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Bound for Sin City
 |
| First place No Mercy pool team shows off the championship bracket from the Mid-North Florida APA 9-Ball Local Team Championship. Team members are Linda Willingham, Frank Millin, Hugh Millin Sr., Hugh Millin Jr., Jason Shauer and Billy Willoughby. COURTESY PHOTO |
Lake City pool team heads to Las Vegas for national tournament.
By TIM KIRBY
tkirby@lakecityreporter.com
No Mercy is taking its pool
expertise from the Oasis Lounge in Lake City to the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The local pool team
qualified for the APA National Team Championships in the Open 9-Ball Division, which will be at the Riviera on Aug. 15-18.
No Mercy has lost two of its members, but all will reassemble to make the trip to the
nationals and a possible winning purse of $15,000.
Team members Frank Millin, Hugh Millin Sr., Hugh Millen Jr. and Linda Willingham live in Lake City. Jason Shauer is now living in Bradenton and Billy Willoughby has moved to Melbourne.
“We qualified by winning the Mid-North Florida Division at Bankshot Billiards in Ocala,” team captain Frank Millin said. “There are 81 teams in the division and 26 qualified for the tournament. It took six matches to win and our toughest competition came from another Oasis team.”
The American Poolplayers Association is the sanctioning body for the Mid-North Florida Division and national tournament. The August championships include Open 8-Ball and Ladies 8-Ball
divisions.
A handicap system has been developed by APA to allow players of different skill levels to compete against each other. The system rewards making several balls as opposed to simply slopping in the money ball.
In 9-ball there are skill levels from 1-9 and the corresponding points to win a match range from 14 to 75. A player receives one point for making a ball and two points for making the nine ball. The first player to the corresponding score for his skill level wins the match.
In the local team
competition, five matches are played with 100 total points at stake. Teams earn points to qualify for the
division tournaments.
“We are the fourth team from the Oasis to go to the National Team Tournament,” Millin said. “We also play in an 8-ball league.”
No Mercy has been
sponsoring some 50/50 drawings during the week and Sunday pool tournaments at the Oasis to raise money for the trip. A double elimination 8-ball tournament is planned on Aug. 3 at the Oasis (corner of U.S. 41-441 and County Road 242), where there will be food sales.
No Mercy’s home base is a hotbed for the local pool competition. Six of the
13 nearby teams are based out of the Oasis.
Both the Long Branch and County Line Lounge have two teams. Moose Lodge No. 624, Odell’s and Miss Lily’s in White Springs each have one team.
Arthur Dennis said his wife, Mary, owns the Oasis and he is manager and a member of one of the teams.
“I ask them to come and play here,” Dennis said. “It is for anyone who
wants to have fun. If
anybody is interested in joining APA, come down and there are people here that will give you all the information.”
expertise from the Oasis Lounge in Lake City to the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
The local pool team
qualified for the APA National Team Championships in the Open 9-Ball Division, which will be at the Riviera on Aug. 15-18.
No Mercy has lost two of its members, but all will reassemble to make the trip to the
nationals and a possible winning purse of $15,000.
Team members Frank Millin, Hugh Millin Sr., Hugh Millen Jr. and Linda Willingham live in Lake City. Jason Shauer is now living in Bradenton and Billy Willoughby has moved to Melbourne.
“We qualified by winning the Mid-North Florida Division at Bankshot Billiards in Ocala,” team captain Frank Millin said. “There are 81 teams in the division and 26 qualified for the tournament. It took six matches to win and our toughest competition came from another Oasis team.”
The American Poolplayers Association is the sanctioning body for the Mid-North Florida Division and national tournament. The August championships include Open 8-Ball and Ladies 8-Ball
divisions.
A handicap system has been developed by APA to allow players of different skill levels to compete against each other. The system rewards making several balls as opposed to simply slopping in the money ball.
In 9-ball there are skill levels from 1-9 and the corresponding points to win a match range from 14 to 75. A player receives one point for making a ball and two points for making the nine ball. The first player to the corresponding score for his skill level wins the match.
In the local team
competition, five matches are played with 100 total points at stake. Teams earn points to qualify for the
division tournaments.
“We are the fourth team from the Oasis to go to the National Team Tournament,” Millin said. “We also play in an 8-ball league.”
No Mercy has been
sponsoring some 50/50 drawings during the week and Sunday pool tournaments at the Oasis to raise money for the trip. A double elimination 8-ball tournament is planned on Aug. 3 at the Oasis (corner of U.S. 41-441 and County Road 242), where there will be food sales.
No Mercy’s home base is a hotbed for the local pool competition. Six of the
13 nearby teams are based out of the Oasis.
Both the Long Branch and County Line Lounge have two teams. Moose Lodge No. 624, Odell’s and Miss Lily’s in White Springs each have one team.
Arthur Dennis said his wife, Mary, owns the Oasis and he is manager and a member of one of the teams.
“I ask them to come and play here,” Dennis said. “It is for anyone who
wants to have fun. If
anybody is interested in joining APA, come down and there are people here that will give you all the information.”
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Meghan wrote on Jul 24, 2008 8:58 AM: