CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT DR. CUE CLASSIC “ARTISTIC” CUP III

The Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup III Group Photo - for more photos, check out the Photo Page.

     Nick “Quick Nick” Nikolaidis raced to the “artistic” victory circle on November 20, 21, and 22, 2009 at The Bank Shot Bar & Grill in Laurel, MD.  Nick displayed burning focus, poise, and brilliant skill shot execution in the process.  Ray Hansen of Cue and A Promotions did a live stream at the event, which was the 1st time an “artistic pool” competition has ever been covered online. 

Cup III Rounds, Awards Ceremony, & Cue-Dean-“E” Event at: www.ustream.tv/channel/drcue2009

     A determined group of 27 Artistic Pool Playing Artists came from across the United States, Canada, and France to compete in the “sport and show” arena of the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup III.  This signature event of the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool “Sport & Show” Tour showcased some of the greatest pro players under the WPA / APTSA sport umbrella. In addition, top amateur players from several league tour stops held in 2009 at respective National and / or International events of the BCAPL, VNEA, ACS, and APA, plus several “at large” entries participated.   
     Pros and amateurs played side by side in special 3 person – player groupings with 7 foot tables and high percentage make rate shots creating an equalizer effect for all competitors.  Over $15,000 in guaranteed payout values and a rather large player / audience prize fund produced player and fan friendly opportunities in a reunion style billiard atmosphere.
     The APPA (Artistic Pool Playing Artists) crusader force showcased a “class” act of billiard skills from each of the 8 magnetic disciplines of “artistic pool” – 1) Trick / Fancy Shots, 2) Prop,  Novelty, and Special Arts, 3) Draw Shots, 4) Follow Shots, 5) Bank / Kick Shots, 6) Stroke Shots, 7) Jump Shots, and 8) Masse Shots.  When the challenge of 40 “classic” preliminary shots and 11 playoff shootout matches were over, there would be an Overall event champion, 8 Discipline champions, and 2 Sportsmanship recipients.  A recap outline of the event and complete results/stats follow:

November 19 – Players arrive for registration, practice, and special “open” forum training session

November 20 – Players meeting, draw, and first round of competition

• Professionals and amateurs vie for the prestigious Dr Cue Classic Artistic Cup III title
• Ray Hansen of Cue & A Promotions sets up booth for 1st time ever stream of Artistic Pool
• Player’s meeting special moments with Dr. Cue “Goodie Bag” gifts and raffles galore
• 2009 ESPN TSM Champion Andy “Magic Man” Segal leads after 2 disciplines with 58 points
• Jamie “Bayou Bullet” Moody (3rd place – Cup I) holds a close second with 56 points
• 2008 WPA World Champion Jamey “Sharpshooter” Gray in third place with 52 points
• 13 players position themselves within 8 points of 3rd place and 15 points of 1st place
• Dainius Stipinas wins Trick/Fancy Discipline w/tiebreaker shot – 4 players at 30 points each
• Andy Segal wins Prop, Novelty, and Special Arts w/tiebreaker – 2 players at 28 points each

November 20 – Second round of competition

• Andy Segal playing brilliantly as he maintains first place position with 114 points
• Donald “Douge” Helbig (12th place – Cup I) takes over 2nd place position with 105 points
• Jamey Gray looking sharp and maintains his hold of third place position with 103 points
• World record holder Nick “Quick Nick” Nikolaidis at 103 points in 4th based on 1st attempts
• Jamie Moody in the hunt with lock on 5th place based on 1st attempt tiebreaker factor
• Jeremiah “Daddy-O” Owens and Masters Champion Mark “Dr. Popper” Dimick tied for 6th/7th
• Donald Helbig captures Draw Shots Discipline outright with perfect score of 30 points
• Mark Dimick wins Follow Shots Discipline with “perfect 30 score” on “live stream” and tiebreaker challenge victory against “perfect 30” scorer Charles “Spitball Charlie” Darling

