WVBC to Host Wine and Cheese with Pro-Women at Expo 2016

 The WVBC has spent this year focusing on promoting women in  

 billiards through our " intro"presentations, expanded play 

 opportunities for beginners, and women's singles leagues. The 

 expanded interest and participation in our sport among women through our efforts has been phenomenal!

The VBC has presented the WVBC with an opportunity for women players in the villages to show our success at the "Ladies Only Wine and Cheese with Pro - Women" which we will host during the 2016 Expo!

EWA LAWRENCE

Women of The Villages 

 Don't miss this opportunity to unite!

Joann Masson Parker

The WVBC challenges you to  

support Women in Billiards with a sell out of this event!

Let’s show the Pro-Women our support & interest in billiards by giving them a WVBC welcome to the the best place in the country to live and play billiards!

Thursday, January 28th at  

               6:30 - 8:30pm

                   Reserve your spots NOW!

Tickets $12 pp

Reserve your spots at womenofvbc@gmail.com

Or find WVBC Team Members Gale Bellew, Kathy Gittings, Joanne Hawks, Sharon Lomanno, Wendy Lord, or Annemarie Priorriello at the tables

VBC NEW MEMBER DEAL

In the last quarter of each year the VBC offers a DEAL TO NEW MEMBERS.  The VBC annual membership of $10 is already very reasonable considering all we do for the billiards community but if you haven't joined the club yet, this is a GREAT time to do it!

Anyone who joins the VBC between now and the end of the year will become a member for the remainder of 2015 in addition to their 2016 membership. This is a one time opportunity for new members, so join us NOW for the best value!

 Here are some of the reasons and benefits to joining:

•  To support the many efforts of the WVBC by extending your support to our parent organization

•  So you can participate in our leagues and "Round Robin Tournaments" for all levels of play

•  So you don't miss out on our awesome social activities and fun events where fundraising is involved for major club activities such as the Annual Billiards Expo

•  So you don't miss out on activities such as focused workshops where we have to limit the number of participants and give first priority to VBC members 

•  To help provide the necessary funds to run the VBC & WVBC and many of their activities, hand outs, and day to day functioning such as copying, office supplies and other materials and expenses that help maintain the membership

Send your check made out to the VBC to:

Phil DeAngelo, 899 Furman Loop, The Villages, Fl, 32162

PLEASE include your email address, phone number and month & day of birth (for birthday recognition)

You may also join in person with any of the following VBC members: Phil or Caroline De Angelo, Sharon Lomanno, Joanne Hawks, Wendy Lord, Larry Russo, or Gale Bellew 

WVBC Leagues accepting sign ups

The WVBC is now accepting subs & sign ups for the winter league session which will begin in January.

The WVBC league has been very popular! Our format is to offer as even a playing field as possible. We are doing this by factoring average ball counts per game into the stats at each location and at the end of each session, players are evaluated and moved up or down according to their session performance. This allows us to even up the playing field so that participants are more evenly matched. 

As we grow the league this system will continue to improve our ability to have participants with similar skill levels playing against one another for more competitive and more enjoyable play. It's no fun for anyone to not be able to be competitive because they are either above or below the average in their field. Each of us seems to prefer having a good game meaning that even when we lose, we put up a good fight!

We are now accepting sign ups for the January session. As of January, the WVBC leagues we will require all participants to be VBC members. It is expected to begin January 7th and will go for 11 weeks of play. End date will be dependent on whether our locations will be used for Senior Games in March or not.

Contact us if you are interested in participating.

"Intro to Women's Billiards"

Do you have a friend who may be interested in billiards but hasn't made the leap yet? Or have you met someone who has just moved to The Villages and trying to find a new activity to participate in?

The WVBC is it's quarterly "Intro to Women's Billiards". It is meant to inform women residents of the opportunities for the sport of billiards in the Villages.  

