05/31/2026
***This message was written by Joe***
Thank you everyone for coming out to titleholder this weekend. I hope everyone had a fantastic time. There was lots of laughs, a few tears, and fierce competition. Our teams battled hard and it showed, with the majority of matches going to the hill. This tournament, like best of the rest and MVP require a lot of work to plan, setup and execute. There is a ton of work that goes on behind the scenes to get everything put in place. I want to sincerely thank everyone that helped plan, set up, tear down, and execute. The staff and volunteers from the Bay Country/Queenstown Moose kept everything moving all weekend, the people that showed up to help set up, move tables, hang lights, etc. It really means the world and we couldn't have done it without you!
Every year, every tournament, handicaps are always a point of contention. Almost every player thinks their handicap is too high and their opponents is handicap is too low. This isn't exclusive to TAP, I've played in many leagues and it's consistent. We listen to concerns and operate the league to the best of our ability, and the way we can be the most FAIR to everyone.
When we took over the league, it was right after a titleholder tournament. Everyone complained about the tournament handicaps that were run. The fact that players went up....or down even though they had played all session as a (insert handicap here). We had a meeting and the majority of players said they didn't want to use tournament handicaps, to just use the standard handicaps we play under all year. We made the change to reflect the majority's wishes. The problem with that is, some people flat out play better in tournament scenarios. Those players typically have their handicaps raised before the tournament by using tournament handicaps. It helps prevent people from being red flagged.
Red flagging is defined by shooting 2 skill levels above your handicap, twice. It's sorted by individual matches, not your play over the whole tournament. Example, player a is a 3.7 in the system and they have 2 individual match performances at 5.8 or better. After each tournament match, we run a flag report. When a flag shows up, there is no notification. It wouldn't be fair to the other players to have a player that intentionally sandbags, to not flag. When the second flag comes up, that player loses whatever match they just played, and is eliminated from playing in the tournament. If two players on the same team flag twice, the team is kicked out. THESE ARE TAP CORPORATE RULES. It's the same system at Rally in the Valley, and national tournaments. You might not agree with it, but it is what it is, it's the same for every player and team.
The definition of integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching. What does that mean? It means even when a player on MY team Friday night red flagged once, I didn't tell him. I could have told him to miss balls or play down, I could've not played him so he couldn't flag again. But just like everyone else, I let it play out just like I did for every other team. He ended up flagging and I had to tell my own team mate and friend of many years he was out. He took off work to come play and was pretty dam upset he couldn't play anymore. The point here is, the system decides who red flags, not Nikki or I, the system. Nikki or I are the only ones that see the flag report, we could have not said a damn thing and no one would have known.
Saturday, we had another player flag. A long time TAP player and friend. Again a disappointing message had to be passed along. When that happened, tempers flared, we were accused of a long list of things, the main thing that got to me was our integrity was questioned. We work damn hard to operate a FAIR and honest league. I won't tolerate being accused of cheating or manipulation of anything to benefit anyone. We don't do it for our teams, our friends, or anyone else. Rules are rules straight up.
We'll take everyone's opinion again on whether you want to use tournament handicaps or not. If you don't, I don't want to hear complaining when your player red flags. We'll do it however the majority wants to, as long as the consequences are understood.
The last thing I have to get off my chest...after the last red flag notice I had to deliver, I was practicing on a table in the hall and turned around to see people YELLING and cussing at my wife. It's the last time that happens. That woman busts her ass for this league, she puts her blood sweat and tears into it. She wants everything perfect and she wants it perfect for her PLAYERS. I won't tolerate it. You want to yell at someone, come yell at me. We can discuss it all you want...there are a few people that owe her an apology.
With all the hours we put in to the league, trying to make it the best league out there, we earn minimum wage. I promise you we're not doing it for the money. Between the MVP tournament, best of the rest, and titleholder, we don't make any money. These tournaments are for the players, period. We're pool players too, we get the fire, the passion, the dedication, and sometimes, the disappointment when a match doesn't go your way. We treat you with respect and expect the same back.
We're always willing to take criticism, discuss rules, concerns, etc. We're not perfect, we don't pretend to know everything. We are FAIR to EVERYONE equally. We love our TAP family and are looking forward to the next year! Feel free to comment here, send us an email at [email protected], or see us in person if you have suggestions or have concerns you want to discuss.
