02/10/2026
WOW!!! I am not even sure where to start, what an amazing weekend we had at the Hilton Garden Inn Kalispell. Which without the venue, the rest is not possible. So lets start there.
Thank you to the Hilton for allowing us to transform your convention center into a pool player's dream room. The spacious event center allowed us to set up 20 Diamond pool tables, thanks to Ted Deshner and Brian Lafond for all the hard work and long nights. So much happens behind the scenes to make this possible, their hard work and commitment to providing us with the best possible equipment is second to none.
To all the players, both local and those that traveled 50 miles to over 1000 miles like Brian Cross and Matt Wolff. We had representation from all over the northwest, Idaho, Washington, even quite a few shooters from Canada.
We may do the work in the background, but none of it is possible without all of you, taking time off work, finding sitters for kids or pets, whatever the case may be. In order to travel to our little corner in northwest Montana, and give your continued support for 26 years now. We strive for continuous improvement each year to give you all the best possible experience, but throughout all the kinks in years past, you people keep coming back.
This is what has allowed us to go from using multiple bars and traveling around town on whatever tables we could find, to now hosting the entire event at a single venue, with the best tables on the market.
We still have some kinks to work out, we had a few glitches with getting used to the new digital pool software. However, even with the hiccups, this software allowed for a much smoother transition for matches being called and keeping table downtime to a minimum.
Huge thanks to Jen Bird for keeping the brackets going while I was in a match, and for your wonderful accounting help to keep all the money organized.
Jennifer Cook I could write a whole book about all the things you needs thanks on. You are truly the backbone of this operation. Jen has done all the website development, stream graphics, merchandising, emails, phone calls, finding doubles partners, and probably much more that I don't even realize. We may not have given you a title, but it's because your roles cover so many areas. This team would be lost without you.
Christopher Cook our personal IT guy. What he has done to our streaming capabilities is truly amazing. Anyone that has been in the booth with us has seen the simple touchscreen buttons for us to change scores, switch camera views, capture clips and make highlight reels. Such an amazing setup.
The stream made possible with the combined efforts of Chris and Jen.
With them we make the team of Angry Shooter Productions , please subscribe to our page on YouTube. It doesn't cost you anything but it means the world to us. We are looking to grow and bring better coverage at every event.
The fantasy draft side action was one of the coolest things I've witnessed at a pool tournament. Allowing everyone to have even more side action to sweat on, with lead changes happening throughout the event. Bonus points for match sweeps, underdog upsets, so much to watch out for. Truly amazing. Huge thanks to Matt Wolff for setting that up.
Huge thanks to Spencer Brinton and Barb Walker for taking photos to catch the action the the camaraderie.
Finally, lets get into the results.
The Open division was completely full, 96 players started the event, only 1 could be crowned champion.
1st place Stephen Ho Lem
What a treat it is to watch this kid at the table.
Such firepower combined with a cue ball on a string.
Coming in 2nd place Joseph Spence
What a tough dude this guy is. Just coming off a broken leg, this man limps around the event all weekend, obviously still in pain. Yet through determination and the mind of champion, he battled all the way to a second finals set.
3rd place to the one and only Chandler J Decoteau
Wow is this kid turning in to be one of the best. I've known him for a few years now, and you can definitely see the results of the work he has been putting in when he steps to the table.
The women's divison, though smaller at 47 competitors, there was just as much heart and drive to be crowned champion.
1st place Tasha Thomas
This was the first time I'd met Tasha, she has such a cool and calm demeanor, you would have no idea if she was up 4-0, or down 0-4. She stays focused in the moment and simply takes it all in 1 ball at a time.
2nd place Amber Foster
This crazy kid parties all night long, ends up forfeiting her first match cause she slept in. Then battles all the way through the B side to make the finals bracket on sunday.
She wins 1 match sunday and then loses her 2nd. Setting her up to play 6 more matches back to back, with no more than a 5 minute break in between. 12 straight hours she was on the table.
3rd place Yvette Cappo
Yvette was another first time meeting for me, but the second I saw the way she was bidding on herself in the calcutta, you knew she could shoot with that type of confidence. It was a pleasure to meet you and watch you play.
Lastly I want to give a shout out to all the sponsors that contributed to make this event possible. It truly does not happen without your support.
Big Sky Billiard Supply
Anderson's Masonry
Games N Taps
Rainbow Bar and Casino
Bloom Dispensary
Minute Man Press
Sunbelt Rentals
Last Best Place Dispensary
Bitney's Furniture
Loic Rogers Memorial
Les Schwab Tires
Top Shelf Dispensary
I apologize in advance to anyone I may have missed in my thanks, I do not believe if have fully recovered yet.
