Tickets for the GenerationPool.com 9-Ball Championships ... June 8-12, 2008, at the Charlotte Convention Center, Grand Ballroom, are now on sale. Tickets are free for all events leading up to the men’s and women’s semi-final events. Tickets for the Wednesday, June 11, event can be purchased by calling 615.859.9725. Ticket prices are $100 for VIP tickets and $20 for general admission tickets. Tickets are sold out for all Thursday matches.

The final matches in each division will be taped for an upcoming broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. The taping will begin Wednesday, June 11, at 12:00 p.m. during the quarter-final matches in the Grand Ballroom and admission is free to the general public. That evening, the tournament will continue at 7:00 p.m. with the semi-finals (ticket required) and will end with the finals matches on Thursday, June 12, at 7:00 p.m. Again, Thursday’s finals event is sold out.

The BCA is pleased to have an impressive group of sponsors for this year’s tournament, including: Olhausen Billiard Mfg.; Sterling — Fury Cues; Sterling — Milliken Super Pro; Mikhail Darafeev; Aramith; Delta-13.com; PoolDawg.com, American Poolplayers Association; Cuesight.com; and Sterling Gaming.

2008 GenerationPool.com 9-Ball Championships Schedule:

*Includes VIP seating in upscale leather chairs and all inclusive food and beverage service. Suggested dress attire is business.

BCA annual Board of Directors ballots … were distributed the week of May 19, 2008. All Voting, Associate and Retailer members — current as of March 12, 2008 (90 days prior to the election) — were issued a ballot.

Please note that for this election, the number of candidates is equal to the number of available Board seats. However, it is important for you to vote!  Completed ballots must be returned to the BCA offices (in the envelope provided with the ballot) by Friday, June 6, 2008, or may be hand-carried to the BCA Annual Membership Meeting at the International Billiard & Home Recreation Expo in Charlotte, North Carolina, on June 11, 2008.

Make your plans now to attend the BCA Annual Membership Meeting … which will be held Wednesday, June 11, 2008, at 5:00 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center, Room 203, in Charlotte, North Carolina (the home of the 2008 BCA Expo). The agenda for the meeting includes election of the BCA Board of Directors, as well as an update on current and future BCA projects and initiatives.

All BCA members are invited to attend the meeting, but only those who hold a current BCA membership with a charter date prior to March 12, 2008 (90 days prior to the election) are eligible to vote.  Board of Directors election ballots were distributed mid-May via postal mail.  Installation of the new Board of Director members and election of the BCA officers for 2008-2009 shall take place immediately following the Annual Membership Meeting.

The Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) ... held their annual “Challenge the Stars” fundraiser on May 13, 2008, at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The BCA Pool League (BCAPL) National 8-Ball Championships and the 8th Annual Predator International 10-Ball Championships were held at the Riviera that week, providing the opportunity for participation by both pro and amateur talent. Over $4,000 was raised through “challenge the pro” matches and auctions to help support junior billiard programs and scholarships.

Thirteen pros accepted challenges from highly skilled amateurs who were among the 7,000 players competing in the BCAPL National 8-Ball Championship. Participating pros were Francisco Bustamante, Dominic Esposito, Allison Fisher, Thorsten Hohmann, Melissa Little, Rafael Martinez, Cathy Metzinger, Caroline Pao, Stefano Pelinga, Efren Reyes, Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman, Adam Smith and Laura Smith. All challengers received a certificate and an autographed souvenir photo taken with their pro.

Challengers and spectators alike participated in the silent auction and raffle made possible by the generous donations from dozens of industry supporters. Donating companies included Ozone Billiards, Viking Cue Mfg., CueStix International, PoolDawg.com, Frank’s Center, Omega Billiards, Chalkeys by Ken, Predator Products and Poison Cues. Mark Griffin of Diamond Billiard Products provided pool tables from the BCAPL tournament.

The BEF charity event was made possible with the help of a team of volunteers including Keven Engelke, Brent Johnson, Shanna Lewis, Dave Merrill and BCA Pool League referees. BEF President Tom Riccobene served as master of ceremonies. A complete list of those who helped make the event possible is available on the BEF Web site at billiardeducation.org.

In May 2008 ... the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announced the availability of the results of its annual membership study,  including two in-depth and comprehensive reports specific to the billiard retailer and pool room operator segments of the BCA membership.

The BCA, in partnership with Ellison Research, of Phoenix, Arizona, conducted the annual membership study in January of 2008. The main goals of the study were to understand the overall state of the BCA, in addition to providing retailers and room operators with specific information about their respective parts of the industry. Each report is broken into several parts, including:

• Various baseline indicators used to assess key similarities and differences between
  billiard retailers or room operators;

• The financial implications of owning a retail establishment or a billiard hall;

• General challenges billiard retailers or room operators are facing;

• The role of the Internet in owning a retail establishment or a billiard hall; and

• Subsequent overview of the main findings throughout each specific report.

Both reports are now available for download from the BCA Web site and current BCA members can download the reports free of charge. BCA members will be asked to provide a username and password in order to access the reports. The reports are also available in hard-copy format to non-BCA members for a fee of $250 (per report).