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

Dan “Deadeye” Taylor etched a special “champion” mark in billiard history on November 14, 15, and 16, 2008 at Big Shot Billiards and Bar in East Windsor, CT. This tuned “amateur” displayed “professional” image and “professional” demeanor with burning focus and brilliant skill shot executions on his personal and challenging road to victory!!

A determined group of 33 Artistic Pool Playing Artists came from every corner of the US, Canada, and France to participate in the “sport and show” arena of the Dr. Cue Classic “Artistic” Cup II. This signature event of the Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Tour showcased some of the greatest pro players under the APTSA (Artistic Pool and Trick Shot Association) umbrella, top amateur players from several league tour stops held in 2008 at respective National and / or International events of the BCAPL, VNEA, ACS, and APA, and other players by “open” entry that had always wanted to play in an “artistic pool” event.

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 $20,000 in guaranteed payouts with each place receiving a monetary payback, raffle ticket drawings for select cues by McDermott and other sponsor prizes, special Dr. Cue “Goodie” Bags, attractive Classic “Artistic” Cup II trophy awards, and beautiful certificates of participation all 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” shots was over, there would be an Overall event champion, 8 Discipline champions, and 2 Sportsmanship recipients.

A recap outline of the event follows:

November 13 – Players arrive for registration, practice, and special “open” forum training session

November 14 – Players meeting, draw, first round competition, and media/entertainment night

• 17 Professionals and 16 amateurs vie for the prestigious Dr Cue Classic Artistic Cup II title

• 2007 WPA World Champion Andy “Magic Man” Segal leads after 2 disciplines with 56 points

• 2008 Masters Champion Mark “Dr. Popper” Dimick close second with 54 points

• ACS National Champion Dan “Deadeye” Taylor in third with 53 points

• Jamie “Bayou Bullet” Moody (3^rd place – Cup I) in the race at 50 points

• 4 players tied at 49 points with Paul “Book-em” Danno ahead by tiebreaker factors

• Andy Segal wins Trick/Fancy Shots discipline with perfect score of 30 points

• Chris “Juggler 314” Kelly wins Prop, Novelty, and Special Arts with 27 points

• Rick “The Barber” Hawkinson superb as MC for Media Night with 10 players performing

November 15 – Second round of competition

• Dan Taylor targets field by taking lead after 4 disciplines with 111 points

• Mark Dimick maintains second place position with 106 points

• Andy Segal falls to third place with 105 points

• Extreme Pool Champion Nick “Quick Nick” Nikolaidis moves to 4^th place with 101 points

• Chris “Tricky Shot” Woodrum takes 5^th place and Jamey “Sharpshooter” Gray in 6^th place

• Jamey Gray wins Draw Shots in tiebreaker over Jason “Michigan Kid” Lynch (30 points each)

• GTS Founder and President Steve “Leapin” Lillis wins Follow Shots with perfect 30 score

November 15 – Third round of competition

• Dan Taylor increases lead with 159 points and wins Bank/Kick with 27 points

• 5 players make all 4 banks in Challenge #5 (Deanna “Lady Bug” Laney, Terry “T-bucket” Ford, Jason “My Son” Kane, Jason Lynch, and Andy Segal)

• Nick Nikolaidis moves into second place with 147 points

• Jamey Gray in third place and only 1 point behind “Quick Nick”

• Chris Woodrum takes over 4^th place at 143 points and wins in Stroke Shots with 29 points

• Andy Segal and Mark Dimick fall to 5^th and 6^th positions respectively (138 / 137)

November 15 – Open Table Talent Night

• 10 players and 2 fans audition for 5 minutes in unique billiard presentations

• 3 judging panels award points to performers to determine top 3 finalists

• Steven “Triple C” Markle (youngest player in Cup II field) takes 4^th place honors

• Jamey Gray, Jason Lynch, and Bill “Mynah Bird” Meima garner top positions of finish

• Dr. Cue and Ms. Cue do final judging with special “artistic” question for each finalist

• Bill Meima finishes 3^rd while Jamey Gray wins talent contest over Jason Lynch by shooting “artistic lag” challenge after being tied from all judging score totals

• 4 special cues ($50 – $200) awarded to top 4 places with select prizes to rest of performers

November 16 – RACK Room service, final round of competition and awards ceremony

• RACK Room “sunrise” fellowship with Steve Lillis and “Dr. Cue”, plus free coffee/donuts

• 9 players start at 10:00AM, 18 players start at 12:00Noon, and final 6 players start at 2:00PM

• Dan Taylor becomes Cup II Champion in record fashion scoring new high of 208 points

• Dan Taylor garners another discipline medal in Jump Shots with 28 points

• Jamey Gray earns the Masse Shots title over Jamie Moody on tiebreaker (29 points each)

• Jamey Gray finishes in 2^nd place with 194 points after some pressure shooting

• Nick Nikolaidis (3^rd), Andy Segal (4^th), Chris Kelly (5^th), and Chris Woodrum (6^th)

• Amateurs earn 3 of top 6 places, 4 of 8 discipline medals, and both sportsmanship awards

• Top 6 players receive beautiful “victory” cup trophies – “Reeses” cups to places 7 – 33

• 8 discipline champions receive special award medals/ribbons and title recognition

• Sportsmanship medals and select cues awarded to Florian “Venon” Kohler (France) by vote of players and Chris Woodrum 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 II a huge success and a resounding victory for our sport.

Article written by… Tom “Dr. Cue” Rossman November 25, 2008

DR. CUE CLASSIC ARTISTIC CUP II OVERALL POSITIONS OF FINISH

Place Player / Nickname / Home Base Points Prize Money / Award

1 Dan “Deadeye” Taylor (IL) 208 $ 5000.00 + Cup

2 Jamey “The Sharpshooter” Gray (CT) 194 3750.00 + Cup

3 Nick “Quick Nick” Nikolaidis (Quebec) 188 2500.00 + Cup

4 Andy “The Magic Man” Segal (NY) 185 1750.00 + Cup

5 Chris “Juggler 314” Kelly (NY) 178 1300.00 + Cup

6 Chris “Tricky Shot” Woodrum (VA) 177 1000.00 + Cup

7 Mark “Dr. Popper” Dimick (OK) 170 800.00

8 Jason “The Michigan Kid” Lynch (MI) 169 600.00

9 Dave “Triple Jump” Nangle (MD) 167 400.00

10 Mark “Special K” Kulungian (CT) 166 400.00

11 Jamie “The Bayou Bullet” Moody (TX) 164 400.00

12 Matt “No Fail” MacPhail (MA) 160 400.00

13 Bruce “The Big Guy” Barthelettte (MA) 158 250.00

14 Bill “Mynah Bird” Meima (NJ) 157 250.00

15 Jeremiah “Daddy-O” Owens (IL) 155 250.00

16 Abram “Too Tall” Diaz (CA) 155 250.00

17 Bob “Badhair” Stangby (TX) 154 250.00 18 Florian “Venom” Kohler (France) 152 250.00

19 Robert “TV Bob” Neal (NJ) 148 250.00

20 Jason “My Son” Kane (NY) 145 250.00

21 Paul “Book Em” Danno (NJ) 140 250.00

22 Joe “The Maine Man” Meuse (ME) 138 250.00

23 Gilbert “Train Wreck” Olsen (CT) 138 250.00

24 Steve “Leapin” Lillis (NJ) 138 250.00

25 Buddy “Stripes” Eick (OK) 133 150.00

26 Steven “Triple C” Markle (PA) 125 150.00

27 Pat “TBD #1” McMullan (IL) 124 150.00

28 Craig “The Chilly Kid” Harmel (WI) 123 150.00

29 Terry “T-Bucket” Ford (ME) 111 150.00

30 Jimmy “The General” Glanville (MA) 101 150.00

31 Jim “Coach” Barnard (CA) 96 150.00

32 Deanna “Lady Bug” Laney (FL) 83 150.00

33 Maggie “Mustang Maggie” Mullins (CT) 41 150.00

Tiebreaker Notes: Jeremiah Owens scored 18 – 1^st attempt makes and 7 – 2^nd attempt makes

versus Abram Diaz with 18 – 1^st attempt makes and 6 – 2^nd attempt makes. Joe Meuse scored

19 – 1^st attempt makes versus 16 – 1^st attempt makes for Gilbert Olsen and Steve Lillis. Gilbert

and Steve each scored 9 – 2^nd attempt makes and 2 – 3^rd attempt makes. The 4^th tiebreaker factor (1^st attempt point values) was used with Gilbert scoring 86 points versus 84 points for Steve.

DR. CUE CLASSIC “ARTISTIC” CUP II DISCIPLINE CHAMPIONS

Trick and/or Fancy Shots Andy Segal 30 out of 30 points

Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Chris Kelly 27 out of 30 points

Draw Shots Jamey Gray 30 out of 30 points

Follow Shots Steve Lillis 30 out of 30 points

Bank/Kick Shots Dan Taylor 27 out of 30 points

Stroke Shots Chris Woodrum 29 out of 30 points

Jump Shots Dan Taylor 28 out of 30 points

Masse Shots Jamey Gray 29 out of 30 points

Notes: Jamey Gray won the Draw Shots discipline on the 1^st tiebreaker shot / challenge with 6 points versus Jason Lynch (0 points). Jamey Gray won the Masse Shots discipline on the 1^st tiebreaker shot / challenge with 6 points versus Jamie Moody (0 points).

