Unfortunately, Sarah ran into a bit of a buzzsaw.  She and Bartram were tied at 4-4 and then Chris peeled off 6 straight racks to get on the hill at 10-4.  Sarah tried to mount a comeback, but ended up losing ll-5.

We’re all very proud of Sarah in her gender barrier breaking efforts.  Hopefully she’ll do a full write up of her experience at the US Open on her blog.

There was a press release that came out the other day discussing women playing in the US Open which I honestly found quite disconcerting.  Typically I don’t comment on such things, but given the fact that our sponsored player, Sarah Rousey, is playing in this event, I felt the need to say something.  The press release, which can be found here, makes the following statement:

“Of course, the WPBA organization is not so foolish to think that the top women play at a level comparable to the top men, but the WPBA takes pride in the fact that its top players have dared to mix it up with the top men, and while doing so, have enjoyed some scattered successes.  In point of fact, like the majority of men players, the ladies of the WPBA are awed by the skill of the top men, feel honored when afforded the opportunity to compete against them, and understand that doing so allows them to grow as players.”

I couldn’t disagree more.  It is unclear as to who wrote this press release, however it should be noted that in the past few years there have been a number of significantly strong showings in men’s events by players like Jasmin Ouschan and Karen Corr.  If we felt that our player couldn’t play at a level necessary to make a good showing in the event, we wouldn’t be entering her.

Clearly the top male pros are among the best players in the world.  That being said, I don’t feel it is necessary for someone to put in a press release that “the ladies of the WPBA are awed by the skill of the top men”.  These statements really disparage the extremely high level of play that many women in the WPBA display regularly in televised and non-televised events.

As an advertising sponsor of the WPBA as an organization and of one of their top players, I must say that I wholeheartedly disagree with the statements and the tone of the release that was put out.  It is still unclear as to who wrote the release, but I would like to state that as PoolDawg’s marketing flack and a long time supporter of women’s pool, I do not feel that the women of the WPBA need to be beholden to anyone.  They are world class pool players, several of whom have already proven that they can compete with the best male players in the world and I for one am looking forward to watching this event, cheering on Ms. Rousey and any other women who throw their hat into the US Open.

This week marks the end of the season for the WPBA, which means this is your last chance to enter PoolDawg’s free pick’em game.  As always the rules are the same and prizes are to be had.

For those who haven’t played before, here’s how it works

• Choose your favorite 8 WPBA players
• Points are awarded based on the finish of your picks
• Top 5 pickers win gift certificates from PoolDawg

Top prize is a $100 gift certificate, just in time for the holidays.  It just takes a couple of minutes, so give it a shot!

Click to enter the WPBA Tour Championships Pick’em

Also, don’t forget that we’ll be presenting the free live stream of matches through the quarterfinals, so stop by and check out some world class live pool and be sure to root our buddy Sarah Rousey on!

San Diego Classic: Monica Webb
Great Lakes Classic: Jasmin Ouschan
US Open: Ga Young Kim
Colorado Classic: Ga Young Kim
Pacific Coast Classic: Jasmin Ouschan

As with every tournament this season (where we’ve been allowed), PoolDawg will be presenting the live stream through the quarterfinals so you can root your picks on and sweat some matches. Once again, the prizes will be as follows:

1st Place: $100 Gift Certificate
2nd Place: $75 Gift Certificate
3rd Place: $50 Gift Certificate
4th Place: $25 Gift Certificate
5th Place: $10 Gift Certificate

Enter the WPBA Tour Championships Pick’em

WPBA Pacific Coast Classic Pick’em

All you need to do is click the above link, read through the directions, register and you’re good to go.  Once again, we’ll be streaming the event live with the help of the WPBA and AZ Billiards.