billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away
Longtime friend, player, and promoter of billiards, Joe “Joker” Kerr passed away Sunday, July 6, 2008, succumbing to myasthenia gravis. Kerr was born March 25, 1945, in Akron, OH, and lived all his life in that area, attending Archbishop Hoban High School and the University of Akron. For 15 years he was the store manager for Carlton Clothes and then became regional manager for Nelson Stag Shops.
In 1978 Kerr became a member of the Men’s Professional billiards Association (MPBA) and won several titles, including the 1983 Detroit Open and the 1985 Genesis Classic Championship. Two years later he founded Joker Promotions, directing and promoting professional pool events all over the world. When, in 1988, he was elected executive director/secretary treasurer of the MPBA, he began representing the top 1,000 players in the world.
One of the biggest honors of his life came to Kerr in 2000 when he was inducted into the Canton Sports Hall of Fame as a promoter and player. Kerr also worked as a writer for several industry publications, including On the Snap. Additionally, he was the house pro at both the infamous Starcher’s and Diamond billiards in Akron.
Kerr is survived by his parents, his two children, and his three grandsons.
Mike Janis of the Viking Cue 9-ball Tour said, “Joe ‘Joker’ Kerr, was a dear friend of mine as well as our sport. Joe made a huge contribution to our sport with his professional tournament direction, promotional skills, and wonderful personality. He was a pleasure to be around and will be dearly missed by all he who knew him.

“In 1996 Joe Kerr received the only lifetime honorary membership the Viking Tour has ever issued. Over the years Joe and I stayed in constant contact, and he was always willing to help out with whatever he could. I will deeply miss my conversations with Joe and wish I had more time to spend with him.”
Family and friends can visit Adams-Mason Memorial Chapel at 791 East Market Street, Akron, OH, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, with a memorial service at 7 p.m. Memorials may be made in the name of Joseph Kerr to the Ohio Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 2907 Lincoln Way E Unit B, Massillon, OH 44646.

DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior Billiard Championships
Executive billiards, the maker of DELTA-13 “The True Triangle,” has donated 27 original prototype racks to the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) to use in their upcoming 2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships. This year’s events will be held at the University of Arizona in Tucson July 8-13.
The BEF’s purpose to “further a standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community” falls right in line with the Executive billiards business principles. “We are very proud to be a part of these juniors’ events. They are just as important as the professional ones. Today’s juniors are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Samm Diep, marketing director for Executive billiards.
“The BEF is excited to have Executive billiards on board as one of our event sponsors. We have one hundred and eighty participants this year, and I’m sure they will look forward to trying out this new innovative rack,” said Laura Smith, president of the BEF.
To learn more about the Billiard Education Foundation and their future events, visit BilliardEducation.org. Ask for the DELTA-13 rack at your favorite billiard supply store, visit DELTA-13.com, or call 866.915.2058.

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Junior billiards Stars Head for Arizona
2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona, Tucson
The most prestigious junior collegiate pool tournaments in North America, the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior Nationals and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-ball Championships will be held at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will host this event July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior festivities will commence on Thursday, July 10th and continue through Sunday, July 13th.
The SUMC billiards and Games Room features 16 professional size pool tables and will be the stage to an expected 180 young athletes competing for academic scholarships, prizes and an invitation to represent the United States at the World pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships. Junior contestants earned their right to participate by winning a BEF recognized qualifier or were nominated through their local junior pool league. Collegiate players were invited to participate through their success at an ACUI regional tournament.
Juniors will travel from 30 different states to compete in this year’s event and over 30 colleges will be represented by billiard athletes. For a complete list of junior players, visit BilliardEducation.org
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/) or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org
The Association of College Unions International supports its members in the development of community through education, advocacy, and the delivery of services. For more information, visit ACUI.org.

