WPBA-WTF does anyone know?

[CrisDeLaGarza]

I am one of those players that just earned my tour exemption this year. I, of course, hope that there will be many more events than the 2 that are currently confirmed and am disappointed that we don't have a more formal schedule at this point.

But, because I also work in an industry that involves planning large events and relying on outside sponsorship to support these events, I understand the limitations of the market right now. I might be slightly optimistic (or perhaps naive) but I do believe that if the WPBA experiences a drought of host locations this year, I am sure that this will be a temporary thing and am confident that the tour will not fall apart completely.

There are far too many hard working, dedicated people that care about the tour and the industry to let it fail completely. I only hope that the players are patient and supportive in these transitions because that will be an essential part of helping the tour continue. Negativity is only counterproductive.

I have been in contact with many board members in the past few months, on issues not related to the tour, and it has been apparent to me that they are hard at work exploring many new avenues and making a lot of changes that will make the tour run more like a business.

 

[SUPERSTAR]

I am one of those players that just earned my tour exemption this year. I, of course, hope that there will be many more events than the 2 that are currently confirmed and am disappointed that we don't have a more formal schedule at this point.

But, because I also work in an industry that involves planning large events and relying on outside sponsorship to support these events, I understand the limitations of the market right now. I might be slightly optimistic (or perhaps naive) but I do believe that if the WPBA experiences a drought of host locations this year, I am sure that this will be a temporary thing and am confident that the tour will not fall apart completely.

Always good to be optimistic.
What if it's not the market, but something else. Maybe the inner politics of the WPBA?
Could be disastrous.

How would you feel if your exemption was only good for 2 tournaments and you didn't get an exemption for the following year?

 

[pwd72s]

Anybody know if ESPN is still involved?

 

[unknownpro]

Does anyone know the requirements for sponsoring a Classic Tour event?

 

[Rich R.]

Does anyone know the requirements for sponsoring a Classic Tour event?

A lot of cash.

 

[FrogKissin]

Ok, so I am going to play devil's advocate and I don't really know this Anne - I am sure she is a wonderful person.

But if she was there for 3-4 years, as an outsider, look at where the WPBA was 4 yrs ago to where it is today.

Friends in the know tell me that only 1 event has been scheduled for 2010 so far. Is that true? And there might only be 4 events this year.

If that is the case, as hard as Anne was working, she wasn't getting the job done and a change was due. Obviously, the WPBA needs to grow not shrink to be a viable tour.

Ok - all of Anne's friends, fire away.

How about Anne fires away directly

Yes I resigned last month.

I started working for the WPBA in January of 2008. 2 years ago for those that don't have a calculator handy

One of the things I was NOT responsible for, signing up venues and sponsors, that task went directly to the Board of Directors - I was an office & event administrator.

The things I took care of were (taken directly from my resume):

Office and Event Administrator
• Supervised Professional Tournament Logistics and Administration:
 Event Public Relations; pre, during & post tournament
 Coordinating between Host Site, WPBA Site Logistics, Equipment Installers and WPBA Staff
 Professional Player Liaison between Host Site, Sponsors & Media
 Tracking Prize fund payouts and Player Rankings updates
• Merchandise Purchasing & Tracking
• Public Relations – General
• Bookkeeping
• WPBA Regional Tour Liaison
• Official WPBA Photographer
 Created Limited Edition Action Shot prints, including layout in Adobe Photoshop
 Created 2009 WPBA 8”x10” Exempt Professional Headshots for sale, including layout and insertion of all logo’s in Adobe Photoshop
 Two Action shots featured on the cover of Pool & Billiards Magazine (October 2009 and January 2010 editions)
 Action photos of players used for all WPBA tournament articles published in newspapers, magazines and online
• Sponsor relations
• Responsible for www.wpba.com content updates
• Official WPBA Tour Writer including all daily tournament updates, final Tournament in Review stories and the WPBA Insider – quarterly newsletter
• Clerical and database maintenance for all player and fan memberships
• Customer service for all players, fans, sponsors and media


(Note: website content updates meant that, I'm not a web designer but I did my best to make sure what you read was up to date)

Anyway, I took my work seriously and did the best I could. Thank goodness for Linda Pault, TSi Events, Melissa Herndon, Kristi Carter, Belinda Calhoun, Melanie Wignall, Steve Tipton and Mark Wilson - without whom the WPBA would have come to a grinding halt.

For those going to the RTC, I'll be there that Saturday, the 20th of February with my new Nikon D90 that my wonderful guy is buying for me. Come say hi!

