Ohio State BCA Pool League Championships
The 2009 Ohio State BCAPL Championships had tournament director Chris Williams, assisted by referee Earl Timmons, organize over 600 players from not only Ohio but neighboring Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Indiana.
The attraction of the $24,000 prize money drew 96 men’s and 12 women’s teams, plus 128 men and 29 women in the singles divisions to the All Star Family Sports Entertainment Center in Columbus, OH, April 16-19. The monster indoor facility, where the Columbus Comets and the Columbus Destroyers arena football clubs practice, gave the Bad Boy Productions’ crew plenty of elbow room to house the forty 7-foot Diamond Smart tables complete with Simonis cloth and Aramith balls.
Williams, always looking for ways to add incentive to the festivities, awarded “bounties” equal to the entry fee for any individual or team who eliminated last year’s champions.
Fiddlestix emerged victorious for the second straight year.
Chad Askins collected the first by ousting men’s defending titlist Fred Lane. Amy Theriault scored the second by eliminating 2008 women’s champion Melanie Headley. Theriault then proceeded through the one-loss bracket until defeated by Dana Gilmore, who captured the women’s singles championship and the $500 prize money.
In the men’s singles division, Shane Morrow of Erie, PA, mowed through the west side to meet undefeated West Virginian Terry Barker. Barker was not to be broken and garnered the $1,500 first prize.
The 2008 men’s and women’s team champions each made it to the final round. In an interesting note, in the four-year history of the championship, Tri County Wooley won the men’s events in ‘06 and ’07, and Fiddlestix Mammone won it last year. All Wooley had to do was muster some of their prior championship mastery, and not only would they have taken the title, they would have been eligible for the bounty reward. Although, pushed to the brink, Fiddlestix prevailed and banked the $5,000 for first and secured their second consecutive title.
Dana Gilmore, the 2009 women’s champion and namesake of O’Malley’s Gilmore, gallantly led her team to take that title too.
Last year’s women’s champions, Nick’s Players, were not so fortunate. Delivered early to the one-loss side, bravely, they battled in their quest for back-to-back titles. In the finals, they faced an all-too-powerful O’Malley’s Gilmore. Dana Gilmore, the aforementioned 2009 women’s champion and namesake of O’Malley’s Gilmore, gallantly led her team to take that title too.
Cue Sports International (CSI), the BCA Pool League’s parent company, also donated a Joss cue to the prize fund. Williams, in the interest of procuring more BCA Pool League member e-mail addresses, created a draw where all entrants had to do was deposit their electronic contact info. With 300-plus addresses delivered, more than half the players were represented. Richard Caspary from Warren, OH, is now the proud owner of a new Joss Cue.
Our thanks to Tony Fox for his photographical and editorial contributions. www.tfoxfoto.com
Dana Gilmore seemed like she couldn't lose.
For complete results and payouts, please visit centralohiobca.com, and for all upcoming BCAPL events, visit playbca.com.
Men’s Singles
1. Terry Barker $1500
2. Shane Morrow $1000
3. Ryan Stone $700
4. Will Slone $400
Women’s Singles
1. Dana Gilmore $500
2. Amy Theriault $300
3. Ida Hardman $200
4. Kim Vergontinni $150
Terry Barker took down the Men's title.
Men’s Team
1. Fiddlestix Mammone $5000
2. Tri County Wooley $2500
3. Danger Zone $1400
4. Sportsman Timmons $700
Women’s Team
1. O’Malley’s Gilmore $680
2. Nick’s Players $460
3. Richmond BCA $300