SPORTSMANSHIP RECIPIENT AWARDS

By vote of players: Florian “Venom” Kohler

By vote of directors: Chris “Tricky Shot” Woodrum

Note: Sportsmanship recipients each received special victory medal award. Florian awarded a Jeanette Lee Small Cue w/case ($50 value). Chris awarded Stealth Jump Cue w/case ($125 value)

SPECIAL PRIZES

• Free raffle for total shots made – Jason Kane won Robin Dodson Signature Cue ($150 value)

• Free raffle for total shots made – Paul Danno & Bruce Barthelette won ScratchBall prizes

• Free drawing (places 25 to 33) – Pat McMullan won CueTec Graphite Cue w/caps ($300 value)

• APPA supporter raffle (1^st) – Terry Ford won select McDermott Infinity Cue ($449 value)

• APPA supporter raffle (2^nd) – Joe Meuse won Steve Mizerak Signature Cue ($300 value)

• Special sponsor product raffle – Mark Kulungian won TV Pro Cup Ball Set ($300 value)

• Special shot challenge raffle (1^st) – Chris Woodrum won Stealth Jump Cue ($125 value)

• Special shot challenge raffle (2^nd) – David Klezos won Dr. Popper Jump Cue ($125 value)

• Open table talent night (1^st) – Jamey Gray won McDermott Vintage Cue ($199 value)

• Open table talent night (2^nd) – Jason Lynch won Clark Custom Cue ($150 value)

• Open table talent night (3^rd) – Bill Meima won Valentine Break/Jump Cue ($100 value)

• Open table talent night (4^th) – Steven Markle won select Skip Cue ($50 value)

• Free drawing at players meeting – Steven Markle won 2007 WPA “Artistic Pool” WC Banner

• Free drawings at players meeting – Numerous players won choice of sponsored prizes

• Auction of Bob Stangby special wall poster of Cup I – Mark Kulungian won with $30 bid

• Auction of TV Pro Cup Ball Set – Mark Kulungian won with $150 bid

TOTAL PRIZE/AWARD FUND: Dr. Cue Promotions added over $15,000 to the prize fund, furnished the discipline champion and sportsmanship recipient medals / ribbons, plus the 6 trophies for the overall positions of finish. In addition, 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 all sponsors for this event and the “Dr. Cue” Classic Artistic Pool Tour)

SPONSOR NOTE: Over 35 product and service sponsors contributed to the success of not only the Dr. Cue Classic “Artistic” Cup II event, but also the entire 2008 Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Tour. These include Big Shot Billiards and Bar, Diamond Billiard Products, Aramith/Saluc, Ivan Simonis, Tweeten Fibre, Professor Q – Ball’s National Pool & 3 – Cushion News (Paul Frankel), High Country Promotions, Brunswick Valley/Dynamo, Gospel Trick Shot Ministries (Steve Lillis), McDermott Cues, Dennis Dieckmann Custom Cues, Sterling Gaming, ScratchBall Billiards (David / Gary Fenske), D. Laney Photos (Deanna Laney), “Dr. Popper” Cues (Mark Dimick), 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), Victor Conte, Executive Inn (Louisville), Riviera Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas), Select hotels near Big Shot Billiards & Bar, Nick’s Quick Tricks (Nick Nikolaidis), CT APA (Bruce Barthelette), Magic Man Web Services (Andy Segal), Bob and Terri Stangby, Trick Shot Productions (Al Relf), Steve Geller, Rick Hawkinson, 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 SHOT STATS

Special Points and D.O.D. Shots Calculation:

There were 240 points possible in the 40 shot program. 240 points X 33 players produce an “event” point’s total of 7920 points possible. The number of total points registered was 4841 points, which calculates to 61.124% of the maximum total being scored.

The maximum D.O.D. shots possible made was 38 times 33 players or 1254 shots. The 4 wing shots worth 2 points each and the 4 banks worth 2 points each are recapped in the next section. Out of the total D.O.D. shots possible 902 were made on at least one of the attempts, calculating

to a make percentage on D.O.D. shots for the overall program at 71.930% (Super!). The audience saw shots being made…realizing that they might be able to make them and join us in future events.

Special Challenge Shots Calculation:

The maximum number of wing shots that could be made was 4 per player and the same for the bank challenge. This totals 132 wing shots possible made and 132 banks shots possible made.

36 wing shots were made for a make percentage of 27.272% (Looks like we need to work on those) No player made all 4 wing shots!!

78 bank shots were made for a make percentage of 59.091% (Pretty good!) Andy Segal, Jason Kane, Jason Lynch, Terry Ford, and Deanna Laney made all 4 “to the left” or “to the right” banks in that special challenge – Congratulations on making those “tricky” banks!!!

Final Special Stat:

Dan Taylor made 37 shots out of 40 possible. 3 wing shots made and 3 bank shots made were used to calculate this statistic. Nick Nikolaidis and Jamey Gray each made 36 shots. 12 players out of 33 each made 30 or more shots. 25 players each made 25 or more shots.

Results compiled / verified by… Tom “Dr. Cue” and Marty “Ms. Cue” Rossman

November 25, 2008 Dr. Cue Classic Artistic Pool Tour / Event Directors