So i got a letter in the mail to play in US amateur championships....

daimion

daimion

Something Clever...
Silver Member
Yup got my mail after work and there was a parchment paper like envelope that grabbed me due to the texture. i open it up and its an invite to play in the us amateur championship. with the typical non sense in it. i figure ill give it a go. but i have been fairly inactive in playing due to a personal business and degrading health. with that being said i would really love to give it a good run before anything drastic happens but want to really give it all i got. could anyone help by telling me some of the better instructional videos on 9ball on 4.5x9 tables? covering all facets? break position speed drills etc. thanks for all your help azb!!!
 
U.S. Amatuer

By the way that is a dual format tournament.Whoever wins the lag picks the first format 8 or 9 ball. Race to sevenin elimination rounds max of 5 8ball.
 
Yep, got one also. My friends go every year, get their butts kicked and then go back every year. They have a great time.
 
daimion said:
Yup got my mail after work and there was a parchment paper like envelope that grabbed me due to the texture. i open it up and its an invite to play in the us amateur championship. with the typical non sense in it. i figure ill give it a go. but i have been fairly inactive in playing due to a personal business and degrading health. with that being said i would really love to give it a good run before anything drastic happens but want to really give it all i got. could anyone help by telling me some of the better instructional videos on 9ball on 4.5x9 tables? covering all facets? break position speed drills etc. thanks for all your help azb!!!
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You must be special. My application came in an over size shiny envelope and printed on the same type of paper. The type of paper that magazines are made of and can't be recycled because of the clay that is mixed in the paper. It is the lowest grade of paper that has been recycled many times and is beyond further use. The clay is what makes the paper shiny and also makes it hard to write on. If it didn't have the big words "US Amateur Championship" on it I would have tossed it as it looked like junk mail.

Any instructional tape will help but you also need to enter tournaments and get use to playing against players that are not like the casual recreation players that are in the APA Leagues.




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Us am

So, if you are invited the you don't have to win a qualifier? Are is this invitation to a qualifier?
 
I got one too and I believe it's an invitation to play in a qualifier. I read through it and didn't see anything about airfare. It stated that hotel accomodations would be paid to the winner of the qualifier but nothing about the travel. Does anyone know if it's included when you win the qualifier? Any money from the qualifier? Anything besides the worthless trophy for first place? Yeah, the trophy looks cool and all but I kinda like money better. Just wondering and thanks for any answers anyone can provide.
 
JolietJames...You should throw the paper away. This tournament is not for you. It is for the players who DO value the "worthless" trophy...and the ones who just enjoy a higher level of competition. APA has never been "about the money"...and the US Amateur isn't either.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JolietJames said:
I got one too and I believe it's an invitation to play in a qualifier. I read through it and didn't see anything about airfare. It stated that hotel accomodations would be paid to the winner of the qualifier but nothing about the travel. Does anyone know if it's included when you win the qualifier? Any money from the qualifier? Anything besides the worthless trophy for first place? Yeah, the trophy looks cool and all but I kinda like money better. Just wondering and thanks for any answers anyone can provide.
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cycopath said:
So, if you are invited the you don't have to win a qualifier? Are is this invitation to a qualifier?
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Basically it is an application (invitation?) for a qualifier.

The problem is APA is usually based on BB and this tournament is on 9 ft tables. Jumping is allowed. The competition is very good. If you are not capable of doing a B&R in 8 or 9 ball on a 9 ft table or being able to run out on an open table your chances of advancing are zero.

No matter how good you are it is a good weekend to be with and meet other players. There is a lot that can be learned and the experience is great. Most players usually return. It is not easy to become a qualifier and being able to go to Tampa to play with the nations best amateurs is "priceless." One person at our qualifier made an offer to one of my buddies. They were playing in the hot seat and he said that he couldn't to go to Tampa. He said if he won he would let my buddy claim to be the winner with the condition that he still got the trophy. Players try for years to earn that chance.



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Scott nailed it.. It's all about the spirit of competition. I've played in the qualifier one time and had a great time.. Was one game away from qualifying for the big tourney but the dog in me showed up..

Regardless, it was a great time and I'd do it again if time allowed!
 
Heck the fact that it's played on 9 footers is the thing that got me interested. Sorry Scott, I should have written "valueless trophy" and I almost did. Not sure how much I could get for something like that on ebay. I'm sure it is worth something, like I said it does look cool. I just happen to value my time and especially my weekends so I like compensation for that time. You're right about the apa -it isn't for me. The problem is our last pool hall is closing June 1st and I may be stuck playing leagues if I want to see my pool friends after that. I am buying one of the GCs from the hall though so I can at least play real pool at home. It's not easy getting people to play for money on your home table though. Not that I want most of them to know where I live in the first place ha!
So can anyone answer my questions about the tourney without judging me and my lack of trophylovingness?
 
TheBook said:
Basically it is an application (invitation?) for a qualifier.

The problem is APA is usually based on BB and this tournament is on 9 ft tables. Jumping is allowed. The competition is very good. If you are not capable of doing a B&R in 8 or 9 ball on a 9 ft table or being able to run out on an open table your chances of advancing are zero.

