APA: How long were you players before you decided to become League Operators?
Dana: We’ve each played for 18 years in the APA; in fact we actually met playing APA. Bruce was in the Air Force and was stationed in the area. My teammate saw him shooting at the recreation center on base and immediately said, “You want to join a pool team?” The next week, Bruce came out to meet the team he joined. As soon as Bruce came in and was introduced to the team, we sat next to each other and chatted the rest of the afternoon. The rest, as they say, is history. We’ve now been married for 24 years and have a 19-year-old daughter.
APA: What made you decide to look into becoming League Operators?
Dana: In 1986 I worked for the League Operator in my area for about a year. I picked up and dropped off envelopes and helped with odd jobs around the office, so I knew a bit of what the job of a League Operator entailed. When the area we played in came up for sale in 2006, we thought it was a great opportunity to have a job involving a game we both loved.
APA: Did you relocate?
Bruce: No, we were already living in the area we purchased, which was great for us. We knew the area well and had played with and knew many of the players.
APA: Was the process of becoming a League Operator difficult?
Bruce: We took over 75 teams and the organization and procedures we implemented to run the League took a while to evolve. Once we figured out a good routine for us, it was much easier.
APA: What do you enjoy most about being League Operators?
Dana:What we love most about being League Operators is seeing our players have a good time. Whether on a regular League night or at one of our tournaments, it’s really fun to see our players (most of whom we’ve known as good friends for a long time) having a great time, hanging out and playing a game we all really love. The APA has truly been an important and wonderful part of our lives.
APA: Briefly describe life as League Operators.
Dana: Well, it takes many, many more hours than you would realize unless you’re a League Operator too. Every day of the week has some APA in it—picking up and dropping off weekly envelopes, processing scoresheets, answering player calls/texts/emails, visiting teams and running tournaments. We guess you could call it a labor of love though. Although we spend a huge amount of our time in the day-to-day work process, the fun we have with our players is worth it. Visiting with the players on League night and at the various tournaments is a blast. It’s not only great to see a member play their heart out and win a game or match, but also, it’s great just to spend time with what has really become one big family. With our players, we’ve attended weddings and funerals, we’ve congratulated new parents and even seen some of the kids grow old enough to play on their parent’s team, we’ve cried with them over personal and family tragedies and cried from laughing so hard at some of their shenanigans and jokes. The work it takes to run a League isn’t quick and easy, but it’s a job that neither of us ever regrets taking.
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