Texas Hold-em Tournament Fundraiser for Local Pool Team this Sunday

By day, the six men work individually in various forms of construction, run a small business making signs and commute daily to Join Base Lewis-McChord. 

By night (or in their off time), they become Rolling Thunder, a 9-ball pool team that recently clinched the Pierce County 9-ball Championship, qualifying them for a seat at the national American Poolplayers Association (APA) tournament in Las Vegas this August.

As The Courier-Herald reports, the men, captain Jim Phipps, co-captain John Mangan, Jim Cowart, Joey McCloskey, Mark Madsen and Jake Phipps range in age from 23 to 61.

The three oldest, according to John Mangan's wife Marsha who is also the team's scorekeeper, have actually known each other since grade school and in the past played baseball together. In the last five years or so, they traded the bats and gloves for pool cues and billiard balls. Captain Phipps, Mangan and Cowart had actually traveled to Las Vegas three years ago to play in the 8-ball tournament, Marsha said. Since then, the rest of the team came together through family and mutual acquaintances.

The guys don't live in Sumner - coming instead from Graham, Spanaway and Puyallup - but nonetheless have made Bottomz Up Bar and Grill in town their place to meet and practice. Regulars know them well, said Marsha, and practice with them. They usually descend on the Sumner watering hole about twice a week - Sundays and Tuesdays. With the summer competitive session having just started, they decided to cut playing time to Thursday nights for the time being. "We play Double Jeopardy," Marsha said. "That's 8-ball and 9-ball on the same night."

Sounds intense, but "the guys do it to have fun," she said. "Some teams are more serious about it than others. Our team, they like to get together and they like to play pool."

Still, the top prize in the national competition of $15,000 is tantalizing. But focusing on that would be getting ahead of themselves. Rolling Thunder and all teams that were invited to the national tournament were given $2,000 by the APA to cover tournament and travel expenses, but the event is five days and has to cover six people.

"It gets quiet expensive," Marsha said.

The team and supporters will be holding two fundraisers this summer to help cover costs. They are holding a Texas Hold-em Tournament at Bottomz Up this Sunday, June 30 beginning at 1 p.m. They will also be at Rhubarb Days on July 13 selling 50-50 raffle tickets. Half the money raised goes to a lucky winner while the other half supports the team's expenses.

They will take off for Las Vegas in August as the tournament runs from August 15 through August 19 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino. Click here for more information.

Not into pool? That's OK, neither is Marsha -- at least not in playing it. Clearly there is an interest in supporting her husband, but "I enjoy watching them play," she said. You get into watching your kids play baseball or basketball ... there's strategy to it just like anything else. It's fun to watch them, and I've learned a lot about pool. I just have no interest in actually playing."

But come out and support the guys nonetheless. For more information on how you can participate or help, contact Jim Phipps at 253-961-5555 or Marsha Mangan at 253-732-8270.