Mitch and Ewa Laurance

ESPN's "Voice of Pool" -- actor and commentator Mitch Laurance, will be honored Tuesday night, May 24, 2011 at the International Network of Golf Spring Conference. Mitch will be presented the Chi Chi Rodriquez Humanitarian Award, for the work on the "Know Your Score" prostate golf event in Myrtle Beach over the last several years.

Said Mitch, "My hope is, and has always been, to get more men tested and aware of the early benefits of checking on the disease. Maybe we can put the news out in the pool universe as well as the golf one, and make some guys think about doing something about it."

Mitch Laurance, married to BCA and WPBA Hall of Fame player Ewa Laurance, has been speaking on behalf of prostate cancer prevention both through Know Your Score (knowyourscoremb.com) and through ZERO - The Project to End Prostate Cancer (zerocancer.org). Mitch's connection to ZERO came about after his own successful battle against cancer. He hosted the last two ZERO Summits on Capitol Hill. "The name conveys what we stand for," said Laurance, "zero tolerance for prostate cancer."

Our sincere congratulations to Mitch Laurance on this much deserved honor, and our thanks for your work educating the men of golf AND pool about better health!

Players at the falls! From l-r, defending champ Jasmin Ouschan, Hall of Fame player and P&B columnist Ewa Mataya Laurance, and brand-new World 9-Ball Champion (crowned December 1), Toronto's Brittany Bryant...

The final eight undefeated players were determined last night in the WPBA Tour Championships. They now wait on the final eight from the one loss side for the 16 player single elimination round. The winners are:

[Read more →]

CHINA, represented by Fu Jianbo and Li Hewen (pictured), won their second PartyPoker.net World Cup of Pool crown as they dismantled the Philippines by a 10-5 scoreline and silenced a huge home crowd at the Robinsons Place Mall in Manila. It was the second time that the deadly Chinese duo have now lifted this prestigious crown – they beat Finland in a hill-hill thriller in Rotterdam in 2007 – and they never let up from the opening rack as the home team felt the pressure and never really got going.

[Read more →]

Natalie Migliore, of Levittown, PA has been named the winner of the Brunswick Billiards Triple Jackpot sweepstakes, earning a four-day, three-night trip to Las Vegas July 15 to 18, and a personal lesson with Ewa Mataya Laurance, aka the "Striking Viking."

[Read more →]

LiquidWick Pool Cues announced today that it will be featured along with world billiard star Jeanette Lee "The Black Widow" on the TLC TV Show "American Chopper," which features the custom motorcycle shop, Orange County Choppers.  

Earlier this year, LiquidWick commissioned mega motorcycle brand Orange County Choppers to build a Jeanette Lee "The Black Widow" bike.  LiquidWick partners, Rich Gustin and Dan Shields, accompanied Jeanette Lee on a visit to Orange County Choppers on September 25th 2009 where she was filmed playing "American Chopper" star Paul Teutul Sr. in pool and was then interviewed for the episode.  OCC then went on to build the bike as part of the tv show.  The chopper unveil was filmed at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on November 11th 2009.  

"The bike is awesome and currently in our possession in Albuquerque," said Rich Gustin, LiquidWick partner.  "We plan to share it with the fans of both Jeanette Lee and OCC."

"It was great fun playing Paul Sr. in pool and hanging with all the guys at OCC," said Jeanette Lee.  "The bike is beautiful and I can't wait to watch the episode."   

The American Chopper episode featuring the Jeanette Lee "The Black Widow" bike will air on TLC on Thursday, December 17th 2009 at 9pm ET/PT. For exact times in your area please check your local listings. The "American Chopper" program has aired in over 160 countries and been translated into over 35 languages.   

"This bike is the hottest motorcycle ever created for the billiards industry," said Dan Shields, LiquidWick Partner.  "OCC bikes can be huge draws and we plan to use this incredible new chopper, along with appearances by Jeanette Lee, for marketing and promotional events to support our retail partners." 

California's Robin Dodson to be honored at WPBA Pacific Coast Classic October 14th The Women's Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) will induct California veteran champion Robin Dodson into the WPBA Hall of Fame at their annual player awards banquet October 14th. The banquet and ceremonies will be staged prior to the Pacific Coast Classic at the Chinook Winds Casino Resort in coastal Lincoln City, Oregon. Robin Dodson will be inducted into the WPBA Hall of Fame under the Greatest Player category. Robin began playing pool at the age of 12 and was crowned the California Women's Champion by the time she was just 16. After a five-year break from the sport she returned in 1984, taking a third, second, and first place finish in her first three consecutive events! Building a reputation for winning the big purses, she earned her nickname, "Bankroll" as she won every top prize of the day, from the Miller Lite World Series of Tavern Pool to the Caesar's Tahoe Classic and the Resorts International Open. From 1985 to 1993, she was never ranked lower than third on the WPBA Tour rankings. In 1990 and 1991, she won back-to-back WPA World Championships, leading to her #1 Ranking and being named the 1991 Player of the Year. With 27 major tour championships to her name including two world championships, the WPBA Nationals and the Gordon's $50,000 9-Ball Championship, she is one of pool's most prolific champions. Now retired from professional play, she runs her own billiard business and helps manage her famous son's career (teen heartthrob Drake Bell!).

Dragon Promotions is pleased to announce Myungokhun Oriental Beauty as the newest sponsor of professional women's billiard champion Yu Ram Cha. 21-year old Cha has entered in agreement with the multi-million dollar company to endorse Myungkhun's line of products and Skin Rejuvenation Hospitals. Cha will be participating in all of WPBA's 2009 events as well as several major men's and women's events around the world. Keep to check out the hot new video spots Cha will appear in!

[Read more →]

The Poison Cues Challenge Match Series in Chicago started off with stop #1 at Pressure Billiards. Dragon Promotions with host Wahib Merchant presented pool champions Mika Immonen, Francisco Bustamante, and Charlie Williams to Chicago fans for a night of billiard fun and education.

[Read more →]

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.

[Read more →]

Actor Paul Newman, beloved by pool players worldwide for his portrayal of "Fast Eddie Felson", passed away September 27 at the age of 83. Newman was awarded his second Oscar nomination for the role of Felson in the 1961 release of "The Hustler" - adapted from the book of the same name by BCA Hall of Famer Walter Tevis. In 1987 he won his first Oscar for his returning role of Fast Eddie in the famed sequel, "The Color of Money" directed by Martin Scorsese and also starring Tom Cruise. The film created a whole new wave of pool players in the U.S. and was the catalyst for the industry boom of the 90s. Newman was given the Billiard and Bowling Institute of America's (BBIA) Industry service award in 1987 for the impact his role played in bringing millions to the sport. Newman's amazing career spanned over fifty years and dozens of films, but we'll always fondly think of him as Fast Eddie Felson...