WPBA changes

Johnnyt said:
One more thing they should change while going to 48 players is a 45 sec shot clock with one extention a game and finish in 2 days...not 4 or 5. Johnnyt
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I certainly hope they wouldn't put in a shot clock. Completely ruins the flow of the match and takes away from some great safety play in my opinion. Been to numerous WPBA events and almost all of the time on matches I have watched that have been put on a shot clock (30 sec), it was due to the fact it was running late, not because of slow play, but because of all the BS over racking. Use the Magic Rack, whether or not they are payng sponsor or not.
 
I am going to copy Shayla on this one :[DISCLAIMER: These are my own thoughts and do not reflect the thoughts of my regional tour!]

Okay, here is my take on this change, in regards to it's impact on regional tour players. Back in the days when I interested in a WPBA spot, the top player from each tour was given an exemption for all events but Vegas (but you had to pay your own way), the spot would be offered down the list as it was declined. Additionally, each tour was given qualifiers to be won by players at most of their events and the RTC offered one player paid spots for the whole year. This format was changed several years ago when they made the exemption changes to the WPBA rankings and realized that they did not have enough spots available to provide as qualifiers. So, the RTC was changed to be a qualifying event for all available spots the WPBA had to offer (except the ones that were declined). All players were required to play all or most of the year on a regional qualifying tour to be offered a spot to the event.

As I agree with the changes overall to the health of the WPBA organization, it's their math that I think will cause an issue with the number of qualifiers again. With 48 spots, they will have 32 exempt players. There practice in the past was to provide the host location 2 spots to provide to players of their choosing - I am assumming that this has not changed. This leaves 14 regional player spots. There are currently 9 WPBA sanctioned tours listed on the WPBA website to which they would be providing one exemption to per tour. This only leaves 5 spots per event to provide a qualifier to amoung 9 tours. So, if they have 4 events in 2011, they will be able to provide only 20 qualifiers per year to 9 tours. I did not take into account if any tours form or any international regional tours that may exist in 2011.

Second, with the regional tours, only the first or potientially second ranked player would be offered the spot. If both players decline, then the WPBA is given back the spot, which I would assume would be added back into the qualifiers pool. Using the OB tour as an example, the talent runs very deep into the field. Over half of the top ten ranked players have the ability to perform well in a WPBA field. However, looking back on the past few years, on any particular year, the top two players could easily have no interest in attending WPBA events. I really think that the spot should take into acccount more than just the first or second ranked player for the year before it gets handed back to the WPBA.
 
The qualifiers situation is going to be a mess. You'll have tours all jockeying for the handful of qualifiers. There's also a huge issue with representatives based on taking the points leaders from each tour. The OB tour has something like 3-4x the number of participants that the AWBT has, but in the eyes of the WPBA, they will be equal (no offense intended toward the AWBT).

If there are players on the OB tour that are serious about wanting to make the WPBA tour, they'd be far better off moving to Arizona, Oregon or SoCal than trying to reach #1 against 100+ players. Take a look at the AWBT tour points race. You've got a total of 25 players listed and of those 25, only 6 played in all six of their events.
 
This tread has familiar sounds of Don Mackey and the current Big Mac/Smack in the face of ''agenda minded board members''. Sounds like it's ''time for a change''. The gals have so much marketing potential in today's business climate, it's a loss for the WPBA if the OLD SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS....think doing business as usual is best for their sport. Who would of thought McDonalds would be selling Burritos when they made billions on hamburgers. Businesses to survive have to EVOLVE. Any successful business that sticks to their same business model is doomed for failure because of market change.

TAKE CARE OF THE SPORT FIRST....IT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

History:
The gals walked away from playing with the men I think in the 91 US Open, or could of been 92, I was there and Barry had a private party for players only at that time to acknowledge this occurrence. My point is by walking away from the men pros, they helped the sport immensely.... in turn what happened with the men, they started whining/complaining because their thinking was, we play better therefore we should be on tv. Well the gals helped themselves and our sport by doing this business change, yet they seem now, worse off than they were 15-20 yrs ago, something is holding them back, wonder what it is? Seems clear to many.
It's difficult to see where you want to go in life when your always treading water.
 
Island Drive said:
This tread has familiar sounds of Don Mackey and the current Big Mac/Smack in the face of ''agenda minded board members''. Sounds like it's ''time for a change''. The gals have so much marketing potential in today's business climate, it's a loss for the WPBA if the OLD SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS....think doing business as usual is best for their sport. Who would of thought McDonalds would be selling Burritos when they made billions on hamburgers. Businesses to survive have to EVOLVE. Any successful business that sticks to their same business model is doomed for failure because of market change.

TAKE CARE OF THE SPORT FIRST....IT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU.

History:
The gals walked away from playing with the men I think in the 91 US Open, or could of been 92, I was there and Barry had a private party for players only at that time to acknowledge this occurrence. My point is by walking away from the men pros, they helped the sport immensely.... in turn what happened with the men, they started whining/complaining because their thinking was, we play better therefore we should be on tv. Well the gals helped themselves and our sport by doing this business change, yet they seem now, worse off than they were 15-20 yrs ago, something is holding them back, wonder what it is? Seems clear to many.
It's difficult to see where you want to go in life when your always treading water.
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Actually Bill the split occurred after the L.A. Open in 1992. That event had two divisions playing side by side, a men's and a women's. It was a highly successful event, with large crowds and great media support. The women got extensive coverage in the SoCal area including feature articles in major newspapers and appearances on local TV. The finals of both events were given equal time coverage on ESPN. The men (Mackey) didn't like this and let me know in no uncertain terms I could not have two divisions the following year. After that the women decided to go their own separate way. And so did I! I never did business with Mackey and the MPBA again.

P.S. Total prize money was $140,000! All paid immediately! Not one penny owed for one day! And Mackey effectively killed that event forever!
 
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Politics and all the rest aside......

I sure do miss the days when the ladies and men played side-by-side. I really enjoyed those events. I hope at some point we can do that again. Now, I understand the reasons why this all happened and I'm not going into the wrong or right of it, all I'm saying is, man, I miss those days!

Tammie Jones
 
jay helfert said:
Actually Bill the split occurred after the L.A. Open in 1992. That event had two divisions playing side by side, a men's and a women's. It was a highly successful event, with large crowds and great media support. The women got extensive coverage in the SoCal area including feature articles in major newspapers and appearances on local TV. The finals of both events were given equal time coverage on ESPN. The men (Mackey) didn't like this and let me know in no uncertain terms I could not have two divisions the following year. After that the women decided to go their own separate way. And so did I! I never did business with Mackey and the MPBA again.

P.S. Total prize money was $140,000! All paid immediately! Not one penny owed for one day! And Mackey effectively killed that event forever!
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Well I got my yrs somewhat correct, thx, it then must of been their announcing to the US Open event their departure. Maybe that's the effective business model to explore in today's market, men/women together again, would sure cut down on some expenses and allot of other tangible ideas could/would come from this change, we all know, men like women and women like men, so why can't we all get along again....FOR THE SPORT, the sport will take care of itself, it's no different than raising a child, it's got allot of good, just needs huge amounts of attention and nurturing.
 
What needs to change is the all about myself mentality that most pool players seem to have.
The WPBA was working when the ladies were working together, now that it is not happening like it used to, everyone suffers.
 
Eieio59 said:
Politics and all the rest aside......

I sure do miss the days when the ladies and men played side-by-side. I really enjoyed those events. I hope at some point we can do that again. Now, I understand the reasons why this all happened and I'm not going into the wrong or right of it, all I'm saying is, man, I miss those days!

Tammie Jones
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Here's a thought, have the top 16 women pros play their major events along side various selected men's pro events and then keep the 48 players where they are at till they reach that top tier.
 
Just a random thought ...

It sounds like with the smaller fields, you will have less touring pros is in the wpba. If anything that might mean that the average level of play will come up. In my opinion the level of play, of the field, has become watered down over recent years. The top girls Still play very well, But the bottom half of the field could very well still play in amatuer events.


Eric
 
Eric. said:
Just a random thought ...

It sounds like with the smaller fields, you will have less touring pros is in the wpba. If anything that might mean that the average level of play will come up. In my opinion the level of play, of the field, has become watered down over recent years. The top girls Still play very well, But the bottom half of the field could very well still play in amatuer events.


Eric
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Valid point, the local amateur tours nationwide for men are very tough and good training grounds for the young ladies....maybe points could be awarded according to the tour difficulty also, their costs could easily be minimized by going this route. I know the tour that Dennis Hatch has honed his game on is a good blood test for ANY top woman pro. The men pros have their events that award ranking points, why not utilize men's semipro events to award amateur women players ranking points, bring em in to the mix one way or another it can only help the game.
 
Unacceptable

What the WPBA has done is completely unacceptable. There has been so many girls coming up to me (especially last weekend at the WPBA Amateurs) expressing how upset they are and that they feel cheated, including myself. Many girls flew to other states just so they can play in the regional tour championship. Any company can not lay out the rules for the year and than change them at the end of the year. It is ILLEGAL. There has to be something done about this. It is ridiculous the amount of time and expenses that so many girls have spent going after something that the WPBA established itself, and then changing the rules at the end of the year like it is not a problem. It is a HUGE PROBLEM and something should be done to fix it. Otherwise you will have at least 100 pissed off girls or who knows what else.
If they want to change the rules, they can, but it has to be done next year. The timing of this has screwed at least over 100 girls!
 
