Allison Fisher Nominated for Sportswoman of the Year

Friday, August 29, 2008

allison_fisher_12 Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) superstar Allison Fisher has been nominated for “Sportswoman of the Year” award for her exemplary performance in billiards by Women’s Sports Foundation.

The selection process was not an easy task this year with the consideration of all the Olympic athletes, so this is a particularly high honor for Allison to be nominated among the individuals selected. Allison Fisher gathered more top honors to add to her already crowded collection.

In August of 2007 Fisher won her third consecutive Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) U.S. Open Championship, earning an unprecedented 50th WPBA title. Fisher came in second place at the WPBA Midwest Classic (October). In November of 2007 Fisher won her eighth WPBA National Championship in Lincoln City, Ore., solidifying her sixth consecutive Player of the Year award. Fisher started out 2008 on the same foot, winning the first WPBA event of the year, the San Diego Classic (April). She also placed third at the WPBA World 9-Ball Championship and won her second WPBA title of the year at the WPBA Great Lakes Classic times (June).

About the Women’s Sports Foundation

The Women’s Sports Foundation is an educational nonprofit (501(c)(3) charity) organization founded in 1974 by tennis legend Billie Jean King. Its mission is to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.

One of the top five public grant-giving women’s funds in the United States, the Foundation distributes $10,000-20,000 per week from operating dollars to provide opportunities for socioeconomic underprivileged and inactive girls to participate in sports and physical activity.

The Foundation’s advocacy efforts have directly affected the amount of scholarship dollars supporting educational opportunities for female student-athletes in the United States. In 1972, women received only $100,000 but now receive $617 million a year.

About Allison Fisher

Allison Fisher is universally regarded as the most successful billiards player in history. Since winning her first world championship at age 17, she has amassed more world, national, and professional titles than any other sports star—male or female. Her personal achievements, industry contributions, and dedication to the less fortunate have transformed her into a true champion in sport and life, and her good natured elegance has endeared her to millions of fans around the world.

Allison was born in Cheshunt, England, on February 24, 1968. She began playing billiards at age seven and credits her parents, Peter and Christine, for enabling one of sports’ truly remarkable careers.
Today Allison dominates women’s cue-sports. She won 80 national and 11 world titles, and became a household name in Great Britain before moving to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1995. Since immigrating to the United States, she has added 53 Women’s Professional Billiard Association (WPBA) “Classic Tour” titles and an unprecedented 21 international championships to her record.

Defending Champ Fisher Upset in First Round

Friday, August 1, 2008

The Women’s Professional Billiards Association’s (WPBA) U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships kicked off July 31 with a full 64-player field. This event will conclude August 3 and is hosted by Riverwind Casino in Norman, OK.

Top seed Allison Fisher was all set to defend her title against her first-round competitor, Iris Ranola, but in a stunning turn of events, was sent to the one-loss side after a nail-biting double-hill match. Ranola, who hails from the Philippines, has only appeared on the WPBA Tour twice but has been making quite an impression on the regional women’s tours around the country for the past few months. Her next match was against Aileen Dimmick, who bested Sarah Rousey 9-6 earlier, and Ranola also sent Dimmick to the west side of the chart 9-2.

Karen Corr, Xiaoting Pan, and Ga Young Kim are all tied in the WPBA rankings for second place. Pan, having made quick work of Zinnie Panju 9-4 and Ewa “The Striking Viking” Laurance 9-5, will next face off against Jeanette Lee, who has notched two strong 9-2 victories over My-Hanh Lac and Melissa Little. Corr also advanced, defeating Line Kjorsvik of Norway 9-4 and Joanne Ashton 9-4 to meet Vivian “The Texas Tornado” Villareal next. Finally, Kim won her first-round match against Michelle Rakin 9-5 and her second against Tiffany Nelson 9-6. Her next match will be against Ireland’s Julie Kelly.

Austria’s Jasmin Ouschan won her match with Tina Larsen 9-3 and then sent Alice Rim west 9-4. Ouschan’s next challenge will come from Kelly Fisher. Ranked fifth on the tour, Fisher has won her first two matches against Amanda Lampert and Kim White, both 9-3. However, sixth-ranked Anna Kostanian, though she won her first-round match against Lisa D’Atri 9-5, lost her second to Caroline Pao 9-4 and will have to fight her way through the one-loss side.