Tuesday, August 07, 2007

3-Cushion Stars in NYC Next Week Aug 13-19


At the 2007 Sang Lee International Open - Hall of Fame Edition...

Don't miss this RARE chance to witness Torbjorn Blomdahl (2005 SLIO Champion), Frederic Caudron (2006 Defending Champion), Semih Sayginer (3-cushion Grandmaster), Raymond Ceulemans (Mr. 100), Daniel Sanchez, and many more stars right HERE in NYC.

Everyone is invited to come to Carom Cafe in Flushing, NY to watch the greatest 3-cushion players on the planet as they battle it out for the coveted Sang Lee title! Matches start every day at 10am and continue for the entire day from Monday Aug 13 through Sunday Aug 19th. Please note the addition of televised evening matches scheduled starting from Aug 15th.



Aug 13-15:
Preliminary Round Robin includes notable participants Jeanette Lee and Mike Massey with play starting at 10am and continuing all day and evening long.

Wed Aug 15 Evening Sessions:
10:00 Morning matches (not televised)
5:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
7:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
9:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)

Thu Aug 16th Afternoon/Evening Sessions:
10:00 Morning matches (not televised)
3:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
5:30 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
7:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
9:00 Televised match (semi-final round robin)

Fri Aug 17th Afternoon/Evening Sessions:
10:00 Morning matches (not televised)
2:30 Televised match (semi-final round robin)
4:00 Opening Ceremony Final Round Robin
5:00 Televised match (final round robin)
7:00 Televised match (final round robin)
9:00 Televised match (final round robin)

Sat Aug 18th All Day Matches
11:00a Televised match (final round robin)
1:00 Televised match (final round robin)
4:00 Televised match (final round robin)
6:00 Televised match (final round robin)

Sun Aug 19th All Day Matches
11:00a Televised match (final round robin)
1:00 Televised match (final round robin)
4:00 Televised match FINAL TITLE MATCH
6:00 Televised exhibition (Semih Saygier Artistic Exhibition)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

3-Cushion Billiards Debuts Tonight Aug 7, 2007 On ESPN2 7-9pm EST

Don't miss Semih Sayginer, Mike Massey, and Eric Yow Tonight on ESPN2 at 7-8pm EST!
Check out this announcement POSTER.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Sayginer, Massey and Yow Shine Brightly on ESPN 3-Cushion Grandmaster

The fans at the BCA-pool event in Las Vegas were treated to two action packed and extremely exciting artistic 3-cushion billiard contests as Eric Yow and Mike Massey challenged the great Turk, Semih Sayginer, to a judged contest of 3-cushion stroke shots during the ESPN filming of "3-Cushion Grandmaster" - scheduled to air on ESPN2 on August 7, 2007 at 7pm EST. A celebrity panel of judges consisted of Jeanette Lee, Bob Jewett (President, USBA), and Ivan Lee (President, Iwan Simonis). Jeanette Lee, an avid and knowledgeable 3-cushion player herself, recently won her first 3-cushion women's title "Queen of Carom", held in Korea just one month prior.

The format of the show was a judged contest where the panel rated the player's performances of originally designed program of shots - according to difficulty level, technique (20 pts max), imagination (5 pts max) and style (10 pts max). After showing off their unique programs, the players were each given a "Finale" shot (15 pts max), a last chance to impress the judges before final scoring; thus making the maximum number of points each judge could award each player a total of 50 points. No gimmicks or props were allowed. Every shot scored was required to be a legitimate 3-cushion point according to the general rules of the game.

Eric Yow was the first up to challenge the Grandmaster, Semih Sayginer. During his match up, both he and Semih were required to shoot shots that adhered to five pre-mandated shot themes while simultaneously executing valid 3-cushion points. The themes for the Yow vs. Sayginer match up where:

Circle - cue ball required to "encircle" a ball
Airborne - cue ball must jump and score a 3-cushion billiard
Dance - cue ball action must be seen to dance on the cushions
Superdraw - the player must unleash a maximum draw stroke
Repeated - a 3-cushion billiard must be scored with repeated hits on one cushion

Yow, the 2006 WPA World Masse Champion of pool, disguised the fact that this was his first televised match and first time competing on the carom table, as he boldly easily executed four of the five of the stroke shots in his program. He experienced a little bit of trouble with his Airborne shot as he adjusted to the larger and heavier billiard balls. The personable Yow earned high points for style and technique.



Sayginer, stepped up to the table with tremendous authority on all of his shot themes against Yow. In a show of confidence, Sayginer selected utterly difficult shots to perform and surprise the judges seemingly handling them with ease. He then proceeded to back it up by successfully nailing every shot on either the first or second attempt - and each time with great power. Most of the audience, many of them seasoned 3-cushion billiard players, could not believe their eyes.

Yow was clearly behind at this point but stepped up to the plate. For his Finale shot, he selected a shot that two of the three judges rated with the maximum difficulty factor of 10 out of 10. The shot was a four cushion masse shot with a huge bend between the first and second cushions which Yow termed "The Grand Masse". Yow hit it perfectly on the first attempt as the crowd burst into cheers.

Without hesitation, Semih responded with a jaw-dropping Finale shot of his own - a shot that he called "The Thinking Cueball Shot" where the the cue ball traveled three times straight across the width of the table before suddenly "changing its mind" and curving into the short cushion and another rail to score on the opposite side of the table.

The judges' decision for Semih Sayginer was unanimous. Final score: Sayginer 144 - Yow 128




























Jeanette Lee
Bob Jewett
Ivan Lee
Total
Yow
43.2
42.3
42.0
127.6
Sayginer
47.6
47.5
48.5
143.6


Next, the long anticipated matchup between Mike Massey and Semih Sayginer took place. Two stroke shot titans from the completely separate spheres of pool and billiards finally now meeting on the table together. Mike Massey, spent many weeks in preparation on the billiard table with some of the best players in the US, for his much anticipated match up with Semih - including a week-long session in NY with the great artistic carom champion, Miguel Torres. In the weeks leading up to the event, some of those practice sessions (captured on amateur video) were circulating around on YouTube.com.




The themes for the Massey vs. Sayginer match up were:

Perfect Timing - a 3-cushion time-shot to score on a moving target
Force Stroke - a display of either a maximum force follow or force draw
Many on One - a 3-cushion billiard scored using many cushions but only using one cushion
U-Turn - a shot that makes a u-turn in midstream
Alphabet - use the cue ball to trace a letter from the English alphabet onto the table

Seeming to catch some of Semih Sayginer's momentum, Mike Massey burst out of the gate with style and grace hitting his first two theme shots on the first try. With his confidence running high, he choose to shoot an extremely difficult jump-masse for his "Many on One" theme. He intended to jump over both balls, repeatedly striking cushion while traveling seven diamonds up the long rail before returning back to score with extreme masse action. He technically ended up scoring a valid 3-cushion billiard, but he lost points with the judges for inadvertently hitting one-too many cushions based on the theme's restriction of only utilizing one rail. After loosing a little bit of momentum, he visibly was struggling with his shaft during his "U-Turn" stroke - a force-follow shot with only millimeters between his cue ball and the first object ball. For Mike Massey's "Alphabet" shot, he practically got a perfect score from all of the judges across the board. To setup the shot, Mike announced that not only would he write a letter from the alphabet on the table, he would spell out his entire name - with a claim that he is confident that the judges should be able to pick out the letters "M", "I", "K", and "E" individually from the 10-cushion pattern he was about to execute. At this time, Mike unleashed his maximum power on a 10-cushion billiard which scored with "just make" speed as the audience went absolutely berserk.

Sayginer, running on adrenaline, started up again with his array of impossible looking shots. His "Perfect Timing" shot especially challenging given the distance he set up in between all three balls. He appeared to have slowed down and although he made the extra difficult shot, he did so with noticeably less flare than the shots he made against Yow. But, then the Grandmaster went into high gear as he seemed to follow each shot with one even more difficult - and making all of them. His "Force Stroke" shot was an intense close-draw around the table shot - a stroke unimaginable by most players alive today. Sayginer's "Many on One" was a staggering power masse stroke that he put down with absolute ease. This all appeared to be a warm up for his "U-Turn" shot - a double-draw stroke with a dramatic u-turn that occurred a the very last moment after already striking one cushion. For his "Alphabet" theme, Semih Sayginer decided to "sign-off" his themed program in style as he used his monstrous draw stroke to trace a clear "S" on the table for everyone to see - complete with smooth, sweeping curves.

After both performances and before their "Finale" shots, the score was down to the wire: Massey 93 to Sayginer's 99. The crowd knew it was going to be close.

For his final "Finale", Massey stepped up his power another notch - directing it vertically straight into the slate. His shot was a gargantuan five-cushion masse shot that seemed to trace two large, curving X's on the table. Besides bringing down the house, his success earned him a near-perfect score with the judges and put all the pressure on Semih Sayginer.

Everyone wondered how Semih would respond. With every last ounce of power he could muster, Semih stunned the audience one final time as he made his cue ball trace a line that resembled a giant ten-foot typewriter symbol on the table - a masse shot he called "The Ampersand". As the point scored, the entire audience leapt to their feet and delivered to him a roaring standing ovation. That last shot just brought him over the edge with the judges who unanimously, however closely, awarded him with the final victory: Semih Sayginer 142 - Mike Massey 137.

























Jeanette Lee
Bob Jewett
Ivan Lee
Total
Massey
45.5
46.1
44.9
136.5
Sayginer
47.7
47.7
47.0
142.4


Everyone in the crowd showed their appreciation for all of the dazzling stroke shots by challengers, Massey and Yow - and obviously the 3-Cushion Grandmaster himself, Semih Sayginer with extended applause and cheers throughout the event.

As ESPN's Mitch Laurence interviewed the judges afterwards, the crowds were impressed to discover that even the panel, as knowledgeable as they were about carom billiards, were at numerous times surprised by shots they had never seen before - especially referring to the difficult selection of shots made by Sayginer.

This ESPN event is sponsored by Iwan Simonis Cloth, The Adam Cue Co., Schuler Cues, Gabriels, Diamond Billiards, Aramith, CFR Productions, 3CushionCues.com, HeatUpBilliards.com, SangLeeOpen.com, Carom Cafe, United States Billiard Association, and CueTable.com.

This exciting "3-cushion Grandmaster" event was brought to ESPN by Dragon Promotions and HighRock Productions. The event will provide millions of television viewers the opportunity to witness 3-cushion billiards played for the first time. 3-Cushion carom is a highly visual and action packed form of billiards that emphasizes cue ball mastery; the extreme spins and multi-cushion bank shots are sure to keep the spectators entertained. For final air times expected this July, check: http://highrockproductions.com. Buy Semih Sayginer's latest DVD "One Man Show" - filmed for broadcast TV during the 2006 Sang Lee International Open.

ESPN is the recognized worldwide leader in sports programming. ESPN billiards programming. ESPN billiards programming yields hundreds of hours of broadcast time and is aired in the USA, Asia, Australia, and Latin American countries.

Photo credit: Charles M. Brown