Billiard Congress of America Certified Instructor, Level II

Mission Statement:

to bring the love of billiards to children, adults and less fortunate people so that they will have a sport to not only help increase self-esteem, learning and motivation, but also to incorporate the love of a sport into their lives. I want to touch as many lives as I can thus improving well-being and quality of life by increasing the fun and joy they can have in their lifetime with friends and family !

Since I will be entrusted with a loved one or someone who is under your direct supervision, in some long term or limited capacity, I'd like to tell you a little bit about myself and my personal as well as professional qualifications. I absolutely love working with kids of all ages and began doing so during my early teenage years via babysitting. Work with different populations of adults began later and work with both populations continues presently.

My professional and volunteer experience over the past 25+ years includes numerous interactions with children and adults of all ages and all walks of life, experiencing different developmental milestones and hardships. Based on my experience, I feel that I am very qualified to work with any child or adult of any age, ability or disability.

Past experience in psychiatric settings lends itself nicely to ethical and physical limitations; what to teach, implement and talk about as well as knowing what to steer away from. Since Counseling is very closely related to teaching and I've had many interactions with children of all ages, I feel that I will be a very effective instructor and mentor. My concentration and specialization as a BCA Certified Pool Instructor will be with children and young adults as well as children and adults experiencing psychological difficulties. Also, females of any age because females often learn better from other females, i.e. all female schools.

Should you have any questions at all please don't hesitate to call me. You can trust your children with me!

Life Experience:

Master of Art Degree in Counseling and Human Development, Walsh University, 1994

BA in Psychology, minor in Sociology, University of Akron, 1985

Former Big sister via the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization, involved a weekly commitment of spending time and giving support to a child from a divorced family with multiple hardships, thru Canton, OH YMCA under direction of Cathy Turbinsky, 1985 - 87

6 months administering psychological tests, writing evaluations and making suggestions for general therapeutic interventions to children 6-18 years of age; worked with a wide range of children at Akron Children's Hospital with mild to severe problems under the direction of Thom Webb, PhD

Interned at Aultman Hospital Psychiatric Services Unit for one semester, full time 1994; worked with a full range of adult mental illnesses as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, IV tm; intake interviews, group therapy, medical chart writing etc., Mindy Ramsey, MSW

Worked 12 Saturdays with differently-abled kids whose differences included autism, mental retardation, and those whose mothers ingested drugs during pregnancy and while nursing, 1991, under Louise Spence, PhD

Blick Clinic Internship/Group Homes, working with MRDD/dual diagnosed individuals ages 15 - 45, implementing therapeutic behavior plans, planning activities, documentation, etc., Spring/Summer 2003

Attended a 2-hour panel discussion of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder chaired by pediatricians and psychiatrists from northeastern Ohio, June 2003

2 1/2 years working in the Canton, OH YWCA childcare setting with children ranging in age from 3-12 years; ran the After School Program under direction of Jennifer Jones; wrote and implemented developmentally appropriate curriculum/lesson plans

Director of Latch Key Services St. Joseph School, Canton, OH; Linda Preece, MA, Principal; wrote and implemented developmentally appropriate activities; directly interacted with children ages 5 - 13

School Board Secretary for 2 years, St. Joseph School, Canton, OH

School Consultative Council Member for 1 year; member of a group to help make school-related decisions St. Joseph School, Canton, OH

Room Mother, 9 years St. Joseph and St. Joan of Arc Schools; organize holiday parties, games, goodies etc., Canton, OH

Brownie/Girl Scout Co-Leader for 5 years; part of a 2person team to organize meetings, field trips badge work as well as summer day camp and overnight stays, St. Joseph and St. Joan of Arc Schools, Canton, OH

Art Aide and all-around volunteer for 2 years; involved in many fund raising activities, helped out and worked wherever needed and designed SJS sweatshirt logo, St. Joseph School, Canton, OH

Home Daycare Provider for 1½ years; planned, organized activities and developmentally appropriate curriculum, 2000-01

Teacher/Supervisor of the 5 year old classroom; wrote and implemented developmentally appropriate curriculum, had parent/teacher conferences, A Child's Kingdom, 2002-03

My daughter and I volunteered a full day at "Camp Cheerful", a week long fun-filled camping experience for children with Muscular Dystrophy, June, 2003, 2004, 2005

Research Coordinator, NeuroBehavioral Clinical Research Inc., Dr. S Malhotra, Principal Investigator; Duties include being part of a team to assess eligibility in clinical drug trials through phone screens and interviews, take vital signs, draw and prepare blood samples, give psychological assessments, dose medications and help out as needed to help the research run correctly and smoothly, per protocol, May 1, 2006 - October 13, 2006

Parent/nonsmoker

Billiards Experience:

Female Collegiate Pool Champion, University of Akron, 1983

Singles titles
Scotch Doubles titles
MVP titles

Team titles includes highest ranking, Canton women's team in international play in Las Vegas, placed 5th/6th, Women's Open Division

Second place and lower wins in Women's Master Team Division play

Several 7-8 place wins in Women's Open Team Division play

Several 2-4 place wins in Sandusky Women's Open Team Tournament play

Organized and ran 2 Junior Pool Player Qualifying Tournaments so that the winner of each could participate in BCA's Junior National Tournaments in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Sent youth, 15x, males and females, to BCA Juniors National Singles 9ball Tournament including qualifiers winners and league winners

