Billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away

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Billiards Promoter Joe Kerr Passes Away
Longtime friend, player, and promoter of billiards, Joe “Joker” Kerr passed away Sunday, July 6, 2008, succumbing to myasthenia gravis. Kerr was born March 25, 1945, in Akron, OH, and lived all his life in that area, attending Archbishop Hoban High School and the University of Akron. For 15 years he was the store manager for Carlton Clothes and then became regional manager for Nelson Stag Shops.
In 1978 Kerr became a member of the Men’s Professional Billiards Association (MPBA) and won several titles, including the 1983 Detroit Open and the 1985 Genesis Classic Championship. Two years later he founded Joker Promotions, directing and promoting professional pool events all over the world. When, in 1988, he was elected executive director/secretary treasurer of the MPBA, he began representing the top 1,000 players in the world.
One of the biggest honors of his life came to Kerr in 2000 when he was inducted into the Canton Sports Hall of Fame as a promoter and player. Kerr also worked as a writer for several industry publications, including On the Snap. Additionally, he was the house pro at both the infamous Starcher’s and Diamond Billiards in Akron.
Kerr is survived by his parents, his two children, and his three grandsons.
Mike Janis of the Viking cue 9-ball Tour said, “Joe ‘Joker’ Kerr, was a dear friend of mine as well as our sport. Joe made a huge contribution to our sport with his professional tournament direction, promotional skills, and wonderful personality. He was a pleasure to be around and will be dearly missed by all he who knew him.

“In 1996 Joe Kerr received the only lifetime honorary membership the Viking Tour has ever issued. Over the years Joe and I stayed in constant contact, and he was always willing to help out with whatever he could. I will deeply miss my conversations with Joe and wish I had more time to spend with him.”
Family and friends can visit Adams-Mason Memorial Chapel at 791 East Market Street, Akron, OH, from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 9, with a memorial service at 7 p.m. Memorials may be made in the name of Joseph Kerr to the Ohio Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 2907 Lincoln Way E Unit B, Massillon, OH 44646.

DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior Billiard Championships

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DELTA-13 to be Used at Upcoming Junior Billiard Championships
Executive Billiards, the maker of DELTA-13 “The True Triangle,” has donated 27 original prototype racks to the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) to use in their upcoming 2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships. This year’s events will be held at the University of Arizona in Tucson July 8-13.
The BEF’s purpose to “further a standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community” falls right in line with the Executive Billiards business principles. “We are very proud to be a part of these juniors’ events. They are just as important as the professional ones. Today’s juniors are tomorrow’s leaders,” said Samm Diep, marketing director for Executive Billiards.
“The BEF is excited to have Executive Billiards on board as one of our event sponsors. We have one hundred and eighty participants this year, and I’m sure they will look forward to trying out this new innovative rack,” said Laura Smith, president of the BEF.
To learn more about the Billiard Education Foundation and their future events, visit BilliardEducation.org. Ask for the DELTA-13 rack at your favorite billiard supply store, visit DELTA-13.com, or call 866.915.2058.

Free Download of July/August Billiard Magazine

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Free Download of July/August Billiard Magazine
register here (/registration/register.html).

Wilkie and Lac Win Billiards Gold in Sterling

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Tiger Planet Pool Tour

Wilkie and Lac Win Billiards Gold in Sterling
Tiger Pool Tour / Sterling, VA
by Skip Maloney
Shaun Wilkie held off a strong surge by Brandon Shuff in the finals but finished undefeated in the Tiger Pool Tour stop the weekend of July 6-7. The Bob Stocks Memorial, hosted by the First Break Café in Sterling, VA, drew 48 entrants to the $1,500-added open tournament and 12 women to the $350-added ladies’ event, won by My-Hanh Lac.
Earlier in the day, Wilkie and Shuff had faced down Matt Krah and Shane Jackson among the winners’ side final four to advance. The hot seat match-up that followed had Wilkie prevailing over Shuff 9-6.
On the one-loss side, Matt Clatterbuck and Danny Green advanced to face each other in the quarterfinals, where Clatterbuck dropped Green into fourth place with a 7-5 victory and then turned to face Shuff in the semifinals. Shuff, looking to at least duplicate his second-place finish on the tour’s last stop, ousted Clatterbuck to get his chance.
Wilkie jumped out to a commanding 8-3 lead in the race-to-11 finals before Shuff fought back to tie it. After trading the next two racks, Wilkie reached the hill first. Shuff had his chances in last game, but Wilkie left him with a jump shot that he missed. With ball in hand, Wilkie closed it out at 11-9 to take first place.
In the ladies’ event, My-Hanh Lac chalked up her second straight Tiger Tour win with a commanding 9-2 victory over Rachel Eliazar in the finals. The final four on the winners’ side of Sunday’s event ended up as the top four finishers.
Pauline Mattes and Rachael Eliazar dropped Sueyen Rhee and Ji Hyun Park out of contention before facing each other in the quarterfinals. Eliazar advanced to face Kim Smith in the semifinals on the heels of a hill-hill victory and went on to challenge Lac. In a race to 9, Lac wasted little time in repeating her victory on the tour’s last stop, defeating Eliazar 9-2 to capture the first-place prize.
Open Results:
1st Shaun Wilkie
2nd Brandon Shuff
3rd Matt Clatterbuck
4th Danny Green
5th Matt Krah
Shane Jackson
7th Manny Chau
Shawn Toni
9th Pooky Rasmeloungon
Eric Moore
Paul Adolini
Steve Lillis

