Just a reminder ... all current BCA members should have received their 2008 membership renewal letter via postal mail.  New this year, you can quickly and easily renew your membership online on the BCA Web site at www.bca-pool.com.  Or, you can always renew your membership through the mail. 

Be sure to renew your membership no later than January 15, 2008, to be included in the 2008 BCA Membership Directory and to take advantage of your FREE 2008 BCA Expo registration.  The BCA looks forward to 2008 and has several new benefits and programs in the works for our members. As a Billiard Congress of America member, you are partnered with the only trade association in the billiard industry dedicated solely to your success.

If you have any questions regarding your current membership or your renewal, please contact Kari Freeland, BCA membership coordinator, at kari@bca-pool.com or 404.760.2892. Thank you for your continued support of the BCA!

Thirty-five top wheelchair pool players from nine different countries ... recently gathered at Planet 9 Ball in Tampa, Florida, to compete in the 2007 WPA World 9-Ball Championship for Wheelchair Players. The field of players included competitors from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland and Wales) and the United States. Players were seeded into the double elimination tournament brackets, based on their continental player rankings and past tournament accomplishments.

The championship match between Henrik Larsson, of Sweden, and Kurt Deklerck, of Belgium, was a race to 13 games, two games more than the semi-finals and four games longer that the preliminary rounds. This increased challenge proved to be no obstacle for Larsson. He took an early lead on Deklerck and refused to let him gain any momentum. Throughout the two-hour match, Larsson played brilliantly and masterfully, winning the world championship and the gold medal with a final victory of 13 games to five. Deklerck finished in second place, winning the silver medal.  Fran Crimi, WPA representative for the Billiard Congress of America, was on hand for the medal ceremony, presenting each of the finalists with their respective medals.

Players were matched up against each other on a custom-built Olhausen table with Simonis 860 cloth, which was installed at Planet 9 Ball exclusively for this event. The table was built and donated by Olhausen Billiards Manufacturing, Inc., specifically for the world championship and it was installed by Florida Billiards and covered with the cloth donated courtesy of Simonis Cloth.

Following the conclusion of the world championship, the donated Olhausen table, which has a retail value of approximately $3,800, was given away through a raffle and was won by David Pender, a local player from Planet 9 Ball, who was looking for a table for his basement.

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) is pleased to announce ... the junior players who earned their right to represent the United States in the 2007 World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World 9-Ball Championships, November 26-30, 2007, in Willingen, Germany.

The Billiard Congress of America (BCA), as the North American member to the WPA, has awarded and supports the BEF and several U.S. junior representatives, as well as three players from Canada, with the opportunity to participate in the prestigious event. Approximately 56 players from six continents and 25 countries competed for the world title in both the boys’ and girls’ divisions.

Among the top international players representing “Team USA” in the boys’ and girls’ division were:

• Mary Rankin, 19, Daly City, California — 2006 WPA Junior 9-Ball Champion, Girls’ Division; 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Champion, 19 & Under Girls’ Division

• Nicole Kenney, 19, Littleton, Colorado — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball, Runner-Up, 10 & Under Girls’ Division

• Briana Miller, 12, Allentown, Pennsylvania — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Champion, 14 & Under Girls’ Division

• Richard Barney, 16, Mont Alto, Pennsylvania — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Champion, 19 & Under Boys’ Division

• Christopher Futrell, 17, Virginia Beach, Virginia — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball, Runner-Up, 19 & Under Boys’ Division

• Landon Shuffett, 13, Greensburg, Kentucky — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball Champion, 14 & Under Boys’ Division

• Joshua Newman, 14, Bessener City, North Carolina — 2007 BEF Junior National 9-Ball, Runner-Up, 14 & Under Boys’ Division

Please visit the BEF Web site at www.BilliardEducation.com or www.wpa-tour.com for final coverage details from the championships.

Members of the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) Board of Directors … recently met in Charlotte, North Carolina, November 14-15, 2007, for a regularly scheduled Board meeting. One of the items on the meeting agenda was a grand tour of the Charlotte Convention Center, the site of the 2008 International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo.

“The Charlotte Convention Center is truly impressive,” notes Ivan Lee, BCA president. “With its modern look and feel, as well as expansive show floor, the convention center is the perfect home for the 2008 BCA Expo. And with the combination of the Expo, the 2008 generationpool.com 9-Ball Championships and the BCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony, this year’s event will truly be far from conventional.”

In addition to their tour, Board members were given the opportunity to discover downtown Charlotte and further explore the many unique attributes of the Queen City.

“Expo attendees are in for a real treat in Charlotte,” said Renee Poehlman, BCA 2nd vice president. “When they’re not busy attending what is sure to be an outstanding BCA Expo, they will have walking-distance access to downtown Charlotte, which offers great restaurants, shopping and a vibrant nightlife…not to mention plenty of places to shoot a mean game of pool!”

Don’t miss your opportunity to combine serious business with southern hospitality at the 2008 BCA Expo. Register FREE with your new or renewed BCA membership by January 15, 2008. Also be sure to bookmark the BCA Expo Web site for all the latest information as it becomes available.