Posts from — January 2008

Norm and Joe used skill and a little luck to defeat Frank and Les to take the first place prize in the 2008 edition of the Alzheimer’s Association Benefit Tournament. Sixteen players formed 8 teams to complete in the race-to-3 scotch doubles format. Players enjoyed the fun competition and a delicious buffet. Proceeds from the entry fees and raffles went towards the Alzheimer’s Association. Thanks again to everyone who participated for their support! Photos from the day are now available in the Photos section.

Ed Shufon said he had never won anything in his life. Well, he can’t say that anymore. Ed was the winner of the Joss Cue raffle, held during the Joss Northeast 9-Ball Tour stop at Diamond Eight January 19-20th. Although not present at the drawing, Ed rushed right over only as soon as he got the message that he was the big winner. “This is great. It’s a beautiful cue.” The drawing was held right before Shin Park and Mike Zuglan began the final match of the 2-day tournament. Proceeds from the raffle go to help Diamond Eight bring the Joss Tour to Latham. We really appreciate everyone’s support!

The Thursday night 9-Ball division of the Albany APA is starting soon! Get your teams together and contact Mike Murray at APA of Greater Albany. The division will begin Thursday, January 31st, with practice at 6pm and play starting at 7pm. If you haven’t played APA 9-Ball, it is a great and fun format. Each rack is worth 10 points (each ball is worth 1 point and the 9-Ball is worth 2). Handicaps range from 1 to 9, with each skill level having to reach a certain number of points to win. For example, a skill level of 4 (SL4) would need to get 31 points before a SL5 reached 38 points.

The handicap system really works! If you are afraid you are not “good enough,” fear no more! The system is built to give everyone a legitimate chance to win. An SL2 only needs to make 19 points to win! Stop by Diamond Eight for more info!

Shin Young Park of New York City defeated Mike Zuglan 9-5 in the second set of the true double elimination final match. Zuglan won the first set 9-7, but could not hold off Park’s early lead in the second set.

The results are here: 1. Shin Young Park 2. Mike Zuglan 3. Tony Chohan 4. Marc Vidal 5. Joey Korsiak / Norm Pomainville 9. Dave Varano / Tom Acciavatti / Chance Chin / Charlie Fowler

UPDATED! See pictures from the Joss tournament. Thanks again to all the players and fans for your support of Diamond Eight — it was a pleasure having you!

45 of the top pool players in the Northeast gathered at Diamond Eight on Saturday, January 19, 2008 to compete in Mike Zuglan’s Northeast 9-Ball Tour, sponsored by Joss Cues. Diamond Eight regular Tom Acciavatti made a strong showing but fell short in two consecutive hill matches against Norm Pomainville and Mike Zuglan. Tour regulars Bucky Souvanthong and Liz Ford also saw early exits, with Mike Zuglan edging out Bucky while Jeff Smolen held off a late comeback by Liz.

8 players remain to determine the top spots. On the winner’s side, Norm Pomainville will face Tony Choham and Shin Park will meet Joey Korsiak. On the one-loss side, Matt Terault will face Marc Vidal and Redgie Cutler will meet Mike Zuglan. Sunday matches begin at 11am.

Dave Varano, Tom Acciavatti, Chance Chin and Charlie Fowler tied for the 9th place spot.

Special thanks to our sponsors: Slosek’s Music & Amusement, Adirondack Area Network and Mark the Shark!

**update: 9-Ball on Thursday night starts the 31st**

The road to Vegas continues! The 2008 APA Spring session is here! Don’t miss your last chance to qualify for a trip to Las Vegas this August! Diamond Eight hosts leagues Tuesday (8-Ball), Wednesday (8-Ball), Thursday (9-Ball) and Sunday nights (8- and 9-Ball). Contact the APA of Albany for more info, or stop by Diamond Eight anytime!

Double Jeopardy starts Sunday, January 20th (play starts at 6pm; practice at 4:30pm).

Wednesday night 8-Ball starts January 22nd and Thursday night 9-Ball starts January 31st! Practice at 6pm; play starts at 7pm. If you are interested in joining a team, just come down to Diamond Eight the night you want to play! We will be forming teams the first night as needed!

The 2007-2008 Sunday night Double Jeopardy Fall Session is history! The (long) battle for qualifications and trophies was held Sunday, January 13th.

8-Ball

In the final match of Fall Session, the wild card You Rack We Run (Wes Hotaling) upset Home Team (Ed Skawinski) in a tight 3-2 victory. Three of the five matches went to hill-hill. Home Team (Ed Skawinski) advanced to the finals in a 3-1 victory over Smokin’ Bones (Steve Kearns) while You Rack We Run (Wes Hotaling) upset the first place finishers Rack-em Up (Mike Goodspeed) 3-2.

9-Ball

In 9-Ball, 2nd place No Clue (Cindy Dominy) took home the crown by besting Home Team (Ed Skawinski) 55-45. To get to the finals, No Clue (Cindy Dominy) edged out 3rd place You Rack We Run (Wes Hotaling) while the wild card Home Team (Ed Skawinski) bested the session winners Diamonds in the Rough (Frank Majewski).

The playoff picture for Diamond Eight’s Wednesday night 8-Ball division is now clear. Cindy Dominy’s team has captured 1st place and will play the wild card, Mike Fitch’s “Midnight Cues.” “Off the Wall,” led by Frank Majewski, took 2nd place and will face the 3rd place “Billiard Bandits,” led by Christine Skawinski. Playoffs start Wednesday, January 9th and continue on the 16th. Good luck to all the teams!

The Alzheimer’s Association will hold their annual 8-Ball Tournament on Saturday, January 26th at Diamond Eight. $20. entry fee includes lunch and donation. There will also be some great raffle prizes. The tournament starts at 1pm; free practice at Noon. The tournament is scotch doubles (players alternate shots, not turns) random draw (partners are drawn at random) and each team is guaranteed to play twice (modified single elimination). Contact Katie Weklar at 438-2217 ext.305 for more info.

The Sunday night double jeopardy match-ups have been decided. First round of playoffs is Sunday, January 6th at 6pm. Finals will be held on January 13th. Details after the jump.

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