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09-25-2004, 05:09 AM
09/24/04 - Posted 12:00:20 AM from the Daily Record newsroom
Parsippany hosts N.J. pool tourney
By Matt Underwood, Daily Record
PARSIPPANY — Beginning today and running through the championship final on Sunday, Comet Billiards in Parsippany will be hosting the New Jersey Straight Pool Championship, one of the only 14.1 continuous tournaments on the east coast.
The event, in its third year, was the brain child of one of the best straight pool players the Garden State has ever seen: Jack Colavita.
A six-time New Jersey State Champion, Colavita has been striving to bring billiards to the public eye ever since he picked up a cue as a youngster.
“I talked to Bill Haley, owner of Comet Billiards, about starting up a tournament and seeing what kind of interest we could get,” said Colavita. “It’s good to see that it has grown so much. This year, we have some of the top players from around the world coming to compete. It should be a lot of fun.”
The event has grown so much over the past two years that “Gentlemen” Jack had to send out invitations to the top players first, rather than opening the field to the public right away.
Joining Colavita, one of only a few players with a career-high run of 300 balls or better, in the power packed field is ESPN billiard analyst and former Professional Pool Player’s Association (PPPA) World Title holder Allen Hopkins.
Hopkins’ career has spanned four decades, with major wins coming in 9-ball, one-pocket and straight pool.
Legends such as Dallas West and “Machine Gun” Lou Butera, named for his quick shooting style, will make the trip to Parsippany looking for another title to add to their credit.
But the man to beat this year and the No. 1 overall seed is New Yorker Tony Robles. Robles finished second last year behind Thorsten Hohmann, who couldn’t make the trip from Germany.
“We’ve got a couple of Hall-of-Famers playing is this year’s events,” said Haley, whose business will be closed to recreational players for the weekend. “It should be an interesting event from beginning to end.”
Colavita has also done a lot to draw the public into the event, not just billiard aficionados.
“There’s going to be a lot going on other than just great pool,” said Colavita. “We’re going to raffle off three or four handmade pool cues, valued at about a thousand dollars apiece. There’s also going to be other prizes and giveaways. We want to get kids interested in the game.”
Matt Underwood can be reached at (973) 428-6684.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/sports/pro/sports3-092404pool.htm
Parsippany hosts N.J. pool tourney
By Matt Underwood, Daily Record
PARSIPPANY — Beginning today and running through the championship final on Sunday, Comet Billiards in Parsippany will be hosting the New Jersey Straight Pool Championship, one of the only 14.1 continuous tournaments on the east coast.
The event, in its third year, was the brain child of one of the best straight pool players the Garden State has ever seen: Jack Colavita.
A six-time New Jersey State Champion, Colavita has been striving to bring billiards to the public eye ever since he picked up a cue as a youngster.
“I talked to Bill Haley, owner of Comet Billiards, about starting up a tournament and seeing what kind of interest we could get,” said Colavita. “It’s good to see that it has grown so much. This year, we have some of the top players from around the world coming to compete. It should be a lot of fun.”
The event has grown so much over the past two years that “Gentlemen” Jack had to send out invitations to the top players first, rather than opening the field to the public right away.
Joining Colavita, one of only a few players with a career-high run of 300 balls or better, in the power packed field is ESPN billiard analyst and former Professional Pool Player’s Association (PPPA) World Title holder Allen Hopkins.
Hopkins’ career has spanned four decades, with major wins coming in 9-ball, one-pocket and straight pool.
Legends such as Dallas West and “Machine Gun” Lou Butera, named for his quick shooting style, will make the trip to Parsippany looking for another title to add to their credit.
But the man to beat this year and the No. 1 overall seed is New Yorker Tony Robles. Robles finished second last year behind Thorsten Hohmann, who couldn’t make the trip from Germany.
“We’ve got a couple of Hall-of-Famers playing is this year’s events,” said Haley, whose business will be closed to recreational players for the weekend. “It should be an interesting event from beginning to end.”
Colavita has also done a lot to draw the public into the event, not just billiard aficionados.
“There’s going to be a lot going on other than just great pool,” said Colavita. “We’re going to raffle off three or four handmade pool cues, valued at about a thousand dollars apiece. There’s also going to be other prizes and giveaways. We want to get kids interested in the game.”
Matt Underwood can be reached at (973) 428-6684.
http://www.dailyrecord.com/sports/pro/sports3-092404pool.htm