Author: Joan Pettijohn

Hello again,
Again, I hope you all are staying safe, are not too bored and are not missing pool too much, although I suspect many of you are longing to play.

The Board met last week and we were able to make some decisions although many things could not be decided due to the uncertainty about reopening our city and state. What we could decide:

1. We have officially ended the regular season at this point. All stats are final.
2. We will offer a half-season credit for next season for those of you who want
it. Please let us know and we will apply the credit in the amount of $35. If you do not
want the credit or don’t need it, please consider donating it to the league.
3. If the bars reopen and we can sponsor playoff games we will do so for teams
that want and can play. We cannot give much more information about how
that will be configured as we don’t know the number of teams that will play
and we cannot say the timing of these playoffs.
4. We will sponsor WCC qualifiers IF there is a WCC in late August in LA and IF we have open
venues to play them in. The governor has stated that large gatherings this summer should be
cancelled so that is hard to predict.

We are very unclear about many other aspects of our future. We do not know at this point when bars will reopen nor do we know if all of our sponsor bars will be able to reopen. Several of our sponsor bars have Go Fund Me accounts to raise money for staff. Here is a link if you would like to see the list or donate.
(https://sfist.com/2020/03/29/these-sf-bars-and-restaurants-have-gofundme-fundraisers-to-help-staff/

Additionally, we are not sure when next season will start due to the delay this spring nor can we know if we will have to shorten next season due to a late start.

What we can tell you is that we will be meeting again soon and will make decisions as we are able and we promise to maintain regular communication. Please let me know how you all are doing and stay well.

Warmly,
Joan
—
Joan Pettijohn
SFPA League President

Hello Pool Lovers,
I wanted to update you all as much as is possible and wanted to send you my sincerest wishes for your health and safety right now. Sheltering in place and not playing pool is difficult but we as a community are helping to contain this virus.

As you all probably know, the shelter-in-place order for San Francisco is effective until May 3rd and the order for the state of California is in place until further notice. Play will definitely be suspended until both state and city governments give us the go ahead and the bars reopen. So the 8-ball tournament scheduled for April 19th is cancelled.

Our 14th and final match would have fallen on April 28th so the season as we know it would have ended then, followed by playoffs. Clearly that is not going to happen. I know that some of you would return to play as soon as the bars open and I also know that for numerous reasons, many players will not return at this time. Many members of our league are elderly or have underlying health issues making it imperative that they shelter in place as much as possible for as long as possible.

The Board has met this month and we have another emergency meeting next week. We don’t know what will happen in our future, but are trying to find solutions that work for all of us. The West Coast Challenge is postponed until late August but that might change as well. I wish we could give definitive answers but they are not there to share. I can promise you that we will continue to communicate and share information.

Please feel free to contact me and let me know how you all are doing and again, please stay safe.

Warmly,

Joan Pettijohn
SFPA League President

Hello all,
I know the Board election is not at the top of your list right now. It is not at the top of mine either…but needs to happen. See below a sample ballot for you to consider. You will receive an email from Survey Monkey next Wednesday, April 8th and voting will close the following week on April 17th. Please take a few moments to vote next week. An activity for sheltering…
Thank you,
Joan

Spring SFPA Ballot
Sample Ballot for SFPA Pool Spring 2020–Voting Begins April 9th and ends April 17th
In order to vote, you will receive a separate e-mail from our secretary, Jerry Ervin via SurveyMonkey.com.

Spring, 2020
Please take some time to complete the survey regarding our season election for Board members and please answer a few questions regarding SFPA sponsored tournaments.
1. Who is your choice for SFPA Board President?
Joan Pettijohn, Cinch Pack
Write-in_________________________

2. Who is your choice for SFPA Board Secretary?
Jerry Ervin, Tandy Warhols
Write-in_____________________________

3. Who is your choice for SFPA Co-Head Referee
Stern Montoya, Churchill Bulldogs
Write-in__________________________________

4. Who is your choice for SFPA Member-at-Large?
Troy Brunet, Hole in the Wall Bangers
Write-in_______________________________
 
5. What is your choice for Best Host Bar?
o Barrel Proof
o Billiard Palacade
o Bloodhound
o Churchill
o Cinch Saloon
o Club 93
o Dovre Club
o Harry Harrington’s
o Hole in the Wall
o Lone Star Saloon
o Lucky Horseshoe
o Napper Tandy
o Pilsner Inn
o Rumors
o Slate Bar
o The Mix
o Willows

6. Who is your choice for the Jim Tingle Sportsmanship Award? This is awarded each season to a league member who has consistently exhibited a good sporting attitude. (League nominations, Board votes)
Write in_________________________________

8. Do you attend league-sponsored tournaments? If so, which ones?

______________________________________________________________

9. If you do not play in tournaments, can you let us know what might bring you out to play in a qualifier or a tournament?

____________________________________________________________________________________

The shelter in place order in San Francisco has been extended until the end of April. League play is cancelled for April.

Hello all…I guess you all knew that we would not be playing on April 7th as the Shelter-in-Place order is in effect until April 7th. The Board will keep you informed.

The West Coast Challenge (WCC) will not be held during the weekend of June 18th as previously scheduled due to Covid-19. The LA Board hopes to reschedule in late July or early August if that is possible. More info to come!

Hello SFPA players,
The Board has decided to suspend league play through March 31st. We will reassess then regarding the rest of the season. We are cancelling all of the 8-Ball qualifiers in March and will decide if we will resume the qualifiers and league play into April and for the rest of the season. Our sister leagues are taking similar actions.

This has been a difficult decision that the Board has grappled with and this did not come easily as we all love the game. However, we feel the SF Department of Public Health advisories regarding gathering in groups should be followed. Although this may seem drastic to some, the SFPA has many members who are in high risk groups and this virus is highly contagious and we want to make the problem better, not worse. Our bottom line is protecting the health of our members.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me or any Board member. 

—
Joan Pettijohn
SFPA League President

The Board is actively discussing essential precautions to be taken during the current epidemic of Covid 19.

As you know, the virus is most dangerous/deadly for elderly people, those with compromised immune systems or with other medical conditions. Many members of the SFPA league are in those high risk groups so we do need to take every measure to prevent the spread of the disease.

Please take the recommendations listed below seriously to keep all of our members safe:

1. Wash your hands regularly and after every game
2. No handshakes or hugs-elbow bumps work just as well
3. Stay home if you are sick
4. Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
5. Avoid touching your face and wash your hands after you do
6. Consider bringing disinfectant wipes for use on playing equipment.
7. If any member contracts the disease, please notify a Board member immediately

Below is the CDC’s information page about Covid 19 including prevention and containment.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

Ballots for Board positions will be distributed via email in a few weeks from Survey Monkey. A sample ballot will be posted to the website. Board positions up for election are:
President
Secretary
One Member-at-Large
One Head Referee

If you want to run for any of these positions, please email president.sfpapool@gmail.com and please let me know what position you would like to run for.
All current officers are running for reelection to their role.

City Individuals Championship will be held on:
Sunday, March 8th
Tabletop
Tap House 175 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
Practice and signups begin at 11am and play begins at 11:30
Entry is $25
Random grid, Double elimination, Loser breaks
Race to 3
Open to all league members
1st Place – $250 + plaque,
2nd Place – $100
3rd Place -$75
4th Place – $50