November 21 – Third round of competition

• Andy Segal establishes commanding lead with 166 points and focused for victory
• Youngest player in field Steve “Triple C” Markle wins Bank/Kick Discipline with perfect 30
• 7 players make all 4 “position” banks in Challenge #5 (Jamey Gray, Chris “Juggler 314” Kelly, Steve “Leapin Preacher” Lillis, Jamie Moody, Dave “Triple Jump” Nangle, Bill “Mynah Bird” Meima, and Steve Markle)
• Jamey Moody moves back into second place and playing with determination at 149 points
• Nick Nikolaidis getting in stride now in third place and only 1 point behind the “Bayou Bullet”
• Steve Lillis (28th – Cup 1 & 24th – Cup II) surges forward, taking over 4th place with 143 points
• Bill Meima garners the Stroke Shots Discipline victory medal with 28 well earned points

November 21 – Fourth round of competition

• Andy Segal sets record (222 points), making 40 of 40 challenges with win in Masse Discipline
• Nick Nikolaidis takes over 2nd place position with 203 points and earns 1st round playoff bye
• Jamey Gray regains momentum and finishes preliminary rounds in 3rd place with 195 points 
• Steve “Steller” Geller shoots superbly with 193 points in 4th and garners 1st round playoff bye
• Chris “Tricky Shot” Woodrum finishes in 12th place, makes the playoff, and wins Jump Shots
• Steve Lillis (5th), Mark Dimick (6th), Jeremiah Owens (7th), Jamie Moody (8th), Chris Kelly (9th), Charles Darling (10th), and Donald Helbig (11th) – Top 12 players poised for Sunday Shootout

November 21 (7:00PM to 10:00PM) – In Search Of Cue-Dean-“E” International Talent Audition Finals

     Note:  This inaugural “show side” event of “artistic pool” was a special addition to the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup III event -- See a brief recap after the “Special Player and Challenge Stats” section found later in this presentation or full event details in separate release document!!

November 22 – RACK Room service, final round  and awards ceremony

• RACK Room “sunrise” fellowship – Steve Lillis, Rodney Fontaine, Dr. Cue (coffee/donuts)
• Playoff – 8 players start at 10:00AM, 8 at 11:00AM, 4 at 1:00PM, and final 2 players at 2:00PM
• Shootout format works beautifully with 8 preselected shots and 2 picks per round match
• Segal, Gray, Geller, and Nikolaidis receive 1st round bye by virtue of preliminary scores
• Kelly, Woodrum, Dimick, Owens win in 1st round over Moody, Lillis, Helbig, and Darling
• Round 1 produced a solo point victory of Chris Kelly over Jamie Moody (55 – 54)
• Owens, Geller, Woodrum, and Kelly lose in 2nd round to Nikolaidis, Dimick, Gray, and Segal
• 3rd round competition produces great matchups with Nikolaidis / Dimick and Gray / Segal
• 9 point win by Nikolaidis; Gray w/1 point victory (Segal made 1st 7 DOD shots on 1st attempt)
• Nick Nikolaidis wins the prestigious Cup III title; Gray finishes 2nd in Cup II & Cup III events
• Top 4 players receive beautiful “victory” cup trophies – “Reeses” cups to places (5 – 27)
• 8 discipline champions receive special award medals/ribbons and official title recognition
• Sportsmanship medals and select prizes awarded to Rodney “Preacher” Fontaine by vote of players and Jeremiah “Daddy-O” Owens by vote of directors
• Special moments to last a lifetime shared by everyone in attendance

      I want to thank my wife, Marty (“Ms. Cue”) for everything she did prior to the event to make it happen, plus her assuring everything was in order during the event schedule.  Marty and I want to express our sincere thanks to the numerous sponsors, players, fans, and volunteers that made the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Cup III a huge success and a resounding victory for our sport.
                
Article written by…    Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman                Email: drcue@artisticpool.org

DR. CUE CLASSIC ARTISTIC CUP III OVERALL POSITIONS OF FINISH
      

Note:  Points listed are from 40 preliminary challenges and top 12 positions of finish are based on playoff shootout rounds.

