Szywala Edges Massey for World Artistic Crown
by Phil Capelle

Bellflower, CA – Lukasz Szywala edged defending champion Mike Massey in a tense duel for his first World Artistic Pool title. The small but wildly enthusiastic group of fans who were in attendance at the Bicycle Casino in mid January may one day look back at the semis and finals and say, “I was there for the birth of televised Artistic Pool, and look at the sport now.” Five HDNET cameras filmed the event to be televised on HDTV in the near future.

Artistic Pool is a series of five shots in eight disciplines: Trick and Fancy, Draw, Prop/Novelty – Special Arts, Follow, Bank/Kick, Stroke, Jump, and Masse. There is a definite crossover between Artistic Pool shots and trick shots as both are visually pleasing, the balls doing things that almost never happen in regular pool. The big difference is that Artistic Pool shots are mostly skill. The “easy shots” are hard, and the hard shots are impossible for all but the most skillful practitioners.

The Qualifying Stages

The 2004 World Artistic Pool Champion-ships (held in early 2005) were really two events in one: the qualifying phase and match play. In this year’s championships, the round of 40 shots was used to narrow the 27-player field down to 12 for head-to-head competition. The top four scorers received a bye in the first round while the remaining eight qualifiers would play a series of matches. The four winners would then play the four top seeds. The next round of winners would earn a spot in the televised semifinals.

Tom Rossman bested Andy Segal’s record of 241 and was able to bask in the glory for 30 minutes before Lukasz “Cool Hand Luke” Szywala raised the bar with an incredible score of 270 (of a possible 333 points). Mike Massey (212) and Sebastian Giumelli (210) were seeded third and fourth for match play.

Match Play Format

Each match was comprised of 24 of the 40 shots from the Artistic Pool Program. The committee drew one shot of the five shots from each of the eight disciplines. After this round, the players got a chance to select a shot from the remaining four shots in each discipline. This introduced a strategic element to the competition.

In match play Artistic Pool, you can gain points in small and large chunks. If you make a shot in less attempts than your opponent, you might gain from one to three points. The big jumps of 5 to 12 points, however, occur when one player makes a shot in the allotted three tries and their opponent fails on all of their attempts.

A Quarterfinal Nailbiter

Nick “Quick Nick” Nickolaidis from Canada was trailing Tom Rossman by 10 points when he took a very big 1 point lead by executing the most difficult masse, the Exit Stage Right Masse, (see diagram) on his first attempt. Rossman followed a Hollywood like script by making this monstrous masse on his third and final attempt as the crowd roared its approval and advanced to the televised semifinals, 134-126.

Massey outscored Matt MacPhail from Massachusetts in another quarterfinal match. They were high fiving each other after successful shots, displaying the sportsmanship that is characteristic of these competitions. Other quarterfinal winners were Lukas Szywala over Jason Neu from Missouri, and Argentina’s Sebastian “The Matador” Giumelli, who eliminated Connecticut’s Sal Conti, and MacPhail bested Andy "Magic Man" Segal.

Semifinal Match #1: Szywala vs. Giumelli

The players took a 90-minute break to allow the HDNET crew to set up shop for the televised matches. Five cameras were used to cover the action on a beautiful Brunswick with pool table green cloth. Jay Helfert introduced the audience to the event and the cameras began to roll on the first televised artistic pool championships.
Fourth seed Sebastian Giumelli is a consistent contender, having finished 3rd at the 2003 World Artistic Pool Champion-ships. Early on he made The Traveling Music Shot, worth 12 big points, on his first try and the fiery Argentinean treated the crowd to an emotional outburst.

Later in the match, the crowd called for a replay after the referee ruled in favor of Szywala’s third and successful attempt at the Circular Draw Shot (see diagram). The replay showed the cue ball had indeed skimmed the top of the rack, nullifying his shot and costing him 5 points. Score one each for the crowd, the HDTV crew and modern technology. Szywala then made the Through the Great Wall shot on his first attempt and pulled away to a 132-89 triumph.

Semifinal Match #2: Massey vs. Rossman

Tom Rossman, has been a consistent contender in the World Artistic Pool Championships with two runner-up finishes in 2000 and 2002. He added a 3rd place finish to his resume at this year’s event after a close and hard-fought loss to perennial champion Mike Massey.

Massey made The 92-Degree Cut Shot on his third attempt to open up an early lead. Wing Shots, a spectacular crowd favorite, require that you pocket a long thin cut while the object ball is rolling down the table. These are a Rossman specialty, and he had wowed the crowd in qualifying by making all seven. This time both players were out of sync, and each made but two of seven. At the end of the first phase, Rossman held a 33-27 lead.

Massey and Rossman were both intent on getting into the finals but their match also took on the flavor of a spirited exhibition, which was not surprising considering that they are pool’s two top entertainers. After 16 of 24 shots, Rossman clung to a slim lead of 93-88. Mike finally edged ahead on a force follow four-rail bank shot, 103-99. Mike’s lead had expanded to 120-105 after the Circular Draw Shot and he eventually won this immensely enjoyable match 142-127.

The Finals: Massey vs. Szywala

There is no way you could have casted for a greater contrast in finalists than the pair of Mike Massey and Lukasz Szywala. Mike is a big man aged 57 and a showman while Szywala is a quiet, slightly built 24-year-old. One thing both had in common was a ton of talent. Massey’s has been at the top of Artistic Pool from the beginning, having won the three of four World Artistic Pool Championships. Young Lukasz’s star has been on the rise as he finished second at the 2004 Northeastern Artistic Pool Championship in Connecticut and a week later won the Masters Artistic Pool Championship at the Super Billiards EXPO. And, of course, that neat little 270 and his convincing match play wins all indicated that he was on top of his game.

Massey looked the part of a world champion as he strode to the table for the Jack Up Spot Shot all decked out in a colorful new purple vest. He took an early lead when Lukasz’s one handed spear shot failed him. After the eight mandatory shots, Massey held a modest 60-50 lead. Lukasz, displaying the ice water nervous system of a seasoned vet, clung to a 110-103 lead with eight shots to go. Massey failed to make the always troublesome On the Rebound Shot (see diagram) and trailed 127-112. But on the Circular Draw Shot (see diagram), Massey narrowed the gap to 127-122. Szywala still clung to a slim 141-135 lead as they entered Masse Shots, the final discipline. Massey chose the Changing Directions masse, one of his favorites. But he failed to convert on three attempts. Young Lukasz failed to gain ground, but still held a six point lead going into the last shot.

He chose the Exit Stage Right Masse (see diagram), which is worth 11 points for a successful first attempt. He quickly ended the suspense on his first attempt with a beautifully executed masse. The final score was 152-135 (Mike did not shoot the shot). Massey was the first to congratulate Szywala’s first world title as he disappeared in Mike’s bear hug while the crowd wildly applauded the new champion.

A special thanks goes to the sponsors, who included Robert Turner of the Bicycle Casino, The Sardo Tight Rack, the WPA, Gorina Cloth, McDermott Cues and Billiards & Barstools of Glendale, CA.

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