Sakai Steals Spirit Tour Win

Ladies Spirit Tour / Holiday, FL
by R. Case
The Ladies Spirit Tour’s third event of the season was held April 27-28 at Hammer Heads billiard Lounge in Holiday, FL, where 46 women competed in the qualifier event for the WPBA Florida Classic. Top players included WPBA pros Ellen Van Buren, Tracie Hines, and Miyuki Sakai, along with Spirit Tour regular top finishers such as Debbie Schjodt, Jeannie Seaver, Stephanie Mitchell, and Jessica Barnes.
The event drew fierce determination and competition, with some players as far away as Holland, Japan, Indiana, and North Carolina, and with many matches enduring hill-hill scores. Sakai found her way to the hot seat match against Stephanie Mitchell, and it was the WPBA pro who claimed the seat with a 7-5 win.
On the one-loss side, regulars Jeannie Seaver and Debbie Schjodt sent Dawn Fox and Tamara Rademakers home, respectively, with fifth-place finishes, setting up the next match of Seaver and Schjodt. A long-time friendship did not prevent Seaver from posting a 7-5 score against Schjodt, because Seaver wanted a chance at the first-place prize fund. However, Mitchell soon let it be known that she fully intended to win the qualifier as well as her first Ladies Spirit Tour event. Seaver had to settle for third place with a 7- 3 score against Mitchell.
The finals were set, with Mitchell and Sakai playing once again. Sakai took the lead, winning the lag and first game, but Mitchell replied quickly with a two-game lead. Mitchell’s bank shots seemed to be working in her favor, as she brought the score up to 4-1, but Sakai was not to be put away so easily, managing to bring the score up to 4-3. After trading several more racks, on the final game, Sakai attempted to shoot the 3 ball, bringing the cue ball three rails around the table to bump the 9 ball into the nearest pocket.
The next Ladies Spirit Tour event will be held June 2-3, 2007, at Stroker’s in Palm Harbor, Florida.
Results:
1st Miyuki Sakai
2nd Stephanie Mitchell
3rd Jeannie Seaver
4th Debbie Schjodt
5th Dawn Fox
Tamara Rademakers
7th Jessica Barnes
Ellen Van Buren
9th Laura Lindauer
Shanna Lewis
Jennifer Jennekens
Vanessa Seaver

Sakai Undefeated at Hammer Heads

Ladies Spirit Tour / Holiday, FL
by Rick Davis
Japan’s Miyuki Sakai blew away the 46-player field at Hammer Heads in Holiday, FL, to go undefeated during her reign at the Ladies Spirit Tour’s third tour stop of the 2007 season April 28-29.
On the winners’ side the top four faced off as tour regular Stephanie Mitchell defeated the winner of the last stop, Debbie Schjodt, double-hill. Also, Sakai sliced through the winner of the first event, Jeannie Seaver, 7-4. In the hot seat match Mitchell kept things close, although Sakai was too strong and ultimately defeated Mitchell 7-5.
Over on the one-loss side Dawn Fox was putting together a nice comeback, taking four one-loss match wins, including a 7-1 thrashing against Jessica Barnes, until she was stopped dead by Schjodt 7-2. In that same round Seaver kept herself in the action, eliminating Tamara Redemakers 7-3 to meet Schjodt in the quarterfinals.
With only three matches remaining Seaver ousted Schjodt 7-5 in the quarterfinals but was then knocked out herself 7-3 by Mitchell in the semifinals. With the finals a rematch of the hot seat match the score kept close for the final time. This time around a thrilling double-hill score was reached before Sakai closed out the match with the final rack.
Results:
1st Miyuki Sakai
2nd Stephanie Mitchell
3rd Jeannie Seaver
4th Debbie Schjodt
5th Dawn Fox
Tamara Redemakers
7th Jessica Barnes
Ellen Van Buren

Schjodt Scores EnjoyPool.com Qualifier
Ladies Spirit Tour / Lakeland, FL

by InsidePOOL Staff
The Ladies Spirit Tour celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with a marathon tournament event at Wally’s billiards Sportsroom in Lakeland, FL, where 34 women billiard players battled for first-place prize money and the EnjoyPool.com 9-ball Championship qualifier. The competition attracted WPBA touring pros Tracie Hines and Ellen Van Buren, as well as tough players such as Jeannie Seaver, Niki Rasmussen, and Tracie Hines. Tour regular Debbie Schjodt was the one to walk away with the biggest prize, capturing not only first place but the qualifier as well.

