The World Pool Association is conducting three World Championships at once at the Sands Regency Casino Hotel in Reno, Nevada. The World Wheelchair and the World Junior Championships for both boys and girls are now underway. As day number one winds down some of the top players in all divisions are facing one another.

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The 2nd Annual Showdown in Seoul featured World Champion Semih Sayginer of Turkey against World Trickshot Champion Stefano Pelinga of Italy, and USA's own Jeanette Lee vs Korea's Yu Ram Cha. The Sopooong Department Store hosted the special matches which also scheduled Turkish Champ Neslihan Gurel, Korea #2 Eun Ji Park, and celebrities including internationally acclaimed pop artist Nancy Lang (pictured) and Uzbekistan's top fashion model Jamilra.

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Finland's mighty Mika Immonen finally won the 41st All Japan 9-Ball Championships. It was an all-star field, with names such as Taiwan's World Champion Wu Chia Ching, Kuo Po Cheng, China's Li He-wen and Challenge of Champions Winner Fu Jianbo, Japan's former World 9-Ball Champion Kunihiko Takahashi, and Korean Champions Young Hwa Jeong and Seung Woo Ryu. Throw in western counterparts World 9-Ball and 14.1 Champ Thorsten Hohmann (GER), World 9-ball and 8-Ball Champ Ralf Souquet (GER), and USA top pros Rodney Morris, Charlie Williams, and Max Eberle. Then add in arguably the toughest country, the Phillippines, with Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamente, Alex Pagualyan, Ronnie Alcano, Dennis Orcullo, Marlon Manalo, Antonio Gabica, Warren Kiamco, Ramil Gallego, Lee Van Corteza, and Antonio Lining.In this 128 man super elite field, even the hottest pool player in the world could easily settle for a top 10 finish and be happy.

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The new Diamond Hills Sports Club and Spa in California features pool tables for kids!

According to a recent report from Brentwood Press, the club, which opened on Nov. 15, is a joint venture between the City of Oakley and Spare Time Clubs, a health club association based out of Sacramento.

The Diamond Hills facility is the largest of the 10 fitness and wellness centers owned by Spare Time. The amenities include 17 tennis courts, three heated swimming pools and cardio and weight-training machines. Best news for young pool fans: Kids 7 to 17 have their own space, called the Kids' Club. Equipped with a mini theater, table tennis and billiard tables, the Kids' Club is the ideal place for kids to hang out while parents exercise. There is also a computer work area where kids can do homework, and a tutor is on hand to help with assignments in the afternoon.

The Diamond Hills Spa is open to the public, but club members receive a discount. The facility offers everything from full body massage and facials to manicures and pedicures. Guests can also relax on a secluded patio that features a waterfall. For information about the spa, call 925-420-4580.

The Women's Professional Billiard Association inducted two players in the "Greatest Player" category at its annual award banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

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The WPBA Board is pleased to announce that Mike Howerton of AZ Billiards has been appointed to the Board to replace Mr. Anthony Gebbia, Treasurer. Mr. Gebbia stepped down from the Board due to personal reasons.

Melissa Herndon, WPBA Board Secretary, offered this statement, "The WPBA welcomes Mike Howerton to the Board of Directors, and we look forward to working with him in making the decisions for our future. As a pioneer in providing billiard-related information to an international viewership, Mike is seen as a visionary within the billiards industry. Mike's sterling reputation within the billiards community, combined with his knowledge of the industry and familiarity with the WPBA, will be a tremendous asset to our organization."

Mr. Howerton had this to say, "I have been a fan of the WPBA for over 20 years now, and I am very honored and excited to be able to help steer the tour towards the future."

The 3rd International Billiards Exhibition, GBE 2009, will take place in Guangzhou, China March 10-12, 2009. International Manager Eva Deng says that the Exhibition is "The largest and most famous billiard Exhibition in Asia." The show will take place at the China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex. The Billiard Exhibition is slated to be "the main section of the 6th China (Guangzhou) International Leisure Expo," commonly referred to as GILE2009.

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Matchroom Sport has announced that the captain of the American team at this year's PartyPoker.com Mosconi Cup will be four-time event winner Nick Varner. Varner successfully captained America to Mosconi Cup victory, initially as a player and then as non-playing skipper in 2003, when he inspired a famous last day comeback to secure victory.

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This year's International Challenge of Champions saw four WPBA stars battle for a $25,000 winner take all first prize, and it was Ireland native Karen Corr who took home the cash!

In the first semi-final, Britain's Allison Fisher and China's Xiaoting Pan each took one race-to-four set, which forced a single game playoff to determine who would move on. Pan got the nod.

Meanwhile, Karen handily defeated Taiwan's Ga Young Kim, and headed to the finals. Each player won a set, forcing another sudden death playoff to determine the champ.

Pan won the lag, played safe on the five and let Corr to the table. A critical shot on a seven-nine combo later and Karen Corr was $25,000 richer!

In a definite departure from the ordinary in billiards tables, Brunswick Billiards has introduced the Zanzibar, a distinctly intercontinental table bringing the finest in high-end billiards tables from a legendary name in the industry.

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