by Jared

Season End Tournament – Saturday April 13th

The end of season tournament is on Saturday April 13th and is open to all league players and subs (if you played in at least one league match this season, you are invited to attend). This is a free event and all proceeds from this event will be donated to charity.

  • Tournament Location-The tournament will take place at the Saloon; additional pool tables will be brought in and food will be provided for the event. REMEMBER TO THANK THE SALOON FOR HOSTING US!
  • Tournament Time-Tournament registration opens at 1:00 PM and the tournament starts promptly at 2:00 PM (we will be unable to register late-comers into the tournament). Registration is free and is open to all registered league players and substitutes.
  • Season Awards-Trophies / prizes for top teams and individuals will be awarded at the tournament.
  • Charity Raffle-We will have our annual charity raffle at the tournament again this year; each team is requested to bring donated prize(s) with a total value of $50-$100 for the charity raffle. Raffle tickets will be sold at the tournament and winners must be present to win.
  • Charity Award-Our elected charity this year is once again Avenues for Homeless Youth. A representative will be present to receive your generous donations. Thank you for giving and for making a difference in our community!
  • League Ballot-All registered league players (substitutes are not eligible) will be asked to cast a ballot to determine any new changes for the 2019-2020 league season. This season’s ballot items will include: election of a new league vice-president, selection of our charity recipient, requests for any rule changes or modifications. Ballots will be collected at the tournament and tallied before the completion of the event.
  • Spread the word!-I hope everyone is able to attend. It is always a fun event and please spread the word! We’ll see you all on April 13th!
by Jared

REMINDER: League Gameplay Etiquette

The TCGPL follows all APA rules and guidelines unless otherwise noted. Additionally, our league practices APA etiquette and expects this behavior from all participants (including league officers, team captains, league players, substitutes and all guests). The following are the etiquette guidelines for our league (as quoted from the APA Team Manual: http://media.poolplayers.com/TMRB/Team-Manual-English.pdf *See page number 5 for etiquette)

Many billiards enthusiasts are unfamiliar with the unwritten rules of pool etiquette. Breaking one of those rules can result in arguments and hard feelings between players and teams. Please show good sportsmanship and common courtesy to both your opponents and the Host Location by observing these basic etiquette guidelines:

  • Treat your opponent as you would like to be treated.
  • Wish your opponent good luck before the match begins.
  • Stay away from the table and out of your opponent’s line of sight when they are shooting.
  • Do not engage your opponent in conversation while they are shooting.
  • Call your own fouls – don’t wait to be asked if you committed a foul. Players with integrity call their own fouls and tell their opponent when they have ball-in-hand or hand them the cue ball.
  • Pay attention to your match.
  • Be ready to shoot when it is your turn.
  • Do not break down your cue until your match is over.
  • If you are expected to play the next match, have your cue ready and enough quarters for the table (if needed).
  • Begin your match as soon as the previous match is over.
  • Observe all time guidelines.
  • Shake your opponent’s hand, win or lose!

Cheering for your teammate is part of the fun, but don’t root against your opponent. A fun and competitive evening of League play is a goal that can be achieved by observing these guidelines and displaying good sportsmanship.

APA cannot require a location to host a team or to let specific individuals in the door. Host Locations have the right to refuse service to anyone, at any time. Without our Host Locations, there would be no APA Leagues. Remember we are their guests, and follow these basic guidelines:

  • Be courteous and polite to the staff.
  • Always respect the equipment – table, balls, cues, etc.
  • Be knowledgeable of, and adhere to, House Rules.
  • Take care not to dig the tip of your cue when breaking.
  • Do not slam balls or bang cues on the floor or table.
  • Do not set drinks on the pool tables.
  • Never smoke at the table.
  • Do not sit on the rails.
  • Be aware of your surroundings. If someone is in the way of a shot, wait for them to move or politely ask them to move.
  • Unless Host Location policy allows it, never bring in outside food or beverages.
by Jared

RE: PLAYING TEAMS BACK-TO-BACK THIS SEASON

This season there are a few weeks where we are playing the same teams back to back. This wasn’t intentionally done and was an oversight when finalizing the schedule this season. It’s always our intention that we are mixing up home/away games and rotating venues fairly throughout the season. In order to accomplish this, the schedule gets adjusted and this year’s adjustments resulted in these back-to-back match ups. We will work to make sure this is avoided in the future whenever possible. Apologies to anyone upset about this. Thanks for your understanding.

by Jared

2018-2019 Schedule complete!

The schedule for the 2018-2019 league season is complete. The individual events will be posted to the website over the next few days, however the full schedule is available via PDF at this link. Thanks to all who participated in the captains meeting to help get this finalized and completed!

Here are the individual team schedule links:

 

by Jared

12 teams this season; still openings for more!

We met with the team captains on Monday, September 24th to create our teams for the season. We now have 12 full teams ready to start the 2018-2019 season. In addition, we currently have 2 individuals looking for a team. If you hear of anyone still wanting to play on the league this season and would like to join a new team, please have them contact me at TCGPL@playpooltwincities.com PRIOR TO October 1st. After that we will finalize the schedules and begin league play.

Thanks!

by Jared

NEW! Code of Conduct

At the end of last season, we collectively voted and agreed that a Code of Conduct should be established for all participants. During the summer your league officers worked to complete that request. As of the 2018-19 season, we now have a Code of Conduct for all those participating in league events. NOTE: All league officers, team captains and league players must read and agree to adhere to this code prior to participating in ANY league events. Substitutes and all guests of participants must agree to follow these policies as well.

The Code of Conduct can now be found on our Twin Cities Gay Pool League page. You can also download a PDF version here.

by Jared

Team Captains & New Players Meeting – Monday, September 24th @ 7:00 PM

Twin Cities Gay Pool League 2018-19 Season
New Players & Team Captains Meeting
Monday, September 24th @ 7:00 PM
19 Bar • 19 W. 15th St., Minneapolis, 55403

If you are a returning team captain, a new league player, or a previous player looking for a team to play on then please plan on attending this meeting. We will be working to determine how many sponsors and how many teams there are wanting to participate in the upcoming league season. League matches will start in early October and will be announced on the website and Facebook page.

If you are a returning player already on a team, you do not need to attend this meeting.

If you are unable to attend this meeting but are still interested in playing this season OR for more information, contact TCGPL@playpooltwincities.com. You can also visit our website or Facebook pages: http://playpooltwincities.com • https://www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesGayPoolLeague

by Jared

Thanks for a great 2017-2018 season!!

Thank you all for a wonderful season and season-end tournament! Congrats to Brant, Delwayne and Joel who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd respectively. We had 38 people participate in the tournament this year and our league raised $2500 for our non-profit this season: Avenues for Homeless Youth (http://avenuesforyouth.org/)! A very big thank you to the Brant, John, Jeremy, the team captains, our sponsor bars, our tournament hosts – The Saloon (http://www.saloonmn.com), and to all of you who assisted in other ways to have our season and tournament complete with such success. And a special for all of the wonderful, thoughtful and valuable donated gifts for the raffle and for all of you who purchased tickets! Your generosity allowed us to increase our donation to our charity by and additional $500!

Congratulations to our 2017-2018 regular season winners!:
Teams
1st – Saloon Sharks
2nd – 8 Balls of Fire
3rd – 19 Kittens
Individuals
1st – Troy M
2nd – Joel J
3rd – Jeremy M

The 2017-2018 players ballot results:
1. – Your 2018-2019 non-profit recipient of choice will once again be Avenues for Homeless Youth.
2. Your top priority for improvement in the 2018-2019 season will be Changing the code of conduct rules for participation. Your second top priority was to increase the number of teams and players.
3. You elected to retain Jared as the league President.
4. You elected to retain Brant as the league Treasurer.
5. Your 2018-2019 newly elected league Secretary is Julie N. of the Drifty’s team. Congrats Julie!
Reminders: All elected positions are now 2 year terms. Nominees for next season’s ballot items are submitted after regular season league play has completed but before the end of season tournament takes place.

Have a fun and safe spring / summer and we’ll see you all back in September!

Jared
tcgpl@playpooltwincities.com
http://playpooltwincities.com

https://www.facebook.com/TwinCitiesGayPoolLeague/

by Jared

Last night of regular league play tonight! End of season tournament March 31st

Hey league players! Tonight is the last night of regular league play for this season. First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for your participation in the league this year. I especially want to thank the team captains for their tireless effort to make sure we have a team each week and that someone is keeping score! LOL!

Second, I just want to give you a few reminders:

  • Makeup Matches-Please complete all incomplete / unfinished regular league matches by Friday, March 9th.
  • Statistics Changes-If you have any questions or concerns about the statistics, please send an email to tcgpl@playpooltwincities.com and I will work to make any necessary changes.
  • Vote for Secretary!-Our league will be electing a new Secretary officer position this year by a vote to take place at the tournament. The primary duties of this position will be to assist the Treasurer in completing end-of-season tournament planning, preparation and execution. Eligible nominees must have played in the league at least one prior season. If you would like to be on the ballot or would like to nominate someone for the position, please send their name to tcgpl@playpooltwincities.com prior to the tournament and I will include their name. A write-in space will be provided as well.
  • Vote for Charity!-Each year our league chooses to donate all proceeds from our league to a charitable organization. Last season and again this season, our charity of choice is Avenues for Homeless Youth (http://avenuesforyouth.org/). If you would like to nominate a new charitable organization for us to select as our recipient for next season via our annual tournament vote, please send their name to tcgpl@playpooltwincities.com prior to the tournament and I will include their name on the ballot.
  • Tournament Date-The end of season tournament is on March 31st and is open to all league players and subs (if you played in at least one league match this season, you are invited to attend). This is a free charity event and all proceeds from this event will be donated to charity.
  • Tournament Location-The tournament will take place at the Saloon; additional pool tables will be brought in and food will be provided for the event. REMEMBER TO THANK THE SALOON FOR HOSTING US!
  • Tournament Time-Tournament registration opens at 1:00 PM and the tournament starts promptly at 2:00 PM (we will be unable to register late-comers into the tournament).
  • Season Awards-Trophies / prizes for top teams and individuals will be awarded at the tournament.
  • Charity Raffle-We will have our annual charity raffle at the tournament again this year; each team is responsible for bringing at least (1) donated prize of $25-$50 in value for the charity raffle.

Thank you again for such a wonderful season and we’ll see you all at the tournament on March 31st! Contact tcgpl@playpooltwincities.com if you have any questions.

Jared

by Jared

END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT TIME!!

The year-end tournament will be on Saturday March 31st @ 2:00 PM. The event will be hosted by The Saloon MN, 830 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis 55403. Food will be provided. We will be handing out trophies for multiple achievements as well as taking our annual league vote on a new secretary as well as next year’s charity. Tournament registration starts at 1:00PM, tournament starts promptly at 2:00PM (late-comers won’t be able to play). All league players and ANY substitutes are invited to attend. Each team should provide a donated prize for the tournament charity raffle ($25-$50 value).
Spread the word and see you all there!