ALL Ladies of The Villages are invited to come and bring a friend to learn about the sport and its many opportunities for women on Saturday, November 7th at SeaBreeze Recreation Center from 2 – 3pm. 

The WVBC wants to encourage women to come to the tables to learn a fun sport. Billiards offers social and competitive opportunities, and a challenge to the brain helping keep the mind sharper and healthier.

The presentation will include information about the sport, handouts listing free lessons and playing opportunities for all skill levels, and additional information about groups and upcoming events.

The Villages can boast 21 recreation centers having a total of 121 billiards tables for residents to play on. Many of those who play are women, and the number continues to grow. Part of the WVBC’s mission is to bring more women to the tables as they share their enthusiasm for their sport.

Hope to see you there!

VBC October Monthly Meeting

The Monthly VBC Meeting & Fun Tournament event will be held on Friday, October 30th.

Schedule of events:
3:00pm - First Tournament
5:00pm - VBC Meeting 
5:45pm - Dinner
6:30pm - 2nd Tournament

Cost for dinner and one tournament is $7pp. Make your reservation to play and join us for dinner by calling Wendy Lord at 352-250-5295 or emailing her at sidepocit2@comcast.net

When I first got involved with Billiard in the Villages, this was one of my favorite events. Join us and have some fun!

WVBC to repeat successful Cue Stick Clinic in November

 
Join us Tuesday, November 17th at 2pm at Canal Recreation for our Women's Only Cue Stick Clinic to learn about cue sticks, how to choose one, and how to care for them including when you need a new tip and where you can get that done.

Buddy Nichols will lead our presentation and go over cue stick basics including cue stick anatomy. How to choose a new stick will also be covered so that we know and understand what to look for when considering a new purchase. Buddy is a certified billiards instructor and has been teaching billiards in the Villages for a long time, is easy to talk to and is always helpful and supportive of women who play billiards.

Other VBC members with many years of experience will also be on hand to  cover cue & tip maintenance as well as when and where you can get cue tip replacements here in the Villages.

VBC Prepares to Present it's Annual Rockin' Oldies Night

For the last few years the VBC has presented a fun night of good music and dancing at their annual Rockin' Oldies Night. 

This year's 5th annual event is being held on Saturday October 24th at 6pm at La Hacienda Recreation Center.

Featured Artist is Randy "Elvis" Walker and CBS's radio personality. M/C / DJ Randy Price will include the best of the 50's, 60's & 70's.

Tickets are on sale NOW!

VBC Member Donation $12

Non- Members $15

Table Reservation Available: 

4 = 1/2 table, 8 = 1 table, 16 = 2 tables

Snacks Available - BYOB 

Email us for tickets OR find any VBC Board member, or WVBC Team member to purchase your tickets.

WVBC Accepting Names for League At ALL Levels

At this writing the WVBC is preparing to begin it's fall women's singles 8 Ball League sessions at Canal and Odell along with a new beginner league at Bradenton. It is our goal to have multiple locations with a range of skill levels that allows people to move up according to their progress with their game. This philosophy helps to provide as balanced a playing field as possible with the goal of having more balanced competition within each group. 

We currently are accepting names for all skill levels to play in the Winter session, especially advanced beginners and more causal players. The session will run from January to March. If necessary, Round Robins will be held in December to help with seeding new participants.

If you are interested in participating please email us to be added to our list.

Do You have Embarqmail Or Centruylink Email Addresses?

I wanted to let those of you with Embarqmail and Centurylink email addresses that the filters those two providers use are not allowing me to send the WVBC email updates that have links in them to you. Instead, they bounce back to me as spam. If you are one of those on our contact kist, please know that we haven't forgotten about you. If you want to receive our emails you will have to contact your provider to straighten it out OR bookmark our blog and check in with us once in a while to see what's new.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience this causes.

VBC AUGUST 27th MONTHLY MEETING

The Monthly VBC Meeting & Fun Tournament event will be held on Friday, August, 28th.

