Hampton Ridge in Laurel Maryland

[beetle]

OK, why the secrecy about this tour? Have I missed the official announcement? I have now heard about this event in Laurel a couple times through word-of-mouth, and through subtle references in other threads but haven't seen anything official. Tour organizers: Use these boards and get the word out if you want to be successful! There must be dozens of locals (fish like me!) who would love to go (and donate) to this one but know no details! JAM told us the times and the place, what are the rules, cost, races, etc.? Thanks!

 

[JAM]

Hey, Beetle! I, too, heard about the upcoming $1,000-added Hampton Ridge tournament this past Tuesday by word of mouth at a local tourney. I know several local "regular" players who have made it to several of the Hampton Ridge Tour events.

Interesting tidbit, last year at the Glass City Open in Toledo, OH -- before the N.U.T.S. came to the fore -- the TD of the Hampton Ridge Tour told Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh that it was his desire and aim to have the Points Winner of his tour receive a paid $5,000 entry fee for Allen Hopkins Skins Billiards Championship occurring later this year in November time frame, AND the runner-up receiving a $500 paid entry fee into the U.S. Open next September.

I notice that Pat McNally is back on the tournament trail as of late, a frequent player on the Hampton Ridge Tour, and Frankie Hernandez is another "regular." I do wonder if Frankie will travel from NYC down here to Laurel, MD for this one.

This is too good to be true, having this tournament right in our own back yard, Beetle. I know where I'm going to be this weekend. Hope to see you there, too!

JAM

 

[beetle]

Hey, Beetle! I, too, heard about the upcoming $1,000-added Hampton Ridge tournament this past Tuesday by word of mouth at a local tourney. I know several local "regular" players who have made it to several of the Hampton Ridge Tour events.

Interesting tidbit, last year at the Glass City Open in Toledo, OH -- before the N.U.T.S. came to the fore -- the TD of the Hampton Ridge Tour told Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh that it was his desire and aim to have the Points Winner of his tour receive a paid $5,000 entry fee for Allen Hopkins Skins Billiards Championship occurring later this year in November time frame, AND the runner-up receiving a $500 paid entry fee into the U.S. Open next September.

I notice that Pat McNally is back on the tournament trail as of late, a frequent player on the Hampton Ridge Tour, and Frankie Hernandez is another "regular." I do wonder if Frankie will travel from NYC down here to Laurel, MD for this one.

This is too good to be true, having this tournament right in our own back yard, Beetle. I know where I'm going to be this weekend. Hope to see you there, too!

JAM

Thanks for the tidbits! Looking forward to it and hearing more details, hope to see you there, too!

 

[MikeJanis]

OK, why the secrecy about this tour? Have I missed the official announcement? I have now heard about this event in Laurel a couple times through word-of-mouth, and through subtle references in other threads but haven't seen anything official. Tour organizers: Use these boards and get the word out if you want to be successful! There must be dozens of locals (fish like me!) who would love to go (and donate) to this one but know no details! JAM told us the times and the place, what are the rules, cost, races, etc.? Thanks!

The web site for the Hampton Ridge 9-Ball Tour is http://ec9ball.com.

Mj

 

[JAM]

The website is informative.

If I am reading the Hampton Ridge website correctly, the entry fees vary depending on the player: amateur, $70; women, $45; pro women $85; and pro men, $100.

Unfortunately, the right side of this website is not revealed on my monitor. I am unable to discern if these entries are for the $10,000 Season Finale of the Hampton Ridge Tour at Drexeline Billiards in December 2005 or if these entries are for all events.



JAM

 

[MikeJanis]

The web site for the Hampton Ridge 9-Ball Tour is http://ec9ball.com.

Mj

It just struck me that I never thought we would ever be cross-promoting tours.

It's awesome isn't it?

Mj

 

[Eric.]

The website is informative.

If I am reading the Hampton Ridge website correctly, the entry fees vary depending on the player: amateur, $70; women, $45; pro women $85; and pro men, $100.

Unfortunately, the right side of this website is not revealed on my monitor. I am unable to discern if these entries are for the $10,000 Season Finale of the Hampton Ridge Tour at Drexeline Billiards in December 2005 or if these entries are for all events.



JAM

Jen,

The entries are the same for regular tour stops, as well as the Drexeline season finale. The only stipulation for the finale is that all players have to have played in at least 8 normal tour events.


Eric

 

[JAM]

Jen,

The entries are the same for regular tour stops, as well as the Drexeline season finale. The only stipulation for the finale is that all players have to have played in at least 8 normal tour events.

Thanks, Eric, for the clarification about the entry fees. There's quite a few local players in this area, and I predict this stop at Champions in Laurel, MD will have a good showing.

