The USBA is proud to announce that the 2015 USBA National Championship will be held at Carom Café Billiards in Flushing, NY from Thursday March 5 through Sunday March 8, 2015. The player's meeting will be held Wednesday evening, March 4 at 8pm.Defending National Champion: Pedro Piedrabuena

2014 Runner-Up: Hugo Patiño

National Qualifiers are being scheduled now. For more information on scheduling a National Qualifier at your room, see below (National Qualifiers):

USBA National Championship Eligibility and Entry Fee: The tentative field is set for 48 players but we can accommodate more. Only U.S. Citizens and valid green card holders may participate. Eligibility will be verified electronically at the event. All players must be or become a USBA Member.
The official entry fee for the event is $500.00. Players who meet eligibility requirements as described below may enter for only $300.00.

Players will gain eligibility through a series of qualifying tournaments. Tournaments will be listed in the USBA Upcoming Tournaments Calendar with the designation "NATIONAL QUALIFIER". The top four players from the 2014 National Championship will automatically gain paid entry into the 2015 tournament along with all past US National Champions. In addition, all players who win a spot in one of the official qualifying events will gain paid entry. After all qualified entrants have been determined, additional placement into the event will be made available to USBA Members in the following order of priority:

1) Members who have played in a Qualifier. Entry fee is only $300.00 on a first paid/first served basis.

2) Members who have played in a USBA Tournament in 2014. Entry fee is $500.00 on a first paid/first served basis.

3) All other members. Entry fee is $500.00 on a first paid/first served basis.

Entry fees are refundable and can be made online or by mail.

Fastest: You can pay by credit or debit card online by going to the USBA website (www.USBA.net) and clicking "Donate to USBA" on right side of the page. After entering the proper amount (see below), click "Donate" and follow the instructions. We will know that it is not a donation, but rather an entry fee for the Nationals. You will be paying through Paypal. You do NOT need to set up a Paypal account in order to make payment. That is optional.

The payment amount for Paypal payments will be $315.00 or $520.00 depending on the proper entry fee amount for each individual as described previously.

To pay by mail, send check or money order made out to "USBA" to:

USBA Treasurer

THE DEADLINE FOR THE RECEIPT OF THE ENTRY FEE IS FEBRUARY 15, 2015

Probable Format (subject to change based on number of entrants; final decision to be made by the USBA Nationals Committee):

Preliminary Rounds: Preliminary rounds will begin on Thursday, March 5th and continue Friday, March 6th, beginning at 9:30 am each day and finishing in the evening.

Semi-Finals: Saturday, March 7th, 9:30 am till evening

Finals: Sunday, March 8th, 10:00am till evening

Prelims based on number of players. If 48, then 6 groups of 8 players each to 25 pts.
20 players advance to the semi-finals.
Semi-Finals: 4 groups of 5 players each to 30 points.
Top 2 from each semi-final group will advance to Finals (8 players).
Finals: Single Elimination to 40 points
Dress Code: Each player must wear a vest (of any color); either a bowtie or a necktie; a collared long sleeve shirt (of any color); black slacks; black socks and black shoes. This dress code will be strictly enforced!

USBA NATIONAL QUALIFIERS:

This is a formal announcement to all room owners and tournament directors regarding qualifiers for the 2015 USBA National Championship.

All qualifiers must be completed by February 15, 2015. If you desire to hold a qualifier, you will need to obtain permission/approval from the Secretary, Tom Paley:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 636-861-3437.

Participants must be a USBA Member or pay a $25 tournament participation fee. Any money that is added to the prize fund by the room or other sponsors will be matched 50% by USBA Sponsors. Table time or greens fees can be charged to the players as long as money has not also been added by the USBA Sponsors.

For all National Qualifiers, the minimum number of players needed to Qualify 1 player to the Nationals is 5 (five). There are no exceptions to this rule.