Schedule of events:
3:00pm - First Tournament
5:00pm - VBC Meeting 
5:45pm - Dinner
6:30pm - 2nd Tournament

Reminders:

• Make reservations for Italian Dinner Night 
• Bring your Clothing Donations for Deb Clifford's Clothing sale

Cost for dinner and one tournament is $7pp. Make your reservation to play and join us for dinner by calling Wendy Lord at 352-250-5295 or emailing her at sidepocit2@comcast.net

When I first got involved with Billiard in the Villages, this was one of my favorite events. Join us and have some fun!

"Intro to Women's Billiards" August 1st - Report

On August 1st we held the 2nd of our quarterly "Intro to Women's Billiards" presentations at Colony Cottage to a group of 30+ women that I had never seen before. WOW it's amazing to me how many women are so interested in learning out our sport! 
The Villages media was there to take photos and record part of the presentation which they included on the Villages TV station a few day later. Since that day, I have seen many of them in my Tuesday class and know that several have signed up for LLLC beginner classes which will begin in September.

Our mission to get more women to the tables is working and the proof is in the pudding' as they say. Sharon Lomanno's beginner group on Saturday is at the bursting point. As a result, those women who have been playing there and who are now playing games are ready to begin playing in beginner leagues and will have that opportunity come September. The WVBC is adding a new beginner league on Saturdays at 9am at Bradenton for any women who are beginners but have begun to play the game. Leagues are not just for good players. As long as your skill level is in the same range as other members in the league, everyone can have fun and win games no matter where your skill set falls in the overall billiards population. It is the goal of the WVBC to seed players so that each league location has a fair and balanced playing field whenever possible.

It has been a pleasure to see the fruit of our efforts succeed in helping more women enjoy our sport. Thanks to all who are helping to make this happen!

ITALIAN DINNER NIGHT NEWS & INFO!

VENUE CHANGE

VBC Member & Guest

Italian Dinner Night 

Saturday, September 26th 

6:00 - 8:00pm

Hibiscus Recreation Center

Colony Cottage

$12pp Donation - Dinner & Dessert (BYOB)

Seating is limited 

Make your reservations NOW! 

Join us for an evening of Italian Flair with Good Friends, Good Mood, Good Food, Good Music!

Sharon Lomanno is providing one of her famous Italian Dinners while Joe Perico will entertain and provide easy listening dinner music from the likes of Sinatra & Dean.

Reserve:

•  Using the "Contact Us" page on this blog
• At the VBC Meeting Friday August 28th
• By finding Annemarie Prioriello, Gale Bellew, Joanne Hawks, Sharon Lomanno, Or Wendy Lord at the tables 

Make payment:

• At the Next VBC monthly meeting, Friday,  August 28th. 
• By finding Annemarie Prioriello, Gale Bellew, Joanne Hawks, Sharon Lomanno, Or Wendy Lord at the tables 
• OR send a check made out to the VBC and send to: Gale Bellew, 1213 Maria Ct, Lady Lake, Fl. 32159

Don't miss out on another great event presented by the WVBC! 

CLOTHING TAG SALE COMING THIS FALL

Deb Clifford has decided to host a Clothing Sale to benefit the VBC Expo fund. She is asking for men's or women's clothing, Shoes, accessories, and Jewelry especially earrings. She asks:

Hi Everyone

I have decided to try a fund raiser that worked great back home. Everyone man or woman has something in their closet they don't wear. THEY SAY IF YOU Have not worn it in over a year you will never wear it......

I am going to have a sale in the fall to help raise money for the expo. I would like to start collecting today so I can iron, put by size and Mark so I can be prepared for the sale. I want any nice items of clothing, shoes, jewelry, hats that you don't wear. Please no stains, rips or tears. People that can't afford store prices will love this sale. I can collect anytime. You may see me at billiards and I can put it in my car, I can come to you, or you can drop at my home....1205 Dustin dr. Near silverlake. 

