For the first time since 1992 ... a U.S. player captured a WPA Junior World title, when Mary Rakin defeated teammate Anna Kostanian for the Girls 19 & under gold medal in Sydney, Australia on November 17. World-class junior competition was established by the World Pool-Billiard Association event fifteen years ago, and this victory marked the first title win by a U.S. athlete. [ recordbook ]

Seeded No.12 going in, Mary Rakin won her first match with a score of 7-5 against You-Ram Cha of Korea, then followed up with an easy 7-2 second round defeat of Denise Wilkinson of New Zealand. Mary continued her winning streak by logging another 7-2 score against Canada’s Marina Linguerri to secure a spot in the semifinals, where she unexpectedly pocketed the 9-ball for a 7-4 win over Hsiao-Wen Wu of Taiwan. Against Anna Kostanian in the final, Mary proved to be up to the re-match challenge and held on to win by a one-point margin, with a final score of 7-6. [ press release ]

While the roster of Junior Team USA athletes gained plenty of high-profile experience, the results didn't favor everyone in the remaining brackets. In the boy's fields, both U.S. pairs were eliminated by a single player. In the 19 and under group, local Australian Jason Fischer was responsible for eliminating both Justin Bergman and Daniel Rakin over the course of play; in 14 and under, Yeugen Novosad of the Ukraine defeated Ryan Dunn in an early round, and Austin Murphy further along. Newcomer Liz Lovely made her world debut in Sydney, but narrowly missed the semi-final cut in the Girls 14 and under. [ more ]

YEAR END CLOSE OUT ... activity by the team at Alan Taylor Communications included securing the following stories focusing on Billiard Digest's top ten new billiard rooms:

• Florida Times-Union ran a note in the “What’s New” business brief section (11/27).
• The Scranton Times Leader published a feature story in the business section regarding Campus Square Billiards among the BD’s top ten billiards halls of 2006 (12/1).
• The Niagara Gazette will feature the Snyder family (winners of 2nd place “best home room design”) in an upcoming issue.

• ALSO ... Secured a feature in November's Sports Illustrated For Kids highlighting 15-year-old prodigy Austin Murphy
• CNBC’s “Mike on the Money” toured the Olhausen facility and conducted interviews with Donnie Olhausen and Gregg Hovey on November 30
• Family Business Magazine will profile Olhausen Billiards and the company’s recent move to Tennessee.
• Segment on Gospel Trick Shot Ministries' Steve Lillis on 700 Club, to air December 12
• Arranged for the ESPN program “Rome is Burning” to follow Jeanette Lee on tour at the Cuetec Cues WPBA National 9-Ball Championship
• Arranged a holiday gift guide placement in the Boston Herald, for the Accu-Shot training device.

Legend Takes a Lesson From Jerry Briesath
by Kevin Fontaine

The BCA's Ultimate Pool Party at the Baltimore Convention Center is winding down. Hundreds of pool enthusiasts, tired yet exhilarated by a day of exhibitions, clinics and the chance to shoot a rack with the likes of Jeanette Lee, Allison Fisher, Thorsten Hohmann, and Johnny Archer, are slowly moving to the escalator that will take them into the warm August summer evening.

As the crowd melts, a diminutive figure in a dark suit approaches the clinic table manned by BCA Master Instructor Jerry Briesath. Jerry is working to help a 13-year old boy "feel" a straight stroke. As the young man shoots the cue ball, ramrod straight into the corner pocket, the small man with the distinctive nose and the slightly receding brown curly hair walks right up to Jerry and in the drawl of someone born south of the Mason-Dixon Line says, "Need a lesson on my break for this 8-ball." Jerry nods, “Give me another minute or so Nick and we’ll take a look.”

The legendary “Kentucky Colonel” Nick Varner stands back a step or two and waits patiently as Jerry finishes up with the young man. Jerry shakes the kid's hand and as the boy is walking away he tosses him a copy of his video “Play Pool Right” and says, “Just take a look at this and keep practicing what I showed you and you’ll do alright.”

As the boy departs, Nick walks to the cues lying against the wall and randomly picks one. Jerry, wearing what looks like a pajama top for an avid golfer, puts a few balls on the table and says, “Nick, I’ve been thinking a lot about the break stroke lately. The guys breaking today can crush the ball but there’s too much movement, too much flailing – they lose the cue ball too much and it’s inefficient.” Jerry then bends over the table and sets up as if ready to break, “Nick, I’m starting to think that the guys breaking today they don’t strike the cue ball when the cue is moving it’s quickest. In other words the cue is still accelerating after it hits the cue ball – you don’t want that - you want the cue to hit the ball when it’s at its peak speed.”

Jerry demonstrates the stroke in slow motion emphasizing what he believes to be the problem – how all the excessive body motion and weight shift leads to peak acceleration too far beyond the cue ball.

Nick listens as closely as did the 13 year-old. He pauses a moment as if to process what he has seen and heard. Then he responds, “The break is the whole thing. We can all run out – it’s the break. Look at how Bustamante breaks – he makes a ball, spreads em’ nice and controls the cue ball.”

Jerry nods. “Okay, let’s take a look Nick.”

Varner approaches the table and settles in on the cue ball atop the foot spot. He takes a couple of practice strokes, fidgeting to get his closed bridge just right. When it feels right he draws the cue back so just the tip is visible and releases, launches himself and the tip explodes into the cue ball. His follow through is so violent that it nearly takes his chest to the top of the table.

“Too much movement Nick - if we can get the timing right you won’t need all that. Set up again.”

The obedient Varner settles into his break stance again.

“Lengthen your bridge another couple of inches – okay – get your head up, get more upright. Now I want you to think of being slow – of moving slow. Get the cue back nice and slow then pause and then snap the cue out there – “schwap.”

Jerry demonstrates the “schwap” by turning his hips and whipping his arm across his body. “That’s what we want Nick.”

Jerry teaches pool with the same passion that Ted Williams taught hitting. He animates his teaching with fidgets, smiles, and body movements – the enthusiasm for his craft leaking from every pore. Jerry moves back from the head string to view Nick’s break stroke from a distance. Nick draws the cue back, pauses and fires the tip to the ball.

“Better, but slow it down.”

Nick bends over retrieves a few balls and drops them on the table. He continues to set up, draw back, hold, and launch the cue into the ball – each ball plowing into the corner pocket.

“Good – hear the difference? The sweet sound when you get it just right.”

Nick keeps firing them. “That one felt really good. I can feel the difference.”

With Jerry watching and occasionally offering more instruction, “Good but slower”, “Pause Nick, pause a fraction longer” – Nick Varner continues to fire balls into the corner pocket – “schwap, schwap, schwap”. Jerry Briesath smiles; he is teaching Nick Varner to break again.