Jerry Slivka lives in the area, and he's now the PP 9-Ball Tour points leader. I'd expect him to show up. Pookie's been MIA as of late. Word has it that he's poker-hooked. Other local players, UPA Touring Pro Mike Davis and Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh have both competed on the Hampton Ridge Tour and are familiar with its format. I'm pretty sure Young Gun Brandon Shuff will show up. Champions is about a 15-minute drive from where I live, so I'm making plans go. This tour usually frequents Pennsylvania and New Jersey, looking at the website schedule. It's nice to see they have expanded into Maryland!

Word of mouth goes a long way for tournament promotion. I wouldn't have known about it otherwise, not realizing there was a website, but I now have it bookmarked, thanks to Mike Janis!

And BTW, Happy Birthday greetings are in order. Hope you enjoyed your birthday, Beetle!

JAM

 

[beetle]

And BTW, Happy Birthday greetings are in order. Hope you enjoyed your birthday, Beetle!

JAM

Yikes! Thanks JAM! I guess next year is the big one! They're coming faster and faster each year. I got a new Lucasi cue and a pet Mali uro spiny-tailed lizard: so I played hooky and played with both today!

By the way, I've tried several times accessing the Hampton Ridge tour website and this is what I get:

<%@ Page CodeBehind="default.aspx.vb" Language="vb" AutoEventWireup="false" Inherits="ReMax._default1" %>

I'm fairly web-savvy, but cannot figure out what's happening! I've tried adding "www" to the URL but no dice. Do people who have not played in this tour before need to pay a yearly fee in addition to the normal entry fee? Thanks for any info!

 

[JAM]

This just in...

We didn't make it to Laurel for the Hampton Ridge tournament which is in progress, ending tomorrow. My horse got SETH-ed -- [local inside joke] -- last evening until the wee hours of this morning, 11 to 7 in a no-win situation.

I received a call from the Genie Man [Ryan McCreesh] who told me 30-plus players showed up today at noon. Among some notable sharp-shooters mentioned who came to play were Lee Holt, UPA Touring Pro Mike Davis, Young Gun Brandon Shuff, and, of course, Ryan.

I asked Ryan about how much he had to pay for his entry fee, since the Hampton Ridge website states entry fee is determined upon player status, i.e., $70 for amateurs and $100 for pros. Ryan said the TD elected to keep the entry fee at $70 for all players and did not charge any so-called "pro" player a C note for this $1,000-added event. He also stated that the TD was going to make the first-place prize monies $1,000, no matter how many players showed up.

I'm a big fan of regional tours. They give players of all caliber the best bang for their buck, since regional tournaments are usually 1- or 2-day events held on weekends.

This is the same host pool room which is a regular stop on the Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour -- Champions in Laurel, MD -- which usually draws anywhere from 80 to 120 participants. Pool is very much alive and well in the metropolitan D.C. area.

Word of mouth goes a long way as far as tournament promotion, but I believe many players in my area were unaware of this event.

The Hampton Ridge usually holds tournaments in the States of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. If there was more advanced notice provided in the way of advertising on pool-related websites, I think this stop on the Hampton Ridge tournament trail would have enjoyed a much larger turnout (IMO).

I would like to see a N.U.T.S. website in the future, promoting tournaments from all regional tours who are members.

JAM

 

[beetle]

Preliminary results of Hampton Ridge tourney

We didn't make it to Laurel for the Hampton Ridge tournament which is in progress, ending tomorrow. My horse got SETH-ed -- [local inside joke] -- last evening until the wee hours of this morning, 11 to 7 in a no-win situation.

I received a call from the Genie Man [Ryan McCreesh] who told me 30-plus players showed up today at noon. Among some notable sharp-shooters mentioned who came to play were Lee Holt, UPA Touring Pro Mike Davis, Young Gun Brandon Shuff, and, of course, Ryan.

If there was more advanced notice provided in the way of advertising on pool-related websites, I think this stop on the Hampton Ridge tournament trail would have enjoyed a much larger turnout (IMO).

I would like to see a N.U.T.S. website in the future, promoting tournaments from all regional tours who are members.

JAM

Sorry you and Keith couldn't make it. They're having another tourney tomorrow, starting at noon. I believe it's single elimination, $50 entry. Anyway, I already donated to the cause today, so I won't be contributing any more funds tomorrow (Sunday).

Ryan is in the hotseat, and Mike Davis was gearing for his loser bracket semifinal (either Brandon Shuff or Joe Cataldi) when I left. They are going to have the top 3 play Sunday at 10:AM to finish tourney #1.

It was a poor tournout as I suspected due to the poor advertising, however the quality of players was very high, which made it pretty tough for us part-timers.

 

[JAM]

Thanks for the update, Beetle, and the useful info about a new tournament beginning at noon on Sunday.

I hope you had a good time, even though it was a very low turnout for a tournament in our area. I agree that if the tournament was promoted and advertised well in advance, it would have enjoyed a much larger showing of players.

