APA Members Cash In at Poolplayer Championships

May 17, 2016

APA Members Cash In at Poolplayer Championships
World’s Largest Pool League Awards More Than $650,000

LAKE SAINT LOUIS, MO (May 16, 2016) — New venue.  New event name.  More prize money than ever before.  It all added up to another spectacular event for the American Poolplayers Association in Las Vegas.  Thousands of APA members made their way to the Westgate Resort & Casino to compete for more than $650,000 in cash and prizes at the recently renamed APA Poolplayer Championships, formerly known as the National Singles Championships.  The Poolplayer Championships consisted of both the 8-Ball Classic and 9-Ball Shootout Championship events, as well as Showdown Series events that included the 8-Ball and 9-Ball Doubles Championships and the Wheelchair Championship events.
The final round of the 9-Ball Shootout featured three championship matches, one for each Skill Level Tier, with two shooters in each competing for $10,000 in cash and prizes.  In the Green Tier, Michael Ritch of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., defeated Ron Ekman of Port Hueneme, Calif.  In the White Tier, Paul Schinkel of Pickering, Ont., defeated Hannah Martin of Spring, Texas.  In the Black Tier, Brian Parks of Bakersfield, Calif., defeated Kale Bourque of Breaux Bridge, La. Mathew Barber of Newburg, N.Y., won the Sportsmanship Award in the 9-Ball Shootout.
Each of the three Champions received a cash and prize package worth $10,000.  Runners-Up in each tier took home a cash and prize package worth $5,000.  More than 4,000 poolplayers made it to the Regional Level of the 9-Ball Shootout before the field was whittled down to the 320 who advanced to Las Vegas.
 
Nearly 6,000 players throughout North America qualified for Regional competition in the 8-Ball Classic, with 510 of them advancing to the championships.
In the finals of the 8-Ball Classic, five champions each took home a prize package worth $15,000 for their performances.  In the Blue Tier, Alexandra Marx-Simoncic of New York City defeated Julie Buckley of Orlando, Fla.  In the Yellow Tier, Juan Diaz of Silver Spring, Md., defeated David Brown of Stayner, Ont.  In the Red Tier, Roberto Valanzuela of Silver Spring, Md., defeated Shannon Theriot of Breaux Bridge, La.  In the Orange Tier, Howard Depascal of Pasadena, Md., defeated Gary Smith of Arlington, Texas.  In the Purple Tier, Robert Hall of Huntsville, Ala., defeated William Gallagher Jr. of Atco, N.J.  Kevin Demoss of Youngsville, La., won the Sportsmanship Award in the 8-Ball Classic.
First Place winners received cash and prizes worth $15,000.  Each Runner-Up received cash and prizes worth $9,000.
In the 8-Ball Doubles Championship, Pete and Repeat – Trey Funderburg and Jim Mullins – of Monroe, La., defeated Bank Shot Flyers – Roland Newkirk and Jeremy Brown – of Odenton, Md.  The victory earned them a $5,000 payday.  As Runners-Up, Bank Shot Flyers took home $3,000.
In the 9-Ball Doubles Championship, Ladies Please – Dereth Tahkofper and Carol Wagoner – of Lawton, Okla., defeated Terrible D’s – Robert Detuncq and Monica Detuncq – of Spring, Texas.  The victory earned them a $3,500 payday.  As Runners-Up, Terrible D’s took home $2,300.
In the finals of the Wheelchair Championship, Charlie Hans of Cincinnati, Ohio, defeated Jason Herrill of Ventura, Calif., to take home $1,600 in prize money.  Herrill received $800 as the Runner-Up.

The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada.  Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play.  The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.
The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out more than $1.5 Million in cash and prizes annually!
The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues and PoolDawg.
For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visit www.poolplayers.com.