Vegas Jr Nationals - one step closer

[hang-the-9]

For those that have read this http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=316749 , my son has qualified for BEF nationals his first try. In a few weeks is the MA Jr State Championships which is also a qualifier tournament, since he's qualified, we just need to go there to get the State Champion title!

Thanks to everyone that donated, $155 so far, plus a cool AZBilliards patch for him to wear there, and Mr. Bishop is making him a cue to use there. Which he has not stopped talking about, what will it look like? he knows I like a linen wrap right? can I start telling my friends about it?

If you're from N.E. area, I also have a post about the fund raiser the league is putting on the the kids to go to Vegas, http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=317825 we have had the largest group of kids in the country in the Jr Nationals last year, and two of our girl players finished in the top 10 or 8, including one of the youngest members, Iris who I think was 9. If you can, stop by, play in the tournament, get some raffle tickets, eat the yummy food

 

[bdorman]

Best of luck to your son!

Will you be able to record video any of his matches? (although you probably shouldn't tell him he's being recorded; freaks some people out).

 

[hang-the-9]

Best of luck to your son!

Will you be able to record video any of his matches? (although you probably shouldn't tell him he's being recorded; freaks some people out).

Yes, I will record and take pics of his matches in Vegas. I also have a few pics form the qualifier. Unfortunately I will not be around for the MA State Champ tournament, but his uncle, who is a good pool player himself and has gone to Vegas for the APA a few times, will be there to coach and take pics/video from that event in a few weeks.

TAR is also doing the streaming for the Jr Nationals so he may end up on the streaming table Last year when he lost his 2nd match, the winner ended up going to the streaming table, he still remembers that and really wants to do better there to get a chance at being streamed.

 

[Banks]

Thanks to everyone that donated, $155 so far, plus a cool AZBilliards patch for him to wear there, and Mr. Bishop is making him a cue to use there. Which he has not stopped talking about, what will it look like? he knows I like a linen wrap right? can I start telling my friends about it?

$100 coming your way, courtesy of a lucky finish at nationals. :thumbup:

 

[hang-the-9]

$100 coming your way, courtesy of a lucky finish at nationals. :thumbup:

:wub:

I have to say again, Alex is LOVING this coming from the forums, he feels like he is winning the lottery every time I tell him about something that the forum members are doing to help, his face lights up in this unbelieving and happy glow. He'll remember this for the rest of his life, I'm sure that he'll be telling stories to his kids as he's teaching them to play about how AZBilliards members helped him go on a trip to Jr Nationals years ago.

And I see Banks you're a fellow D-Bag also. In that case, I salute you with the semi-official D-Bag greeting: "Up Your's, A$$HOLE!"

For totals from AZ members, plus my son's saving for this and my Joss cue sale (plus I have a guitar I have not used in a while that is about to get sold today), we're at about $650 after ebay fees.

When I did a quick check at a travel site, to stay at the Rio where the tournament is for 4 days is about $880 including plane fare not counting food which I'm guessing is $80 a day for two or so, so about half way there.

 

[eddie0776]

I will post some pics sometime this week I hope of the cues progress

 

[hang-the-9]

My son told one of his teachers he qualified for the Nationals, they made a school wide announcement over the PA system about it :smile:

I remember we were in a meeting with some of his teachers and we were talking about what he likes to do and that he competes at pool at a pretty good level in his age group, one of the said that they should be making announcements for him like they do with other kids to do national gymnastics tournaments and such.

Looks like they followed through and did a school announcement for a pool tournament :thumbup:

Ed, can't wait to see how the cue is looking :grin-loving::woot:

 

[hang-the-9]

Seems I misread the trip cost, I looked at the per person cost when I did it.

It's over $1,600 for the both of us, so we still need to raise 1k by July.

 

[Island Drive]

Vegas

I always thought Vegas was set up more for adult entertainment. Is this really where the industry wants the children to go for their events? I always think of the 2 Hardwick girls playing in a smoking bar/poolroom at the ages of 8 & 10 for their Jr. National Finals, just doesn't feel right.

 

[saddlebow]

actually, this is going to be a step up for a lot of reasons. I agree that playing in a smoke filled casino isn't exactly the message we want to send, but this year should bethe best in a long time.
CSI and BEF can speak more to the particulars, but the Jr. Nationals will be happening while there are literally thousands of amateur and pro players in the same venue, the venue itself is a convention center, not a casino, and the kids will be able to have some exposure to the rest of the pool world and get to play on first class equipment.
I've travelled to the jr nationals and jr worlds with my son for the last five years, and the differences between the quality of facility here and the rest of the world is staggering. Five years ago, the jr worlds, hosted by the USA, were in Reno at a casino that was exactly what you describe. It was embarrassing to see the elite junior players of the world having to fend off panhandlers and fight their way through a fog of stale smoke. The next year, the worlds were in Nicaragua, and all of the kids were treated like visiting diplomats, the facilities were first class, and so was the organization. Same thing in following years in Poland and Germany. The jr nationals have usually been at a midwestern college, where the equipment can be randomly good or bad, and where the finals were played on tables with red or black cloth and bad lights, with a bowling alley in full use in the next room.
This year, for the first time, the juniors will have the benefit of professional level organization and the best equipment available, some serious exposure and a chance to highlight the best of our young players, and in turn give them a chance to hang with the pros and expose the BEF junior program to a lot of players who have kids who may want to play as well. On balance, this is a real step forward, and I for one hope that it's successful enough that it stays attached to this kind of tournament in the future.
And it's not your father's Vegas any more…..

 

[billiarded]

I always thought Vegas was set up more for adult entertainment. Is this really where the industry wants the children to go for their events? I always think of the 2 Hardwick girls playing in a smoking bar/poolroom at the ages of 8 & 10 for their Jr. National Finals, just doesn't feel right.

Why are we bringing young players to Las Vegas?

Thank you for supporting the Billiard Education Foundation and our Junior National 9-Ball Championships.

The decision to hold this year’s national championships in Las Vegas was definitely a serious one and was voted upon by the entire BEF Board of Trustees. It was not taken lightly. Being the 25th anniversary of the event, we really wanted to create the most memorable experience for the kids.

Benefits
Over the past few years, as Junior Nationals has grown, it had become increasingly difficult to find a venue (college campus or pool room) that fit the criteria to host an event of this size, with enough tables, seating, and was affordable to travel to and stay. Thanks to the support from CSI and the Rio, this year’s event will offer world class equipment, a chance to play alongside the pros, pool clinics all week with the pros, live streaming in HD, live scoring, online brackets, and ultimately more fundraising opportunities for the BEF. Opportunities that the BEF otherwise would not have been able to fund alone.

Rio Convention Center
Vegas has become more and more family friendly these days. The Rio is off the strip and the convention center is set away from the gambling area. Many casino convention centers have hosted a variety of junior sporting events ranging from volleyball, cheer leading, wrestling, and more. In fact, the 2008 & 2010 WPA World Junior 9-Ball Championships were held at the Sands in Reno, NV.

The Future
These facts were all taken into consideration when the board voted. The response has been overwhelmingly positive to this year’s venue and we are expecting our biggest turnout ever. We do not know at this time where next year’s event will be held. Our options are open. Our goal is to promote pool for the kids and give them the best opportunities we can.

Curfew
Las Vegas curfew states that children under 18 may not be out past 10PM on weekdays and midnight on weekends unless accompanied by an adult. I would expect this at any venue, regardless of the location.

We are looking forward to an exciting Junior Nationals and thank you all for your support. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this matter further, please do not hesitate to contact us.