Brandon Shuffles Through the Billiard Field
Fifth Annual Burt Kellerman Memorial Tournament / Englewood, CO
by Samm Diep
On the hot summer weekend of June 21-22 in Englewood, CO, the Fifth Annual Burt Kellerman Memorial Tournament took place. Burt Kellerman “Mr. Red, White, and Blue” passed away seven years ago, and since then, his friends Ron Ferrendelli, Peter Emily, and Michael Smith have raised and added thousands of dollars for this tournament in his honor. “He was very patriotic. He was such a pool collector and a lover of all things that were pool,” stated Ferrendelli.
The first four tournaments were held at Shakespeare’s, and since their closing they found the perfect new home at Table Steaks South. The $4,000-added, race-to-7, 9-ball event has been known to attract the finest players from across the country, and this year was no different. The full 64-player field traveled from all parts of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and even Virginia for their shot at the prize.
WPBA professional Anna Kostanian, coming off a recent third-place showing in Charlotte, wowed spectators with her big stroke and huge break. That is, until she met her match in Dave Gomez, who went on to finish fifth. Big gun Mark Haddad also took an early exit just before the cash when he was tag-teamed by the Colorado Springs Smith brothers—Nate on the A side (who tied for ninth) and Nick on the B side (who tied for fifth).
Meanwhile, Brandon Shuff from Virginia was making his way through the winners’ bracket, taking down local champs Tony Piazza and Danny Medina in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Piazza ultimately prevailed for a rematch with Shuff in the finals in a single match race-to-11 showdown. In the end, Shuff proved he didn’t travel 1,500 miles to come in second place. Final score: 11-9.
Results:
1st Brandon Shuff
2nd Tony Piazza
3rd Danny Medina
4th Bill Skinner

Three in a Row for Robles
Predator 9-ball Tour / Brooklyn, NY
by InsidePOOL Staff
Fresh off his IPT Challenge victory over Karl Boyes, Tony Robles continued his winning ways as Park Slope billiards in Brooklyn, NY, played host to stop 11 of the Predator 9-ball Tour with a field of 42 players.
In the top bracket, Steve Lillis scored victories over Jason Eglen 9-2, Shin Park 9-8, and Mark Pamtovic 9-4 to earn a shot against Robles. Tony bested Bora Jeong 9-2 and eked out a win against a strong Marc Vidal 9-8, Holden Chin 9-7, and Joey Kong 9-2 before winning against Lillis 9-7 to earn a spot for the hot seat match.
Abraham had a tough draw in the first round, playing Ocean State champion Jeremy Sossei. It was a great match, but Abraham pulled it out 9-7. He then bested Gelando Allie 9-3, Joe Hong 9-3, Mike Fingers 9-3, and the owner of Park Slope billiards, Amilcar Contreras, 9-3 to earn a shot at Robles for the hot seat.
The match for the hot seat was close, as both players struggled with their breaks. Robles managed to win 9-6 to earn his spot in the finals.
After his close loss to Robles, Vidal tore up the one-loss side, winning seven in a row. He ousted Eric Mezz 9-7, Jose Cruz 9-3, Mike Wong 9-5, Pamtovic 9-0, Hong 9-0, Contreras 9-2, and Fingers 9-3 before losing in the semifinals to Abraham 9-6.
This set up a rematch in the finals between Robles and Abraham. The match went back and forth until it was tied at 6-6. Robles then held off Abraham by winning the next five racks to earn his third consecutive Predator 9-ball Tour victory.
Results:
1st Tony Robles
2nd Eddie Abraham
3rd Marc Vidal
4th Mike Fingers
5th Amilcar Contreras
Steve Lillis
7th Joe Hong
Shin Park

Lanuto Takes Tri-State Billiard Event
Tri-State Tour / New York, NY
by Skip Maloney
Sal Lanuto held off a strong challenge from Michael Yednak to win the Tri-State Tour stop June 29. A total of 23 entrants were on hand for the $1000-added, handicapped event, hosted by Amsterdam billiards Bar in Manhattan.
Early Saturday, Lanuto and Dave Shlemperis, who would finish the tour’s season as the top-ranked players (numbers two and one, respectively) in their C+ handicap class, sent Trevor Heal and Wazeer Abasi to the one-loss side with identical 7-2 scores and then faced each other in the hot seat match. Shlemperis drew within two at 6-4, but Lanuto prevailed.
Yednak, who would finish seventh in his A class, and Tony Eglesias (second in B class) had advanced to the final eight on the one-loss side of the bracket and joined Gabriel Stan and Michael Seas among the final four on that side. Eglesias eliminated Stan 8-3, while Yednak dropped Seas into seventh place with a 7-4 win. The two then turned to face Heal and Abasi and dropped them into fifth place before facing each other in the quarterfinal match. Yednak stopped Eglesias’ charge with a 7-4 win. With his best finish of the year already secured, Yednak with his A handicap and Shlemperis with a C+ battled to an 8-5 victory for Yednak that propelled him into the finals against Lanuto.
The finals format, which dictates that if the player from the one-loss side reaches the required number of winning games first (in this case 8), the match is extended by two games. Yednak reached 8 first, but Lanuto fought back to hill-hill before sealing the deal and capturing the first place prize.
Results:
1st Sal Lanuto
2nd Michael Yednak
3rd David Shlemperis
4th Tony Eglesias
5th Wazeer Abasi
Trevor Heal
7th Gabriel Stand
Michael Seas
9th Justin Muller
Naomi Fingerhut
Tebby Lubis
Paul Raval

