Sang Jin Lee and Andrew Dangelmayer win at Carom Café

Sang Jin Lee "B Plus" Tournament Winner

Andrew Dangelmayer "C" Tournament Winner

The 2nd Stop of the 2009 USBA Tour was held at Carom Café Billiards in Flushing, NY on May 1-3, 2009. There were actually 2 separate events occurring simultaneously: a “C” tournament which featured players with less than a .500 average and a “B Plus” tournament featuring players with less than a .900 average. There were exactly 28 players participating in BOTH events for a total of 56 players. The USBA received 26 new or renewing members.

Each event divided the players into 4 flights of 7 players for the preliminaries. The top 2 finishers in each of the 4 flights advanced to the finals. One auction and one lottery for each event added two additional players to each final, making it a 10 player final for both tournaments. From the 10 player finals, the players were divided into 2 flights of 5 players each. The winner of the 1st finals group of 5 would then play the winner of the 2nd finals group of 5 to determine 1st and 2nd place overall for each tournament. The 2nd place finisher of each group of 5 would then play each other to determine 3rd and 4th place overall, and so on.

B Plus Tournament:

Entry fee was $ 155.00 per player unless the player had an average between .801 and .900. For those 2 players, Sang Jin Lee and Kalu Gaviria, the entry fee was $ 255.00. The preliminaries were matches to 20 points. The finals were to 25 points.

In Flight A, Sang Jin Lee, the tournament favorite dominated with a 5-1 record, his only loss going to Tony Ferrara who was recently promoted from a “C” player to a “B” player. Now you know why. Tony Ferrara came in 2nd place and made the finals with a 4-2 record and a .599 average.

Flight B was considered to be the most difficult flight. There were 4 players that were tied with a 4-2 record and only the top 2 with the most points scored advanced. John Kim had 111 points finishing first. Juan Elizalde had 110 points and finished 2nd. Joe DeAmato also had 110 points but lost his match with Elizalde, so he ended up in 3rd place. Dave VanLokeren had 102 points finishing in 4th place.

Flight C was also a very difficult flight. Nayiv Ramirez wins the flight with a 5-1 record and a .711 average. Francisco Loaiza came in 2nd with a 4-2 record and 113 total points scored. Christian Portilla finished 3rd with a 4-2 record and 111 points scored.

Flight D had a very strong performance by local player John Cristiano who surprised everyone by going 6-0 with a 1.008 average after 6 matches. Local player Hyuk Yoon came in 2nd with a 4-2 record and 111 points scored and a .730 average. Eric Parent from Michigan also had a strong showing with a 4-2 record and 106 points scored, finishing 3rd.

The lottery to advance to the finals was won by Hector Ruiz who sold his ticket to Jim Watson. Christian Portilla won the auction.

Finals:

The 10 finalists were divided into 2 flights of 5 players, Group A and Group B, and were placed into the flights based on their performance in the preliminaries.

In Group A, Christian Portilla wins the group going 3-1, John Kim comes in 2nd going 2-2 with 89 total points and an .864 average, John Cristiano comes in 3rd with a 2-2 record and 77 total points, Francisco Loaiza comes in 4th going 2-2 with 71 total points and Juan Elizalde comes in 5th going 1-3.

In Group B, Sang Jin Lee wins all his matches and wins the flight. Jim Watson finishes 2nd going 3-1, Nayiv Ramirez finishes 3rd going 2-2, Tony Ferrara finishes 4th going 1-3 and Hyuk Yoon finishes 5th going 0-4.

Final Matches:

Sang Jin Lee wins the “B Plus” tournament by defeating Christian Portilla 25-13.
John Kim finishes in 3rd place by defeating Jim Watson 25-19.
Nayiv Ramirez finishes in 5th place by defeating John Cristiano 25-19.
Francisco Loaiza finishes in 7th place by defeating Tony Ferrara 25-18.
Hyuk Yoon finishes in 9th place by defeating Juan Elizalde 25-11.

