“We are once again thrilled to be working with the WPBA,” said Michael Feiman, PoolDawg’s President. “Over the past several years we have worked with the WPBA in various ways from a promotional perspective. The Classic Tour continues to be an important vehicle for us as it gives us the opportunity to put our brand in front of hundreds of thousands of pool and billiards fans. It also gives us the ability to align our brand with some of the world’s best pool players. Pros the likes of Jeanette Lee, Allison Fisher and Karen Corr have become household names for billiards enthusiasts everywhere and we are proud to have our name mentioned in conjunction with these world class athletes.”

Televised coverage of the 2011 WPBA Classic Tour is scheduled to kick off March 20th with the 2011 WPBA Masters in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan and will feature perennial top ranked players Monica Webb, Kelly Fisher, Karen Corr and 2010 points champion Jasmin Ouschan.

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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.

PoolDawg to Enter Sarah Rousey In the US Open 9 Ball Championships

Lafayette, CO April 12, 2010 — PoolDawg, the recognized leader in online billiards and game room supplies, is proud to announce that they will be sponsoring WPBA Touring Pro Sarah Rousey in her attempt to become the first woman in history to win the US Open later this year. As the first woman to officially enter this event, Rousey will be breaking a long standing gender barrier that previously restricted entry to men.

“This is something we’ve wanted to do for some time now, so the timing of Mr. Behrman’s announcement allowing women to enter the US Open couldn’t be better.” said Michael Feiman, PoolDawg’s Director of Marketing. “Sarah continues to do a wonderful job representing our brand at billiards events and we are proud to have one of the up and coming stars of the WPBA represent us at the most prestigious domestic event in pool.” When asked about being given the opportunity to play in this event, Sarah said “After years of experiencing this great event as a spectator, I am thrilled to get a chance to play with the best men and women in the world! Thank you Mr. Behrman and PoolDawg for this opportunity.”

Sarah Rousey, a resident of Bloomington Illinois, is one of the rising stars of the WPBA, coming off a 5th place finish at the 2010 San Diego Classic. She holds wins over top pool players from around the globe and will pose a unique challenge to the 2010 field of the US Open. She will be accompanied to the US Open by PoolDawg’s trusty mascot, Frank. Fans will be able to follow Sarah’s training and preparation at http://www.sarahrousey.com and http://www.franksdawghouse.com.

About PoolDawg.com, Inc
With over 3,000 pool cues, cases, and game room accessories, PoolDawg is the premier destination for pool players of all levels. PoolDawg offers one of the widest selections of cues, cases and accessories on the web and carries billiards products from over forty manufacturers including Scorpion, Cuetec, Mezz, Lucasi, McDermott, Schon and Viking and can be found online at http://www.pooldawg.com.

Contact: Michael Feiman
mike[at]pooldawg.com
http://www.PoolDawg.com

Everyone here at PoolDawg just couldn’t be happier for Sarah.   She’s been such a wonderful representative and ambassador for our company.  Plus, how many people can you think of that would willingly run around with a ceramic dog tucked under her arm?

If you’re in town for one of the WPBA’s tour stops, be sure to stop by and root for Rousey!  First stop will be at the Viejas Casino in San Diego for the WPBA San Diego Classic.

Fortunately for her, she came prepared complete with her cutoff gloves, snow hat and of course her PoolDawg Hoodie.  She’s only here for a day, but she’ll be back in the office after Thanksgiving full time for a few weeks to make sure everyone gets their holiday orders in on time.  For those of you that don’t know Samm, you can read all about her on her blog at http://www.pooltipjar.com/

If you requested a catalog yesterday, you should have it in your mailbox in a couple of weeks.