Any left over items we don't sell I will donate to The Women's shelter....

Thank You

DEB CLIFFORD

YOU CAN DROP OFF NEXT FRIDAY, AUGUST 28TH AT THE MONTHLY VBC EVENT.

Sale date has not been decided upon yet. She will decide as she accumulates enough stuff to sell but it will be sometime this fall. We will announce it in advance so all can take advantage of the great bargains! 

Remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure. If you own it you probably liked it once and just because you don't anymore doesn't mean someone else won't like it.

ALL unsold items will go to local shelters.

ADVANCED LEAGUE OPPORTUNITY

Ginger Eng runs a league on Tuesday mornings at Coconut Cove at 9am. She is looking for people to help fill her roster. The format is 4 games of 8 ball and 2 of 9 ball all singles play. If you are an intermediate or advanced player interested in joining her league click here to contact her ASAP. 

WVBC Fall League Updates

The WVBC began two new leagues on Thursdays at 9am at Canal and Odell  this summer. We are approaching the end of session and it has gone well. We've worked out some kinks in scoring and reporting so now have to get up to par on subs. 

WE NEED MORE SUBS! 

As of this writing I am waiting to hear from one member to know if my fall roster is full or not. If not, I will be seeking one more intermediate to advanced player. IF you are interested be in touch.

Additionally, the New Beginner league at Bradenton, was originally planned for Thursdays at 9am but in an effort to satisfy the demand of so many women playing at Big Cypress on Saturday mornings we have moved it to Saturdays, still at Bradenton. I am still looking for interested women to join. If you are a beginner and have reached a point where you are playing games, this league is for you. ALL players in this group are lower skill level so no need to worry about not being able to play well. This league is about getting some practice play in to learn more about the game in a friendly environment. Some will play better than others but that's the norm in most leagues.

 Fall session at Odell & Canal run from Thursday September 10th - Thursday November 19th.

The Beginner group at Bradenton will run Saturdays from September 12th - November 21st,

 If you are interested in joining, being wait listed  or subbing in any of our leagues, please be in touch ASAP.

NOT GETTING OUR NEWS EMAILS?

I have been getting lots of kickbacks on the emails I send out lately. 

If you or a friend are not getting our email updates it may be because your email provider thinks our info is SPAM. 

You must add our email address to your contacts list you want to receive our mail information & updates.

WVBC Women Billiards in the News & to be featured on Channel 2 Villages News!

The Daily Sun ran a great article this morning substantiating what the VBC has been experiencing with the increase of women participating in our sport. We are not alone in our growth. As women retire with more fitness than in any previous time in our history, they look to try various sports that they never had a chance to try before. The Villages with it's broad opportunities to learn and play new sports fosters that trend.

It so happened that while prepping for our "Intro" program held on Saturday August 1st, I sent a press release to the paper so that they might publicize it for us. I received a call from Matt Cote, Sports writer of the Daily Sun asking for an interview. He told me the paper was planning a feature article on the growth of women's sports. Not only did Matt interview VBC Phil DeAngelo and the WVBC but videographer Daniel and a photographer came to our "Intro" event and filmed our presentation. Additionally cameraman Daniel from the Villages Channel 2 TV came to take some video of our beginner's group on Tuesday morning.

So what does that mean? 

See us on CHANNEL 2 NEWS 

6pm Wednesday - Thursday 6pm

I'm told anyone using Comcast will be able to see what they put together beginning Wednesday evening at 6pm and that it will run in a cycle every half hour or so through Thursday at 6pm! 

CH - CH - CH - CHECK IT OUT!

WOHOOO! Women in Billiards, YOU ROCK!

NEED A FEW GOOD BAKERS!

As the year progresses you will hear more and more information about the Annual Billiards Expo Event that the VBC puts on every year. This year it is scheduled for January 28th - 31st.

In an effort to help fill the coffers for that event the WVBC will be selling goodies at various Billiards Events between now and the expo. 

