Barbara said:
...My problem with PP hosting Qualifiers is that it undermines the WPBA's Regional Tour system. If the women want to compete for a Qualifier, then they should make the effort to travel to a Regional Tour's event. After all, if they want to win a Q, then they want to play in the WPBA and they should realize the time and expense it's going to cost them....
Barbara, the way I see it, if a person, male or female, wants to advance their game, they do desire to compete in ANY and EVERY event available to them.
I have read many nice reports about the NEWT events. I think there's room enough in this pool world for other regional tours and independently promoted events. The more the merrier, I say. These are the tournaments that some new players get started on, before they advance to the next level of "professional" pool.
I am not as familiar with the ladies' pool politics as I am with the men's, but I do believe in my heart of hearts that without these regional and independent tournaments, things would be much worse off than they are now. Currently, the scheduling conflicts are hindering the progress of the sport. Folks within this culture -- to include "governing bodies of professional pool," regional tours, and independently promoted exhibitions -- should be working together with the goal of promoting the sport. Instead of putting up stop signs, they should be creating green lights, helping the players be all that they can be.
Because of the huge expense of attending most events which are not local AND payouts which many times do not cover expenses, the lot of professional pool players is diminishing, much like the dinosaur. The organizations should be focusing on this problem because it is very real, as opopsed to thwarting the progress of another entity which they deem as competitive.
Barbara said:
What percent of the prize fund do they pay out?
I do know they pay out 3/8ths of the field. This season, for the Open event they raised the entry fee from $60 to $70, with the extra 10 bucks going towards the season finale in hopes of having a larger purse. I'd say they take out 25 percent for administrative expenses. This particular tour is so popular that several years ago, some of the regular players didn't want to see it end after Falcon withdrew its sponsorship. They withdrew the sponsorship not because the tour wasn't successful, but because they were downsizing and moved their Canadian office to Japan. Two seasons ago, Tommy Kay, a regular player on this tour, donated $300 for the season finale to be put into the first and second place slots in addition to the total prize monies. This exemplifies the spirit of the Planet Pool 9-Ball family of regulars.
In the words of Vince Lombardi, "When it comes to the future, there are three kinds of people: those who let it happen, those who make it happen, and those who wonder what happen."
Click here to see who are
SOME of the guys who make it happen.
JAM