With 8 players, the Tournament Director (TD) may Qualify either 1 or 2 players.
With 12 players, the TD may Qualify 1, 2 or 3 players.
With 16 players, the TD may Qualify 1, 2, 3 or 4 players.
For every additional 4 players, the TD may elect to Qualify 1 additional player.

The TD has the final say as to how many players will Qualify from the event provided that the decision adheres with these rules. There are to be no exceptions to these rules.

$300 per player who qualifies must be sent to the USBA Treasurer, Merrill Hughes, which represents the $300 Nationals entry fee. Any other money is paid out to the players at the tournament as prize money as the tournament director sees fit. All other eligible participants in the qualifier are entitled to submit their Nationals' entry fee to the USBA if there are available spots in the Nationals. The normal entry fee is $500 but all qualifier participants receive the discounted rate of $300.

A player who is not eligible to participate in the Nationals may be permitted to play in a Qualifier at the discretion of the Tournament Director. An ineligible player may NOT win a qualifying position (which requires a $300 payment to the USBA). However, an ineligible player is permitted to win prize money if it is available. Prize money payouts are determined by the Tournament Director.

If a "Qualifying" player cannot attend the Nationals, then the USBA will use 50% ($150) of the $300 entry fee towards the running of the Nationals and will give the remaining 50% ($150) to the next-in-line player from that Qualifier that attends the Nationals up to a total of 2 more positions of finish.
Example: 5-Player Qualifier with One Player Qualifying to the Nationals:

a) 1st Place Finisher of Qualifier wins and Qualifies for the Nationals but cannot attend.
b) 2nd Place finisher of Qualifier did not qualify for the Nationals but DOES attend the Nationals.
c) The 2nd place finisher of the Qualifier will receive $150 at the Nationals.
d) If the 2nd place finisher does not attend, then the benefit will go to the 3rd place finisher of the Qualifier if the player attends the Nationals. The fourth-place finisher of the Qualifier would not be entitled to the benefit.
e) With 2 Qualifying spots, the benefit is available up to the 4th place finisher of the Qualifier.
f) With 3 Qualifying spots, the benefit is available up to the 5th place finisher of the Qualifier, and so on.
g) The order of finish does not change regardless if any ineligible players participated or not.

Benefits of holding a qualifier: The USBA will reimburse the room for the cost of Cloth or Carom Balls if the room meets the following rules and guidelines:

The USBA reimburses the room for up to ½ the cost of their cloth for a USBA Qualifier assuming that the room has recovered the tables specifically for the Qualifier and that all of those tables are used for the Qualifier. Five (5) players per table need to play in the event. Example: If a room has a Qualifier and re-covers its 3 tables at a cost of $252 per cloth ($756 total not including shipping or tax), the Qualifier must use all 3 tables for the event and the event must have a minimum of 15 (fifteen) players. If so, the USBA will reimburse the room a total of $378, or half the cost. If there are 14 players, then the USBA reimburses ½ the cost of just 2 cloths ($252). The tables need to be re-covered with Simonis 300 and purchase through Simonis specifically for the event. A copy of the cloth purchase receipt must be submitted to the USBA Treasurer.

The USBA will also reimburse rooms (instead of the cloth reimbursement) with one free set of Super Aramith Pro-Cup carom balls for each eligible carom table that is used at the Qualifier. Five (5) players per table need to play in the event. Example: If a room has a Qualifier and purchases 3 sets of carom balls for its 3 tables at a cost of $95 per set ($285 total not including shipping or tax), the Qualifier must use all 3 sets for the event and the event must have a minimum of 15 (fifteen) players. If so, the USBA will reimburse the room for 3 sets or a total of $285 which is 100% of the cost. If there are 14 players, then the USBA reimburses for just 2 sets ($190). The sets need to be purchased through the USBA specifically for the event.

Your Qualifier announcement will appear in Professor-Q-Ball publication provided that we receive your request by January 15, 2015. Announcement and results will also be on the USBA and Professor-Q-Ball websites. The USBA will send emails to everyone on its extensive email list for both the announcement and the results.

