiles all over the Arena because the pool was only part of the reason people gathered there. Competition on the pool tables was fierce for sure but the things most people will remember may not be the pool but instead simply the good time they had socializing with friends, family and even complete strangers who will some day become friends or even family in some cases. The smiles were plenty and they were not all just about winning either. Speaking of smiling faces....you have to know that bartender Christina manages to provide great service with a great smile to everyone. She doesn't even have to play pool to smile (although she does play a pretty mean game of pool too).
Look at Mr. Moss of the "Tuesday's Gone" team. Can you tell he just won his match by looking at the smile on his face? His team went on to lose the match over all but for the few moments following his match the whole world was coming up roses. (**Note**I have been alerted by Marty - The Captain of "Tuesday's Gone" that their team did win that match and went on to collect the $1400 prize...Congratulations to the team and sorry about the error. Best Wishes in the Regionals, Tom)There were smiles all over the Arena because the pool was only part of the reason people gathered there. Competition on the pool tables was fierce for sure but the things most people will remember may not be the pool but instead simply the good time they had socializing with friends, family and even complete strangers who will some day become friends or even family in some cases. The smiles were plenty and they were not all just about winning either. Speaking of smiling faces....you have to know that bartender Christina manages to provide great service with a great smile to everyone. She doesn't even have to play pool to smile (although she does play a pretty mean game of pool too). 
She has that smile for customers simply because she likes people and she doesn't have to win a game before she is able to share the smile with customers. It is people like Christina that make the Arena a great place to relax and enjoy your well earned leisure time.
Back to the challenge matches that heated up on 4 of the six 7' bar boxes at the Arena. These matches were for more than just qualifiers, there was some real money awaiting the victors. This is an excerpt from the APA South Coast web site about the Challenge of Champions:
"In addition to qualifying for the South Coast Championships, the top eight finishers in the Tournament of Champions will receive a good-sized monetary award. In each format, the top four teams will receive $1400 and each fifth-place team will receive $600!"
Finally we do have all those pool table warriors battling it out for the top dog spot and it would be impossible to describe all the tension, the excitement, the nail biting and the sheer joy of being involved in the competition regardless of which side of the action you found yourself. I have put together a small video to try to capture some of the stuff that make competing in the APA Challenge of Champions in 2009 so much fun. You can see why the spots are so coveted.
Although it may be hard to recognize many of the players in the video due to lighting I am sure that most of the players who gave me their expressed permission to include the footage will recognize themselves. Anyone else shown who may wish to NOT be included can contact me and I will edit them out of the footage with my sincere apology and utmost respect for your wishes.
1 comments:
That is a good picture of Steve Moss, after he won his match, but you did make an error in your report. Tuesday's Gone went on to win and collect $1400!
Regards, Marty
Captain of Tuesday's Gone
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