Women's Regional Tours

[Johnnyt]

What is going on with all the women's regional tours? The only tour that gets a good turn out venue after venue is the OB Cue Tour in Texas. Maybe some of the women from the other tours might consider moving to TX. Is it the economy, or are the women on the other tours just tierd of the pros taking the top purse money all the time? Or is it the new format by the WPBA for regional tours that is killing the tours? Johnnyt

 

[kath13]

I don't know!

What is going on with all the women's regional tours? The only tour that gets a good turn out venue after venue is the OB Cue Tour in Texas. Maybe some of the women from the other tours might consider moving to TX. Is it the economy, or are the women on the other tours just tierd of the pros taking the top purse money all the time? Or is it the new format by the WPBA for regional tours that is killing the tours? Johnnyt

Johnny,

You make a good observation. I don't know about the other regional tours for women, except for the now defunct Jacoby Tour that was for players located in the Midwest. Rumor was that it was purchased and would restart however, I haven't seen any changes to the website that would indicate it was ready to restart. I will say that the qualifier I attended several years ago had a low attendance of only about 14 women that I recall. That kind of attendance is not going to have a lasting affect on any tour. It needs to be supported in order for it to continue. I simply can't imagine the room owner's response to that kind of attendance percentages hence I'm guessing the reason that the tour is not present today.

As the WPBA changes don't go into effect until 2010, I can't imagine that would have any influcence on why there are not more tours doing as well as the OB Tour seems to. Without knowing much, my general impression of the OB Tour is that the women supporting it do so b/c it is well run, little ego seems to be present. I am a little jealous of Texas!

I have always thought it unfair to have pros playing in amateur events. Understandably with the reduced number of events that the pro women get to participate in, I can understand their desire to play in additional events. However, a qualifier is just that, a qualifier to play in a pro event. It serves no purpose for those who are either trying to get their tour card or who desire to play in a pro event to have to compete with pros in a qualifier. There are a number of other reasons that I could go into, but I don't feel like typing that much...

Perhaps the economy might have something to do with it. In my experience, I was a little afraid to go to a qualifer event b/c of my level of play. I didn't feel like I could be competitive so why waste my time? Of course that may not be how one should look at it, but at the time, it was a pretty fair assessment of where my game was. I can't imagine that some other women wouldn't have shared in my reasoning. It was an intimidating experience for me. I kept saying, I need more practice, more this or more that before I would attend and not humiliate myself completely. As it stood, I went 3 and out, that one win did a lot for me in the end. It continued my desire to practice and improve and it showed me that I could be competitive.

In the end, encourage the women you know to play in a qualifier for the experience. They might just surprise themselves. You don't need to be a consistent run-out player or play like Allison or Karen to enjoy a tournament or be competitive. I needed encouraging for my first time and it was worth it. Of course my buddy is who knocked me out of that tournament.

 

[poolsnark]

The OB Cues tour does seem to have the strongest showings. OB, JPNEWT and Spirit seem to also be the most competitive as far as the rosters go. Most of the others seem to have one or two breakout players who just dominate every tour stop. As for the WPBA wiping out qualifiers next year, its going to be bad news for the regional tours. For my money, qualifiers brought the "Rocky" effect to the WPBA. Most of the time the qualifiers get knocked around by the pros, but every once in a while, an Iris Ranola steps up and makes a run for the title.

The WPBA says getting rid of qualifiers will help grow the regional tours, but the reality is that its going to devastate the landscape of women's regional pool.

In the words of Kelly, Tanner, Ogilvie, Engelberg and Coach Leak - "Let Them Play, Let Them Play".

 

[Firecracker]

OB Cues is well run

Being a Hunter/OB Cues players for many years now, I have to say it is one of the most well run events that I have attended. It caters not only to players wanting to break on to the WPBA, it also provides an outlet for players just wanting an amateur event to fuel their competitive fire. The environment is extremely friendly and many of the girls have been playing for years. I know for me personally, I look forward to the stops as my social event for the month. I get to play pool competitively, hang out with old friends, and many times, get to meet new ones.

OB Cues Ladies Tour has one of the lowest (if not the lowest) tournament entry fee. The qualifier is not rolled in as part of the regular fee, it is an additional charge for interested players. This keeps the entry low for players wanting to improve their game, but not compete at the top level quite yet. Thankfully, we have a great sponsor now, OB Cues, and a great original sponsor, Wes Hunter, to help add additional monies for the players. With the added money, the tour pays out anywhere to 1/3 to 1/2 of the field. By not focusing pay-outs on the top talent, it encourages these beginning and mid-level players to keep showing up...they may not win, but they still may make a little money back. These girls show up to improve their game a little at a time. Many girls set a goal at each event...it might be to win a game, win a match, place in the money, etc. It's these players that are the back-bone of our tour and the key to it being successful.

We also have great board members. They commit many unpaid hours to making sure the tour is run efficently. They secure our locations to play each and every year. Many thanks goes out to these ladies, for without them, the tour would not be as great as it is currently.

I am not sure if the numbers will drop this year with the WPBA changes. I think for the OB Cues Ladies Tour, except for the occassional out of state player, we shouldn't see much changes in our turn-outs. On average, only 5-10 girls out of 50 pay the additional qualifier fees and the majority of our qualifier entrants are from the state of Texas. If the economy holds out this year, I am pretty sure it will survive and succeed.

 

[sjm]

I have always thought it unfair to have pros playing in amateur events. Understandably with the reduced number of events that the pro women get to participate in, I can understand their desire to play in additional events. However, a qualifier is just that, a qualifier to play in a pro event. It serves no purpose for those who are either trying to get their tour card or who desire to play in a pro event to have to compete with pros in a qualifier.

This reply is adapted from a previous post of mine:

The debate over whether pros should be allowed to play in regional tour events is a longstanding one in women's pool.

Here's my slant on it.

Advantages
1) It enables women pro players to supplement their income from the WPBA, making it easier for a pro player to make ends meet, ultimately meaning that more players can stay the course in playing women's professional pool.
2) It better prepares pro aspirants with enough game to win qualifying spots for the competition they will face at the next level of play, ultimately enhancing the quality of play at WPBA level.
3) It adds to the quality of the regional tour event for fans in attendance.

Disadvantages
1) It makes it harder for aspiring pros to make ends meet financially. Semi-pros may, therefore, not stay the course in chasing their dreams.
2) It increases the "luck of the draw" factor in qualifiers.
3) Increased danger of aspiring pros getting discouraged and giving up pro aspirations.

I've always felt that the advantages of permitting pro participation in regional events outweigh the disadvantages, but I do see both sides of the argument, and have great respect for those on both sides of the debate.

 

[9balllvr]

I think the question you pose Johnnyt is one that many of the regional women are wondering now as well - what is going on with the tours as none of them seem to be offering stops. There appear to be too few qualifiers for one, along with the economy affecting the room owners (not willing to throw in $600 off the top) for what is usually less than 30 players, if that. Btw, the new regional tour set-up should not have anything to do with this year - if it goes, it should begin next season with the regional tour championship from this season only. I think it comes down to no qualifier spots available and no money to host.