Hi Tbeaux,
I think I can explain how the invitations were issued...if that is your question. I will also address the appearance fee issue.
Let me start by explaining that the World Championship and the Amway Cup used to be 2 separate events. The World Championships were done through the WPA (World Pool Association) and each continent is a ceratin amount of invitations based on population and the pool organizations there. For example, Asia usually gets a high number of invites because they have a large population and the APBU has a large number of members. Europe has the EPBF, so they also get a large number of invites. This year, Europe got 12 invites, Asia got 18 (the 8 qualifiers were also all Asian players, so the field had 26 Asians total), and North America (the BCA) got 6 invites. The WPBA is not really involved....everything is done thru the BCA to decide which Americans will play. The 6 invites are issued by ranking thru the WPBA...but only the American players can represent the BCA. So, Monica Webb, who is 3rd in the WPBA would be the #1 American player. Vivian and Jeanette both declined their invitations...for reasons unknown to me.
In the past, the Amway Cup has always been an invitational event, sponsored by Mr. Tu. It is usually a 12 player field...and he would choose the players he wanted from around the world. They would be paid an appearance fee in addition to any prize monies. Mr. Tu would also pay their expenses.
This year, since Taiwan is the host for the World Championships, Mr. Tu chose to combine the 2 events...thus creating the 2006 Amway World Championships. Instead of paying appearance fees to the players, they increased the total purse to $70,000 USD. The champion will receive $20,000....as compared to the last World Championship when Ga-Young only won $8,000.
I do not know for sure, but I believe some players made the decision not to come because of the close scheduling of events...and because a player has to finish high to make any money. Even though the purse in increased, it is extremely top heavy...so you have to finish in the top 4 to do well. In addition, because of the short race and round robin format...there were no guarantees that any player would make it to the championship rounds. As an example...Monica Webb...who is the #1 ranked American player...did not make it through her group with a 3-2 record...but I did make it...and I also had a 3-2 record. But in her group, there were a couple other players who were 3-2, and so it was decided with a win-loss ratio. In my group, Ga-young won 5, Kelly F. won 4, and I won 3. The other girls won 2, 1, and 0. So it was clear in our group who would advance.
All in all, I think the decision not to play was a combination of 3 things. Close scheduling to WPBA events stateside, discontinuation of appearance fees, and the highly irregular format and prize money.
I hope that clears up any and all questions!
And on a personal note...I am having a great time! Money, format, scheduling aside....this was a wonderful opportunity to visit a new country and represent the USA on the world stage. Every moment has been exciting...and I'm very happy that I didn't let anything cause me to miss out on this experience.
All the best from Taiwan!
Melissa
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It's a good thing we have people here on the board to give us updates when they can.