Jim Watson (4th), John Kim (3rd), Christian Portilla (2nd) and Sang Jin Lee (1st).

Prize Payouts:

C Tournament:

Entry fee was $ 105.00 per player. The preliminaries were matches to 15 points. The finals were to 20 points.

In Flight E, four players all tied with 4-2 records. Herman Nie finishes 1st with 87 total points scored. Mike Brodie finishes 2nd with 84 total points. Lew Hutter finishes 3rd with 81 total points and Alberto Gonzalez finishes 4th with 75 total points.

In Flight F, the big surprise was Ester Park who went undefeated, 6-0 and averaged .625 for the preliminaries! Three players were tied with 3-3 records. Tommy Park finishes 2nd with 77 total points scored. Ronnie Silva finishes 3rd with 75 total points and Rodrigo Gonzalez finishes 4th, also with 75 points but lost his match with Silva.

Flight G also had a 4-way tie with 4-2 records. Seong Youn Seo finished first with 88 total points. Jairo Sanabria Daza finished 2nd with 79 total points. Woo Gon Kim finished 3rd, also with 79 total points, but lost his match with Daza. Eric Hughes finished 4th with 75 total points.

Flight H was yet another flight with a 4-way tie with 4-2 records. Andrew (Drew) Dangelmayer finished first with 81 total points. Cha Soo Seo finished 2nd with 80 points. Billy Kim finished 3rd with 79 points. Mark Okochi finished 4th with 66 points scored.

The lottery to advance to the finals was won by Ed Filangeri. Billy Kim won the auction.

Finals:

The 10 finalists were divided into 2 flights of 5 players, Group C and Group D, and were placed into the flights based on their performance in the preliminaries.

In Group C, Drew Dangelmayer wins the group going 4-0 and a .552 average. Ester Park finishes 2nd going 3-1. Billy Kim finishes 3rd going 2-2. Mike Brodie finishes 4th going 1-3 and Tommy Park finishes 5th going 0-4.

In Group D, Cha Soo Seo wins the group going 3-1 with 76 total points scored. Seong Youn Seo finishes 2nd going 3-1 with 74 total points. Herman Nie finishes 3rd going 2-2 with 75 total points. Jairo Daza finishes 4th despite averaging .569 going 2-2 with 70 total points. Ed Filangeri finishes 5th going 0-4.

Final Matches:

Drew Dangelmayer wins the “C” tournament by defeating Cha Soo Seo 20-16.
Seong Youn Seo finishes in 3rd place by defeating Ester Park 20-16.
Billy Kim finishes in 5th place by defeating Herman Nie 20-14.
Mike Brodie finishes in 7th place by defeating Jairo Daza 20-19.
Tommy Park finishes in 9th place by defeating Ed Filangeri 20-13.

Andrew Dangelmayer (1st), Cha Soo Seo (2nd), Seong Youn Seo (3rd, Ester Park (4th).

Prize Payouts:

The total prize payout for both tournaments was $ 15,450.00 thanks to added money from Carom Café owner, Michael Kang and the USBA Tour sponsors.

PDF File of all Tournament Charts (15 pages)

After the award ceremony, a raffle was held with various prizes. The top 2 prizes, generously donated by Adam Cue Company were a DCC model cue and a high-end RCH model cue. I don’t remember who won the DCC cue, but Dan Kolacz won the RCH cue. I was very happy for him because Dan drove down from Buffalo to play but was injured in his hotel bathroom when a safety bar gave way in the bathtub. He ended up fracturing his left elbow and could not play in the tournament. Sometimes good things happen, too. Congratulations, Dan, and congratulations to Sang Jin Lee and Drew Dangelmayer and to all who participated in this great event! A special thanks to Charles Brown and Min Jae Pak who ran the whole tournament. Thanks, guys!