Hotel Information for traveling players:

Lexington Marco Hotel
137-07 Northern Blvd
Flushing, NY 11354
2 blocks away from Carom Café
Top Hotel
Single: $125/nt
Double: $138/nt
Reservations can be made by calling the hotel directly at 718-445-3300 or by calling the sales office at 718-475-4103. Please refer to United States Billiard Association when making reservations.

Fairfield Inn by Marriott La Guardia
28-66 College Point Blvd
Flushing, NY  11354
Phone: 718.888.9979
A short drive away from Carom Café
Top Hotel
Single or Double: $119/nt

Hotel with microwaves, refrigerators and coffee makers in each room.

Complimentary hot breakfast each morning starting at 6am.

Complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.

Complimentary shuttle transportation to and from LaGuardia Airport (the hotel is 3 miles from LGA Airport).

Complimentary use of fitness center.

Complimentary onsite parking.

ALL RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE BY FEBRUARY 16^TH TO SECURE THIS RATE

Click here to book your room for the USBA Nationals >>

Or contact hotel directly for United States Billiard Association discount for the USBA Nationals at 718-888-9979.

Flushing International Hotel

134‐32 35th Avenue

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐358‐4515

A 3‐minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel is one of the closest and least expensive options.

However, it also has the fewest amenities. There is no food service of any kind in the hotel – it

doesn't even have vending machines. 12 of the 50 rooms have two beds.

Flushing Grand Hotel

36‐38 Main Street

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐888‐8668 Fax: 718‐888‐8768

A 5‐minute walk from Carom Café, this hotel represents an upgrade compared to the Flushing

International. The accommodations are a bit nicer and complimentary doughnuts and coffee in

the morning is included in the price. 17 of 46 rooms have two beds.

Comfort Inn

133‐43 37th Avenue

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐939‐5000 Fax: 718‐939‐4000

A 10‐minute walk from Carom Café. Continental breakfast is included in the price and the hotel

offers free Wi‐Fi connections. 17 of 50 rooms have two beds.

Sheraton Hotel La Guardia East

135‐20 39th Avenue

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐460‐6666 Fax: 718‐445‐2655

A 10‐minute walk from Carom Café, this is the best hotel in the area and 116 of 173 rooms have

two beds. There is a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, the rooms are spacious, etc. It is

located near many stores and restaurants and a 1‐minute walk from the #7 train to Manhattan.

Howard Johnson Hotel

135‐33 38th Avenue

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐461‐3888 Fax: 718‐461‐5879

A 10‐minute walk from Carom Café, the hotel is nicer than both the Flushing Inter‐national

(above) and the Flushing Grand (below). There is complimentary coffee, tea, cake and cookies

in the morning. However, only 4 of the 32 rooms have two beds and, thus, room availability will

be limited except for couples and singles.

Best Western Queens Court

133‐51 39th Avenue

Flushing, NY 11354

Tel: 718‐888‐1900

A 12‐minute walk from Carom Café, the rooms are quite nice and 37 of 59 rooms have two

beds. However, the hotel has few amenities. For example, it has a fitness room but no food

service. One would expect more from a hotel in this price range.

Extended Stay America

18‐30 Whitestone Expressway

Whitestone, NY 11357

Tel: 718‐357‐3661 Fax: 718‐357‐3644

Located 1.3 miles from Carom Café, the walk takes about 25 minutes and will be too long for

most people, but the drive is very short. This hotel is ideal for those who have cars and wish to

stay in a place where they can prepare their own food. The rooms are large and have kitchen

appliances and a small dining area. Also, there is a shopping mall adjacent to the hotel.

Priceline.com has accepted $80.00 per day bids for the Crowne Plaza near LaGuardia airport.

It's a $15.00 each way cab ride, but it's a first class property.