8 Ball Billiards winter tourney begins Saturday

PLATTSBURGH -- The 16th-Annual 8 Ball Billiards Regional Winter Pool Tournament, offering more than $1,000 in cash prizes and trophies, will get under way Saturday with eight locations for qualifying. The top player from each location will advance to the playoff April 5, at 1 p.m., at 8 Ball Billiards Cafe, Rt. 9, Plattsburgh.

First place will be worth $500, second, $300, and third, $200. Also, there will be trophies for the top three players and for each finalist. All matches will be race to 3. The cost to enter is $7.

Qualifying rounds

Saturday, March 15 -- Time Served (formerly KC's), Comstock, N.Y., 1 p.m. and Flood Zone, Champlain, 5 p.m.

Sunday, March 16 -- Friendly Tavern, Keeseville, 1 p.m. and Brookie's Pub, Keeseville, 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 29 -- American Legion Post 912, Rouses Point, 1 p.m. and Patriots Pub (formerly Mannie's), Champlain, 5 p.m.

Sunday, March 30 -- VFW 1418, Champlain, 1 p.m. and Armond's Place II, Rouses Point, 5 p.m.

Also, the Fifth-Annual Hard Luck Tournament, open to anyone who played in a qualifier but did not advance, will be held Saturday, April 5, at 2 p.m., at 8 Ball Billiards Cafe. Entry fee is $10 with all fees returned. The top 3 places will receive cash and a trophy. It will be double-elimination, race to 3.

Saiz, Blais represent Waves at Speedo meet

PLATTSBURGH -- Hannah Saiz and Marie Blais represented the Lake Champlain Waves Swim Club at the Eastern Zone Speedo Champions Series hosted by the Long Island Aquatic Club. The meet is used as a qualifier for the Olympic Trials, Junior Nationals and the Summer U.S Open Swim Series.

Blais qualified for the Speedo Champions Series by setting a Waves record of 24.45 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle at the Region 1 Championships in February. Saiz qualified for the event with a Waves record of 2:08.76 in the 200 fly at the Feb. Region 1 Championship and a 1:55.93 at the New York State High School Finals last November. Blais and Saiz were the first Waves swimmers to participate in a Speedo Champions Series event.

This was the first USA Swimming event of the year contested in a meter pool. Blais swam two events: the 50 and 100 meter freestyle. Saiz swam four events: the 400 and 200 meter freestyle as well as the 100 and 200 meter butterfly. Saiz made the finals in both of the butterfly events.

Marie Blais: 50 meter freestyle, 28.46; 100 meter freestyle, 1:05.05

Hannah Saiz: 200 meter freestyle, 2:14.91; 400 meter freestyle, 4:43.40; 100 meter butterfly, 1:05.12 (19th); 200 meter butterfly, 2:22.69 (17th).