Part of a team to organize and form the first area pool school known as the National Academy of Pocket Billiards (NAPB)

Part of the NAPB team to host the first ever Fundamental Pool Playing Skills Clinic to six youths ranging in age from 7 - 17, October 2003

Part of the NAPB team to teach pool skills to adults at Edwin Shaw Hospital, September - March 2003; collectively we instructed almost 100 children and adults

Greater Canton Amateur Billiards Association (GCABA), Board Member/part-time Secretary, 5 years

Billiard Congress of America League Coordinator (husband/wife team) since 1999; Responsibilities include: coordinating an upper and lower division 8ball league system, scotch doubles league, 9ball league, 3person league and upper and lower divisions juniors league and banquet; planning the BCA annual banquet and tri-state tournament; ours is the first league to be paperless with all relevant pool standings and other great information posted to www.8ball.org.

Editor in Chief, "On the Rack Billiard Magazine" Jan-July 2000, (writing samples available)

Part of a team to host a Professional 9ball tournament to benefit the National Cancer Society, with guest appearance by actor James Tolken, of the movie "Top Gun", and professional pool players Belinda Campos and JR Calvert, and " Dr. Cue" Tom Rossman, August, 2000

Part of a team that helped coordinate, promote and run the National Wheelchair Poolplayers Association Tournament in Canton, OH, August, 2002. It was the highest paying tournament for wheelchair players ever, which in fact was our goal

Coordinated and ran the Larry Kraft Memorial Tournament to benefit the Kidney Foundation, 2002

Part of a 2person team to plan, organize and run the Greater Canton Amateur Billiard Association Annual 8ball tournament x4

Recognized BCA Billiard Instructor, March, 2003; 24 hours of billiard instruction with Specialization in junior players, females and players of any age with emotional problems

First and only female in Ohio to attain Certified BCA Billiard Instructor, March, 2004; and 1 of 2 women in the world with this level of training; 24 hours of instruction to move to this second level of instruction with Specialization in junior players, females and players of any age with emotional problems, see more at www.bca-pool.com

Organized and ran Stark County's largest Junior Sanctioned 9ball League; sending 1 junior player to BCA Junior Nationals in Tucson, AZ bringing my total to having sent 16 juniors; my junior players gave $70, half of their fundraising money, to the purchase of needed items for the Canton Battered Women's Shelter! Fall/Winter, 2003-04

Organized and ran the first ever Straight Pool Clinic for youth ages 18 and under; lessons in fundamental were given and younger kids played a modified game commensurate with their knowledge and ability, aka Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum: co-led by Dick Eubanks, January 14, 2004

Ran the first ever 9ball Junior/Parent Doubles Tournament, February, 28, 2004

To date I've given over 300 hours of pool lessons to children and adults, au gratis

Contracted with the Massillon Recreational Center/Parks System to teach pool to children, adults and families as part of their structured class offerings, May, 2004

Wrote the area's first "Pool in School!" Proposal to bring pool into area high schools as a billiard club with an intercollegiate play off as the grand finale, May, 2004

Part of a team to organize "All for Kids…..", a fundraiser/pool extravaganza at Fiddlestix Billiard Café, to raise money for the children of Domestic Violence Inc./Canton Battered Women's Shelter; we hosted a 54person pool tournament, "Fast Pool Challenge", challenge the pro, Shawn Putnam, and had raffles, 50/50's and door prizes; Cicchini Enterprises matched all monetary donations dollar for dollar for a total of almost $6400 to donate for the kids, June 2004; look for coverage in the September, 2004 issue of "Inside Pool" Magazine

In a marriage between training in mental health, years of experience with children and adults, and 30 years of pool playing experience, I wrote a technical paper, "The Healing/Therapeutic Aspects of Pool for Children Experiencing Difficult Developmental Transitions" May 2004, read at "All for Kids….." event June, 2004

Voted 2004 Female Player of the Year by Greater Canton Amateur Billiard Association (GCABA); in a declaration made by the board several years ago, this award is "meant to recognize an individual who throughout the past year, has demonstrated exemplary skill, good sportsmanship, and a true love of billiards both in participation and day to day public activities; this player will support and represent the GCABA throughout the year of reign and uphold the standards of this organization"; August 4, 2004

Part of husband/wife team to successfully run adult BCA Pool League for a 8th year, www.8ball.org; www.playbca.com

Ran BCA Junior Pool League for it's 5th year - Stark County's oldest and most prestigious pool league for youth 18 and under; sent several players to Nationals; (see www.bca-pool.com) this year's fundraiser included a donation of money to Caitlin Shoup, a Perry High School student who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma

Placed 17th in OCMA/VNEA State Men's Open Team Tournament, April, 2005

Ran the area's first ever Junior/Parent Scotch Double League and Banquet, June 6 - Sept 19, 2005

Completed the 7th year of Canton, OH BCA Junior 9ball League and Banquet, Nov 2006- April 2007

Placed 2nd in the April, 2007 Women's Open Team OCMA/VNEA State Pool Tournament which placed us as Master Players

Please contact me if you'd like to sponsor a child to play on my junior league, or if you'd like to set up private or group lessons/clinics for family, friends youth group or other organization

I'm also available to run pool tournaments for your business or party celebration

References available upon request

Thanks so much for your time and consideration!