Ozone billiards US Amateur Open
Amateur men and women players will be excited to again play in the 3rd Annual Ozone billiards US Amateur Open at Bankshot billiards, July 30-Aug 3,2008 in Jacksonville, FL. Seven events will be available for play in 9-ball 8-ball. The amateur events are also supported by Lucasi Hybrid Cues and Simonis Cloth. No Pros, No Semi-Pros, No Top Rated Amateur players will be allowed to play. These amateur events are created for the true amateur players, and even certain known amateurs are not allowed to play in the events to offer fair chance for anyone to win. The Ozone billiards US Amateur Open will be played next to the pro arena simultaneously with the Lucasi Hybrid Invitational Classic.

This will mark the first major event that Ozone billiards will take on as title sponsor. Ozone billiards has had a history of supporting professional tours and events on ESPN, but now has turned its more focus on regional tours, up and coming players, and amateurs.

We are always looking to try new things, and we see the importance and benefits of supporting not only major pro events, but the smaller events as well. We know it’s a tough economy now, but we want to do what we can to support and promote the sport on all levels. said Shawn Gargano, President of Ozone billiards.

Ozone billiards will also be the presenting sponsor of the Lucasi Hybrid Invitational Classic which will feature top pro names such as Thorsten Hohmann GER, Johnny Archer USA, John Schmidt USA, Efren Reyes PHI, Francisco Bustamante PHI, Mike Davis USA, Mika Immonen FIN, Charlie Williams USA, Raj Hundal IND, Dennis Orcullo PHI, Ronnie Alcano PHI, Tony Chohan IND, Shane Van Boening USA, and many more pro stars!

The amateur events will have great quality equipment using 8 ft Olhausen Tables, Simonis Cloth and Master Chalk. No coins needed to play matches as there will be a $20 registration and green fees all inclusive in every entry fee in all divisions. Players may also choose to play in multiple divisions with no scheduling conflicts.These events are open to all true amateurs(men or women) and no membership fee is required .This year an added new event is the Mixed Doubles 9-ball so now men and women can travel and play together on one team, as well as play in their individual singles events .

Complete Updated Ineligible List of Players can be found at http://www.dragonpromotions.com/ineligiblelist.html (http://www.dragonpromotions.com/ineligiblelist.html)

Eligible players are determined by the following:
· are not ranked in the top 50 in the UPA or the top 20 in WPBA
· have never been ranked in top 16 in WPA rankings
· have never won a men or women’s major U.S. pro tournament
· have never won 1st or 2nd at a pro event in any country outside the USA
· have never finished in top 16 in any male pro tournament sanctioned by the current governing body of pro pool at that time(including any of the 3 divisions at Derby City Classic)
· never been ranked in or have never won 1st or 2nd in the finals on these following men’s tours: FL Tour, Joss Northeast Tour, Pro Senior Tour,
· We will use our discretion on certain players depending on their skill level and amount of 1st and 2nd place finishes in the following tours : Kings Bay Promotions Amateur Tour, the Super billiards Expo Amateur Open, Planet pool Tour, Viking Tour, Pechauer Tour, Fast Eddies Tour, Stan James Canada Tour, Pechaur New England 9 ball Series, Blaze Tour.
· never been in the finals of the Mens BCA National Masters or Singles, or the APA National Amateur singles Championships
· Have not been Men or Women Players of the Years or finished #1 Ranked for the Year on any major U.S. recognized regional tour
· DP reserves right to use our own judgment as well if a player is deemed fit or unfit to play in the US Amateur Open events

The Official Host Hotel of Ozone billiards US Amateur Open Lucasi Hybrid Classic Pro events. Please book your hotel room by calling
Hampton Inn 1-904-281-0443 $89 night Mention Dragon or billiards

Ozone billiards US Amateur Open Events
July 30-Aug 1: Open 8-ball
1st Place $3000 ($1000 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 200 Players
July 30-Aug 1 : Women’s 8-ball Open
1st Place $1000 ($300 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 64 Players
July 30-Aug 1: Seniors 8-ball Open
(must be 50 years old and up-bring ID)
Limited to 64 Players
Aug 1-3: Open 9-ball
1st Place $4000 ($1500 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 200 Players
Aug 1-3 : Women’s 9-ball Open
1st Place $1250 ($500 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 64 Players
Aug 1-3 : Seniors 9-ball Open
(must be 50 years old and up-bring ID)
1st Place $1400 ($500 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 64 Players
Aug 3 : Mixed Scotch Doubles 9-ball Open
(1 Man 1 Woman per team)
1st Place $1000 ($500 minimum guaranteed)
Limited to 32 Teams
The amateur event will be at same venue and next to the pro event. Tickets can be bought in advance at Bankshot billiards 904-998-2100
Amateur event players can also purchase tickets to watch the pro event at the door .
This event is designed for non-full time playing amateurs who do not play pool for a career. Note that below does not all apply to women. Click Amateur Eligibility to read Dragon Promotions Amateur Events Eligibility. Besides that list, the organizers of the event reserve the right to use their judgment if they deem a player not eligible for the event. Players who are not sure if they would be able to play should contact Dragon Promotions prior to the event.

Robles Wins IPT billiards Challenge
by InsidePOOL Staff

Tony Robles triumphed over Karl Boyes at the latest installment of the IPT’s challenge match, held in Los Angeles June 24. Robles, a last-minute replacement for Alex Pagulayan, flew in the same day from New York in order to participate.

Before the eagerly anticipated 8-ball match, however, fans were treated to a straight pool match between John “Mr. 403” Schmidt and the retired Mike Sigel. In their race to 125, Sigel started off strong with a run of 60, but Schmidt retaliated by overtaking him at 73. This was the end of the line for Schmidt, though, for “The Mouth” whizzed through rack after rack without looking back. At the end of the match, Sigel’s high run was 64, with Schmidt’s high run at 59.

The 8-ball bout between Karl “El Guapo” Boyes and Tony Robles was a knockdown, drag-out fight. Boyes, a native of the United Kingdom, was originally scheduled to match up against former world champion Alex Pagulayan, but “The Lion” had troubles with his passport and was unable to make it. In a pinch, Robles was able to fill in, and it couldn’t have been better timing for him, for he has won the last two stops on the Predator 9-ball Tour, including one this past weekend.

Robles started off in the race to 15 with a 5-2 lead before Boyes took advantage of a couple of misses and moved into a 5-all tie. They traded the next six racks, and then Robles pulled ahead to an 11-8 lead. Robles missed his penultimate stripe, and Boyes cleared his solids. After exchanging the next two games to make it 12-10, Robles missed an acute shot on the 8 ball, and Boyes drew within a rack.

Robles reached the hill after two key errors by Boyes but came up empty on his final break. Boyes opted to play safe, and after trading safeties, Robles broke up the balls by firing the 10 up the rail. An excellent crossbank followed, and then Robles chose to play safe; however, Boyes did have a shot, which he made, and then Boyes cleared the rest of the solids. Unfortunately for Boyes, he scratched on his next break, and with the balls wide open, Robles easily picked through the rack to win 15-12.

Robles to Replace Pagulayan

The International pool Tour has announced that Alex Pagulayan will not be playing in the challenge match against Karl Boyes on June 24, 2008. Pagulayan lost his passport and was refused entry into the US. Replacing Pagulayan will be professional pool player Tony Robles.

In a statement released by management at Puyat Sports, Pagulayn said I am very sorry but I will not be able to make to the exhibition match this coming Tuesday, June 24th. I lost my passport in a car mishap last week. I have applied for a replacement of his passport with the Canadian embassy and the foreign affairs department here in Manila.
Both of these government offices will not be able to release his new passport in time for his departure goiing to the US. His passport will on be released on Juen 26th. Alex said he is extremely sorry he will miss the match which he was looking forward to. Alex said he is very eager to schedule another exhibition match and hopes to be invited again by the IPT.

Robles is on his way to the match and is expected to arrive later today.

