Presenting a Solution for Pool

Presenting a Solution for Pool

It all started with $5 entry fee weekly 8-ball tournaments in a local tavern in Lakewood (a suburb of Cleveland), Ohio, in 1991. That’s when Mike Janis promoted and directed his first billiard tournament on his own. Today, 17 years later, Janis has transformed his weekly bar table events into the Viking Cue 9-Ball Tour, which is largest, longest-running open regional billiards tour in the nation. He has promoted almost 1,000 tournaments and paid out millions of dollars in cash to players over the years.

Janis believes that his idea may be the one of the last hopes for professional pool in America. On Wednesday, February 6 at 1 p.m., Janis will be addressing the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Board of Directors in what he hopes will be the final solution for professional pool in the U.S. He will be proposing a five-year system that will tie many regional tours together for the first time in history and create a real professional tour here in the U.S. with hundreds of qualifying events, up to eight pro-level events, and even televised events, which will all tie into WPA events for the American contingents.

Janis began working on this system over four years ago with the cooperation of several other regional tours. Overall the system works great but lacks funding, and that where the BCA comes in. The proposal not only strengthens the existing American foundation of pool as a sport but also offers many opportunities to the BCA and its members to help them achieve their goals. If the BCA Board of Directors agrees with this proposal, it will also be a great opportunity for all segments of the billiard industry to enhance their individual business goals. This system will reach every aspect of the billiard industry, states Janis.

Janis is shying away from giving the exact details about the proposal before any agreements are reached. However, he states that he is not going to ask the BCA for more than they have already done in the past. He is just going to ask them to streamline their efforts and funds into a more effective and efficient system to promote our sport.

Over the last few months Janis has been hitting the streets rounding up support. He has been posting in every billiard forum and newsgroup and making phone calls to gather supporters and initial funding to make sure his efforts get the attention they require. Janis stated, If this is approved, it will inspire the entire billiard community and industry as a whole. Wish me luck.