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The Bexar County 8-Ball Association Is On the Ball

Story and photo by Ramón Hernández

If you have ever participated in a pool tournament in an Alamo City bar, then you probably know Wanda Barber.

Besides being the captain of the ladies team that has won the most pool tournaments in el condado de Bejar, she is also head honcha of the Bexar County Eight Ball Association.

"I’ve been here around twenty years and I learned everything I know from Joanna Villarreal, who died on December 20^th, and she was here over thirty years," Wanda said with a hint of sadness. "That means the largest pool league in Texas has been around over fifty years."

For over half a century this popular association has been at the heart of each pool tournament, yet have received no recognition in the way of kudos and accolades. Perhaps it is because the telephone book and various web sites list it under the category of accounting and bookkeeping; "that’s because Joanna was an accountant and no one ever changed the listing," Wanda explained.

Now the word is out and this is the service this worthwhile membership organization provides.

"The league was made up for small bars and clubs to have a night of business on slow days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays with a pool tournament. The way it works is that the bar pays a sponsor fee. Players that want to participate get a number, but they have to pay for that membership.

"As it stands, some people play every night of the week, so why not play for a prize? Each team consists of six players and they play 18 weeks. That means the sponsoring bar gets to have some kind of added business on those nights. After the eighteenth game is over, the top three in each division go to the city play-offs," Wanda continued.

As she leafed through Street Talk Magazine’s pages, she pointed out that most of the bars that advertised were on her list and some of them had sponsored tournaments for numerous years.

"Of course the ladies have their own separate play-offs. As a matter of fact, I’m the captain with the most wins in the county because my ladies team has won several championships and I hold the record for six consecutive wins in a row.

"In the men’s league, the captain with the most wins is Alex Elizondo from the Castillo Softball complex where the bar is in the front and the field is out back on Somerset Road. He and I hold the record."

Unlike the American Poolplayers Association (APA) and the BCA pool leagues where the playoffs are held in Las Vegas and players can win up to $25,000, the male and female members of the top three teams in a Bexar County 8-Ball Association tournament receive three championship awards, a satin jacket, a shirt and an individual trophy. In addition the sponsoring bar gets a house trophy to display at their venue. The remaining seven teams go to a consolation play-off.

However, it’s the feeling of accomplishment, of having achieved and the elation of winning that is priceless. Especially when the champs receive their awards at a slick banquet filled with hundreds of peers paying their respects to the winners.

"The winners get tickets for themselves and a guest. We started the banquet at small places and have since moved up to the Blanco Ballroom with Mr. Roy García. Bill Miller Bar-B-Q has catered for us forever and we also feature a live variety band because we have a mixture of people who like everything from Tejano to country and western.

In other words, these are not all Hispanic establishments, the players come from the south, west, east and north sides of the city and that encompasses many ethnic groups and cultures.

As for the immediate future, Wanda says they are getting ready to start a Tuesday night league and that Vicky’s Bar has already registered two teams of pretty darn good players.

That most recent banquet was held on December 18 and the next one is scheduled for April on a date that will not interfere with Fiesta events and activities.

For more information call Wanda at (210) 922-4831 or 922-4867.

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