Sponsors:

-Iwan Simonis
-Aramith (Saluc)
-Adam Cue Company

USBA Tour Sponsors:

David Levine, Jim Shovak, Bob Jewett, Professor-Q-Ball (Paul Frankel), Creative Billiard Shirts, Michael Kang, Andrew Janquitto, Dean Harrell, Pedro Piedrabuena, Robert Byrne, Tom Resk, Sonny Cho, Mazin Shooni, Dr.Cue Promotions (Tom Rossman), Bruce Warner, Mike Walo, Jim Watson, Tommy Thomsen, Tom Haskin, Jamil Isreal, Bob Roach, Mike Melloy, Don Sperber, Norm Brust, Ed Friedman and Pat Young.

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Carom Cafe Billiards Presents:

The 2009 USBA Tour

2 Tournaments: "B+" (up to .900 average) and "C" (up to .500 average)

Tournament # 1: Carom Cafe Billiards “B+” Tournament (Up to .900 average)

May 1-3, 2009

Carom Cafe Billiards
34-02 Linden Pl
Flushing NY, 11354
Phone: 718-358-8585
Contact: Min Jae Pak or Charles Brown

Player’s Meeting: Thursday, April 30th at 8:00pm
Entry Fee: $ 155.00 for “B” Players and $ 255.00 for “B+” Players
Estimated Prize Fund: At least $ 9,500.00
Estimated First Place Prize: At least $ 2,200.00
Estimated Number of Payouts: 12
Maximum number of players: 35
Prelims: 5 groups of 7 players each: round robin (20 point matches)
Top 4 “B+” Players will be seeded into Prelim flights
If less than 4 “B+” players, then seeding goes to the top USBA ranked “B” players
Top 2 from each flight advance to semi-finals = 10 players
One lottery and one auction = 12 players in semi-finals
Semi-Finals: 2 groups of 6 players each: round robin (25 point matches)
Final Matches: (# of points to be determined)
1st place finishers of each semi-final group play for 1st and 2nd place
2nd place finishers of each semi-final group play for 3rd and 4th place, etc.
Rules: All official USBA tournament rules will apply.
Other Requirements: All players will also be required to be a scorekeeper according to the tournament schedule. 60-second shot-clock will be used with 2 extensions per match. Full tournament attire: tie, vest, black pants, black shoes. This is a USBA event. Must be or become a USBA Member. $ 5.00 sanction fee per player already included in entry fee.

Tournament # 2: Carom Cafe Billiards “C” Tournament (Up to .500 average)

May 1-3, 2009

Carom Cafe Billiards
34-02 Linden Pl
Flushing NY, 11354
Phone: 718-358-8585
Contact: Min Jae Pak or Charles Brown

Player’s Meeting: Thursday, April 30th at 8:00pm
Entry Fee: $ 105.00
Estimated Prize Fund: At least $ 4,100.00
Estimated First Place Prize: At least $ 1,100.00
Estimated Number of Payouts: 8
Maximum number of players: 21
Prelims: 3 groups of 7 players each: round robin (15 point matches)
Top 3 USBA Ranked “C” Players will be seeded into Prelim flights
Top 2 from each flight advance to semi-finals = 6 players
One lottery and one auction = 8 players in semi-finals
Semi-Finals: 2 groups of 4 players each: round robin (20 point matches)
Final Matches: (# of points to be determined)
1st place finishers of each semi-final group play for 1st and 2nd place
2nd place finishers of each semi-final group play for 3rd and 4th place, etc.
Rules: All official USBA tournament rules will apply.
Other Requirements: All players will also be required to be a scorekeeper according to the tournament schedule. 60-second shot-clock will be used with 2 extensions per match. Full tournament attire: tie, vest, black pants, black shoes. This is a USBA event. Must be or become a USBA Member. $ 5.00 sanction fee per player already included in entry fee.

Local Hotels, Motels and Rental Car Discounts:

Wingate Hotel
Special Tournament Rate: $ 109.00+tax per night
Ask for JohnCarlo
137-07 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, NY 11354
Walking distance from Carom Cafe
Includes breakfast. Double or single same price.
Beautiful hotel. 718-445-3300
A 5 minute walk (2 blocks) from Carom Cafe & a great hotel.