QueenB said:
What the WPBA has done is completely unacceptable. There has been so many girls coming up to me (especially last weekend at the WPBA Amateurs) expressing how upset they are and that they feel cheated, including myself. Many girls flew to other states just so they can play in the regional tour championship. Any company can not lay out the rules for the year and than change them at the end of the year. It is ILLEGAL. There has to be something done about this. It is ridiculous the amount of time and expenses that so many girls have spent going after something that the WPBA established itself, and then changing the rules at the end of the year like it is not a problem. It is a HUGE PROBLEM and something should be done to fix it. Otherwise you will have at least 100 pissed off girls or who knows what else.
If they want to change the rules, they can, but it has to be done next year. The timing of this has screwed at least over 100 girls!
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Borana, since you're no doubt a WPBA member, why not get in contact with all the girls you met at the Amateurs as well as the members in your neck of the woods. If you can show a majority or at least a significant number of players against this, I would think you could bring some form of petition to the Board for the RTC to be restored. Also, you may want to check into the WPBA by-laws to see if there are any allowances to call for member votes or if a grievance can be filed.
 
As much as it sucks for the girls on the regional tours (myself included), and those so close to being in the top 48, I think the WPBA had to do this to stay alive. Sponsorship money has been drying up and the number of annual events has declined. I'm sure it was not an easy decision for the board to make, but it's the right one at the right time. The WPBA is one of only a few professional women's sporting organizations that I would certainly hate to see vanish, and I commend the board for doing what it felt it had to in order to remain solvent and relevant. Personally, I would rather see the WPBA make an attempt to thrive in a harsh economic environment, than to see it's possible demise.
 
Brklyn said:
As much as it sucks for the girls on the regional tours (myself included), and those so close to being in the top 48, I think the WPBA had to do this to stay alive. Sponsorship money has been drying up and the number of annual events has declined. I'm sure it was not an easy decision for the board to make, but it's the right one at the right time. The WPBA is one of only a few professional women's sporting organizations that I would certainly hate to see vanish, and I commend the board for doing what it felt it had to in order to remain solvent and relevant. Personally, I would rather see the WPBA make an attempt to thrive in a harsh economic environment, than to see it's possible demise.
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the changes are not the problem, just wait until after this years RTC

Is it really that hard
 
Brklyn said:
As much as it sucks for the girls on the regional tours (myself included), and those so close to being in the top 48, I think the WPBA had to do this to stay alive. Sponsorship money has been drying up and the number of annual events has declined. I'm sure it was not an easy decision for the board to make, but it's the right one at the right time. The WPBA is one of only a few professional women's sporting organizations that I would certainly hate to see vanish, and I commend the board for doing what it felt it had to in order to remain solvent and relevant. Personally, I would rather see the WPBA make an attempt to thrive in a harsh economic environment, than to see it's possible demise.
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If this doesn't work, and who says it will??? then what's next?
 
REVOLUTION!

I mean, if i got shafted, the last thing i would do is shut up.

Make a stink.

Problem with making a stink is that you could get "fired"
But if it were me, if an organization was going to drop a big turd on me, i wouldn't want to be a part of it anyway.

If anything, that is why Jean Balukas will always have my respect.
Arguably the greatest female player told them to stuff it, and hasn't looked back since.

I'd talk to a lawyer and see if there is something illegal being done (since money was involved in false advertisement) to see if restitution is owed to me for money or potential moneys lost. (i assume girls all had to pay their dues, and then a lawyer can argue the "money spent" to attain regional rank theory)

It's one thing to get a turd dropped on you.
It's a different thing altogether to actually pay money to have it happen.

You could always just organize everyone together and vote everyone out.
That would definitely get their attention.

But how many girls are actually involved and concerned with the politics of these things?
I'm sure there are quite a few who don't care who are perfectly comfortable with getting walked on.
Otherwise, one has to wonder how these things happened in the first place.

At the very least, actions like these might get an explanation out of them.
 
SUPERSTAR said:
REVOLUTION!

I mean, if i got shafted, the last thing i would do is shut up.

Make a stink.

Problem with making a stink is that you could get "fired"
But if it were me, if an organization was going to drop a big turd on me, i wouldn't want to be a part of it anyway.

If anything, that is why Jean Balukas will always have my respect.
Arguably the greatest female player told them to stuff it, and hasn't looked back since.

I'd talk to a lawyer and see if there is something illegal being done (since money was involved in false advertisement) to see if restitution is owed to me for money or potential moneys lost. (i assume girls all had to pay their dues, and then a lawyer can argue the "money spent" to attain regional rank theory)

It's one thing to get a turd dropped on you.
It's a different thing altogether to actually pay money to have it happen.

You could always just organize everyone together and vote everyone out.
That would definitely get their attention.

But how many girls are actually involved and concerned with the politics of these things?
I'm sure there are quite a few who don't care who are perfectly comfortable with getting walked on.
Otherwise, one has to wonder how these things happened in the first place.

At the very least, actions like these might get an explanation out of them.
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all i can say is AMEN
 
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