Ladies’ Results:
1st My-Hanh Lac
2nd Rachel Eliazar
3rd Kim Smith
4th Pauline Mattes

Junior Billiards Stars Head for Arizona

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Junior Billiards Stars Head for Arizona
2008 BEF Junior Nationals ACUI Collegiate 9-ball Championships Head to the University of Arizona, Tucson
The most prestigious junior collegiate pool tournaments in North America, the Billiard Education Foundation (BEF) Junior Nationals and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI) Collegiate 9-ball Championships will be held at the University of Arizona, in Tucson, AZ. The Student Union Memorial Center (SUMC) will host this event July 8th – 13th, 2008. ACUI competition will be held July 8th- 10th, while the junior festivities will commence on Thursday, July 10th and continue through Sunday, July 13th.
The SUMC Billiards and Games Room features 16 professional size pool tables and will be the stage to an expected 180 young athletes competing for academic scholarships, prizes and an invitation to represent the United States at the World Pool-Billiard Association (WPA) Junior World Championships. Junior contestants earned their right to participate by winning a BEF recognized qualifier or were nominated through their local junior pool league. Collegiate players were invited to participate through their success at an ACUI regional tournament.
Juniors will travel from 30 different states to compete in this year’s event and over 30 colleges will be represented by billiard athletes. For a complete list of junior players, visit BilliardEducation.org
The Billiard Education Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charitable organization committed to furthering the standard of excellence and leadership within the billiard community by engaging in activities related to the education and cultural advancement of tomorrow’s leaders. For more information, visit www.BilliardEducation.org (http://www.billiardeducation.org/) or contact Laura Smith at 303.926.1039 or LauraSmith[at]BilliardEducation.org
The Association of College Unions International supports its members in the development of community through education, advocacy, and the delivery of services. For more information, visit ACUI.org.

Miller Conquers Rockaway Billiards Event

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Blaze Pro Am 9 Ball Tour

Miller Conquers Rockaway Billiards Event
Blaze 9-ball Tour / Rockaway, NJ
by Jose Burgos
Blaze 9-ball Tour made its way to Rockaway Billiards in Rockaway, NJ, where a strong field came out to play. This June 29 event saw Mike Miller triumph to take first place.
Miller led the top half of the bracket, notching wins over Evan Broxmyer 7-6, Larry Ingram 7-0, Bob Guerra 7-3, and Wali Muhammad 7-3. Leading the bottom half of the bracket, Biker Bill scored victories over Jose Burgos 7-6, Carl Khan 7-5, and Kenny Rutman 7-6.
Bill and Miller met in the hot seat match to see who would advance to the finals. Miller pulled off the 7-5 win, sending Bill to the one-loss side where Rutman was waiting. In this one-way match, Rutman easily won 7-3 to make it into the finals.
In the finals it was Miller facing off with Rutman. In the true double-elimination format, Rutman had to defeat Miller twice. But things didn’t get that far, because Miller took care of business and won the first set handily 7-3.
Results:
1st Mike Miller
2nd Kenny Rutman
3rd Biker Bill
4th Wali Muhammad

Brandon Shuffles Through the Billiards Field

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Brandon Shuffles Through the Billiard Field
Fifth Annual Burt Kellerman Memorial Tournament / Englewood, CO
by Samm Diep
On the hot summer weekend of June 21-22 in Englewood, CO, the Fifth Annual Burt Kellerman Memorial Tournament took place. Burt Kellerman “Mr. Red, White, and Blue” passed away seven years ago, and since then, his friends Ron Ferrendelli, Peter Emily, and Michael Smith have raised and added thousands of dollars for this tournament in his honor. “He was very patriotic. He was such a pool collector and a lover of all things that were pool,” stated Ferrendelli.
The first four tournaments were held at Shakespeare’s, and since their closing they found the perfect new home at Table Steaks South. The $4,000-added, race-to-7, 9-ball event has been known to attract the finest players from across the country, and this year was no different. The full 64-player field traveled from all parts of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and even Virginia for their shot at the prize.
WPBA professional Anna Kostanian, coming off a recent third-place showing in Charlotte, wowed spectators with her big stroke and huge break. That is, until she met her match in Dave Gomez, who went on to finish fifth. Big gun Mark Haddad also took an early exit just before the cash when he was tag-teamed by the Colorado Springs Smith brothers—Nate on the A side (who tied for ninth) and Nick on the B side (who tied for fifth).
Meanwhile, Brandon Shuff from Virginia was making his way through the winners’ bracket, taking down local champs Tony Piazza and Danny Medina in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds. Piazza ultimately prevailed for a rematch with Shuff in the finals in a single match race-to-11 showdown. In the end, Shuff proved he didn’t travel 1,500 miles to come in second place. Final score: 11-9.
Results:
1st Brandon Shuff
2nd Tony Piazza
3rd Danny Medina
4th Bill Skinner

