On January 25, 2012, APA lost two members tragically. Alexander Skip Wade and Phillip Johnson, longtime friends and teammates in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill APA, were shot and killed during the course of a robbery at the store that Johnson owned called Week in Treasures.
Skip and Phillip both played on the team Top Dawg out of Oscars Q & Bar in Chapel Hill, NC. Skip was the captain of the team. Skip had been a member of the APA since 2003 and Phillip joined in 2008. They were both loved players in the Tuesday night in-house Double Jeopardy league. Their team competed in the 2011 APA National Team Championships in 9-Ball this past August. The loss of these two members of the APA family devastated the community and local APA league.
To remember Skip & Phillip and to show support and offer assistance to the families of both men, the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill APA held a Memorial Tournament in their honor at Oscars Q & Bar on February 25, 2012. The fundraiser featured an 8-Ball Scotch Doubles tournament, a break contest, raffles, a silent auction, and a BBQ plate sale. Named after the team that both men played on, the Top Dawg Memorial Tournament raised $5,536.50 for the families. The tournament was a success due to outpour of love and hard work of the APA, Oscars, Skip & Phillips teammates and fellow APA players, friends and family, and the community.
Another fundraiser tournament was held on February 3, 2012 for Johnsons family to raise money to help pay for the funeral costs, due to lack of insurance coverage. That tournament was organized by fellow APA players and raised about $2,600.00.
Jeff and Cassie Howell took 1st Place in the tournament which featured a field of 35 doubles teams. Jeff Copeland and John JC Collins finished 2nd.
For more information about the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill APA, visit apa-raleigh.com.