Legends and Champions Pool Tour is heading East

The Legends and Champions Pool Tour will be heading toward the East Coast in March announced Mark Cantrill (AKA T-Wheels). This leg of the tour will be a little different than usual, Earl Strickland is working in Japan for most of March and so I have had to find another Legend and Champion to join Johnny (The Scorpion) Archer. The answer was easy, 8 time World Champion, the only player to win back to back US Open titles, Has won a World title in almost every discipline including Straight Pool, 1 Pocket, Banks, 8-Ball and 9-ball, He is a member of the Hall of Fame (The Kentucky Colonel), Nick Varner. We are very happy and excited to have Nick join us on our travels and believe he will be a great addition to The Legends and Champions Pool Tour.

Nick Varner is well known for his teaching ability and his ability to make exhibitions a fun experience for all spectators, so with his credentials and experience along with Johnny Archer’s credentials and talents this leg of the tour will be a treat for all pool and billiards enthusiasts..
The Pool Schools will keep the same pricing and format. 12 Students max per class in 2 groups of 6 and each group will spend 2 hours with Johnny Archer and 2 hours with Nick Varner. The fee for the amazing opportunity is only $200.00 per person.

Each stop will be hosting an exhibition with both Archer and Varner that will include trick shots, stroke shots stories, a mini challenge match between Archer and a local House Pro, local Champion or maybe Archer Vs Varner. There will also be opportunities for spectators to play on either team Archer or Team Varner in a rack of scotch doubles (8 drawings). Obviously at the end of the night Johnny and Nick will be available to sign cues & memorabilia and take pictures with the spectators.

Below is the schedule for March, if you would like to sign up for a pool school or simply have questions please feel free to contact Mark Cantrill at cantrillmark@yahoo.com or by phone at 480-612-7732.

Mon March 9th = Exhibition-8..00pm at KB Billiards -Baltimore, MD (Elkridge)
Tuesday March 10th = Pool School -11.00am to 3.00pm at KB Billiards (Elkridge)
Thursday March 12th = Pool School -11.00am to 3.00pm at Side Pockets - Laurel, MD
Friday March 13th = Exhibition -8.00pm at The Playing Field - Richmond, VA
Saturday March 14th = Pool School - 11.00am to 3.00pm at The Playing Field - Richmond, VA
Sunday March 15th = Pool School - 11.00am to 3.00pm at Rockaway Billiards - Rockaway, NJ
Sunday March 15th = Exhibition - 8.00pm at Rockaway Billiards - Rockaway, NJ
Tuesday March 17th = Pool School - 11.00am to 3.00pm at Down east Billiards - Ellsworth, ME
Tuesday March 17th = Exhibition - 7.30pm at Down east Billiards - Ellsworth, Me

Nick Varner and Alex Lely on Runout Radio

Check out the latest episode of Runout Radio, where Jerry and Mike chat about the latest news from the WPBA and then talk with their guests Nick Varner and Alex Lely about the upcoming Mosconi Cup.

All episodes of Runout Radio are available online at www.runoutradio.com

Nick Varner Signature Case sponsors on the 2008-2009 Pechauer All American Tour returns for its 4th Year

The American CueSports Alliance (ACS) is pleased to announce the fourth annual installment of the All American Tour. ACS will again be teaming up with sponsors Pechauer Custom Cues, Championship Billiard Fabric and Nick Varner Signature Cases (in addition to new partner oZone Billiards!) to produce the Tour. With fifty (50) stops nationwide to be conducted between October, 2008 and June, 2009, the Pechauer All American Tour is one of the largest in the nation.

All events are open to any amateur player (all paying the same entry fee) vying for $500-$1,500 added prize fund events, with the highest-placing ACS member receiving an extra perk of claiming a free singles entry to the ACS Nationals in Las Vegas, May 31 - June 6, 2009.

The ACS is the national, member-governed assocation which offers opportunity programs for sanctioning independent pool leagues, referee and coach certification, junior championships and thirteen affiliated state associations. Further information on ACS and the Tour, entry details and schedules for the 2008/2009 Pechauer All American Tour are available at www.americancuesports.org.

Cross country: Ironwood Ridge girls look strong

Ironwood Ridge hopes to dominate the girls high school cross country scene once again.

Sophomore Sarah Miville, who won the Class 5A Division II individual state championship as a freshman in 2007, was tops at the 5A Southern-II Region meet and helped the Nighthawks win the team state title.

"I'm hoping to continue with my success," Miville said. "I'm also hoping we can get another state championship."

The Nighthawks also bring back junior Allison Crawford and sophomore Lauren Cooper. Katherine Howard moves up from the junior varsity.

"A lot of the girls have improved from last year and it will be exciting to see what happens," Miville said. "Kat Howard has improved the most. She was bummed that she wasn't on the state team."

Gary Forrest, the boys cross country coach who worked with most of the girls team during the spring track season, thinks the Nighthawks have as talented a team as any.

"They're strong and one of the best teams in the state," Forrest said. "It's a good sign of things to come. "

Boys cross country

The 2008 season appears to be promising for the boys cross country team at Catalina.

Coach Nick Varner has high hopes for the team, saying the Trojans have the potential to contend for a 4A Gila Region and 4A Division II state championship.

"This is one of the best boys team I have coached in a while," Varner said.

Catalina's top runners are seniors Wais Khaurabdesh, Stephen Pierson and Mario Portillo. Sophomore Alejandro Montano adds depth to the talented Trojan squad.

U.S. Open Opens Field to more players

Due to rumors of the World 9-ball championships possibly being cancelled, The U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships has opened the field to give all the great players from America and all over the world the opportunity to play in this year’s U.S. Open. 

Players, you must have your $600.00 entry fee paid by October 12th, 2008 to avoid the $50.00 late fee.  So please be sure to get it in on time.

In the event of the field exceeding 256 players, matches will still be held at the normal times of 11, 1, 3 & 7, 9, 11. Pre-designated loser bracket matches will be played at Q-master Billiards in order to stay on “cue” with all scheduled matches on Tuesday, Wednesday and possibly Thursday at 11, 1 and 3.  Matches will be determined by the flow chart prior to the draw.  The final day will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude with the finals beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Of course, more players means more money added to the purse!  All additional entries will be added to the total prize fund amount.

Example 1: 300 Players adds $26,400.00 to the purse and will pay up to 128 players.
Example 2: 400 Players adds $86,400.00 to the purse!

We are looking forward to the 33rd Annual U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships! Thank you for your continued dedication and support throughout the years. We are excited to see if Shane Van Boening can repeat as Champion.  Nick Varner is the only U.S. Open Champion in history to have achieved two consecutive championships in 1989-1990.

Billiards Nick Varner from the Derby City Classic

Billiards Nick Varner from the Derby City Classic speaks with Aaron Czetli and Rachael Abbink of Inside POOL Magazine.

Seybert’s Billiard Supply is the worlds largest Predator Cue and Shaft dealer and takes great pride in providing customers all over the world with the very best in billiard products, selection and customer service.

Seybert s Billiard Supply is a large stocking dealer with Predator Cues, McDermott Cues, Viking Cues, Pechauer Cues and many other billiard manufacturers.

Catalina cross county hosts community track event

The Catalina High School cross country teams will work and play hard this Saturday, August 23, as the school hosts its annual benefit, The 1 Mile Race. The community event is open to casual and elite runners alike, with 11 different waves spanning five different age groups.

Visit Blue Pants Racing to see a list of all the events scheduled and registration information. Completing one mile consists of circling the track field four times.

Catalina High School will be hosting the races this Saturday evening. You can get there as early as 5 p.m., with the first heats starting at 6 p.m., and the last wave of races will start around 8 p.m. Food and live entertainment, including a big screen TV set up alongside the track, will also be on site. All proceeds from the evening will be utilized by the Catalina cross country programs, helping to fund entry fees for local and statewide tournaments, according to boys cross country coach Nick Varner.

Plus, goofy categories, like the hot dog mile and the big guys race, dedicated for men over 225 pounds, are sure to have the crowds cheering along!

Everybodys gonna have a good time! Varner said.

Nick Varner on 4th Annual Hall of Fame Dinner

It was another full house for the 2008 One Pocket Hall of Fame dinner held Tuesday night during the middle of the action at the Derby City Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. With special guests with names like Reyes, Varner, Bustamante and Corr, and veterans of the road like Di Liberto, LeBron and Rood, the room was chock full of veteran players and fans of pool action. This was truly an occasion of great players being honored by their peers. Like One Pocket inductee Billy Incardona said, “To be honored among all these great champions is really something special.”

Co-Master of Ceremonies Grady Mathews and Freddy ‘The Beard’ Bentivegna led numerous other guest speakers in honoring each inductee in turn. Of course there were old road stories galore, and plenty of good-natured ribbing, but there were a few surprisingly touching stories as well. As much as these players have butted heads over the years, it is something special to see the genuine respect these guys have for each other when it comes time for Hall of Fame honors.

First up was this year’s Lifetime Pool in Action award that went to Jimmy Reid, the champion player who has been fighting a tough personal battle against esophageal cancer. Jimmy not only came to Louisville to receive his award, he valiantly entered all three divisions of the tournament, which is tough enough for those in good health to handle. When the banquet crowd was asked to “raise your hand if you’ve got Jimmy Reid stuck,” not a single hand went up in a room loaded with great players, past and present. The man is a definite fighter, with a very strong will to survive, and we all wish him the very best.

Turning our attention to the One Pocket inductees, Philadelphia’s Jimmy Fusco was honored, and good-naturedly harangued, as his cousin Pete Fusco and others described Jimmy’s unrestrained desire to tangle with the best, even if it meant going broke. Their entertaining narratives illustrated that to become the best, you have to compete against the best. Jimmy was clearly humbled to be considered one of the best, and in Freddy Bentivegna’s words, “One of the very select few that truly understand the right way to play the game.”

JoAnn (Jansco) McNeal graciously accepted induction for her father and uncle, the brothers George and Paulie Jansco, for their contribution to the legacy of the game as promoters. Between the Johnston City and Stardust tournaments, these two dressed up both the game and the players, got pool on TV, and into the history books for all time. Danny Di Liberto shared a few of his personal Johnston City stories, as he likened his own experience there to going to pool college – especially a college for pool gambling. In his rookie year at Johnston City, the veteran hustler Earl Schriver advised the young and admittedly square Di Liberto, “Kid, keep your mouth shut and your ears open and you’ll learn a lot.” It is hard to overestimate the significance of Johnston City to the legacy of ‘Pool in Action’, and the induction of George & Paulie Jansco is long overdue...

Freddie ‘The Beard’ introduced a dapper and dignified Billy Incardona, who clearly had a great time, equally ribbing his peers and basking in the recognition for an exemplary career as a great player, a savvy gambler, a wise and entertaining commentator, and a human being with a big heart. Player after player paid respects to Billy’s forty years of winning pool, and he’s not done yet, having been spotted several times in the action room at the Derby this year, with cue in hand and cash on the line. Pat Fleming spoke about the important role Billy played in turning Accustats from a statistical reporting concept for pool into the industry leader in pool videos.

Last, but not least, was the induction of banking legend Donny Anderson in the Legends of Bank Pool category. His long-time rival and fellow Hall of Fame member, Truman Hogue, joined ‘The Beard’ in introducing ‘The Cincinnati Kid’. For years and years Donny was a banking terror in a town that had some terrors. Truman acknowledged that he never could beat Donny, and hated competing against him all those years, until finally he became a fan himself, admitting, “I guess he beat me so much I began to like him.” Despite his physical frailty, Donny was determined to stand out of his wheel chair and be helped up to the podium, where he brought the evening to a rousing conclusion with a surprisingly strong voice.

Meanwhile, Ed Kelly, who has been unable to attend the annual HOF dinner since his 2005 election into the One Pocket Hall of Fame, was able to slip over to Louisville on the Sunday after the Derby City Classic ended to receive his belated induction. In a small private gathering of legends of pool action assembled by photographer Diana Hoppe, Grady Mathews surprised Kelly with his HOF plaque.

Nick Varner

Nick Varner is definitely a leader in the sport of cuesports. He is highly respected and honored by most all of his peers. His understanding of cuesports and its world speaks volumes. Nick Varner was most greatly deserving to be honorably inducted into the 1992 BCA Hall of Fame and the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2005. He is an 8 time World Champion in 4 different disciplines and over 80 professional championships that include numerous national titles. As a joyous new father and grandfather, Nick still competes with the best players in the world. Many have said, "Watch him and learn, he is the greatest of teachers".

Personal Background

• Name: Nick Varner
• Known as: Speak softly and carry a big stick"
• Sex: Male
• Age: 59 years old
• Date of Birth: May 15, 1948
• Place of Birth: Owensboro, Kentucky
• Country: United States of America
• Nationality: American
• Hobbies: Playing pool
• Spouse: na
• Sports: Billiard

Achievements:

• 1970 ACU-I Intercolleagiate Championship
• 1979 Lexington All-Star Tournament
• 1980 Professional Pool Players Association World Open Pocket Billiard Championship
• 1980 and 1981 Billiard Congress of America National Eight-ball Championship
• 1982 Professional Pool Players Association World Nine-ball Champsionship

Trivia:

• Nick Varner was an ascending star on the professional pool scene after he won two ACU-I Intercollegiate Championships in 1970 while attending college. A cliche given to Varner was "Speak softly and carry a big stick" because of the way he conducted himself as well as his competitive endeavors.

• In 1989, Varner became only the second man to earn over $100,000 in prize winnings accumulating 16 major nine-ball events and was Player of the Year in 1980 and 1989.

• Heralded as one of the sport's greatest ambassadors, Varner achieved unparalleled success in his chosen profession. Some of his accomplishments included being an author, a video star, a pool room proprietor, and a manufacturer's representative. He still enjoys today a prominent status as an exhibition star.

About Nick Varner on IPT

Nick Varner was born on May 15, 1948 in Owensboro, Kentucky. He is a world renowned competitor with an impressive career including being an eight-time World Champion, a two-time US Open Champion, a four-time Sands Regent Open Champion, and a five-time Player of the Year. He has won over eighty professional championships and is a two-time National Collegiate Champion. Nick has a 14.1 high run of 337, and was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 1992 and the One Pocket Hall of Fame in 2005. He was the Best All-Around Player and the Best 9-Ball Player in 1992. He was the number one ranked player in 1994 at the Professional Billiards Tour, was awarded Senior Tour Player of the Year in 1999, and the Pool and Billiard Magazine Player of the Year in 1980, 1982, 1989, and 1994. Nick was the Billiards Digest Player of the Year in 1980, 1989, and 1994. This celebrity’s reputation speaks for itself, as he served as the Captain of Team America, and has been a commentator on ESPN, FOX Sports, and Sky Sports.

• Name: Nick Varner
• Alias: The Kentucky Colonel
• Residence: United States
• D.O.B.: 5/15/1948  
• Age: 60

Statistics:

2006 North American Open - Las Vegas, NV
Matches - Games - Winning Method - Prize - Money Won
Total - Won - Lost - Win% - Total - Won - Lost - Win % - B&R - B&R%* - B&R%+ - 8 on B
13 - 8 - 5 - 61.54 - 152 - 86 - 66 - 56.58 - 30 - 34.88 - 19.74 - 0 - $10,000.00

2006 World Open - Reno, NV
Matches - Games - Winning Method - Prize - Money Won
Total - Won - Lost - Win% - Total - Won - Lost - Win % - B&R - B&R%* - B&R%+ - 8 on B
18 - 9 - 9 - 50 - 225 - 113 - 112 - 50.22 - 37 - 32.74 - 16.44 - 1 - $21,910.00

Cumilative Statistics
Prize Money Won - Total Matches Won - Game Winning % - Break and Runouts - 8 Balls on the Break
$31,910.00 - 17 - 52.79 - 67 - 1

Varner on Billiards Digest Magazine

What is Billiards Digest Magazine?

BD is a monthly, full-color, glossy magazine covering every aspect of billiards worldwide, written by the best professional billiard journalists. The magazine's content includes some of the best instructional columns anywhere with such high-caliber names as pool legends Mike Sigel and Nick Varner, professional and amateur coverage, industry news, personality profiles, billiards history and culture, and much more, including many unusual, innovative and highly informative billiard articles found in no other publication of any kind.

When Does it Come Out?
BD usually arrives in subscribers' mailboxes, at the newsstands and on the counters of finer billiard shops and rooms by the week before the issue date (i.e., the November issue would arrive around Oct. 24). However, because of postal inconsistencies, issues will sometimes arrive somewhat late, sometimes up to a full week. To find places to buy BD, click here.

When is the Annual Cue Issue?
This highly anticipated issue appears every April, each year with a different topic of focus on cues and cuemaking.

What Else Do I Need to Know?
When you subscribe to Billiards Digest through PoolDawg, you save 27% off the normal subscription price. Please allow 3-4 weeks for your subscription to start, as this is a monthly publication. Your subscription will not automatically renew.

Nick "Kentucky Colonel" Varner

Name: Nick "Kentucky Colonel" Varner

Little in Stature, Big in Heart: A top player throughout the 80's and into the present, the diminutive Nick, (about 5'4" in his stocking feet) is an all-around great pool professional.

For most of his younger years, Nick neglected the game he learned at home in Indiana where his father, a businessman, owned a small Billiards equipment showroom and pool hall. Five-year-old Nick was quite the sight pulling a soda case around a table so he could stand atop it to reach the playing surface.

A top local player by the time he graduated high school, the shy Nick put away his cue. One afternoon as a young man in college, however, his life changed forever.

Two Titans Meet: Nick wandered into his school's activity center and asked for a game of pool where the top stick, who would become reigning national champion of the A.C.U.I. Tournament, Richard Baumgarth, stepped to the challenge! Though he had not shot pool for months, Baumgarth was just four games ahead following a two-hour session.

Nick started to win after several afternoons of intense competition that thrilled him. Falling in love with pool again, he held daily practice sessions where he often ran a hundred or more shots in a row.

The College Champ: Later, Varner topped his local rival to arise supreme champion at the A.C.U.I.'s, playing his favorite game, Straight Pool. Some years ago, to the regret of many, A.C.U.I. became exclusively Eight Ball and later, Nine Ball, competition.

Nick repeated as champion in 1970, winning his second national title in Gainesville, Florida. He later named a line of his custom cues "The Gainesville". Nick is still the foremost competitor to emerge from collegiate competition successfully.

Decades of Dominance: Both Nick's gentle, disarming personality and his extraordinary skill at the table including his exquisite cue ball positioning insure his popularity with pool's fans. They have watched him become one the dominant players of pool history.

In 1989, Nick won half the Pro Pool Tour events he entered, scoring 11 titles, a record not likely to be equaled. Two of his Championships in 1989 included the World Championship and the US Open 9-Ball Championship.

His over 80 tournament championships, including 8 World Championships, placed him as a 1992 inductee into the Billiards Congress of America's Hall of Fame.

What Ben Burman Said: Writer Ben Lucien Burman wrote after watching Nick at New York's Players Club, "To watch Nick Varner at a pool table is like watching a portrait being painted by Rembrandt."

Career Highlights: Among many highlights, Varner is the sole player ever named World Champion in 5 different pool games, including Straight Pool, 9-Ball and One Pocket. Straight Pool is considered a premier test of skill, and at one practice session, Nick ran nearly 350 shots without a miss, a performance that kept his inning alive at the table for nearly three hours!

A Personal Memory: A kind and sincere man, I have fond remembrances of this living legend as do friends. Following one trick shot exhibition, Nick played all comers at Nine Ball, and I broke but left myself a difficult shot 2-ball. I played safe and we both sallied on defense for several minutes to the oohs of the crowd before Nick ran to the nine for the win.

Nick lingered a long time over his shot then bounced the nine off the point of the side pocket, setting me for the win! The crowd gasped at his near miss but from his big smile I knew Nick played a perfect shot, designed to encourage little ol' me in my meager efforts.

Interview with Nick Varner by AZBilliards.com

AZB: First off, congratulations on your win in Spain last month. Can you tell us a little bit about that tournament?

Nick: Sure, I went over there for the last tournament that I played in for the year. I went straight to Spain from Denver and Jeremy Jones and I roomed together in Spain. I got off to a good start and won my first match hill-hill against one of the Japanese players. I started out leading in that match. I was leading at one time 10-6 and he came back and got to the hill first 12-11. I won that one on the hill. And then I won the next round. In the third round I played Takahashi and I played real good. In the fourth round I think I played that Swedish player. In the fifth round I played Dieter Johns from West Germany. I played Jeremy in the finals. I played very consistent in that tournament. I played good almost every match. I made a few mistakes against Dieter Johns in the semifinals but outside of that, I didn't miss many balls in that tournament. I played pretty consistent all the way through.

AZB: You have been a top player in professional pool for over 25 years, while some of your contemporaries seem to be struggling to maintain that same level of consistency. To what do you contribute your longevity in this sport?

Nick:Well, I have always tried to be prepared when I go to tournaments. Naturally, over a period of time like that, your desire and will to win is going to be stronger than at other times. I think I have been able to consistently maintain that over a long period of time. I guess it is just mental self-discipline.

AZB: What first drew you to billiards when you were young?

Nick:Well, my dad bought a pool room when I was five years old. He took me down to the pool room right after he bought it and he lined up a shot, I will never forget it. Corner pocket. He said 'aim here about the middle diamond on the side rail and the cue ball will go in the side and that kind of fascinated me. I played off and on when I was growing up, especially in the winter time. When I went to college at Purdue, that was really when I got into the competitive part of the game. When I was a freshman, I didn't even know about the campus tournaments. One day in the second semester of my freshman year, I walked into the billiard room and a guy asked if I wanted to play for a couple bucks a game and I said 'OK'. I lost a couple dollars but not much. I was a little bit competitive and hadn't really played very much but I really believed I could beat this guy. I found out he was the campus champion and he went on to win the national collegiate championship. He was just a sophomore and I was a freshman. The next year in the campus tournament, I beat him. I had never played a game of straight pool until the second semester of my freshman year and I really liked it. That ACUI program was what really got me involved with the competitive play.

AZB:Compare the game of professional billiards 15-20 years ago to the game today. How has it changed and has it changed for the better?

Nick:I think it has changed in a lot of ways and mostly for the better because there is more money, especially compared to 20 years ago. There is a lot more money in the game today in terms of prize money, even though pool can't seem to attract any corporate sponsorship at this point of time and I think that is the only way the game can grow much from here.

AZB: You are very competitive in all the different games on a pool table. What game do you consider your best and why?

Nick:I really feel that I play most games pretty equal. I play 9-Ball, straight pool, one pocket. I think I am pretty consistent in all games including bank and 8-Ball. I won 7 world championships in 4 different games. I don't think any active players have won that many world championships and I don't think any players have won them in that many games and been that versatile.

As far as which game I like to play the best, I get asked that all the time and it is a hard question. I never quite know what to say. I like 9-Ball but I think I probably enjoy one pocket and straight pool a little bit more than the other games.

AZB: Why would that be?

Nick: There is a little more thinking in it. 9-Ball usually comes down to execution and the break shot. The break is most of the game, and the layout of the balls. There are usually not as many variables in shot selection as there are in straight pool and one-pocket. I think you bring out more of the all-around factors of the game, where 9-ball is kind of based on execution and the break shot. The break basically sets you up to win or lose the game.

AZB: In 1992 you were inducted in the BCA Hall of Fame. Tell me what that meant to you.

Nick: That was really an exciting time in my career. When I was inducted, a couple players that I followed when I was a young kid in college and just starting to play professionally was Jimmy Caras and Joe Balsis. Jimmy Caras and Joe uses to do a lot of exhibitions in those days and I probably saw both of their exhibitions 25 times each. I loved to watch them play and they were really 2 great players and they really had great exhibitions and they were really good ambassadors for the sport. I was real impressed with those 2 players, and then Mosconi was in there, Luther Lassiter was in there and he was also one of my favorites growing up because he won some of those Johnson City and Stardust tournaments back in the 60s. And he also won a lot of those straight pool tournaments. I think he won 3 or 4 of those straight pool world championships in New York which is quite an accomplishment. It was a kind of overwhelming feeling to think that you were on equal basis with those players. I had been admiring a lot of them for years.

AZB: Who do you think are the ambassadors of the game today?

Nick: I would think it is those players that get most of the publicity. I would say Johnny Archer, and Earl Strickland, Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante. I would say they are some of the ambassadors.

AZB: Billiards Digest recently named their picks for the top 50 players of the century and you were picked number 14. Can you tell me your thoughts on this?

Nick:I really didn't pay much attention to it. You say I was 14th? I think for a poll like that to be accurate, you really need to talk to the players that compete against other players. I don't think that those are the people that really know how people play. I don't think it is very credible because I don't know how a girl can be rated higher than a guy that she can't beat. So, fifty greatest at what? I don't know what the requirements are for that list. It certainly doesn't seem to have a lot to do with playing ability.

AZB: We received a couple questions from the users of our site. The first was...

Hi Nick, I've been a fan of yours for years and I was just wondering, what is the deal with the gum. I don't think I have ever seen you playing without a wad of gum going in your mouth.

Nick: I just use it to relax and help to relieve the pressure when I play.

AZB: Another was...

Nick, I have watched the mechanics of some of the top players to try to pick up pointers on improving my game. Your mechanics are not exactly what the book teaches. How are you able to play so well and still play differently than way we are taught to play?

Nick:I don't know quite what he is referring to. I don't know if he is talking about grip, stance, stroke or what. I would guess that it would probably be stroke. I just go with what is natural for me. It seems like I have a little bit of a hitch in my stroke, but for some reason it keeps my right hand real relaxed where I stay away from trying to steer the ball. I'm not really recommending that for anybody else because it is nothing that I consciously try to do. It is just something that happens naturally.

AZB: Lastly, Tell me about your Nick's Edge products. What all is there and what makes them worth purchasing?

Nick: The Nick's Edge is a high tech burnishing film that is used to polish the shaft and clean off the surface dirt and oil. They are washable and reusable. The reason I came out with the product is because I like it so well that I use it everytime I play. I really like the product personally which is why I put it on the market. Also, at the BCA show last year, I introduced my own signature line of cues and cases on the market. I've been marketing those and they have been doing real good.

AZB: For people who want more information on this products, is there a number they can call or a distributor they can contact?

Nick: Yes, They can call me at my office at 270-926-4248

One Pocket Hall of Fame

Ronnie 'Fast Eddie' Allen
Artie Bodendorfer
Jack 'Jersey Red' Breit
Melvin 'Strawberry' Brooks
Billy 'Cornbread Red' Burge
Marshall 'Squirrel' Carpenter
Steve Cook
Danny Di Liberto
John 'Rags' Fitzpatrick
Jimmy Fusco
Billy Incardona
The Jansco Brothers
Larry 'Boston Shorty' Johnson
Ed 'Champagne Eddie' Kelly
Hayden Lingo
Grady 'Professor' Mathews
Efren 'Bata' Reyes
Leonard 'Bugs' Rucker
Bill 'Weenie Beenie' Staton
Eddie 'Knoxville Bear' Taylor
Nick Varner

Groups Announced For IPT World Open Championships

The International Pool Tour announces the official player groupings for the IPT World Open 8-Ball Championship. The tournament starts Sunday, September 3, 2006 at 10am in Reno, Nevada at the Grand Sierra Resort.

This historic event boasts the biggest prize fund in the history of the sport. $3,000,000 is the total prize purse, and the winner of the tournament will win an historic $500,000!

Here are the official groupings:

Group 3:

Orcollo, Dennis
Varner, Nick
Atwell, Glenn
Massey, Michael
Broadhurst, Jackie

Hall of Fame Inductees: Nick Varner

Learning the basics of pool at an early age from his father in his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky, Nick Varner displayed his great overall talents in 14.1, Nine Ball, One Pocket and Bank Pool by claiming the 1969 and 1970 national ACU-I collegiate titles, the World 14.1 Championship in 1980 and 1986 and the BCA National Eight Ball Championship in 1980.

Accumulating over 20 major titles in his career, he became only the second man to earn over $100,000 in prize winnings in the memorable 1989 season in which he won eight of the 16 major Nine Ball events.

Winner of the Player of the Year in 1980 and 1989, and the first honoree of the MPBA Sportsperson of the Year in 1991, Nick has always been an exemplary role model and has enriched the sport of pocket billiards through his many years of dedication to excellence and sportsmanship.

Nick Varner: One Pocket Hall of Fame

Nick Varner was inducted into the One Pocket Hall of Fame at a special ceremony held at Fast Eddie’s Sports Bar and Grill during a break from the Carolina’s Open tournament action on Wednesday night. Grady Mathews acted as master of ceremonies, and the owners and staff of Fast Eddie’s bent over backwards to make the evening memorable for Nick, as they pitched in with hard work, good humor and great hospitality.

The One Pocket Hall of Fame: Is pleased to honor Nick Varner, for his Outstanding Contribution to the Legacy of The Game of One Pocket in Elected 2004.

Nick Varner got started playing pool when he was five, when his father bought a little poolroom in Grandview, Illinois. Nick was a two-time college amateur champion in 1969-70 while a student at Purdue University. As a teenager, he became acquainted with legendary One Pocket player Hubert Cokes, who took an interest in Nick’s game and helped him develop his sharp competitive edge. Cokes also brought Nick to the jamborees at Johnston City, where he introduced Nick to many of the great players of the day, while staking Nick to play against a few of them.

* As a tournament player, Nick has won several major One Pocket events, including:

•   1992 International One Pocket Tournament
•   2000 Derby City Classic

•   2000 World One Pocket Championships

* With his excellent banking skills and dogged patience, for a while Nick had a nearly unbeatable technique of an extreme up table game that commentator Bill Incardona dubbed a ‘wedge game’.  Nick would manage to herd all the balls into a tight cluster ‘wedged’ into one of the upper corners of the table. Taking advantage of this extremely conservative approach, Nick won all four stops of the 2001 Florida One Pocket tour.

Changing of the Guard

by Jim Meador

I realize that there is an ongoing evolution in pool. Younger players, such as Archer and Coltrain, have always been emerging, and always will. Older players will continue to get older, and just fade away. There are no abrupt transformations where a group of veterans are simply replaced by youth. Each year is witness to one or two retirements, and the birth of a few new players on the tour. But for some reason, it seems that there are generations of players who emerge and fade away together.

Even in the sixties, one could find the occasional pool tournament on TV. I remember watching Willie Mosconi, Deacon Crane, Wimpy Lassiter, Minnesota Fats, U.J. Puckett, Jimmy Caras and others shooting it out on TV. I wish I had a tape of those events, but home VCRs were virtually unavailable back then. I also remember the newcomers, such as Mike Segal, Steve Mizerak, Nick Varner, Jim Rempe, and Buddy Hall. Today, Segal and company are the seasoned veterans being dispatched by the likes of Archer, Coltrain, Parica, Reyes, and Morris. Maybe one day my kids will remember the days of Archer. But, then again, maybe not. Maybe, with pool soon to be an Olympic sport, there will be so many great, young players, Archer will get lost in the traffic. Maybe. Maybe not.

I know that there was indeed a transition between Mizerak and Coltrain. Players like Earl Strickland, C.J. Wiley, Allen Hopkins, Jimmy Reid and Tom Kennedy were part of it. So why does it seem like I missed something along the way? Maybe, because I did miss something.

From 1980 through 1992, give or take a few years on both ends, I was too busy to follow the game. It is during this period that the players between Lassiter and Archer were raising hell, and I simply missed it. My loss. Those players are at the top now, and can look forward to many more years of success on the tour. However, now there is Archer and company. There are the Filipinos: Reyes, Luat, Parica and their team mates. And as if that isn't enough grain for the mill along comes, Michael Coltrain, Charlie Williams and Reed Pierce. Somehow I believe the age of the superpower is over. Future tournaments will be won by an ever increasing variety of players of all ages.

I attend the US Open every year. This year (1996) Nick Varner, Hall of Famer, and probably among the most endearing (and enduring) players on the tour, was in it all the way. He made it to the semi-finals, being taken out by the eventual winner, Rodney Morris. However, Nick was not about to go down easily. The other semi-final between Luat and Reyes was taken by the Reyes, who in turn lost to Morris in the final showdown. The final match was disappointing. But, that's another story.

Other older players who refused to go down early included Buddy Hall and Dallas West. Grady Mathews made a good account of himself too. Claude Bernatchez is one of my favorites. He is representative of the old guard, with polished shoes, creased pants and black vest. His has one of the smoothest strokes on the tour, not too unlike that of Dallas West, who makes love to the cue ball. Mizerak, while still a threat, lost to Charlie Williams, a young man fresh out of high school. Charlie Williams takes his time shooting, and seems to disrupt the pace preferred by more seasoned players. I overheard Mike Massey complaining about the pace last year when he lost to the Charlie. But, a win is a win. Charlie will play his game, as he should.

Speaking of the "stroke", it appears to me that older players stroke differently than younger shooters. Their position is achieved with a minimum of cue ball roll. Very little fancy stuff. Younger players tend be more aggressive with their positioning, taking more chances by going around the table to get a better third shot. Again, maybe it is just an appearance to me, and not a fact at all. I tend to see what I want to see sometimes.

I believe the new crop of whiz kids will have to share more honors than did their predecessors. I don't see a dominating player who can consistently better his peers. Reyes, Strickland and Archer come close. But Coltrain is hot on their heels. Morris and Luat are hot tickets, and of course, the old men are still a real threat. That's what I love about pool. No other sport makes so much room for senior players.