Tiebreaker notes for preliminary rounds: Players tied at 186 points registered 1st attempt makes as follows – Jeremiah Owens (23), Jamie Moody (21), and Chris Kelly (19).  Players tied at 184 points registered 1st attempt makes as follows – Charles Darling (28) and Donald Helbig (23).  Players tied at 159 points registered 1st attempt makes as follows – Dainius Stipinas (21), Robert Neal (17), and Steve Markle (15).  Players tied at 145 points registered 1st attempt makes as follows – Matt Yuhas (18) and Jason Kane (16).  

DR. CUE CLASSIC “ARTISTIC” CUP III DISCIPLINE CHAMPIONS

Trick and/or Fancy Shots               Dainius Stipinas                    30 out of 30 points
Prop/Novelty/Special Arts              Andy Segal                  28 out of 30 points
Draw Shots                                      Donald Helbig              30 out of 30 points
Follow Shots                                   Mark Dimick                  30 out of 30 points
Bank/Kick Shots                              Steve Markle                30 out of 30 points
Stroke Shots                                    Bill Meima                     29 out of 30 points
Jump Shots                                     Chris Woodrum            30 out of 30 points
Masse Shots                                   Andy Segal                  29 out of 30 points

Notes: Dainius Stipinas won the Trick and/or Fancy Shots Discipline on the 1st tiebreaker shot / challenge with 22 points versus Andy Segal (14 points), Dennis Douberteen (8 Points), and Charles Darling (8 Points).  Mark Dimick won the Follow Discipline on the 1st tiebreaker shot / challenge with 12 points versus Charles Darling (0 points). 
 

CUP III SPORTSMANSHIP RECIPIENT AWARDS

By vote of players:  Rodney “Preacher” Fontaine
By vote of directors:  Jeremiah “Daddy-O” Owens

Note:  Sportsmanship recipients each received a special victory medal award.  Rodney also received a McDermott Cue I-2 Shaft donated by Jason Lynch ($250 value).  Jeremiah also received a Monk 202 DVD Special “Tri-pak” Album on Dr. Cue’s Kicking and Banking Systems ($150 value).

SPECIAL CUP III PRIZES

• Free drawing at players meeting – Chris Kelly won 2007 WPA “Artistic Pool” WC Banner
• Free drawings at players meeting – Numerous players won select sponsored prizes
• Free raffle for total shots made – Joseph Bonge won Monk 202 DVD – Volume II ($50 value)
• Free raffle for total shots made – Andy Segal won Trick Rack for Butterfly ($25 value)
• Free raffle for total shots made – Steve Geller won Monk Lesson Book ($25 value)

• Free drawing (places 13 to 27) – Rodney Fontaine won Crown Cue Certificate ($450 value)
• Free drawing (places 13 to 27) – Paul Danno won BCA Commemorative 50th Year Rule Book
• Free drawing (places 13 to 27) – Tom Kinzel won Dawn Hopkins Youth Instruction Book

• APPA supporter raffle (1st) – Sara Majetic won select McDermott Deacon Cue ($499 value)
• APPA supporter raffle (2nd) – Andy Segal won McDermott Vintage Cue ($199 value)

     Note:  Andy gave cue to John Mills, wounded Iraq soldier present at event who entered raffle
 

• Special sponsor product raffle – Jason Lynch won Crown Cue Poster ($25 value)
• Special shot challenge – Margaret DeBrason won Stealth Jump Cue/Case ($125 value)
• Special “Ms. Cue” raffle drawing – Paul Danno won Bob Stangby wall poster from Cup I

     Note:  10% of APPA raffle money was donated to brain cancer research ($82.00 – 3 Cup events)