The first event will be the BCO Champions event to be held at La Hacienda on Friday evening August 14th at 4pm & Saturday the 15th at 9am.

This is where you come in!

I am looking for donations of home made brownies or bars, cookies or cupcakes for dessert (something easy to serve) on Friday night as well as breakfast goodies like muffins, sweet bread, or coffee cake for Saturday morning. 

If this is something you would consider doing for us to help with our fundraising for the EXPO please contact me.

The Shooter Sisters have committed to baking for  the Al Parker Tournament to be held on Thursday August 20th is covered.  THANKS SHOOTER SISTERS! We appreciate it!

ITALIAN DINNER NIGHT COMING SOON!

ITALIAN DINNER NIGHT

September 26th 

6:00 - 8:00pm

Hibiscus Recreation Center

A VBC "Member & Guest Only" Event

"Capocuoco Straordinario" Sharon Lomanno famous for her pasta dinners will be creating and donating the food and her services to help us raise funds of the Annual VBC Billiards Expo!

Join us for an evening of Italian Flair with Good Friends, Good Mood, Good Food & Good Music.

The sounds of Sinatra and other easy listening classics will be provided by Joe Perico.

______________________________________________

$12pp Donation for Dinner & Dessert (BYOB)

Seating is limited 

Email us NOW to reserve your spots! 

Make payment to WVBC Team Members Annemarie Prioriello, Gale Bellew, Joanne Hawks, Sharon Lomanno, or Wendy Lord at the tables.

OR mail a check made out to VBC to: 

Gale Bellew, 1213 Maria Ct, Lady Lake, FL 32159

Don't miss another Fabulous event presented by the WVBC!

WVBC ANNOUNCING START OF NEW BEGINNER FALL LEAGUE

The WVBC is doing a terrific job with all efforts to bring more women to the tables and as a result we are creating a monster!

Email NOW to Sign Up!

BEGINNER SINGLES 8 BALL LEAGUE

This league is for beginner players who are currently able to play 8 ball 

Fall schedule will begin Thursday September 10th at 9am and runs through Thursday November 19th

Jill Bulmash & Joanne Carroll have agreed to be the new beginner league leaders.  

VBC Members will have priority for available slots 
(total 12).

Central Location TBD  

We will also need subs if you can not commit to the full session but would like to participate.

Sharon Lomano regularly sees an average of 20 women who have roughly been playing pool since the first of the year at her Big Cypress Saturday morning event. These newbies are so eager and enjoying the game so much they are anxious to become involved in organized play. 

As a result, the WVBC will be adding another level of play to the singles 8 ball "Ladder Leagues" that began with a summer session. As long as we have women who are interested in participating in leagues and providing we can find one or two willing to be responsible for handing out and collecting score sheets for the session, we will continue to add new leagues.

Interest in new leagues has far surpassed any expectation we ever had when we first began organizing for a summer session. I originally expected if we could get 6 intermediate/advanced players and 6 advanced beginner level players for a summer session we'd be lucky. In the end we spurred enough interest to have full rosters for singles play at two rec centers! As a result beginning with the fall session, priority will be given to VBC members to fill the rosters.  
Our WVBC leagues have no "fees per session" which many leagues require. No one in the WVBC or VBC is paid to bring you and manage these activities. We do it for the love of the sport and appreciate that by being a VBC member you in turn are helping to support our club activities with your annual membership.

Great Turnout for Intro to Women's Billiards August 1st at Colony Cottage!

The WVBC has been on it's mission to bring more women to the game of Billiards by hosting a quarterly "Intro to Women's Billiards" presentation. Our presentation includes information about the sport and available facilities in The Villages, where they can get lessons, where they can play and why they should give it a try.

