Joliet's Scorpions Win World Pool Championship In Las Vegas

(The following news release was submitted by the American Poolplayers Association.)

JOLIET, IL — A group of Joliet residents are $50,000 richer after their team called the Scorpions won the 2020-2021 APA World 8-Ball Championship last month in Las Vegas. The Scorpions were one of 1,091 teams to qualify for the American Poolplayers Association’s World 8-Ball Championship held at the Westgate Las Vegas.

The Scorpions took home $50,000 and ultimate bragging rights upon returning home to their local poolroom — Longshots Sports Bar & Grill on Joliet's West Jefferson Street.

Team members include: William Johnson, August Miksys, Rodrigo Lopez-Hernandez, Jose Salas, Andrea Salas, Robert Pena, Kristie Skinner and Leonardo Lopez-Hernandez. The teammates are members of the American Poolplayers Association Pool League in Joliet where they play pool regularly.

The World 8-Ball Championship, held Oct. 21 – 26, was part of the APA’s World Championships which featured nearly 15,000 total players and more than $1.2 Million in prize money.

The APA, based in Lake Saint Louis, Mo., sanctions the world’s largest amateur pool league, known as the APA Pool League throughout the United States, and as the Canadian Pool League in Canada. Nearly 250,000 members compete in weekly 8-Ball and 9‑Ball League play. The APA is generally recognized as the Governing Body of Amateur Pool, having established the official rules, championships, formats and handicap systems for the sport of amateur billiards.

The APA produces three major tournaments each year—the APA World Pool Championships, the APA Poolplayer Championships and the U.S. Amateur Championship—that, together, pay out nearly $2 Million in cash and prizes annually!

The APA and its championships are sponsored by Aramith, Action Cues, PoolDawg and Valley-Dynamo.

For more information on the American Poolplayers Association, visit poolplayers.com.