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:: Breaking News :: Page #5
What the heck? …..BCA or AzBCA or BCAPL or AzSTC….what’s the difference?
If you indeed know the difference between the BCA, the AzBCA, and the BCAPL I think you may be in
the minority. My observation is most pool players here in Arizona really don’t know the difference. My
take is you really should know and if you are interested in the difference read on. Even though I am
not going to research the details of each for this article, I am going to try to put the differences into
layman’s terms.
The BCA is an organization that has been in existence for many years and has been “Governing The
Sport Of Pocket Billiards Since 1948”. Among other things, they run the International Billiard & Home
Recreation Expo, the BCA Junior Nationals, the BCA Hall Of Fame which recognizes the leaders in
the industry as far as Play and Meritorious Service, they have a Billiard Creative Agency, and they, at
one time, were in charge of all the BCA pool leagues and the BCA Nationals 8-Ball tournament held
in Las Vegas every May. Then, on June 1st, 2004, the BCA sold the league system part of their
organization, including the BCA Nationals in Vegas, to Mark Griffin. This is when the BCAPL (Billiard
Congress Of America Pool League) was born. The BCA is headquartered in Colorado while the
BCAPL is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The BCAPL is a BCA member league. If you play
in a local BCA league, you are really under the umbrella of the BCAPL. Your local league director
sends the stats from your league to the BCAPL, not the BCA.
The AzBCA is the Arizona State Association of the BCAPL. There are a number of state
associations. Arizona is one of them and the name of the Arizona state association of the BCAPL is
the AzBCA.
The Controversy!
I personally, along with Mike Howerton, was contacted by the BCAPL a few weeks ago. Mike and I
were informed by the BCAPL that the BCAPL had been notified, in writing by the AzBCA, that the
AzBCA would be ceasing operation after their State Scotch Doubles tournament in October, 2005.
The BCAPL informed us that based on that information and because the BCAPL wanted to continue
their relationship with Arizona they were implementing, in Arizona, their Sanctioned Tournament
Added Money Program (STAMP) and were forming the Arizona State Tournament Committee, the
AzSTC. The BCAPL informed Mike and I that this added money would be allocated to the newly
formed AzSTC. They then asked us if we would take the lead as far as membership in the AzSTC.
It is important that I be very clear. Based on the events noted above, Mike and I agreed to steer that
committee (AzSTC) in hopes of keeping the Arizona State BCA tournaments alive and well in Arizona
for years to come. We also agreed that we would invite, at least, every BCAPL league operator in
Arizona to become a part of the AzSTC so we would have as much input, as to what direction we
would go as far as state tournaments, as we could get.
After all this had taken place, the BCAPL informed Mike and I that the AzBCA had informed the
BCAPL that the AzBCA was not going to dissolve after all. The BCAPL has made their position on
this controversy very clear to us and has supported their position with a press release in the October
edition of The Arizona Billiards News. The BCAPL is moving forward with the AzSTC and the AzSTC
will indeed be allocated the added monies for Arizona State tournaments as outlined in the BCAPL
(STAMP) program.
The timeline of the above is extremely important. Mike Howerton and I did not, in any way, shape, or
form, undermine the AzBCA. We made our decisions based on the information we had at the time,
and our position is also very clear. We support the BCAPL, we made a commitment to the AzSTC,
and we intend to honor that commitment. Our goal is to make the BCAPL state tournaments in
Arizona bigger and better than ever as those tournaments run through the Arizona State Tournament
Committee (AzSTC).
Ron Merseal
If you indeed know the difference between the BCA, the AzBCA, and the BCAPL I think you may be in
the minority. My observation is most pool players here in Arizona really don’t know the difference. My
take is you really should know and if you are interested in the difference read on. Even though I am
not going to research the details of each for this article, I am going to try to put the differences into
layman’s terms.
The BCA is an organization that has been in existence for many years and has been “Governing The
Sport Of Pocket Billiards Since 1948”. Among other things, they run the International Billiard & Home
Recreation Expo, the BCA Junior Nationals, the BCA Hall Of Fame which recognizes the leaders in
the industry as far as Play and Meritorious Service, they have a Billiard Creative Agency, and they, at
one time, were in charge of all the BCA pool leagues and the BCA Nationals 8-Ball tournament held
in Las Vegas every May. Then, on June 1st, 2004, the BCA sold the league system part of their
organization, including the BCA Nationals in Vegas, to Mark Griffin. This is when the BCAPL (Billiard
Congress Of America Pool League) was born. The BCA is headquartered in Colorado while the
BCAPL is headquartered in Henderson, Nevada. The BCAPL is a BCA member league. If you play
in a local BCA league, you are really under the umbrella of the BCAPL. Your local league director
sends the stats from your league to the BCAPL, not the BCA.
The AzBCA is the Arizona State Association of the BCAPL. There are a number of state
associations. Arizona is one of them and the name of the Arizona state association of the BCAPL is
the AzBCA.
The Controversy!
I personally, along with Mike Howerton, was contacted by the BCAPL a few weeks ago. Mike and I
were informed by the BCAPL that the BCAPL had been notified, in writing by the AzBCA, that the
AzBCA would be ceasing operation after their State Scotch Doubles tournament in October, 2005.
The BCAPL informed us that based on that information and because the BCAPL wanted to continue
their relationship with Arizona they were implementing, in Arizona, their Sanctioned Tournament
Added Money Program (STAMP) and were forming the Arizona State Tournament Committee, the
AzSTC. The BCAPL informed Mike and I that this added money would be allocated to the newly
formed AzSTC. They then asked us if we would take the lead as far as membership in the AzSTC.
It is important that I be very clear. Based on the events noted above, Mike and I agreed to steer that
committee (AzSTC) in hopes of keeping the Arizona State BCA tournaments alive and well in Arizona
for years to come. We also agreed that we would invite, at least, every BCAPL league operator in
Arizona to become a part of the AzSTC so we would have as much input, as to what direction we
would go as far as state tournaments, as we could get.
After all this had taken place, the BCAPL informed Mike and I that the AzBCA had informed the
BCAPL that the AzBCA was not going to dissolve after all. The BCAPL has made their position on
this controversy very clear to us and has supported their position with a press release in the October
edition of The Arizona Billiards News. The BCAPL is moving forward with the AzSTC and the AzSTC
will indeed be allocated the added monies for Arizona State tournaments as outlined in the BCAPL
(STAMP) program.
The timeline of the above is extremely important. Mike Howerton and I did not, in any way, shape, or
form, undermine the AzBCA. We made our decisions based on the information we had at the time,
and our position is also very clear. We support the BCAPL, we made a commitment to the AzSTC,
and we intend to honor that commitment. Our goal is to make the BCAPL state tournaments in
Arizona bigger and better than ever as those tournaments run through the Arizona State Tournament
Committee (AzSTC).
Ron Merseal
Arizona Pool Scene www.azpoolscene.com