The USBA has a contract with Choice Hotels International. If you would like to receive at least a 15% discount at Choice Hotel locations, please refer to your Membership Package for details or you can access the USBA Forum "Members Only" area. To become a USBA Member, click "Join" at the top or the upper left side of this page and follow the instructions to pay by credit/debit card through PayPal. You do NOT need a PayPal account to use PayPal. You can also mail in membership dues by check.

Comfort Inn
133-43 37th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-939-5000 Fax: 718-939-4000
Web: http://www.comfortinn.com/flushing (then type “Flushing” in the “City” field)
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is a slight upgrade compared to the Imperial. Continental breakfast is included in the price and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi connections. 17 of 50 rooms have two beds.
15% USBA DISCOUNT AVAILABLE. SEE YOUR MEMBERSHIP PACKAGE.

Be advised that we have not reserved a block of rooms anywhere, and so availability is not guaranteed. Our aim has been to offer a wide range of choice with regard to type of room, exact location and price. Since availability is not guaranteed, we recommend that you make your reservation as soon as you know the dates you will be attending the Tournament. You may want to inquire if your hotel will offer a small discount if paid in cash upon your arrival (these policies may differ with each hotel).

Farrington Hotel
3353 Farrington Street
Flushing, NY 11354
718-939-1212
Right around the corner from Carom Cafe.
Most rooms have one queen bed.
About $ 70.00/night for a single.
Small rooms w/Ethernet Port/TV.

Flushing International Hotel
134-32 35th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-358-4515
A 3-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is the closest and least expensive option. However, it also has the fewest amenities. There is no food service of any kind in the hotel – it doesn’t even have vending machines. 12 of the 50 rooms have two beds.

Howard Johnson Hotel
135-33 38th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-461-3888 Fax: 718-461-5879
Web: http://www.imperialhotelny.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, the hotel is nicer than both the Flushing Inter-national (above) and the Flushing Grand (below). There is complimentary coffee, tea, cake and cookies in the morning. However, only 4 of the 32 rooms have two beds and, thus, room availability will be limited except for couples and singles.

Flushing Grand Hotel
36-38 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-8668 Fax: 718-888-8768
Web: http://flushinggrand.com/
A 5-minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel represents an upgrade compared to the Flushing International. The accommodations are a bit nicer and complimentary doughnuts and coffee in the morning is included in the price. 17 of 46 rooms have two beds.

Extended Stay America
18-30 Whitestone Expressway
Whitestone, NY 11357
Tel: 718-357-3661 Fax: 718-357-3644
Web: http://www.extendedstayamerica.com/
Located 1.3 miles from Carom Café, the walk takes about 25 minutes and will be too long for most people, but the drive is very short. This hotel is ideal for those who have cars and wish to stay in a place where they can prepare their own food. The rooms are large and have kitchen appliances and a small dining area. Also, there is a shopping mall adjacent to the hotel.

Best Western Queens Court
133-51 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-888-1900
Web: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/productInfo.do?propertyCode=33111
A 12-minute walk from Carom Café, the rooms are quite nice and 37 of 59 rooms have two beds. However, the hotel has few amenities. For example, it has a fitness room but no food service. One would expect more from a hotel in this price range.

Sheraton Hotel La Guardia East
135-20 39th Avenue
Flushing, NY 11354
Tel: 718-460-6666 Fax: 718-445-2655
Web: www.sheratonlaguardia.com
A 10-minute walk from Carom Café, this is the best hotel in the area and 116 of 173 rooms have two beds. There is a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, the rooms are spacious, etc. It is located near many stores and restaurants and a 1-minute walk from the #7 train to Manhattan. The hotel was not willing to offer special rates (and there are no weekly rates) but told us that the best rates are generally available online. They recommended their own website – i.e., www.starwoodhotels.com (type in “Flushing” in the city field and “New York” in the state field). However, we have sometimes been able to find better rates at the major online services like Orbitz, Expedia or Travelocity. So, hunt around before reserving.

USBA Members also receive between 5-10% discount from the following car rental companies, if they service the area: