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More than 185,000 poolplayers compete in sanctioned APA Pool League play across the country. The APA Pool League was previously known as (and sometimes referred to as) the Camel Pool League, Bud Light Pool League, Busch Pool League or American Pool League, and sanctions 8-Ball League play in most American states. The American Poolplayers Association (APA) was founded by professional poolplayers Terry Bell and Larry Hubbart in 1979 as the National Pool League, which became the American Poolplayers Association in 1981. The two realized the popularity of the sport, but knew that, different from other sports, there was no existing recreational league system. Today, the APA, also known as the Canadian Poolplayers Association in Canada, has grown to more than 185,000 members and boasts more members than all other "national" leagues combined. The League is administered locally by a network of Franchise Operators. League play is conducted weekly with both 8-Ball and 9-Ball team formats offered. Early in 1994, the Camel brand of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company came on board as a national sponsor. Camel is recognized as the official tobacco of the APA and has title sponsorship of the Camel 8-Ball National Team Championships and the Camel/APA Speed Shot National Competition. The APA also hosts a 9-Ball League in addition to its 8-Ball League system. The APA 9-Ball League is offered throughout the country and each year teams have the opportunity to advance to the APA 9-Ball National Team Championship. At the national level, the APA guarantees more than $1 million in national tournament prize money. This consists of the $500,000 Camel 8-Ball National Team Championships, the $200,000 APA 8-Ball Classic, the $100,000 APA 9-Ball National Team Championship, the $100,000 APA 9-Ball Shootout, the Camel/APA National Speed Shot Competition and the MiniMania tournaments, which paid more than $150,000 during the National Team Championships in 2001. The APA also conducts the U.S. Amateur Championship, the pool world's most prestigious amateur tournament, which is the only competition open to APA members and nonmembers alike. The tournament began in 1994 and has grown more than 35 percent during the past year, as players across North America battle for one of the 128 spots in the tournament. From 1999 to the present, Entrepreneur Magazine rated the APA No. 1 in the category of Sports-Event Planning. Entrepreneur Magazine also honored the APA with a No. 53 ranking out of 500 franchising companies in 1998. One of the keys to the success of the American Poolplayers Association is The Equalizer®, the unique handicapping and scoring system that makes it possible for players of different playing abilities -- especially novices and beginners -- to compete on an equal basis, much like they do in golf and bowling. The Equalizer® uses a formula that measures a player's ability. The result is a handicap of how many games a player must win to capture a match in 8-Ball or the number of points a player must earn to win a match in the 9-Ball format. ©Copyright 2002. American Poolplayers Association, Inc. |
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