Playing APA
- Thread starter sflguy
- Start date
Nitrox11
Just south of reality
Yes. Sometimes the bar that you are playing out of will pay the fee otherwise you will have to pay it.
Your $25 gets you a small magazine that APA sends out to shove their APA franchises down your throat.
It may be possible that since you are wanting to join this late in the year, there may be a possibility that the LO may pro-rate your membership fee.
When I first joined, I joined late and they did pro-rate it but as soon as Jan. 1 rolled around, I had to pay the full $25 membership.
I dropped out for @ 2 years and just re-joined in May this year and they did not pro-rate it and I paid the full $25; so it could go either way for you.
All you can do is ask but keep in mind that the $25 membership is not due on your anniversary date, it is due Jan. 1 regardless of when you join up.
Just a couple things to consider.
When I first joined, I joined late and they did pro-rate it but as soon as Jan. 1 rolled around, I had to pay the full $25 membership.
I dropped out for @ 2 years and just re-joined in May this year and they did not pro-rate it and I paid the full $25; so it could go either way for you.
All you can do is ask but keep in mind that the $25 membership is not due on your anniversary date, it is due Jan. 1 regardless of when you join up.
Just a couple things to consider.
APA is the main show around here. There is not much other choices unless someone wants to drive a good distance.
I say try it out for a session, or two, and if you don't like it then don't continue.
I will say that I feel you get more than a quarterly magizine with your subscription. You also get a patch! j/k... Seriously though, several establishments in my area offer deals and discounts to league players. One place offers free table time certain times during the week, another place offers 50% cost of table time to league players, one local cue repair guy offers a 10% discount for APA members... I'm sure there are others, but those discounts alone can make the price of membership worth the investment.
Good luck with whatwever you decide-
J.
I say try it out for a session, or two, and if you don't like it then don't continue.
I will say that I feel you get more than a quarterly magizine with your subscription. You also get a patch! j/k... Seriously though, several establishments in my area offer deals and discounts to league players. One place offers free table time certain times during the week, another place offers 50% cost of table time to league players, one local cue repair guy offers a 10% discount for APA members... I'm sure there are others, but those discounts alone can make the price of membership worth the investment.
Good luck with whatwever you decide-
J.
Six Shooter, thanks. I didn't know that it starts in January,If I don't get pro rated, I guess i will wait for 4 more months to join in Jan.
Regards,
Remember, the $25 fee is your annual membership for the APA. You will also have to pay weekly fees, most commonly the players that play on a given week pay 1/5th of the weekly team dues, usually $40. (Some teams divide it other ways, so I've heard.) I pay $8 each week, only on the weeks that I actually play a match.
APA Membership does give you discounts on hotels and rent-a-cars, and with some other businesses, they are listed on their web page. Yes, you can probably negotiate larger discounts with some of these companies, but then again, maybe you can't. It doesn't hurt having that lower rate available to you.
Good luck. Make the most of it, as to what matters to you personally. Try to not listen to all the noise here on AZB, at least until you see how it works in your particular area. Experiences vary greatly, depending on how a given League Operator runs his territory. Mine is pretty good, the next one might be pretty crappy. Find out for yourself, before you buy into what "everybody" says...
APA Membership does give you discounts on hotels and rent-a-cars, and with some other businesses, they are listed on their web page. Yes, you can probably negotiate larger discounts with some of these companies, but then again, maybe you can't. It doesn't hurt having that lower rate available to you.
Good luck. Make the most of it, as to what matters to you personally. Try to not listen to all the noise here on AZB, at least until you see how it works in your particular area. Experiences vary greatly, depending on how a given League Operator runs his territory. Mine is pretty good, the next one might be pretty crappy. Find out for yourself, before you buy into what "everybody" says...
i joined the apa last year at the end of july knowing i had to renew at the 1st of the year.
i know the economy is bad but i dont think 25.00 for the rest of the year is too bad of an investment for getting out playing pool and meeting new people and making new friends.
if i had waited until the 1st of the year i would have missed out on winning the top gun and qualifying for the singles regional which i attended and had a good time.
DolphinNoSharks
New member
Depending on when you join, they don't pro-rate the first year but they may pro-rate the 2nd.
Two of our members joined during the fall session last year and paid $15 for the 2nd year. I don't remember the exact month but it was during the last session of the year.
Two of our members joined during the fall session last year and paid $15 for the 2nd year. I don't remember the exact month but it was during the last session of the year.
If you join the APA after August 15th, you will pay the $25 membership fee for the remainder of the 2011 year but when the 2012 membership fee of $25 is due in January they then pro-rate your fee to $15 for that year. Hope this helps to clarify the membership fee questions.
Are you saying the measure of value in a league organization is the size of the magazine they send you?
^^^ That is an awesome post and spot on.