TOTAL PRIZE/AWARD FUND:  Dr. Cue Promotions added over $7,000 to the Cup III prize fund, furnished the discipline champion and sportsmanship recipient medals / ribbons, plus 4 trophies for the overall positions of finish.   Special “certificate of participation” awards were presented to all players and staff workers taking part in the event.   (See special sponsor note following for a complete list of sponsors for all events on the “Dr. Cue” Classic Artistic Pool Sport & Show Tour)

SPONSOR NOTE:  Over 35 product / service sponsors contributed to the success of not only the Dr. Cue Classic “Artistic” Cup III & Cue – Dean – “E” events, but also the entire 2009 Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Sport and Show Tour.   These include The Bank Shot Bar & Grill, Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith/Saluc, Ivan Simonis, Professor Q – Ball’s National Pool & 3 – Cushion News (Paul Frankel), High Country Promotions, Foundation of R.A.C.K., Brunswick Valley/Dynamo, CT Crown Trophy (Chuck Martins and Ed Vachovetz), Gospel Trick Shot Ministries (Steve Lillis), Blue Ridge Bible College (Rodney Fontaine), McDermott Cues, Crown Cues (Gene and Renee’ La Viness), Frank’s Center (Frank Briscoe), “Dr. Popper” Cues (Mark Dimick), Dr. Cue Promotions, Samm’s Side Pocket (Sammy Diep), Pool Table Magic (Mark Kulungian), Dawn and Allen Hopkins, Pool & Billiard Magazine (Shari J. Stauch), The Monk / Monk Billiard Academy (Tim Miller), Billiards Direct (Scott Long), the APTSA (Artistic Pool and Trick Shot Association), APPA (Artistic Pool Playing Artists), BCAPL (Billiard Congress of America Pool Leagues), VNEA (Valley National Eight Ball League Association), ACS (American CueSports Alliance), APA (American Poolplayers Association), BEF (Billiard Education Foundation), Victor Conte, John and Lori Roarty, Riviera Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas), Nick’s Quick Tricks (Nick Nikolaidis), Greater Washington Area APA (Lee and Jane Tiana), Bob and Terri Stangby, Jason Lynch, Ray Hansen (Cue & A Promotions), select players contributing “entertainment” services during the event, plus all fan and player volunteers helping in the RACK Room and competition arena.  Special thanks to all of you!!

SPECIAL PLAYER AND CHALLENGE STATS

Overall Program Points and D.O.D. Shots Calculation – Preliminary Rounds Only:

There were 240 points possible from 40 preliminary challenges.   240 points X 27 players produce an “event” total of 6480 points possible.   The number of total points registered was 4594 points, which calculates to a percentage make rate of 70.895% (Up 9% from the Cup II event – Great!!)

The maximum D.O.D. shots possible made was 38 times 27 players or 1026 shots.  Wing shots and Bank Shots are worth 2 points each and are recapped in the next section.  Out of the total D.O.D. shots possible 818 were made on at least one of the attempts, calculating to a make percentage on D.O.D. shots for the overall program at 79.727% (Super – Up 8% from Cup II event).  The audience saw shots being made…realizing that they might be able to make them and join us in future events.  

Special Calculation For Wing Shots and Bank Shots – Preliminary Rounds Only:

There were a maximum of 4 “standard” wing shots or 4 “reverse” wing shots that could be made per player.  12 players shot the “standard” wing shots and 15 players shot the “reverse” wing shots.  18 “standard” wing shots were made out of 48 possible for a make rate percentage of 37.5%   (Up 10% from Cup II event).  Note: Jamie Moody made all 4 “standard” wing shots!!  32 “reverse” wing shots were made out of 60 possible for a make rate percentage of 53.333%.  Note: Jamey Gray and Matt Yuhas made all 4 “reverse” wing shots.  Good job!!

There were a maximum of 4 “rotary” bank shots or 4 “position” bank shots that could be made   per player.  1 player shot the “rotary” bank shots and 26 players shot the “position” bank shots.     3 “rotary” bank shots were made out of 4 possible for a make rate percentage of 75% (Excellent – congratulations, “Daddy-O”!!).  75 “position” bank shots were made out of 104 possible for a make rate percentage of 72.115% -- super!!) Note: Jamey Gray, Chris Kelly, Steve Lillis, Jamie Moody, Dave Nangle, Bill Meima, and Steven Markle made all 4 “position” banks.  Congratulations on making those “tricky” banks!!! 

