Denver/ Pueblo Dominate ACS Rocky Mountain Regionals
Independent league operators sanctioned with the American CueSports Alliance
from throughout the Rocky
Mountain
front range invited their players to the ValuStay Inn in
Pueblo,
Colorado
the weekend of February 18-20, to compete in the association’s first ACS Rocky
Mountain Regional Singles/ Scotch Doubles 8-Ball Championships. This was host
Pueblo’s first-ever state pool championships, and the proceedings were
first-rate thanks to the host tournament producers Ray Armenta and Wayne Barnes,
their local staff, and some very able tournament direction from Denver,
featuring ACS Regional President, David Howell, Terri Howell, Jimmie Dean
Birdsall and John Fuller, and play on twenty-seven Valley Cougars provided by
High Country Promotions.
In the
Men’s tough AA/AAA singles division, local star, Sam Martinez, had his hands
full being down 2-4 to 2004 national amateur Player of the Year, Scott Tollefson,
in the first round before recovering to upset Mr. Tollefson, 5-4. Tollefson
recovered by eliminating all opposition on the B side to gain a chance for
revenge against Martinez, who had taken the A side undefeated. But alas,
Martinez was ready to hold off Tollefson and did so by a convincing 5-1 margin
in the finals to claim his first-ever state title.
A similar
scenario took place in the Women’s A singles division, as Aurora’s Carol
Raudebaugh outpaced 2004 BCA National Women’s Open champ, Debbie Snook, to take
state division honors.
The Men’s
A singles division featured the courageous play of Colorado Spring’s Laura Lo,
as the former collegiate national champion and BCA Nationals Open runner-up
spurned the women’s division so she could take on the men. She eliminated some
strong talent on both sides of the bracket before facing undefeated James
Hildebrandt (Pueblo) in the finals. Hildebrandt remained undefeated, claiming a
first-set win for the title, but our hats are off to Ms. Lo for earning the
respect of many of the state’s top players with her inspired performance.
The
Women’s B singles division was all Terry Duncan of Littleton. Duncan was vowing
to improve on her 4th place
showing from 2004 when the state event was under the auspices of the BCA, and
she succeeded by running the table in the bracket, including a win over Aurora’s
Pam James in the finals.
Despite
the distractions of overseeing the event production, Pueblo’s Ray Armenta
remained focused on straight shooting throughout the Championships, as he bested
the largest field in the tournament – the Men’s B singles division – with an
undefeated run, capped by a strong win over
Littleton’s
Jay Goplin in the finals to claim his first-ever state title!
In the
Scotch Doubles division, Carol Radebaugh added to her hardware, as she teamed up
with partner Roy Treggiari (also of Aurora) to out-pace the undefeated team of
Seenae Kim/Norm Meder (Colorado Springs) in two sets in the finals for the
crown.
Congratulations to the independent league operators, officers and volunteers who
unselfishly spent countless hours of pre-planning and work in the previous
months to make this state championship a very special benefit for the ACS league
players throughout the region. The success of this event is spurring the
association to plan adding an annual state ACS team championships for next year
at a separate quarter of the year from the singles/scotch doubles, the success
of which assures an annual championships for the future.
Final
Payouts:
Men’s
AA/AAA
1st
Sam Martinez (Pueblo) $375 + Trophy
2nd
Scott Tollefson (Erie) $200 + Trophy
3rd
Jim Calderone (Colorado Springs) $75 + Trophy
Women’s
A
1st
Carol Radebaugh (Aurora) $140 + Trophy
2nd
Debbie Snook (Pueblo) $70 + Trophy
3rd
Samantha Diep (Aurora) $35 + Trophy
Men’s A
1st
James Hildebrandt (Pueblo) $430 + Trophy
2nd
Laura Lo (Colorado Springs) $255 + Trophy
3rd
Douglas Golden (Pueblo) $125 + Trophy
4th
Joe Ross (Colorado Springs) $85
5-6th Jerry Cisneros
(Colorado Springs) $60
Bob Rose
(Denver)
7-8th
William Armenta (Pueblo) $35
Victor Solano
(Pueblo)
Women’s
B
1st
Terry Duncan (Littleton)
$235 + Trophy
2nd
Pam James (Aurora) $135 + Trophy
3rd
Kassie Riegel (Northglen) $80 + Trophy
4th
Anne-Marie Birdsall (Wheat Ridge) $50
5-6th
Teresa Frederick (Aurora) $25
Linda Jury (Aurora)
Men’s B
1st
Ray Armenta (Pueblo) $370 + Trophy
2nd
Jay Goplin (Littleton) $220 + Trophy
3rd
Greg Martinez (Denver) $110 + Trophy
4th
Darren Brett (Lakewood) $75
Scotch
Doubles
1st
Carol Radebaugh / Roy Treggiari (Aurora) $225 + Trophies
2nd
Seenae Kim/ Norm Meder (Colorado Springs) $125 + Trophies
3rd
Pam James/ Danny Kulp (Aurora) $75 + Trophies
2005 ACS Rocky
Mountain Regional Women's A Winners:
|
(L to R)
3rd Place Samantha Diep,
Champion Carol Radebaugh, Runner-up Debbie Snook |
2005 ACS Rocky Mountain
Regional Men's AA/AAA Winners:
|
(Left to Right) David
Howell (ACS Regional President), Sam Martinez (first place), Scott
Tollefson (second place), Jim Calderon (third place), John Lewis (ACS
Nat'l Exec. Dir.)
|
2005
ACS Rocky Mountain Regional Open A Winners:
|
(L to R) ACS Regional
President David Howell, Champion James Hildebrandt, 3rd Place Douglas
Golden, Runner-up Laura Lo, ACS Nat'l Exec. Dir. John Lewis |