 |
|
Vol.3,
No.11 — June 9, 2006
| BCA |
:: EIGHT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ... were named last week by the Billiard Education Foundation [BEF], following a rigorous review of over 130 hopefuls who had applied earlier in the spring [ press release ]. The following high school seniors will receive academic scholarship funds to assist with expenses in their early undergraduate careers:
BEF Excellence in Education winner:
Kyle Smith - Lafayette, Colorado
BCA Scholarship winners:
Gregory Gaskin - South Lake Tahoe, California
Christopher Kaltenbach - Newtonville, Massachussetts
Dorothy Mix - Camino, California
Conor Parker - LaGrange, Illinois
Jessica Ray - Avon, Connecticut
Megan Skinner - Des Moines, Iowa
Joshua Strazanac - Holland, Michigan
[ view photos & essays ]
 The single Excellence in Education recipient earns a $5,000 award, issued over a two-year term, and seven undergrads will each receive a $1,000 BCA scholarship in their freshman year. The objective of the BEF Academic Scholarship Program is to grant scholarships to high school seniors who have benefited from the sport of billiards and are pursuing a college education.
The Billiard Education Foundation [BEF] is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charity organization administered by the Billiard Congress of America [BCA], charged with the mission to further a standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the educational and cultural advancement of tomorrow's leaders. The BEF conducts various fundraisers to support its work, such as the annual BEF Challenge the Stars benefit.
|
^
contents |
| :: BACK TO BILLIARDS |
|
 New! Registration Lookup ... has been activated for the Back to Billiards Expo, allowing exhibitors and attendees to confirm their badge orders online, quickly and easily. If you've ordered your badges, and would like to double-check - or add - names, click on the page image at left to start the process.
Also updated ... are the online hotel reservation pages for the Sheraton Inner Harbor and the Holiday Inn Inner Harbor. Special BCA Member reservation areas have been set up by these two hotels, and the Back to Billiards Preview Page has all the details and links to help you make your lodging arrangements. |
|
|
|
|
|
^
contents |
|
::
HALL OF FAMER STEVE MIZERAK: 1944 - 2006 |
 A true champion - Steve Mizerak - passed away on May 29, at the age of 61. The well-known figure had never fully recovered from a stroke in 2001, and he had been hospitalized since January of this year, when he suffered surgical complications, and had fallen into a coma shortly thereafter.
Inducted to the BCA Hall of Fame in 1980 at 36, Mr. Mizerak had been the first to hold the distinction of being the youngest player to receive that honor. He began playing at the age of four while standing on a milk box in his father's pool hall in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and turned pro at the age of thirteen. Over the course of his career, he was named the World Pocket Billiard Champion three years in a row, was a 4x champion of the U.S. Open (1970, 1971, 1972, 1973), and also captured the PPPA World Open title twice. He claimed an impressive record of over 100 first place championships, along with having run 421 balls in one event.
But he may have become best-known for making a difficult trick shot in a commercial for Miller Lite and for playing Fast Eddie Felson in the 1986 film "The Color of Money," opposite Paul Newman. In his lifetime, Mr. Mizerak was an icon in the sport, as an outstanding player, teacher, manufacturer and celebrity. [ see: AP | AZBilliards | Billiards Digest | family tribute | obituary ] |
|
|
^
contents |
|
::
PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE |
 Love the Cold Pizza ... The team at Alan Taylor secured a fourth placement for billiards on ESPNs Cold Pizza on May 17. Olhausen's NCAA officially-licensed and logoed Bulldogs table and cloth was featured on the show's "The Gamers" segment, as part of an "ultimate game room" series.
The video clip can be viewed by navigating the BCA-Pool.com website, under the "Marketing" tab and "Image Campaign" dropdowns, to reach the "Videostreams" link. [ go direct ] |
|
 And other Fave Foods (.com) ... The "Fave Foods of the Famous" website has now included the recent Jeanette Lee feature in its lineup.
The associated column has been picked up by several major metro newspapers, and the most recent sighting in Detroit prompted a reader to comment that Mitch & Ewa Laurance are also featured on the site. From the dropdown "celebrity" list on the FaveFoods.com site, the couple appear alphabetically under "M" with their interview and recipe for "Ewa's Perfect Swedish Meatballs." |
|
 Help ATC pitch your line
... Want to see your company in the news? All
BCA Business Members are encouraged to submit their latest product
news to Tom Cosentino.
He’ll use your information to design a
pitch for the best possible fit, and print and
broadcast media will make their own final selections
on which items to feature.
|
|
|
MEMBER MARKETING
101 ... From "52 Ways to Make Pool Everybody's Game" |
|
TIP № 25 |
|
|
Promote your business to home owners applying for building permits |
|
 |
|
|
|
STRATEGY: |
|
|
People who are building or renovating a home are perfect prospects for pool tables. Since they’re actively involved in enhancing their living areas, it’s an ideal time to plant the idea for a game room. |
|
|
|
|
EXECUTION: |
|
- Contact the city for the names and addresses of home owners applying for building permits
- Create and mail a “construction survival kit” that includes a personalized letter congratulating them on their building project and pointing out the benefits of creating a game room featuring a pool table
- Include photos or sketches of game rooms as well as guidelines for buying a table and the proper dimensions for the room
- Include a coupon for a free lesson at your showroom. After the lesson you will have an opportunity to show them your selection of tables and game room concepts
- Offer a limited-time discount on game room products from your store
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ^
contents |
| ::
APA LEAGUE OPERATOR FEATURED ON CNN |
 American Poolplayers Association League Operator Tom Gates ... of Englewood, New Jersey, will appear in the CNN segment 'Life After Work' which features individuals who do something out of the ordinary in their retirement.
- Paula Zahn Now (8pm-9pm EDT) - Thursday 06/15
- American Morning (8am-9am EDT) - Friday 06/16
- Live From (3pm-4pm EDT) - Friday 06/16
- In the Money (1pm-2pm EDT) - Saturday 06/17
- In the Money (3pm-4pm EDT) - Sunday 06/18
|
According to APA PR Manager Jason Bowman,
a CNN film crew went to Castle Billiards, in East Rutherford, N.J., to interview Tom and see the local league in action. The segment is only a few minutes long but will appear during five different CNN shows, over four days, and reach up to 2.5 million viewers. The piece is scheduled to run during the CNN broadcasts shown at right. Be sure to tune in! |
|
^
contents |
| :: SOUQUET & OUSCHAN TO HEADLINE ESPN AIRINGS |
EnjoyPool.com 9-Ball Championships on Air |
Day |
Date |
Time |
Round |
Sunday |
July 9 |
3:00 pm |
Men's Semifinals |
| Sunday |
July 9 |
4:00 pm |
Men's Final |
| Sunday |
July 16 |
3:00 pm |
Women's Semifinals |
| Sunday |
July 16 |
4:00 pm |
Women's Final |
|
 BROADCASTS COMING UP ...
Set your Tivo for the debut airings of the semi- and final rounds of the EnjoyPool.com 9-Ball Championships next month, featuring champions Ralf Souquet and Jasmin Ouschan. The shows begin in July (see dates and times at right), with more hours expected to be scheduled throughout the year. |
|
|
^
contents |
| :: BCA MEMBER NEWS |
:: BCA PROFILE |
Poker Pool and Olhausen teamed up ... to announce the first Poker Pool Tournament — offering over $15,000 in cash and prizes — August 18-20, 2006 in Scottsdale, Arizona. A kick-off pre-registration gala is scheduled for June 24 at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort and Casino in Scottsdale, Arizona, which will host the main event August 18-20, 2006.
“We’re honored to be affiliated with Olhausen in hosting the first Poker Pool Tournament. This dynamic game is like no other in the industry and we’re looking forward to growing this into a national tournament series”, said company president Johnny Dust. |
|
The June 24 gala will be open to the public, and feature a Celebrity Showdown between the #1 Men’s Ranked Player Johnny “The Scorpion” Archer and #12 Women’s Pro Jennifer Baretta, at 7pm.
Throughout July, players will be able to qualify at tournaments held at six Arizona locations. At the finals in August, special guest and BCA Hall of Famer, Loree Jon Jones, will be in attendance for exhibitions and autographs. |
|
 DAVID SUIT ... is the founder and President of Hampton Ridge Billiards, which has become one of the largest and most well-known wholesale billiards distributors in the country. The tremendous growth of the West Virginia company is due to Mr. Suit listening to his customers and thinking outside the box to come up with new ideas and ways to meet their needs.
When hearing that the majority of his customers wanted a later date for a trade show, Mr. Suit spearheaded the movement for what has become the BCA Back to Billiards Expo in August. He did much of the initial planning for this event, before presenting it to the BCA Board of Directors.
As a volunteer, Mr. Suit has continued to serve on the trade show subcommittee for the Back to Billiards Expo, and helped with its organization, while continuing to listen to the BCA membership to create positive changes for the industry. Some of his goals are to improve TV exposure of billiards and to promote billiards to youth, which will bring forward a whole new generation of pool players as they discover this amazing game.
|
:: PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT |
|
LEARN MORE ABOUT POKER POOL ... This new game combines the skill of billiards with the popularity of poker, using 15 balls decorated with emblems of cards. The object of the game is to “shoot” the best poker hand.
Up to 10 different games can be played, including “Draw Poker” and “Stud Poker”, each combining some of the elements of 9-Ball with the strategy of Poker to give the game a broad appeal.
Company founders Kyle Bartlett, Johnny Dust and Ted Schuman bring an impressive mix of talents to the venture, and the product was recently featured on ESPN's Cold Pizza. For tournament and product information, call 1-888-4 POOLGAMES or visit the website. |
|
|
|
^
contents |
| :: BCA NOTES & NEWS BRIEFS |
| BREAKING NEWS ... |
... Dan Dishaw ... has accepted appointment to the BCA Board of Directors, in the Voting Member category, representing the American Cue Makers Association. Mr. Dishaw was recently selected to serve out the term of John Nusser, who vacated his board seat when he announced his retirement from J-S Sales Co. in late April.
Returning to the election results, the board was unanimous in its decision to offer Dishaw the replacement spot, as the next highest finisher. |
|
|
|
ACS 8-BALL UNDERWAY |
The 2nd Annual American Cue Sports National 8-Ball Championships ... get underway this weekend, in the Grande Ballroom of the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. |
|
Competition is scheduled through finals on Saturday, June 17, and the website contains a full schedule and special event details. Follow along! |
|
|
| JUNIOR NATIONALS |
| Attention Juniors & Parents! You can confirm qualifying finishes and entries to the upcoming Junior & Collegiate 9-Ball Championships online, by following links from the front page of BCA-Pool.com (right side of page) — OR from the main event page. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 An exclusive service to Billiard Congress of America Business
Members, the
BCA
Member Update
is announced via email twice monthly and
archived
online. Please print and circulate this newsletter widely and feel
free to submit your comments
or contributions to BCA Executive Director
Stephen D. Ducoff
or Director of Communications/Editor Linda Mojer. |
|
Copyright © Billiard Congress of America |
NEXT
ISSUE: Vol. 3, No. 12 – June 23, 2006 |
|