No matter how good you are it is a good weekend to be with and meet other players. There is a lot that can be learned and the experience is great. Most players usually return.
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This is right on.

The flyer the OP got was nothing more than an open entry form. Anyone can sign up for a qualifier. Basically, you sign up for a Q, to be played in September. Depending on the size of the field, there will be so many slots awarded i.e. 80 players would get around 6 slots. The 6 people that win qualifiers advance to the "championship round", in November, in Tampa (this year).

The qualifiers aren't easy. I would say that if you don't play at least "B" speed or can average 1-2 break and runs on a 9 ft table, in a race to 7, you're not gonna qualify. it is also a combination of 8 ball and 9 ball, so you should be well versed in both games.

At the championship level, if you don't play "high A to low Open speed", you have little chance of going deep. The last 2 years, both winners were Open speed or "shortstop" level, meaning they can cash at a "pro level event", i.e. Seminole Tour.


Eric
 
JolietJames said:
Heck the fact that it's played on 9 footers is the thing that got me interested. Sorry Scott, I should have written "valueless trophy" and I almost did. Not sure how much I could get for something like that on ebay. I'm sure it is worth something, like I said it does look cool. I just happen to value my time and especially my weekends so I like compensation for that time. You're right about the apa -it isn't for me. The problem is our last pool hall is closing June 1st and I may be stuck playing leagues if I want to see my pool friends after that. I am buying one of the GCs from the hall though so I can at least play real pool at home. It's not easy getting people to play for money on your home table though. Not that I want most of them to know where I live in the first place ha!
So can anyone answer my questions about the tourney without judging me and my lack of trophylovingness?
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You only get paid hotel. The airfare is on you (food, booze and hookers are on your dime too).

Trust me, the qualifiers are not full of APA bangers, don't look down your nose on it. I have no idea how you play, but if you are not the #1 or #2 player in your local league, you prolly wouldn't be able to win a qualifier, let alone worry about fading expenses to Tampa.

Give it a shot and let me know how you make out.


Eric
 
JolietJames...Hey I wasn't judging you. You did that to yourself, saying that it (pool) is all about the $$$...to you! I just clued you in that this tournament (like everything run by the APA) is NOT about the money. If you decide to play, I wish you luck. Like Eric said, it's not an easy tournament to win...let alone qualify for.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

JolietJames said:
So can anyone answer my questions about the tourney without judging me and my lack of trophylovingness?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks guys. I'm not the best in the area and probably won't be with Mike Bandy and Jeff Sergeant in town. We have at least four apa national champs in our area so maybe I'll give it a shot. At least I get to play guys like that for only $50. BTW I have plans to embarrass myself this weekend as I challenge Jeff for the AZB illinois crown. At least it will let me know where I stand. He torched my buddy a couple months ago and Jeff actually likes him so he'll be playing for blood against me lol.
I just remembered my sister lives in FL so if I happen to qualify I get to visit my family. There's some incentive and it's not even money! Now I can be judged as a guy who loves money and his family. That's got to be an upgrade of sorts.
 
JolietJames said:
Thanks guys. I'm not the best in the area and probably won't be with Mike Bandy and Jeff Sergeant in town. We have at least four apa national champs in our area so maybe I'll give it a shot. At least I get to play guys like that for only $50. BTW I have plans to embarrass myself this weekend as I challenge Jeff for the AZB illinois crown. At least it will let me know where I stand. He torched my buddy a couple months ago and Jeff actually likes him so he'll be playing for blood against me lol.
I just remembered my sister lives in FL so if I happen to qualify I get to visit my family. There's some incentive and it's not even money! Now I can be judged as a guy who loves money and his family. That's got to be an upgrade of sorts.
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I hope you do try it, you sound like a pool junkie, like the rest of us.

Tell Sarge I said hello too.


Eric
 
JolietJames said:
Heck the fact that it's played on 9 footers is the thing that got me interested. Sorry Scott, I should have written "valueless trophy" and I almost did. Not sure how much I could get for something like that on ebay. I'm sure it is worth something, like I said it does look cool. I just happen to value my time and especially my weekends so I like compensation for that time. You're right about the apa -it isn't for me. The problem is our last pool hall is closing June 1st and I may be stuck playing leagues if I want to see my pool friends after that. I am buying one of the GCs from the hall though so I can at least play real pool at home. It's not easy getting people to play for money on your home table though. Not that I want most of them to know where I live in the first place ha!
So can anyone answer my questions about the tourney without judging me and my lack of trophylovingness?
Click to expand...

If my memory serves me correctly, the regional winner recieve accomodations and the National Champion recieves entry into the US open as well. There is no cash. However, for the last 2 players from the qualifier that i played in, the pool hall offered up some "sponorship money" to help offset the cost of airfare.

But there is not any money, even at the National level.

Leagueguy
 
Im not trying to start anything, but where does all the money go?
Correct me if Im wrong but its $40 to get into a qualifier, and if you qualify that gets you into a the "Main" event, where the winner of it all gets a trophy and a $500 entry into the us open
 
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