Final Special Stats – Preliminary Rounds Only:

Andy Segal made 40 challenges out of 40 possible (Awesome!!).   3 wing shots made and 3 bank shots made were used to calculate this statistic.  Nick Nikolaidis made 37 challenges.  19 players out of 27 each made 30 or more.  There were 9 perfect scores (30 points) – Dimick, Segal, Helbig, Douberteen, Markle, Stipinas, & Woodrum had 1 each.  Darling had 2 of them!!  Congratulations!!

Special Stats – Playoff Rounds Only (based on 8 preselected challenges / no picks):

Points possible per player per round: Round 1 (52), Round 2 (52), Round 3 (56), and Round 4 (60).
Total points scored and total points possible w/percentage make rate based on all matches per round: Round 1 (4 matches) – (343 / 416 – 82.45%), Round 2 (4 matches) – (308 / 416 – 74.04%), Round 3 (2 matches) – (190 / 224 – 84.82%), and Round 4 (1 match) – (86 / 120 – 71.67%). 

Wing Shots total points scored and total points possible w/percentage make rate based on all 11 playoff matches:  “Standard” Wings – (24 / 40 – 60.00%); “Reverse” Wings – (27 / 48 – 56.25%) Note: Jeremiah “Daddy-O” Owens made all 4 “reverse” wing shots!!  Congratulations!

Bank Shots total points scored and total points possible w/percentage make rate based on all 11 playoff matches:  “Rotary” Banks – (26 / 40 – 65.00%) Note:  “Quick Nick” made all 4 “rotary” banks in 2 different matches – Awesome!!  “Position” Banks – (44 / 48 – 91.67%) Note: All 4 “position” banks made by the following 8 players: Darling, Dimick, Helbig, Kelly, Nikolaidis, Owens, Segal, and Woodrum!!  Great banking – Super make rate percentage!!

Special Note:  The overall “total” possible points for the 11 playoff round matches was 1176 points.  There were 927 “total” points scored for “all” matches based on 8 preselected shots for each match.  The make rate percentage for all playoff challenges was 78.827%!!  Fantastic!!!!!!!

November 21 – In Search Of Cue-Dean-“E” (International Talent Search – Audition Finals

Cue-Dean-"E" Talent Search Star Performers Crowned (click for full article and photos)

• 8 audition finalists perform for 7 minutes each (Round 1) with unique billiard entertainment
• 2 judging panels award points to performers to determine the 4 second round performers 
• Bill Meima / Jason Lynch / Rick Hawkinson / Florian Kohler perform Round 2 / 5 minutes each
• Dr. Cue and Ms. Cue do Round 3 judging with special “artistic” question for Rick and Jason
• Jason “The Michigan Kid” Lynch crowned next “table trotter” of pool: Cue – Dean – “E”
• Final positions of finish for star performers – Rick “The Barber” Hawkinson (2nd), Florian Kohler (3rd), Bill Meima (4th), Paul “Professor-Q-Ball” Frankel (5th), Charles Darling (6th), Steve Geller (7th), and Peyton “Almost Famous” Thomas (8th)
• Over $15,000 prize fund value, including McDermott “Table Trotter” Cue from Dr. Cue Line to 1st and 2nd place, Custom Engraved Cue – Dean – “E” Cue Case for Jason, “Star Performer” specially designed plaque awards, APPA certificates and labels for each audition participant, plus other select perks presented at Awards Ceremony.  Jason also received 2 days with Dr. Cue for show, clinic, and/or personal time options to be shared in Dr. Cue 2010 tour season. 

All information compiled / verified by…     Tom “Dr. Cue” and Marty “Ms. Cue” Rossman              
       November 30, 2009                                    Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Tour / Event Directors