Robles Continues Winning Streak at billiards
Predator 9-ball Tour / Stamford, CT
by InsidePOOL Staff
The Predator 9-ball Tour made its debut in Stamford, CT, the weekend of June 21-22 as Rack N’ Roll billiards played host. A strong field of 51 players came out to support, with tour director Tony “The Silent Assassin” Robles taking first place again.
Top players included newly crowned 2008 GenerationPool.com women’s champion Xiaoting Pan, WPBA number-two-ranked Ga Young Kim, Mika Immonen, Marc Vidal, Shin Park, Bobby Blackmore, Jeremy Sossei, Chuck Altomare, and the great Earl Herring.
After losing her third match to Victor Nau, Kim won her next two matches on the one-loss side before losing a hill-hill match to reigning Ocean State champion Sossei. Xiaoting Pan won her first three matches before losing to Robles 9-3 and ended up in ninth place.
Robles advanced to play against Immonen for the hot seat. The Finn played a nearly flawless match to earn the win 9-3, sending Robles to the left side of the chart. Meanwhile, Park knocked Marc Vidal out of the tournament 9-3 and got revenge against Mike Fingers to earn a spot in the semifinals against Robles.
This was Robles’ chance to break the Park curse. Going in with a 0-9 record, a determined Robles capitalized on a few mistakes by Park and took the win 9-5 to set up the finals.
Both players started out strong but Robles lucked in three balls in one rack with the match tied 4-4 and another ball in the next rack. That’s all it took to close the deal on Immonen as Robles finished out the following rack to take the 7-5 win.

Results

1st Tony Robles
$1,100

2nd Mika Immonen
$700

3rd Shin Park
$550

4th Mike Fingers
$400

5th Jeremy Sossei
$275

6th Marc Vidal
$275

7th Bobby Blackmore
$175

8th Steve Lillis
$175

9th Victor Nau
$100

9th Earl Herring
$100

9th Xiaoting Pan
$100

9th Chuck Altomare
$100

Highest Finishing C/D: Irene Moser
Cue Raffle Winner: Sammy Poulos

Cintron Battles Back to Take First
Tri-State Tour / Somerset, NJ
by Skip Maloney
Danny Cintron battled back through eight opponents on the one-loss side to defeat Rajesh Vannala in the finals of the Tri-State Tour stop June 21. The $500-added, B-D-handicapped event drew 32 entrants to One Shot billiards in Somerset, NJ.
Earlier in the day, Vannala and Michael Seas sent Tom Ho and Peter Yiu west before turning to face each other in the hot seat match. Vannala prevailed 7-5, sending Seas to the semifinals against Cintron.
On the one-loss side, Cintron and Mike Jablonski had advanced past Michael Harrington and Sal Lanuto to meet Ho and Yiu. Yiu dropped Jablonski 7-3 into fifth place, as Cintron dispatched Ho there 9-7. Yiu then moved into the quarterfinals with a 7-3 defeat of Jablonski. Cintron defeated Yiu 9-6 and bested Seas 7-5 in the semifinals to advance.
Vannala opened the finals with a first-game victory that because of the handicapping rules essentially gave him a 3-0 lead. Cintron battled back to tie it at 3 and then allowed Vannala just one more victory before taking the next 6 racks and capturing the first-place prize.
Results:
1st Danny Cintron
2nd Rajesh Vannala
3rd Michael Seas
4th Peter Yiu
5th Mike Jablonski
Tom Ho
7th Michael Harrington
Sal Lanuto
9th John Egeln
Bobby Negron
John Ly
George Osipovitch

ESPN Announces Airdates for 2008 GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships
The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) today announced that ESPN will air the semi-final and final rounds of the 2008 GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships on July 19, 2008. The event was held June 8-12, 2008, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tournament’s semi-finals and finals events took place June 11-12 in the Grand Ballroom at the Charlotte Convention Center. Broadcast support is exceptional, with six (6) hours of first-run programming secured for airing by ESPN.
As more broadcasts are scheduled, show updates will appear regularly on the Generation pool.com web site.
The first-run lineup is as follows:

Men’s Semi-Final 1:
Johnny Archer vs. Ronnie Wiseman
12 p.m.–1 p.m. EDT

Men’s Semi-Final 2:
Shawn Putnam vs. Jeremy Jones
1 p.m.–2 p.m. EDT

Men’s Final:
Ronnie Wiseman vs. Jeremy Jones
2 p.m.–3 p.m. EDT

Women’s Semi-Final 1:
Anna Kostanian vs. Xiaoting Pan
3 p.m.–4 p.m. EDT

Women’s Semi-Final 2:
Jasmine Ouschan vs. Ga Young Kim
4 p.m–5 p.m. EDT

Women’s Final:
Xiaoting Pan vs. Ga Young Kim
5 p.m–6 p.m. EDT

ESPN is committing more time to showing the GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championships on ESPN and ESPN2 in 2008. ESPN is adding two additional hours of programming, meaning the event will air for a minimum of six hours. These additional hours of airtime will add more than 30 percent of first-run coverage shown on television.
“ESPN is pleased to cover three hours from both the men’s and women’s GenerationPool.com 9-ball Championship events in 2008,” said Nick Dawson, associate program manager for ESPN. “The event is one of the marquee billiard events in the world each year and the added hours will allow viewers the opportunity to enjoy both the semi-finals and the championship from each division, along with additional tournament competition.”
Throughout the televised rounds, rotating arena banners will reach millions of billiard fans on ESPN, promoting the official 2008 sponsors, which include: GenerationPool.com (title sponsor); Olhausen Billiard Mfg., Inc. (table); Sterling-Fury Cues (cue); Sterling-Milliken Super Pro (cloth); Mikhail Darafeev (furniture); Aramith (ball); DELTA-13 (rack); PoolDawg.com (closed captioning); American Poolplayers Association (rotational signage); and CueSight.com (rotational signage). Additional event sponsors include Sterling Gaming (Hall of Fame Reception) and Sterling-Fury Cues (VIP Reception).

About Billiard Congress of America
Founded in 1948, the Billiard Congress of America is a non-profit trade organization dedicated to growing a united, prosperous and highly regarded billiard industry through BCA leadership. The BCA seeks to enhance the success of its members and promote the game of billiards though educational, marketing and promotional efforts, annual industry trade shows, tournaments and other programs designed to encourage billiards as a lifestyle and make pool everybody’s game. For more information, visit bca-pool.com or call 866.852.0999.

Fedak to Contribute to billiards Qualifier
Dr. Michael Fedak, the generous philanthropist of the 2008 World 14.1 Championship, will be contributing even more money to promote straight pool by sponsoring another $2000 to the New York City Qualifier being held at Amsterdam Billiard Club on July 19,2008. Dr.Fedak’s sole motivation was to stir more interest from everyday players including non-professionals to take a shot at the qualifier as well as a shot at the World Championship to be held at The Hilton East Brunswick, NJ.

NYC World 14.1 Qualifier Prize Fund * For Non-Invited Players Only
1st $500 plus Free entry and spot into The World 14.1 Championship
2nd $300 plus Free entry and spot into The World 14.1 Championship
3rd $250
4th 200
5-6th 150
7-8th 100

Highest finishing woman $150 2nd Highest $100

2008 Predator World 14.1 Championship Qualifiers

Tickets for the main event are available now at Dragonpromotions.com. Fans purchasing complete packages in advance will get a complimentary set of DVDs from the 2006 World 14.1 Championship.

World 14.1 Official Qualifiers will be held at the following location and dates:

July 12 Kolby’s billiards, Phoenix AZ contact Jim Mendoza at jadame@cox.net (mailto:jadame@cox.net) 480-829-7344 $100 Entry Fee. Top 2 Finishers Qualify

July 13 House of billiards- Weert, Netherlands contact Maurice Houben at mmh.houben@home.nl (mailto:mmh.houben@home.nl) $50 Entry Fee. Winner Qualifies

July 12-13 Big Daddy’s billiards - Baltimore MD contact Peter Burrows at peterpool@comcast.net (mailto:peterpool@comcast.net) $100 Entry Fee. Top 2 Finishers Qualify

July 19 Amsterdam billiards - New York City, NY contact Andy Fenske 212.995.0333
$100 Entry Fee. Top 2 Finishers Qualify

July 26 Comet billiards - Parsippany, NJ contact Bill Haley at (973) 334-7429
$100 Entry Fee. Top 2 Finishers Qualify

Aug 2 Drexeline billiards - Philadelphia,PA contact Bob Maidhof at (610) 259-9144
$50 Entry Fee. Winner Qualifies

You may pay cash at the location of the qualifier or mail a check or money order made out to Dragon Promotions for entry fees . Please designate player name and what city you will play in.

Mail to:
Dragon Promotions
2516 Waukegan Road Unit #144
Glenview, IL 60025

For more details go to Dragonpromotions.com or email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com (mailto:worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com)

The 2008 Predator World Straight pool Championship is proudly sponsored by Dr.Michael Fedak of NYC, Joel Schapiro of NYC, The Predator Group, and Simonis Cloth. For more information on player registration, sponsorship, or if you would like to submit a comment, please email worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com (mailto:worldstraightpoolchampionships@gmail.com) or contact Dragon Promotions at 1-407-782-4978.

Lucasi Hybrid Invitational Classic Billiard Event Announced
Bankshot billiards and Dragon Promotions is pleased to announce the 1st Annual Lucasi Hybrid Invitational Classic to be held July 30-Aug 3, 2008. Cue Case, creators of the Lucasi, Players, and now Lucasi Hybrid lines will be title sponsoring the event as well as presenting sponsor Ozonebilliards.com. Bankshot billiards will play host as it has a rich history of hosting many Dragon Promotions prestigious events including the World 10-ball Championships. This event will be no different in level or class.
Straight pool Division and 10-ball Division will be the discliplines to be mastered at the Lucasi Classic. The event will invite 48 top world class players with names such as Ronnie Alcano PHI , Dennis Orcullo PHI, Mika Immonen FIN, Raj Hundal IND, Mike Davis USA, Charlie Williams USA, and Jacksonville’s own Thorsten Hohmann GER.
As a big incentive, any player using Lucasi roducts during the event will receive a seperate bonus money according to their finish in the event.

The Lucasi Hybrid offers every player the price, performance and protection in a technology cue that has been needed for a long time. With the research and development we have put into this line of cues and shafts, we are able to offer players a cue that performs at a higher level than it’s competition with a much better price. Plus, all the cues and shafts come with a lifetime guarantee! The Lucasi Hybrid Classic will be a great opportunity for players around the world to experience this new breakthrough in technolgy cues. said Mike Baggett, Vice President of Cue Case.

Coinciding with the pro event, the 3rd Annual Ozonebilliards.com US Amateur Open will take place. The amateur events will have 8-ball and 9-ball divisions with Mens, Women, Seniors, and Mixed Doubles.
The 4th Annual World Junior 10-ball Championships will also take place on Aug 2-3,2008. All total there will be 10 events taking place at Bankshot billiards over 5 days.
We’re always thrilled to hosting professional players at our room. Our staff and fans really love to see and meet these champions and that’s why we enjoy supporting the sport. We look forward to seeing this event grow and more players from around the world coming to Jacksonville in future years. says Jeff Scot, Owner of Bankshot billiards.
Dragon Promotions started out based in Florida, and that’s where our first event was produced. Cue Case is one of the oldest and biggest companies in the industry, and being based in Florida it’s a perfect fit for the event. explained Cindy Lee, CEO of Dragon Promotions. We feel it’s good to stay loyal to the fans who have supported our Florida events for the past eight years. The players love coming to Florida and they love Jacksonville.
Fans can purchase tickets at Bankshot billiards for advances sales on the Pro Straight pool event and the Pro 10-ball event . There are limited number of VIP seats available. Any remaining tickets can be purchased on site at the tickets sales counter.
Cue Case has been in business for 15 years and was founded by Jim Lucas. Jim’s goal to provide pool players with a high quality, genuine inlay cue at an affordable price was acheived with the Lucasi cues and they have been in production for almost 10 years. Cue Case is also one of the largest billiard distributors providing dealers with a complete line of all items needed to create the ultimate gameroom.
Dragon Promotions is one of the leading producers of billiard programming in the world today. Dragon produces over 40 events a year airing on networks in USA, Korea, India, and Europe such as ESPN, MBC ESPN, XTM, XPORTS, and Euro Sport. Events include The World 14.1 Championship, The Predator International 10-ball Championship, King Queen of Carom, Empress Cup, Pro pool Schools, Women’s Trickshot Challenge, World Junior 10-ball Championships, Korea vs USA, and many more. Dragon also manages some of the world’s best players including Thorsten Hohmann, Shanelle Loraine, Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, Jeanette Lee, Mika Immonen, Mike Davis, Yu Ram Cha and many more.

Visit Dragonpromotions.com or Dragonpromotions.co.kr