ACUI tourney

Varsity2016

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
well i was looking to join it this year, im 19 right now just heard about it. can i get some more details if anyone knows any?

what kind of talent are at these tourneys
 
The ACUI Collegiate Tournament is not one you can just 'join', or buy your way in. First, you must be a registered college student, in good academic standing...and at a college or university that is a member of the ACUI (Association of College Unions International). Next, each of those schools are divided into 15 'regions' across the country, and each school holds their own individual school tournament (usually in November, before classes end for the semester). Generally the top 2 men and women (some schools take more, some less) get to advance to the Regional tournament (held in February), at the school where the regional tournament is being held. There are often 50-150 student players at these regional tournaments. Only the winners (men and women) get to advance to the national tournament at the end of April. Whatever region hosts the national tournament gets to send an additional man and woman player...making up the top 16 men and 16 women, who will play for for the national championship. Many ACUI champions have gone on to become professional players...Max Eberle and Nick Varner, just to name two prominent ones. I have been involved with the ACUI for nearly 35 yrs, and taught or coached several regional college champs, and three national collegiate champions over the past 20 yrs.

Not all schools choose to belong to this organization. You can find out if your school participates in the ACUI by asking someone in administration at the Student Union at your school. Hope this gives you the information you were looking for.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
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Varsity2016 said:
well i was looking to join it this year, im 19 right now just heard about it. can i get some more details if anyone knows any?

what kind of talent are at these tourneys
I know that the top players in the tournament are solid A players. I dont know about everyone though.
 
my friend was in it 2 years ago and i can beat him so hopefully i can qualify this year (last year my school didnt have it).
 
I've played in our regional ACUI tournaments the last two years and can honestly say the level of competition varies a lot. I've played anywhere from C to A+ players; out of a field of 80 players, there were maybe 10 solid players (A to A+). The first ACUI I played, I ran into the guy who had won my region two or three years in a row. In a race to 9, he broke and ran 5 racks on me and ended up running me over 9-4.

From what I know about it, each school decides who it wants to send (my school usually sends 4 or 5) to the regional tournament. The winner of the regional tournament goes on to play in the national tournament, I think this year it's going to be at the U of Arizona.
 
Here is a not often said side benefit of the ACUI tournament. Should you win this tournament, as I did in 1992, it honestly might open doors for you as it did for me when I first graduated from law school and went to work as a lawyer. The first job I landed, the interview team was lead by a fellow who later confessed to me that the fact that I listed being a National Champion at pocket billiards was so intriguing that he put my application on the top of the must interview pile.
 
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They started inviting the top 2 finishers from each region to the nationals last year. The ACUI nationals will be July 5-9, 2006 at the Univ. of Arizona in Tucson.
 
I went out of the northwest division from the U. of Washington for the 5 years I was in school. Your school shouldhave a Regionals qualifying tournament in which they send a person for every 8 or so entrants. We usually had 40 or 50 players so we sent 5 people each time. Pretty much everyone knew who the top players were and made it into the top 5 spots in the qualifying tourney.

Just as someone previous stated there were about 50-75 players at our regional tourney (schools from WA, OR, ID, MT, HI, AK) and I would consider the top 6 or 7 to be top players who can run several racks in a race to 7. The rest can run "3 friggen balls" but not usually a rack. In the years that I played I got 2nd,3rd,5th,7th, and 9th at regionals. The year I took 2nd I was invited to Nationals since the 1st place player could not make it, but alas Nationals was during Midterms week and one professor would not let me take the exam early or late. So I could not go...not sure how all of the atheletes get away with that crap. I would have got killed anyways from what I hear the guys a Nationals can pop off a 3 or 4 pack on ya.

I heard that a few years ago there was a prodigy from the phillipines who was playing and won. Had a coach and everything. But that was the rumor I heard.

Good luck on the upcoming tourneys!
 
Scott Lee said:
The ACUI Collegiate Tournament is not one you can just 'join', or buy your way in. First, you must be a registered college student, in good academic standing...and at a college or university that is a member of the ACUI (Association of College Unions International). Next, each of those schools are divided into 15 'regions' across the country, and each school holds their own individual school tournament (usually in November, before classes end for the semester). Generally the top 2 men and women (some schools take more, some less) get to advance to the Regional tournament (held in February), at the school where the regional tournament is being held. There are often 50-150 student players at these regional tournaments. Only the winners (men and women) get to advance to the national tournament at the end of April. Whatever region hosts the national tournament gets to send an additional man and woman player...making up the top 16 men and 16 women, who will play for for the national championship. Many ACUI champions have gone on to become professional players...Max Eberle and Nick Varner, just to name two prominent ones. I have been involved with the ACUI for nearly 35 yrs, and taught or coached several regional college champs, and three national collegiate champions over the past 20 yrs.

Not all schools choose to belong to this organization. You can find out if your school participates in the ACUI by asking someone in administration at the Student Union at your school. Hope this gives you the information you were looking for.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Dear Scott, who have you coached and are you active only in the Montana region?
 
Varsity2016 said:
well i was looking to join it this year, im 19 right now just heard about it. can i get some more details if anyone knows any?

what kind of talent are at these tourneys


Everyone down here has given you a perfect spiel of how ACUI goes....I've played in it for the past 2 years under region 9 and I've met players mostly out of IL. The top player in our region has won BOTH regionals and nationals for the past 2 years and he really is phenomenal.....but I really can't say that for the other 40-odd guys. I've read that some of you have met monsters who string racks and all....but I don't even think I got anyone who strung 2 racks on me at all the entire tourney, and I've played many matches there.

Good luck with it anyhow, but remember to concentrate on college first and foremost!
 
uwate said:
Here is a not often said side benefit of the ACUI tournament. Should you win this tournament, as I did in 1992, it honestly might open doors for you as it did for me when I first graduated from law school and went to work as a lawyer. The first job I landed, the interview team was lead by a fellow who later confessed to me that the fact that I listed being a National Champion at pocket billiards was so intriguing that he put my application on the top of the must interview pile.



It's funny you should say that...that's the very same thing that happened to me! The guys at this accounting firm were really impressed with my billiards tourney and all, and also cos I'm involved at the billiards club in school too.

So you see, pool DOES get you places other than the IPT.
 
Raemondo...No, I teach all over the country. I just happen to have lived in MT for the past 20+ years, but I spend 8 months a year on the road, on my own tour of colleges and universities. The names are too many to mention, but you have to remember too, that the time span covers more than 25 yrs.
My last male national champions were in the mid 90's...1st place 1995, 3rd place 1996. 2nd place 1997. I had two other female national champions, from 1984 and 1987. Many more of my students won their regionals and advanced to nationals, but failed to finish in the top 2 or 3. My last student to reach nationals was 2002, in Green Bay, WI. She was from your region, but not your school.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com
 
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