Rousey Wrangles the Spirit Tour UndefeatedLadies Spirit Tour / Spring Hill, FLby Rick DavisThe season finale for the Ladies Spirit Tour took place over the December 2-3 weekend, where billiard player Sarah Rousey went through six rounds to take the billiards event undefeated. Hosted by Capone

Hines Wins with Spirit
By J.A. Barnes
The finale of the Ladies Spirit Tour, the Florida State Championship, drew some of the best women around, including Rachael Abbink, Debbie Schjodt, and 2002 winner Tracie Hines. However, the 2004 champion was going to have to win with spirit in such a competitive environment.
The event, held December 11-12, 2004, at Capone’s billiards in Spring Hill, FL, drew a 42-player field seeking a multitude of prize money, thanks to the $6,200 added and a paid spot into the 2005 WPBA U. S. Open. Early o­n, it was clear that Florida favorites Hines, Schjodt, and Miyuki Sakai would be battling o­n the final day. But the Canadian, Abbink, and the Texan, Tara McCracken, made sure they at least had a say in final matches.
Sunday’s early winners’ side match featured McCracken and Schjodt, with McCracken earning a 7-2 win, while Hines also sent Sakai to the west side. This set up the hot seat match between McCracken and Hines, and Hines handily won 7-3 to secure her place as queen of the hill.
Meanwhile, in the o­ne-loss side, Schjodt ousted WPBA pro Angel Paglia 7-3 then moved o­n to Sakai in the quarterfinals. There was plenty of action, and fans were eager to see this match-up. o­n the opening break, Sakai sank five balls, including the 9. After the following break, she lined up the 1-9 combo for a quick 2-0 lead while o­nly shooting three shots. But o­nce Schjodt got to the table, she showed why she became InsidePOOL Magazine’s December Player of the Month by running through three racks to take a 3-2 lead. Then Schjodt nailed the 9 o­n the break for a quick turnaround and a two-game lead. But Sakai didn’t back down, winning four out of the next five games to take a 6-5 lead. Schjodt got the match even o­n the hill and then broke and ran the final rack for a 7-6 win and a chance for a rematch with McCracken in the semifinals.
With Schjodt’s position and safety play, as well as her offensive talents, she jumped out to a 6-0 lead before McCracken could even get o­n the board. But it was too little, too late as Schjodt took the win 7-2.
In the finals, Hines won the lag and broke and ran the first rack. In Game 2, Schjodt was forced to play a safe o­n the 8 ball, and Hines nailed the 8 o­n a long bank, followed by an easy 9 for a 2-0 lead. After Schjodt got o­n the board, Hines regained her two-game lead with a long-rail bank o­n the 9 to go up 3-1. But Schjodt got back into the match in a hurry with a 2-9 combo, a run-out, and a break-and-run to take a 5-4 lead. Hines quickly tied the match at 5 apiece and ran away from there to win the championship 7-5.
Results:
1st Tracie Hines $1,675 + WPBA Qualifier
2nd Debbie Schjodt $1,225
3rd Tara McCracken $925
4th Miyuki Sakai $725
5th Angel Paglia, Sarah Ellerby $500
7th Rachael Abbink, Bonnie Plowman $300
9th Ellen VanBuren, Bonnie Coats, Ming Ng, Helene Caukin $200
13th Tina Pawloski, Tina Larson, Emily Wilmoth, Lisa Hamilton $100

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