Pondering the preponderance of APBA tournaments

Take a look at the above photo of Saturday’s action of the Chicagoland tournament and ponder this:  Just three and a half years ago, Chicagoland tournament participants could have fit around just one of those tables. 

Yes, the first Chicagoland tournament in the Summer of 2013 boasted a total of five APBA fans.  They all gathered at Jim Saska’s house to play a tournament.  That may not be many but they had fun and eventually, Curt Bartel (right) who is still a regular at the tournament, won the championship. 

Co-organizer Doug Schuyler took to Facebook and with his exuberant PR skills roused the interest in the tournament and numbers grew.  In November of that year, over 20 fans came to play. 

Each year, two tournaments with the Chicagoland name have been played.  Jim Saska and Doug Schuyler took it very far.  This last time around, Rob Spatz handed the reins of organizer and brought it to new heights with a tournament-high of 32 participants. 

My point?  I see a lot of questions like “There isn’t a tournament in my area.  What do I do?”  I say, “Start your own”. 

Don’t get intimidated and feel you need to hold a big one like Chicagoland’s last weekend.  Chicagoland started small.  It’s as simple as inviting a few friends over to your house for an afternoon of APBA.  Essentially, that is how the Chicagoland tournament started. 

That is basically what Jim Saska (left) is doing.  Because of work, Jim had to move to Virginia.  So what did he do?  He started his own tournament in Richmond.  He just finished his second Capital of the Confederacy APBA Tournament and is probably planning a third.  Like Chicagoland, it started out small but through word-of-mouth, social media, and repeat attendees, it is starting to grow. 

So if you’re not sure if there is a tournament in your area, check the Tournament calendar. I am trying to keep this as up-to-date as I can. If not, don’t hesitate to start your own.  Start small and make your own rules!

Finally, here is a compilation of photos taken at five of the seven Chicagoland tournaments. 

Good luck!