I wish the WPBA all the best for 2010

 

[FrogKissin]

No offense to Anne, but until today, I had never heard of her. QUOTE]

No worries Watchez - no offense taken You're not necessary supposed to have "heard" of me. People behind the scenes running from one gear to another with the perverbial oil can in hand squirting the tin man to keep him going aren't the one's that you should be hearing about anyway The players are the focus and should be - which is why we all busted our tails so they had a medium by which to show off their talents and their personalities.

Peace, love & bagels!
Anne

 

[SUPERSTAR]

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn!

DOH!

 

[watchez]

So the Board of Directors is responsible for lining up the events and the sponsors - I apologize for jumping to the conclusion that it was the President's responsibility. I only assumed so from reading the WPBA website and info on the new president John Rousseau. I guess this was the changes that John Rousseau is quoted to be talking about.

Hopefully they will see the forest thru the trees and also elect Mark Griffin as the 7th board member.

http://www.wpba.com/pdfs/WPBA 1.7.09.pdf
Rousseau to lead WPBA in 2010
West Palm Beach, Fla. (Jan. 6, 2010) – The WPBA has a new president John
Rousseau. Rousseau is a recently-elected board member and ardent supporter
of the WPBA. Known by many of the WPBA players and others in the billiard
industry, Rousseau is a familiar and welcome face.
Rousseau brings years of successful business experience and management to
the board, in addition to his collegiate championships in three-cushion billiards,
14.1 and the national bowling championship. His dedication to women’s pool,
along with his excitement for the future of women’s pool will only enhance his
leadership. Rousseau officially took office as a board member on Jan. 1, and
already he has meetings setup with potential new venues.“These are challenging times, as we all know. But I feel I am up to that
challenge in fact, I welcome it!” said Rousseau. In addition to securing new
venues and sponsors, Rousseau intends to introduce new management and
business practices within the organization. “It’s because of the challenges that
we face that the WPBA must begin to operate more like a business. I know that
the changes will be difficult for some, but they are necessary as we move
forward.”
Rousseau is joined by three other newly-elected board members: Paul Brienza,
Tamre’ Geene’-Rogers, and Mimi McAndrews. Belinda Calhoun, well-known
veteran player will continue to serve on the new board. Dawn Hopkins, WPBA
President and player, resigned. She wished the new board good luck and
stated that she had personal matters that prevented her from continuing to
serve. “We are sorry to see Dawn leave, but she remains a valuable asset to the
board and the WPBA,” Rousseau commented. Hopkins will continue to
compete on the WPBA tour, and has offered the board her assistance as time
permits. The new board will meet later this month to discuss filling the vacancy
created by Hopkins’ departure, and to appoint the seventh board member atlarge
position.
#

 

[FrogKissin]

So the Board of Directors is responsible for lining up the events and the sponsors - I apologize for jumping to the conclusion that it was the President's responsibility.QUOTE]

LOL you appeared to jump the conclusion earlier that it was my job to line up venues & sponsors and your earlier statement (predicated on that assumption) "Friends in the know tell me that only 1 event has been scheduled for 2010 so far. Is that true? And there might only be 4 events this year. If that is the case, as hard as Anne was working, she wasn't getting the job done and a change was due. Obviously, the WPBA needs to grow not shrink to be a viable tour."........should now be followed by an apology to me since you now know that I was not, in fact, responsible for venue/sponsor negotiations

"Here I am, draggin' your sorry ass through the burnin' desert with your dreadlocks hanging out the back of my parachute. ... ... And what the hell is that smell!! I coulda' been at a barbeque! But it's alright.. it's alright" Will Smith from ID4

 

[Johnnyt]

I see on Jasmin's web site on her upcoming tournaments for the year that she has 09/15/10 TBA and 10/15/10 TBA pencieled in. So I would guess those are dates the WPBA knows/feels/hopes they will be able to fill. But no venue for them is mentioned. If I was a betting man :wink: I would bet they don't get anything close to a full field at Hardtimes for the Regional Championships unless they start taking #6, 7, 8, on each regional tour to replace some of the 1-5's that won't be going. Johnnyt

 

[CrisDeLaGarza]

Always good to be optimistic.
What if it's not the market, but something else. Maybe the inner politics of the WPBA?
Could be disastrous.

How would you feel if your exemption was only good for 2 tournaments and you didn't get an exemption for the following year?

I wouldn't say it's politics...I think it more has to do with the business model and I think the new board is seriously addressing that. The days of casino's just ponying up cash are long gone now that all businesses are cutting back on expenses.

If my exemption is only good for 2 tournaments, I'm fine with that. Typically there is something built into the qualifying process that allows those not finishing in the top 32 or 48 (or whatever the cut-off is that year) to qualify for the next year. If I can't consistently keep my exemption, then I don't belong there yet.

I look at it similarly to the way I view the seedings. Some have criticized because the top 16 are seeded and 17-32 are spaced in the brackets (saying that the WPBA protects their own, blah, blah, blah). You don't deserve the luxury if you aren't consistently beating the ones that are in those top seedings. Same is true for exemption. If I can't consistently stay in the top 32 or 48 or whatever, I don't deserve it yet. Someone else that plays better than me will get that spot, and if that happens, they deserved it more.

 

[watchez]

So the Board of Directors is responsible for lining up the events and the sponsors - I apologize for jumping to the conclusion that it was the President's responsibility.QUOTE]

LOL you appeared to jump the conclusion earlier that it was my job to line up venues & sponsors and your earlier statement (predicated on that assumption) "Friends in the know tell me that only 1 event has been scheduled for 2010 so far. Is that true? And there might only be 4 events this year. If that is the case, as hard as Anne was working, she wasn't getting the job done and a change was due. Obviously, the WPBA needs to grow not shrink to be a viable tour."........should now be followed by an apology to me since you now know that I was not, in fact, responsible for venue/sponsor negotiations

"Here I am, draggin' your sorry ass through the burnin' desert with your dreadlocks hanging out the back of my parachute. ... ... And what the hell is that smell!! I coulda' been at a barbeque! But it's alright.. it's alright" Will Smith from ID4

I have no idea what you are saying here but I did apologize - you even quoted me as such.

I do think that it is a great idea that the new President is taking it upon himself to be involved in the venues & sponsors. That will ensure that the cart isn't put in front of the horse.

And at least now if I have an Adobe question, I know who I can reach out to as well.

 

[oldzilla]

I wouldn't say it's politics...I think it more has to do with the business model and I think the new board is seriously addressing that. The days of casino's just ponying up cash are long gone now that all businesses are cutting back on expenses.

If my exemption is only good for 2 tournaments, I'm fine with that. Typically there is something built into the qualifying process that allows those not finishing in the top 32 or 48 (or whatever the cut-off is that year) to qualify for the next year. If I can't consistently keep my exemption, then I don't belong there yet.

I look at it similarly to the way I view the seedings. Some have criticized because the top 16 are seeded and 17-32 are spaced in the brackets (saying that the WPBA protects their own, blah, blah, blah). You don't deserve the luxury if you aren't consistently beating the ones that are in those top seedings. Same is true for exemption. If I can't consistently stay in the top 32 or 48 or whatever, I don't deserve it yet. Someone else that plays better than me will get that spot, and if that happens, they deserved it more.

all very very logical and reasonable thinking !

good luck, CDG. you are the complete package.

 

[unknownpro]

Is it some kind of secret what it takes to sponsor a classic tour event?

 

[SUPERSTAR]

Is it some kind of secret what it takes to sponsor a classic tour event?

The secret is like 50 or 60K

 

[JCIN]

Is it some kind of secret what it takes to sponsor a classic tour event?

That is a pretty good question. I have heard $80Kish but who knows what it really is.

 

[Johnnyt]

That is a pretty good question. I have heard $80Kish but who knows what it really is.

If that's even close to the # they might as well pack it up right now. It ain't going to happen in this economy. Johnnyt

 

[Nostroke]

That is a pretty good question. I have heard $80Kish but who knows what it really is.

90% it used to be 50K. Perhaps now that they have lost a major sponsor-they need the 80k.

 

[FrogKissin]

I see on Jasmin's web site on her upcoming tournaments for the year that she has 09/15/10 TBA and 10/15/10 TBA pencieled in. So I would guess those are dates the WPBA knows/feels/hopes they will be able to fill. But no venue for them is mentioned. If I was a betting man :wink: I would bet they don't get anything close to a full field at Hardtimes for the Regional Championships unless they start taking #6, 7, 8, on each regional tour to replace some of the 1-5's that won't be going. Johnnyt

Hi Johnny

The field for the RTC was actually filled around the 11th of January - (note that there is always a waiting list for any opening's that come up and when I'd handed everything over, there were at least 12 players on that list)
Here's the breakdown for you:

50 players from Regional Tours
14 players from the WPBA Rankings 49th - 64th

There it is