Your particular league operator has everything to do with how your league is run, and if it is fun and fair.....or not. The national org has little bearing on any of that.
Give it a try, its always better to be playing than not, and always good to play live competition with different styles. And your LO and area players might just be a fun group and you won't know until you give it a try.
I'll politely disagree. If you're a beginner and have never played any type of league format before, then APA, TAP, or VNEA may be the best choices for you to start with, and it will improve your game. Any type of competition will improve your game, as long as you take it seriously!
I realize that most players in here think that the APA is useless and evil, but that's just not true. To many others, it has led to great times and great friendships! To a beginner, the first time they go to Vegas for Nationals, it's the biggest tournament they've ever been to and they're completely overwhelmed with excitement. Many of them become hooked and decide to become the best player they can be. Eventually, they'll outgrow the APA (although not necessary) and graduate to a higher level of play like in the BCA.
The BCA format is more for advanced players. It is best to be an APA 7 or of higher skill level, to form a team that would do well in Vegas. It is like the old expression...you must learn to walk (APA), before you can run (BCA)! I realize that there are teams in the BCA out there with intermediate skill leveled players, so don't crucify me. I'm not saying that the league is strictly for advanced players. I'm just saying that since there is no point cap for skill levels, you can put the strongest players together and those are the teams that will do the best.
Sflguy, my suggestion to you is to go ahead and get into the APA. Get your feet wet in that league and let that be your stepping stone to other leagues that offer a higher level of competition. Depending on your current skill level, you will still encounter some strong competition in the APA! There are plenty of real good players within the APA, regardless of what people in this forum like to say!
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Afraid I have to disagree withe "won't improve your game a whole lot" comment. In any league, and in any game, a player will improve based on their will and drive to improve. If the player wants to improve in APA, or any other league, they need to have the drive to work, practice, and improve.
They can learn from the better players on their team, learn from players on other teams, or go outside the teams and meet the better players who are regulars at the halls they play in. It just requires initiative, and it doesn't matter that they are choosing APA, BCA, or some bar leauge.
In my aread, I learn alot from my team captains, who are competent players, but not money/bar players at all, and that's fine. These guys give me plenty of strategy advice, and give me plenty of challenge when practicing. I was a decent player before entering APA, now I'm definitely a more solid player after joining the APA.
Putting the above aside, I've also come to know all the "serious" players in my local halls, and when I want to work my more serious game, none of them have any problem practicing with me, helping me, and giving me advice. And these guys will do this with anybody in the APA, anybody who seriously wants to improve.
Yes, different leauges can attract certain types of players, and I expect some leagues to have somewhat of a higher proportion of strong players than leagues like APA. However, if the original person likes what the APA has to offer, then they will lose nothing by playing in the APA... And unless there is something different with the player makeup of their region compared to the other regions, they will have plenty of people to tap to improve their game as far as they want to take it.
Of course, many people on AZ are money players who play traditional TE 9-ball and one-pocket. Many of those players complain that APA doesn't have real 9-ball. It's true that APA has it's own 9-ball game that is just a points game for the win based on the total number of pocketed balls for each player. But nothing stops a player from applying TE 9-ball strategies and technique in their APA games; the points ultimately rule the match, but I play like I'm playing plain ol' 9-ball... Nothing is stopping me from doing so.
I guess I could just have said that any person will get everything out of APA that they put into it. It will take time to settle in, meet people, and to find the right people to get advice from, but that would be true whether they did it via APA or any other leauge.
Cheers.
I agree with you that the APA appeals more to the beginner level players than the BCA pool league and nationals can be quite an experience.
The BCA format is more for advanced players, and that's why so many outgrow the APA. Where I'd differ from you is that the BCA pool league appeals to the 5, 6, and 7 level players. Don't forget the BCA pool league has many different divisions: Open level, Advanced Level, Master Level, Grand Master Level, and even Pro level too. Oh, and for the lower level pool players they also have the Trophy level too, which can appeal to APA 3, 4's and above. So the BCA pool league provides an even more exquisite experience! This is especially true since the pro pool players are right there at the event, and your team can go to the BCA pool league National Championships every year and compete, if they so desire. They are not excluded, but instead it's the player's choice, which is so much more preferred by the pool players across the country.
There is more money provided back to the BCA pool players, and the membership fee is only $15 / year all of the time.
Having access to the right knowledge can be so useful to seek out as you pursue the best option for your pool playing future.
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Thanks for your input. See, you're never to old to learn something new.
I did not know about all the different levels in the BCA. I've only played BCA in Nebraska and Virginia, and in both locations they must have only had an open division. There were teams with many players of different skill levels, but like I said before, it was the team made up of the highest skill levels that did the best. I've never had the opportunity to go to Vegas for BCA. Only for APA. I do like the fact that you don't have to qualify for Vegas in the BCA. You just pay your entry fee and go. At least that's what I've been told.