Pool Tournament

Page 13

Pressure, pressure, pressure and lots of it.

That was the scene on the Tsuu T'ina First Nations Reserve, near Calgary where more than 200 pool players gathered to stick handle and shoot it out for prize money, jackets, caps and more.

The Byron Dodginghorse Memorial 8-Ball Tournament attracted Aboriginal competitors from as far south as Kainai and Peigan Reserves, north to Slave Lake and east into Saskatchewan. The tournament was dedicated to the late Byron Dodginghorse who passed away in the fall of 1997.

Tournament organizer Marvin Dodginghorse was pleased with the response to the May 13 to16 event at the Tsuu T'ina Sports Arena.

It went better than we figured, he said. He is almost certain the successful tournament will become an annual competition with the function being dedicated to different people or events each time it rolls around. Next year, explained Dodginghorse, he intends to name it after Joe Big Plume.

Big Plume who is a former band councillor, is a highly respected and polished snooker player who's tangled with the best that includes world champions. Big Plume is a living legend who has about five perfect games-147 points to his credit. His prowess at the table was one of the reasons Dodginghorse had him open the tournament by ceremonially breaking the first rack of balls.

The field of 64 narrowed to 16 by Saturday with David Meguines from Tsuu T'ina taking top honors in singles after defeating the Kainai Reserve's Calvin Chief Calf 7-2 in a best of 13 series. Placing third was Saskatchewan's Glen Bird, while Johnny Pipestem from Tsuu T'ina ran fourth, Calgary's John Daniels placed fifth and John Weaslhead from Siksika sixth.

In the team category, eleven teams played a round robin series that was eventually won by Thunderstruck, a Calgary-based team that has competed at Las Vegas for the past few years.

Sixteen Scotch Doubles (male/female) teams also played off in a race to seven with Tsuu T'ina dominating as Andy Onespot and Frances Jensen took first, John and Clair Pipestem placed second. Third went to Eugene Poucette from Morley and Trudy Big Plume from Tsuu T'ina.

In other categories, 26 women squared off in the women's division, but it was Tina and Caroline Roasting from Hobemma that won, placing first and second respectively. As for third, that went to Julie Moosewapayo from Saskatchewan.