It's in a town called Frederick, Maryland, and the name of the room is Champions. Fredericksburg is in Virginia. Don't want you getting lost, my friend. Take the Beltway to I-270 and just go north to Frederick, MD. The shopping mall the pool room is in is about a quarter mile from I-270. Easy to get to.
Last time I was there, they had Gabriel tables in the back room, but this was back in 2006. I did hear that Mike Sigel was the House pro there.
Gary Allen runs the joint, and his dad is a friend of mine from years ago. Good people who really enjoy pool and know how to make it work well for the patrons. I really admire the Allens.
Interestingly, in 1986, Richard Allen had a Champions in Silver Spring, MD, which hosted the 1986 Maryland State Championship. I ran the tournament, and only Maryland residents were allowed to play in it.
I can remember answering the phone one day when somebody inquired if there were any spots left. I replied, "Yes, we have a few spots left, but you have to be a Maryland resident. Do you live in Maryland?" He said, "Yep, Towson." I said, "Good. What's your name?" "Mike Sigel."
When news of Sigel competing in the tournament spread, the spots left in the tournament filled up the same day. Everybody wanted to be there to see Mike Sigel. He was, after all, at the height of his pool-playing career. It also was the same year the movie, "The Color of Money," came out. Sigel had "CPT HOOK" on his Maryland license plates. When he pulled up out front, somebody came running in the back, "He's here. He's here. Sigel is here." LOL :grin:
Sigel won, Cigar Tom was runner up, and "Teddy Bear" Wilson was third.
Richard Allen on the left with son, Gary, on the right.