Last Saturday 31 women came to find out more information about the sport. What a treat to see so many new faces all eager to hear more. Some had never played though some had been exposed to the game by friends, neighbors or spouses and a few had prior lessons but every resident who attended wished to remain on our contact list to be kept informed about ongoing activities and news within the billiards community. Hoorah! We love to see so many women interested in learning to play the game we are so passionate about!

We welcome you all to the fold and in fact I received a number of emails and calls to say they would be coming to my Tuesday class. As a result I had a bunch of new ladies who came and did a terrific job as we began to work on the mechanics of stroking the ball. A good time was had by all and they were looking forward to next week's session.

I hope to see them continue with their enthusiasm and that our efforts help to launch them into a sport that they will enjoy as much as we do! 

VBC Monthly Meeting & Tournament Next Friday July 31st

I'd like to say WELCOME to many new faces that have been seen at the tables lately; at Sharon Lomano's Saturday morning group at Big Cypress each week, at Gale's group at Chula Vista on Tuesday mornings and the new WVBC leagues are bringing together faces who have been playing for a while but I have either never seen before or rarely seen playing. How rewarding it is to see that the WVBC is fulfilling our mission of increasing participation in the sport of Billiards in The Villages in a number of ways!

Welcome to the many new players who have joined the Villages Billiards Club not only to become a part of our organization but as a show of support for our efforts on your behalf. 

New VBC members are invited to participate in our monthly event Friday, July 31st at La Hacienda Recreation Center

Schedule of events is as follows:

3pm - Social Fun Tournament  for ALL levels of play

5pm - VBC monthly meeting

5:45pm +- - Dinner

6:30pm - Social Fun Tournament  for ALL levels of play

Reserve a spot in the fun play & dinner meeting $7pp 

OR just come to the meeting to see what's happening with the VBC

Make Tournament/ dinner reservation by contacting Wendy Lord.

If you are not a VBC member and wish to join you can do that on Friday evening OR go to our join VBC blog page for more information

2ND Women's VBC Tournament Results

The VBC has now completed it's second tournament for "Women Only" 9 Ball event held on Friday July 24th at La Hacienda. Competition was tough and a good time had by all! 

Nine ball offers a different strategy than 8 ball and includes the same frustrations with scratches, ball in hand and missed easy shots. It's more often a faster paced and quicker game than 8 ball.

So here is how it went down...

• Wendy Lord & Glenda Supino won 11 games each.
• Lynne Burke won 10 games
• Char Potochar, Marie Weigle & Gale Bellew won 9 games each

In the end, Wendy & Glenda played a final sudden death game which Glenda won for 1st place. 

Those who won 9 games lagged and determine that the 4th place winner was Char.

So the final results are:

1st - Glenda Supino

2nd - Wendy Lord

3rd - Lynne Burke

4th - Char Potochar

Congratulations to ALL!

On a special note, one of the contestants won a game by sinking the 9 ball on the break! 

The next VBC Women's Only Tournament will be 8 Ball on October 23rd.

"Intro to Women's Billiards"

Do you have a friend who may be interested in billiards but hasn't made the leap yet? Or have you met someone who has just moved to The Villages and trying to find a new activity to participate in?
The WVBC is repeating a successful presentation called "Intro to Women's Billiards". It is meant to inform women residents especially new ones, of the opportunities for the sport of billiards in the Villages.  

ALL Ladies of The Villages are invited to come and bring a friend to learn about the sport and its many opportunities for women on Saturday, August 1st at Colony Cottage Recreation Center from 3 – 4pm. 
The WVBC wants to encourage women to come to the tables to learn a fun sport. Billiards offers social and competitive opportunities, and a challenge to the brain helping keep the mind sharper and healthier.

The presentation will include information about the sport, handouts listing free lessons and playing opportunities for all skill levels, and additional information about groups and upcoming events.

The Villages can boast 21 recreation centers having a total of 121 billiards tables for residents to play on. Many of those who play are women, and the number continues to grow. Part of the WVBC’s mission is to bring more women to the tables as they share their enthusiasm for their sport.

Hope to see you there!