Pool In Paradise
Several months ago a gentleman named Lester George contacted the CueSports International (CSI) office promoting a 9-Ball tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. George said as the Director of Referees and Rules Administrator for the BCA Pool League, he wanted to hire me as the tournament director and referee for the event. Needless to say, I was thrilled they were hosting an event of this nature showing growth of the sport in the Caribbean and flattered he wanted to fly me from Las Vegas to the Virgin Islands to work with his team. Thus, my wife Glenna and I headed to St. Thomas October 22nd. She accompanied me to assure I stayed out of trouble while in paradise.
The Caribbean Biker’s Association 2009 Pool Tournament was held October 24 – 25 at Club 33 in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Two 9’ Diamond tables were trucked to Miami from the Diamond factory in Jeffersonville, Indiana. In Miami they were put on a boat for the journey to the islands.
As we deplaned a gentleman was standing at the gate with a tray full of shots of rum. Talk about Caribbean hospitality! The rum is very tasty, with many different flavors to choose from. Our host, Mr. George, treated us to dinner and dropped us at our hotel. Our Virgin Island experience was off to a great start.
On Friday morning we woke quite late (about 11am).The view from our hotel room balcony was beautiful. We could see a large portion of the island as well as a view of the bay where the cruise ships dock. St. Thomas Island is almost all hills. The views were magnificent. The roads were steep and skinny. I’m glad I didn’t have to drive. Cabs are inexpensive and plentiful. Our host also arranged transportation for us from our hotel to the tournament.
We arrived Friday afternoon to the event location, Club 33. The tournament room was a nightclub on the third floor. The building does not have an elevator and I felt sorry for Lester and his staff realizing they had to carry the table parts and slates up three flights of stairs. Many players were already there practicing for the tournament.
The room was very nice with a bar and a balcony that overlooked the main road. I must note the buses on St. Thomas were interesting. They are converted vans and pickup trucks with bench seats and open aired. The weather in the islands is humid with the temperature in the 80’s year round. It was absolutely perfect.
The remainder of the day was spent discussing the format and event schedule. Friday evening a player’s meeting was held. Mr. George had previously copied the entire rules and distributed them to each player upon registration thus everyone was well prepared and the meeting only needed 30 minutes. After the meeting we again had a wonderful dinner with our host, Mr. George. We dined at the restaurant next door called the Green House. The lobster was excellent and very reasonably priced.
Saturday morning I arrived at the tournament venue at 9am to again witness many players warming up. The tournament started at noon, was restricted to Virgin Island residents and had 46 players. The format was 2 out of 3 games, single elimination 8-Ball. I scheduled the matches to start every hour on the hour, with the finals scheduled for 10pm Sunday.
On day two of the event we started at 10am with the remaining 32 players. After another long day the final match started promptly at 10pm. There was a playoff to determine 3rd and 4th place. The guaranteed $9000 prize fund allotted for a nice payday for a first time event. The payout was $5000.00 for 1st place, $2000.00 for 2nd place, $1500.00 for 3rd place and $500.00 for 4th place. It was great money for a $60.00 entry fee. There were also very nice trophies for all four places.
It was a great event. There were several players that played extremely well. The players were all more accustomed to playing on 7’ tables but the transition to 9’ tables didn’t seem to bother them much. They also had three women that played and you could tell that they were not new to the game. Everyone from Mr. George and his staff, to the players and local residents we met while at St. Thomas, were warm and very hospitable. Congratulations to all the players who won and participated. We look forward to seeing you again.
- by Bill Stock, BCAPL Director of Rules and Referees