Regular Season Play of the Rangeland 8-Ball League Slated for December 18th

IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, December 12, 2008 - An organizational meeting of the Rangeland 8-Ball Singles Pool League was held at 6:00 PM last night at the Knight Club Billiards and Arcade. Following the meeting, practice "pre-season" matches were played. Six four-player teams participated in last night's competition.

Each of the four players play each of the opposing team's players one game for the night. Scoring is done using a 15-point system, based on how many object balls the loser of a game has remaining. The highest score a player can receive for a game is 15 points. A 15-point game represents a table run without any of the opponent's object balls being pocketed. If a game comes down to the 8-ball the winner of the game gets 8-points and the loser gets 7 points.

The highest scoring team in last night's competition was the yet unnamed team consisting of Colton Fontecchio (39 pts.); Aaron Paulson (53 pts.); Al Traczyk (47 pts.); and Angelica Bjorkquist (37 pts.). The collective score was 176 points.

Aaron Paulson was the highest individual scoring player with 53 points. He won all four of his games scoring 10 pts. for his first game; 15 pts. for his 2nd game; 14 pts. for his 3rd game; and 14 pts. for his 4th game. The highest possible score is a "perfect" 60 points. The same scoring system is used by the Northland Tavern League, and to date there has never been a perfect 60 scored.

The Rangeland League is open to all ages and there is no charge to play. Statistics are kept for both individual scores and team scores. Each night there are two drink rounds where both teams play square off as "scotch teams." This means if the captain (first player) of the breaking team makes a ball, the 2nd player on the roster shoots the next shot; if he pockets a ball the 3rd player on the roster shoots the next shot; and so on. The first team to run their object balls and pocket the 8-ball wins, and the losing team has to buy a soda for the losing team.

Co-Managers of the Knight Club, Alan Traczyk and McKensie Ratkowski, said more teams can sign up before the league begins next Thursday. According to the managers, 8 to 10 teams are ideal for a competitive league. "It's a great way to spend an evening!" Traczyk said, "It's absolutely free to participate in league. The only amount anyone might have to pay is $1.00 for each of the two drink rounds... should you lose!"

Mat Ratkowski is the President of this year's league. He said he was quite pleased with the turn-out for the organizational meeting. He said he's confident there will be at least 8 teams, and he said he wouldn't be surprised to see 10 when it's all said and done. "Everybody seemed to have a great time! Where else can you spend an entire evening for so little money? It's a blast! If this year is like every other year, we will be turning players away. Even if you don't get on a team, there are often teams looking for subs, so I suggest that you stop by if you like to play pool -- whether you are on a team or not."

Play begins at 6:00 PM sharp! The first week of regular play begins December 18, 2008. Play is open to all ages and skill levels. According to McKensie Ratkowski, "We have a mix of high school and college players participating right now, but we welcome people of all ages and talents to play. In past years I've seen players that started off not being able to hold a cue become quite good. League is one of the best ways to improve your game. There are a bunch of better players like my brother Mat that are more than happy to give pointers to beginning players. And, of course, Jim Albert is usually around to help whenever you need him."

For more information on the free Rangeland 8-Ball League, call Jim at: (906) 932-1810 or email him at deaf_services@sbcglobal.net .