Pickpockets finish strong in national pool

The Pickpockets of Carson City finished in the top 20 percent of 689 teams in the 2007 APA 8-Ball National Team Championships Open Division conducted by the American Poolplayers Association, also known as APA, on Aug. 20-25 at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Team player David Scheideman said, "Going into the National Team Championships, we had no idea how large in scale this event was. We were amazed to see this kind of grandiose event in pool. We had a great time and are already looking forward to attending next year."

The Pickpockets are members of the local APA Pool League and became eligible to compete in the National Team Championships by participating in weekly league play and placing at the top of their division during the summer, fall or spring sessions. At the conclusion of the spring session, The Pickpockets advanced to the National Team Championship by qualifying at their Local Team Championship.

More than 650 North American teams comprised the APA 8-Ball National Team Championship Open Division. The Pickpockets defeated teams from Florida, California, and Canada before losing to a team from Washington. They walked away from Las Vegas with $1,000 in prize money (in addition to the travel money they received from Northern Nevada APA).

The Pickpockets participated in weekly league play at The Ormsby Club in Carson City. Team members include: Allen Ballard, Michael Pena, Scheideman, Mark Fitzsimmons, Robert "Dan" Haddix, Dan Dauber and Chris Wood.

For more information or to sign up with the APA, contact Seth Allison at (775) 443-8844 or sallison@apaleagues.com. Those interested can also visit the official APA Web site at www.poolplayers.com.