VIDAL WINS
Marc Vidal
On April 9th, 2011 the Wynkoop Brewing Company located in Denver, CO hosted its 2nd annual US qualifying spot for the up-coming US Open 10Ball Championships to be held at the Riviera Hotel and Casino located in Las Vegas, NV May 16-21, 2011. 14 players participated in this year’s qualifier and the hot-seat match was won by 15-Rack players rep Frank Urbaniak from Colorado Springs. He had victories over Jeremy Coulter 9-2, Steve Thomas 9-4, and Rueben Silva 9-8, followed by a hill-hill victory over Marc Vidal. On the loser’s side, Marc Vidal beat Bill Meacham from Colorado Springs 9-5 to have a re-match with Frank. The final was set for one race to 11 to win the qualifier and in the end it was Marc winning a close match 11-10 over Frank. A special thanks to tournament director Melissa Little and house-pro of the Wynkoop for promoting this event and hosting the LIVE streaming through USTREAM, the Wynkoop for hosting the event and adding an extra $270 to the funds for the players efforts and Samm Vidal Claramunt (Diep) for volunteering her time all weekend. For more information about the US Open 10-Ball Championships please visit: www.playcsipool.com 1st Place US Open 10-Ball Qualifier Marc Vidal 2nd Place $140 Frank Urbaniak 3rd Place $70 Bill Meacham
PARK WINS WPBA QUALIFIER
JoAnn Mason Parker’s winning streak comes to an end
Ft. Pierce, Fla. (Apr. 9, 2011) – The newest member of Charlie’s Angels took the stage and the qualifying spot for the WPBA US Open on Saturday at the Flamingo Billiards Tour event in Ft. Pierce, FL, on Saturday. Erica Park, managed and coached by world professional billiard player and promoter Charlie Williams, made her debut on the Flamingo Billiards Tour and played strong throughout the day, winning the event and the qualifier spot undefeated. Park handily won her first match against Jessica Barnes 7-1. It wasn’t so easy the rest of the day, though. Amy Poulter, owner of Amy’s Billiards, gave Park a run for her money but Park went on to win 7-5. Park almost went west when she faced veteran player Helene Caukin. But Caukin missed a crucial shot in the hill-hill match and allowed Park to take the win, guaranteeing Park a place in the final four redraw. JoAnn Mason Parker also made it to the redraw without much trouble winning over Sabra MacArthur Beahn 7-3, Susan Martin 7-1, and Lauren Pickard 7-2. On the one-loss side, Caukin, who started the day strong with wins over Kelly Cavanaugh 7-5, and Chris Fields 7-5, before losing on the hill to Park, made it back to the redraw with a win over newcomer and former Hunter Tour player Sue Roberts 7-4. Fields also made it to the redraw winning two hill-hill matches over FBT Director Mimi McAndrews and MacArthur Beahn, and a win over Poulter and Pickard, both 7-4. In the semi-finals, Fields drew Parker, leaving Caukin matched up against Park for the second time in one day. Caukin lost this time 7-3, in a manner uncharacteristic of her play earlier in the day. The Fields – Parker matchup was a nail-biter that kept spectators glued to their seats. Parker, who led the match most of the way, and has been playing lights out for the past several months, couldn’t stop Fields in the end. In the hill-hill match, Fields played the perfect three-rail safety which left the cue ball hidden on the long rail and the five-ball somewhere at the other end of the table. Parker, not to be rattled, as expected made an almost perfect two rail kick, but it was just short of being good enough. The cue ball hit the five, but left Fields with a shot and Fields went on to run out and take the match. Field’s win over Parker ended a three-event winning streak for the former US Open Champ.
4 Stroke Magazine - May 2011
Fields win over Parker put her in the finals against Park. By then, Fields, who played almost non-stop the whole day coming from the one-loss side, was showing signs of fatigue. Park, only 21 years old, took advantage and with her smooth stroke and fearless attitude, won the final match 7-3. If Park’s coaching from Williams continues to show results like it did this past weekend, Park could certainly see her name in the upper tier of the WPBA rankings one day. Williams has coached several top-ranked WPBA players, including Tracie Hines, Debbie Schodjt, Miyuki Sakai, Ga-Young Kim, and former exempt player and 2011 Regional Tour Champion Yu Ram Cha. As for Park, according to Williams, “I think Erica is on her way to joining the ranks of the other top girls I’ve coached. She wants to be a champion, RESULTS and I'll do my best to get her ($250-added, modified double-elimination) there.” Many thanks again to 1st $350 Erica Park room owners Bill and Joann Mallen, and Gary Gilsanan 2nd $230 Chris Ann Fields (www.ultimate-billiards. 3rd $100 JoAnn Mason Parker com), for being great hosts Helene Caukin and supporting the Flamingo 5th $50 Lauren Pickard Billiards Tour. Sue Roberts