In the true spirit of “Pool Together”, APA of North Alabama joined forces with North Alabama BCA to raise money for Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA). The fundraiser, which raised $450 for the Sipsey River Chapter of BACA, was held Jan. 30 at Diamond’s Billiards in Huntsville, Ala. Wayne Parker, owner of Diamond’s Billiards, donated the table time for the event, which included an 8-Ball tournament and a 9-on-the-Break contest. Chuck Zeiher, husband of APA League Operator Lee Zeiher, volunteered his time as tournament director, ensuring that the double elimination tournament ran smoothly.
“We love supporting BACA,” Lee Zeiher said. “They are a wonderful organization, and they truly do a lot to protect abused children locally.”
For more information about Bikers Against Child Abuse please visit bacausa.com, and for more information about the APA of North Alabama please visit northalabama.apaleagues.com.
Every January the ladies of Somerset County in New Jersey challenge the men to a Battle of the Sexes event. Of course, we are talking about a pool tournament— for a good cause! This year’s event was held Jan. 9 at McCormick’s Pub in Somerville, N.J. APA League Operator Brian Boyle runs the tournament every year as a way of giving back to the community. Boyle doesn’t take all of the credit, “I couldn’t do it without the help of my Division Rep, Chris Sarra. Chris has been a driving force behind this event since day one.”
The Battle of the Sexes event raised $1,574, with 60 percent going to the winning team’s charity and 40 percent going to the losing team’s charity. The men were victorious, winning by only one point and securing $944.40 for Juvenile Diabetes Research. The ladies one point defeat wasn’t in vain, as $629.60 was donated to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in their honor.
Money is collected through entry fees, raffles, donations and a potluck style dinner. “Members can bring a covered dish and get a $5 discount on the entry fee,” Boyle said. “We charge $5 a plate to anyone at the location, not just tournament participants, and we have more food than we can eat.”
This year marked the 4th Anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes Tournament. The event has become more successful each year! For more information about APA of Central New Jersey visit apacentralnj.com.
For more information about Juvenile Diabetes Research please visit jdrf.org, and for more on St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital go to stjude.org.
Most people support a specific charity because of a personal connection—and Midwest Illinois APA League Operators Bruce and Dana Patton certainly fall into that category. For the past three years, the Patton’s have conducted a Scotch Doubles Tournament to benefit the ALS Association. The tournament is held in memory of long time APA member Bob Hinkle, Jr., who passed away in fall 2007—less than a year after being diagnosed with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
The tournament took place on Dec. 19 at Baxter’s in Fairview Heights, Ill. The modified single elimination tournament boasted 22 teams. The father and son team of Marty and Martin Kaczmarowski took first place.
The event also featured an exhibition by world famous trick shot artist, Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman, who stuck around after his show to run a lag competition. Dr. Cue and his wife then graciously matched the amount collected from the lag competition! Ethan Adams took first place in the lag competition, while Mark Montgomery finished second.
The benefit raised $1,452 for the ALS Association, which was donated to the St. Louis Regional Chapter.
Please visit alsa.org for more information about the ALS Association; for additional information about the Midwest Illinois APA go to midwestil.apaleagues.com.
Shoreline Billiards in Mountain View, Calif., kicked off the 2009 holiday season in style on Dec. 5, by hosting the 1st Annual South Bay APA Holiday Party. The bash wasn’t just a celebration; it also raised money for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation and the Second Harvest Food Bank.
League Operator Doug Coleman organized two Scotch Doubles tournaments—one with a maximum skill level of 8, the other with a maximum skill level of 13—allowing members of all playing abilities to compete. The tournaments used a round robin format, with the winner of each group advancing to a single elimination bracket. The skill level 8 Tier had 16 teams competing, with Jason Alvarado and Mary Nguyen taking 1st Place. Errol Modine and Amy Williams won the skill level 13 Tier, which had 28 teams battling for top honors.
Members who weren’t able to compete in one of the tournaments could contribute to the cause in other ways. “We also ran silent auctions on various pool memorabilia and gift certificates to local restaurants,” Coleman said. “Along with the silent auctions we ran a game of craps pool. Players would roll dice to determine where balls would be placed on the table and then they’d have to run out to earn points. The number of balls the player had to run was dependent upon their skill level, so the lower skill level players only had to make two or three balls.”
$1,700 was raised for the two charities. Coleman believes this year’s South Bay APA Holiday Party will be even more successful.
For more information about the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation please visit toysfortots.org, and for more about the Second Harvest Food Bank visit shfb.org.
For more information about the South Bay APA go to southbayapa.com.
Rack Daddy’s in Dallas, Texas was the place to be on Oct. 27! Plano Collin County APA held its 2nd Annual tournament to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. The event, which wrapped up Breast Cancer Awareness Month, drew more than 50 people. While a large majority participated in the double elimination 8-Ball tournament, many showed up with a donation to receive a coveted pink rubber ducky. Everyone who participated in the tournament or made a donation received an APA pink ribbon patch. League Operator Sam Holliday also collected donations by playing challenge matches—giving participants a chance to win an “I Beat the LO” patch while contributing to a worthy cause. Several skill level 7 members also donated their time, playing challenge matches against individuals shooting for an “I Beat a SL7” patch. By the time the final ball dropped, $880 had been collected for the charity!
For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure please visit komen.org, and for more on the Plano Collin County APA go to 8onthebreak.com.
