Tom Rossman Wins 2008 Trick Shot Magic Title

By admin
for InsidePOOLmag.com

Published: October 6, 2008

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Tom Rossman defeated Andy Segal in the finals of the 2008 Trick Shot Magic billiard event held in Las Vegas, NV.

Tom Rossman defeated Andy Segal for the Trick Shot Magic title and the lion’s share of the $40,000 purse at the 2008 ESPN Zone Billiards Shootout. ESPN Zone Las Vegas was host to the October 2 event, which was taped for three 1-hour telecasts on ESPN and the first ever to be broadcast in high definition.

The ninth annual event featured a stellar international cast vying for the most coveted title in artistic pool. The matches required each player to execute 10 artistic shots in a challenge format. Players challenged their opponents with shots of their choice, with each player forced to make the shot to score a point. In the event of a tied score, the tiebreaker was an eight-rail bank shot onto the face of a $100 bill. The player who came closest to the center of the bill won the match.

Rossman and Segal displayed their brilliance to emerge as the top trick shot artists. The championship match was poetry on green felt, with Rossman defeating Segal by a score of 13-10 to take the crown and $18,000. Segal, who otherwise played to top form in the event, claimed the $6,000 second prize. In semifinal action, Rossman and Eric Yow battled back and forth in a thrilling match to a tied score of 13-13. They then sent to a sudden death eight-rail bank shot, and Rossman claimed victory by placing the cue ball onto the center of a $100 bill.

Rossman hoists his hardware after a hard-fought finals with Andy Segal.

The other semifinal match saw Segal upend Mike Massey by a lopsided score of 11-4. Massey, who injured his shoulder in a quarterfinal match, was unable to play at his legendary level of skill. International trick shot stars who were bumped off in single elimination included Yow and Massey, who won $4,000 each, and Stefano Pelinga, Luke Szywala, Sebastian Giumelli, and Mark Dimick, who won $2,000 each.

The standing-room-only crowd gave Rossman a spirited ovation at the conclusion of the final match. The winner’s check was presented by Blaine Martin of Connelly Billiards and Ivan Lee of Simonis Cloth. The presentation brought another round of cheers from the audience.

In addition to the fine tournament site at ESPN Zone Las Vegas at the New York New York Hotel & Casino, the event was sponsored by Connelly Billiards, Aramith Super Pro Balls, Simonis Cloth, L.E.A.N.I. Italian Slate, AcCue Shot Target Practice Device, Executive Billiards Delta-13 Rack, and Silver Cup Chalk. The WPA-sanctioned event was produced by Billiards International, Ltd.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFxJsyA4LX4

Tom Rossman “What’s in the Case”

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Andy Segal trick shot “What Goes Up Must Come Down”

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db-8o3VespE

Andy Segal trick shot “Size Does Matter”

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