Plowman Captures Carolina Billiards Qualifier

Posted by admin as Billiard Tour News - Hunter Classics Amateur Womens Tou

Plowman Captures Carolina Billiards Qualifier
OB Cues Ladies’ 9-ball Tour / Richardson, TX
by InsidePOOL Staff
Bonnie Plowman took command of the June 21-22 OB Cues Ladies’ 9-ball Tour stop, defeating Lisa Marr in the finals to take the title and the Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) qualifier. The tour’s third stop was hosted by The Billiard Den in Richardson, TX, and brought in 52 players.
Going through the winners’ bracket unscathed was the ever-present Lisa Marr, who secured her spot in the finals. Marr had notched wins over Kim Pierce 7-6, Ophelia Charleston 7-1, Heather Lloyd 7-5, Jillian Valles 7-6, Leslie Anne Rogers 7-4, and Plowman 7-4 to arrive in the hot seat.
Plowman, all the way from Colorado, came into town a few days early and was so relaxed on Saturday she was taking no prisoners as she blazed through the winners’ side as well. But on Sunday, after she defeated Michelle Abernathy, she ran into a roadblock in Marr, who defeated her 7-4 that match. After winning her match against Heather Lloyd 7-4, Plowman then supplied some heat of her own by performing a double-dip against Marr 7-6, 7-4 to win the WPBA Carolina Classic qualifier and first place.
Results:
1st Bonnie Plowman
2nd Lisa Marr
3rd Heather Lloyd
4th Suzanne Osborne
5th Leslie Anne Rogers
Michelle Abernathy
7th Cristina De La Garza
Amanda Lampert
9th Terry Petrosino
Samm Diep
Ophelia Charleston
Jillian Valles

New Aramith Laminated Billiard Tip

Posted by admin as Billiards Industry News - Information

New Aramith Laminated Billiard tip

Saluc is proud to announce the introduction of a high-end Aramith laminated pool cue tip. Classical in its conception (9 layers, high-quality pig skin), the Aramith laminated tip is characterized by a special leather treatment made at Saluc’s factory in Belgium. Thanks to its past experience in the leather processing, Saluc developed a treatment that optimizes the mix of qualities required for a tip by the most demanding professional players.

Saluc, a 75 years old Belgian company, is specialized in the production and distribution of billiard equipment and world leader in its field.

Contact:
Nicolas Catrix
Communication Manager
nicolas.catrix@saluc.com
www.aramith.com

Three in a Row for Robles

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Three in a Row for Robles
Predator 9-ball Tour / Brooklyn, NY
by InsidePOOL Staff
Fresh off his IPT Challenge victory over Karl Boyes, Tony Robles continued his winning ways as Park Slope Billiards in Brooklyn, NY, played host to stop 11 of the Predator 9-ball Tour with a field of 42 players.
In the top bracket, Steve Lillis scored victories over Jason Eglen 9-2, Shin Park 9-8, and Mark Pamtovic 9-4 to earn a shot against Robles. Tony bested Bora Jeong 9-2 and eked out a win against a strong Marc Vidal 9-8, Holden Chin 9-7, and Joey Kong 9-2 before winning against Lillis 9-7 to earn a spot for the hot seat match.
Abraham had a tough draw in the first round, playing Ocean State champion Jeremy Sossei. It was a great match, but Abraham pulled it out 9-7. He then bested Gelando Allie 9-3, Joe Hong 9-3, Mike Fingers 9-3, and the owner of Park Slope Billiards, Amilcar Contreras, 9-3 to earn a shot at Robles for the hot seat.
The match for the hot seat was close, as both players struggled with their breaks. Robles managed to win 9-6 to earn his spot in the finals.
After his close loss to Robles, Vidal tore up the one-loss side, winning seven in a row. He ousted Eric Mezz 9-7, Jose Cruz 9-3, Mike Wong 9-5, Pamtovic 9-0, Hong 9-0, Contreras 9-2, and Fingers 9-3 before losing in the semifinals to Abraham 9-6.
This set up a rematch in the finals between Robles and Abraham. The match went back and forth until it was tied at 6-6. Robles then held off Abraham by winning the next five racks to earn his third consecutive Predator 9-ball Tour victory.
Results:
1st Tony Robles
2nd Eddie Abraham
3rd Marc Vidal
4th Mike Fingers
5th Amilcar Contreras
Steve Lillis
7th Joe Hong
Shin Park