The Billiard Congress of America (BCA) announces ... that it has selected Metro Merchant Services as its preferred provider for credit card processing and other electronic payments. BCA members can save money while enjoying the following benefits of this service:

• Lowest association negotiated processing rates.

• Guaranteed Savings Program. Metro Merchant Services guarantees that they can reduce some or all of your processing fees or they will make a $100 contribution to your favorite charity in your name.

• Free, no-cost, no-obligation statement/merchant account analysis.

• Dedicated relationship manager for BCA members.

• Free, online reporting for your merchant account.

• Sales and leasing of point-of-sale equipment and PC point-of-sale systems.

• Metro supports a full line of wireless terminals, Internet payment gateways for e-commerce, as
  well as check guarantee and e-check services.

• Merchant Cash Advance. You now have access to cash by using your merchant account. Fast approvals, usually within 48 hours, and no lengthy loan process to go through — use the cash for whatever you need it for.

The first 25 BCA members who respond to this e-mail by Friday, September 19, 2008, will receive a $50 gift card to a leading national restaurant in your area. Here’s what you need to
do to qualify:

• Fax your last three months merchant processing statements to 301.790.1998, Attention: BCA
  Member Benefit.

• Merchant processing volumes must be at least $20,000 per month in Visa, MasterCard, Discover
  Card and PIN debit.

• Take advantage of Metro's Guaranteed Savings Program.

The 25 gift card recipients will be featured in an upcoming issue of BCA Member Update.

If you have any questions regarding the program, please contact Sean Jones with Metro Merchant Services at 888.790.3450 or via e-mail at sjones@metromerchantservices.com. Please also visit the Metro Merchant Services Web site at www.metromerchantservices.com.

The Internet can be a useful tool when it comes to finding the best airfare … and it’s really efficient if you know where to go. Further, you don’t have to sit by the computer for hours looking for the best rates! Here are a few ways to save some time or money when booking a flight:

• Utilize travel search engines. These Web sites search the major airlines and offer the best price options available. Some even search the not-so-major airlines for you. Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity are all fairly well-known and comprehensive. Kayak is another travel search engine that has the above services, as well as one other very useful tool — you can ask it to track your preferred flight/search and send you an e-mail with the results. Kayak also doesn’t charge a booking fee like some of the other travel search engines.

• Timing is everything — and flexibility can save you big bucks. The flexibility to travel a day or two before or after your first scheduled choice can be very lucrative. So, whichever site(s) you use to do your searching, select the flexible dates option. This will bring up alternate dates, flights and pricing. You'll probably find that flying Saturday is cheaper (though not so much for international). Likewise, traveling mid-week (Tuesday or Wednesday) is usually cheaper than Monday or Thursday/Friday.

• Make your reservations at least 21 days before you travel. Airfares go up dramatically the closer to the departure date you get. Three weeks before takeoff is when the airlines start charging latecomers for the seats that may not be filled. So, stick with this timeline, then go back in 10 days, search your itinerary and see how much you saved!

• Fees, fees and more fees. Airlines are charging for more and more services today to help offset the cost of fuel. Fees for checked luggage, in-flight meals and even advanced coach seat selection can cost you (!). Click here for a list — by airline — of what to expect.

Have a tip for saving time or money when booking travel? E-mail us and if we use your idea, we’ll include your name and a link to your Web site in an upcoming issue of BCA Member Update.

The American Poolplayers Association’s (APA) 28th Annual National Team Championships … saw a record number of teams compete in this year’s nine-day tournament, which was held in Las Vegas, August 15-23, 2008. More than 1,800 8-Ball, 9-Ball, Doubles and Masters teams made the journey to compete for more than $1 million in prize money. Event highlights include:

• In the 8-Ball Open Division, Westside of Kankakee, Illinois, defeated Secretly Sloshed of Shreveport, Louisiana, 3-0 in the finals to take home $25,000 in cash and the championship title.

• In the finals of the Ladies 8-Ball Division, it was Clean Slates of Maple Shade, New Jersey, defeating New Orleans Ladies of Westwego, Louisiana, 3-0 to win $10,000 in 1st Place prize money.

• In Open 9-Ball National Championship action, it was Oh Shot of Gastonia, North Carolina, beating Frank’s Team of Leominster, Mass, in the finals 52-48. Oh Shot took home $15,000 of the more than $200,000 guaranteed purse.

• In the Open 8-Ball Doubles Championship, it was Oop’s of Shreveport, Louisiana, winning $6,500 in the finals with a victory over Tim & Mitchell of North Braddock, Pennsylvania.

• The finals of the Masters Championship event featured Goof Troop of Rosemead, California, defeating Detroit Connection of Oxford, Michigan. Goof Troop took home $7,800 in 1st Place prize money.

• In the Open 9-Ball Doubles Championship, Sweet & Sour of Nashville, Tennessee, defeated Killer B’s of Halethorpe, Maryland. Sweet & Sour took home a 1st Place prize of $5,500.

• Charlie Hans of Cincinnati, Ohio, defeated Michale Little of Springfield, Virginia, for $2,000 in the finals of the APA Wheelchair Challenge.

• In addition, the APA conducted 627 MiniMania tournaments, which took place daily and were open to all APA members. The MiniMania tournaments offered multiple formats with 100 percent prize money payback that awarded nearly $200,000.

Additional coverage of the event, including stories and features, pro appearance highlights, and tournament photos and videos can be found on the APA Web site.

The Trick Shot Magic and International Speed Pool Challenge event … will be held in Las Vegas at the New York New York Hotel and Casino, October 1-2, 2008, and will be hosted by EPSN Zone. The semi-final matches and the championship match of both events will be telecast on ESPN beginning in November.

International Speed Pool Challenge will feature four top players from an international roster competing for a purse of winner-take-all $40,000. Bobby McGrath, the 2007 International Speed Pool Champion, will return to defend his title. Dave Pearson, the 2007 International Speed Pool Runner-Up holds a Guinness Book of World Records Speed Pool listing. Nick Nikolaidis, one of the sport’s top Speed Pool shooters, also holds a Guinness Book of World Records Speed Pool listing. Tan Chin Seng, winner of the 2008 Asian Speed Pool Tournament, will compete in America for the first time.

Trick Shot Magic will present eight international stars of the sport contending for a purse of $40,000, including: Stefano Pelinga, the 2007 Trick Shot Magic Champion; Tom Rossman, the 2006 World Artistic Pool Champion; Andy Segal, the 2007 Masters Artistic Pool Champion; Mike Massey, the 2006 Trick Shot Magic Champion; Luke Szywala, the 2007 World Cup of Trick Shots Champion; Sebastian Giumelli, the 2008 South American Trick Shot Champion; Mark Dimick, the 2008 World Artistic Pool Ranked #3; and Eric Yow, the 2008 World Artistic Pool Ranked #4.

The tournaments are sponsored by Aramith Super Pro Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Slate, Original Italian Slate, AcCue Shot Training Device, Executive Billiards Delta 13 Rack and Silver Cup Chalk. The tournaments will be produced by Billiards International, Ltd.

The International Speed Pool Challenge semi-finals and championship finals will begin at 4:00 p.m. on October 1. The Trick Shot Magic semi-finals and championship finals will begin at 4:00 p.m. on October 2. Admission is free and those attending should plan to arrive early. For more information, call 860.379.8414.