Of course, I do realize that many TD's have "real" jobs during the week. However, I think they must under-estimate the importance of tournament promotion. Word of mouth is not the only way to get the message out there. I would have never even known about the Hampton Ridge website if it had not been for Mike Janis.

I get postcards and tournament fliers in the mail all the time about upcoming events, and the postage for such ain't cheap, but if it brings in more players, I would think it would be a worthy expenditure.

I may just mosey on over to Laurel today and check out the $50-entry-fee second event.

JAM

 

[JAM]

...I may just mosey on over to Laurel today and check out the $50-entry-fee second event.

We went to Champions in Laurel today, and I got the chance to sit down and talk with Jose, the tournament director for Hampton Ridge! He is a stand-up guy who is really taking the Hampton Ridge Tour to a new level. The website has only been up for a few short weeks.

Cece, the TD of the Planet Pool 9-Ball Tour, came to see the finals of the Main Event which began yesterday. This morning, the finals came down to Mike Davis versus Ryan "Genie Man" McCreesh, with Davis coming out on top.

Today, they decided to hold a $50-entry-fee tournament for the remaining players and anybody new who wanted to jump in. Jose the TD added $100 to this small 8-man field, just to give the players an opportunity to enjoy a little action, which was appreciated by all. First place paid $300 and second place paid $200. The finals ended up being Josh Brothers from Wilmington, DE and Keith. Josh is playing very sporty. He won the juniors tournament at Super Billiards Expo in Valley Forge 3 years in a row when he was under 18. I watched him play several matches, and I was impressed with his relaxed demeanor at the table as well as his straight-shooting capabilities. He played good on Keith, one game making 5 balls on the break, and won the mini tournament.

The points winner of the Hampton Ridge Tour will get a $5,000 paid entry fee to the next Skins exhibition, and second place points winner will be going to the U.S Open in September with a free entry fee, worth $500. The format for the tour is: double elimination, race to 7, and alternate break.

The season finale will be $15,000 added, and in order to qualify, one must shoot in 8 or more Hampton Ridge tournaments. There are quite a few more left in this season, too!

All Hampton Ridge Tour events usually occur on Sundays in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey region. This is only the second season of this tour, and it's growing strong with a good following of regular players. I'm looking forward to seeing more Hampton Ridge events in the future.

Thanks, Jose, for making it happen!

JAM

 

[Jon P. Nusbaum]

I always lurk,but never get involved,Steve I have got to know you,just can't place!,"JP" CUSENTHINGS.COM I live in Darnestown

 

[nineballcc]

Too Fun

I had to hop on this post... I did get to come and visit the Hampton Ridge Tour stop this weekend - it was a great deal of fun and the first time in years that I've been able to be a railbird at an event. I forgot how much I loved sitting and watching the action. It was also nice to hang with Jose - we met at Valley Forge and as Mike J said - the NUTS is really bringing the tours together.

Something JAM left out... on Sunday my 7 year old daughter came with me, and asked if she could play. So she tried playing with a house cue and it was impossible, Jose let her borrow his Sledgehammer break/jump cue, and using the jump cue she started trying to hit balls. Then Keith gave her his jump cue - and started giving her lessons!! I have never seen my child so determined to learn. After a few changes to her stance, her aim and changing her to a side stroke (much like Keith's) he told her if she made a ball she'd get a dollar. So now I have a the first dollar that my daughter has won playing pool, we are framing it with a note saying "The first dollar I ever won playing pool, and I won it off of Keith McCready"! Unfortunately JAM didn't have her camera out and ready.

Thanks again JAM, Keith, Jose & to the Hampton Ridge Tour for a nice relaxed weekend of watching some top players.

 

[beetle]

I had to hop on this post... I did get to come and visit the Hampton Ridge Tour stop this weekend - it was a great deal of fun and the first time in years that I've been able to be a railbird at an event. I forgot how much I loved sitting and watching the action...Thanks again JAM, Keith, Jose & to the Hampton Ridge Tour for a nice relaxed weekend of watching some top players.

It was good to talk to you Cece! Sorry I wasn't around for Sundays action and your daughter's pool lessons! Looking forward to Hagerstown!

I always lurk,but never get involved,Steve I have got to know you,just can't place!,"JP" CUSENTHINGS.COM I live in Darnestown

Hey Jon, I don't think I know you, but we must be pretty close neighbors. I'm right at the boundary of Darnestown. You've got some nice cues on your website!

We went to Champions in Laurel today, and I got the chance to sit down and talk with Jose, the tournament director for Hampton Ridge! He is a stand-up guy who is really taking the Hampton Ridge Tour to a new level. The website has only been up for a few short weeks.
... Thanks, Jose, for making it happen!
JAM

I agree with JAM, it was a fun tournament [after I recovered from my horrible performance and relaxed with friends]. It is interesting to see the different styles between the Planet-Pool events and the Hampton Ridge Tour. Keep 'em coming!