Team Captain of the Month
Jamie Bernard of Fountain Valley, Calif., began playing in the Orange County APA in 2007. As Team Captain, Jamie has created a team that’s like a family. His teammates know he always has great advice, is supportive and helps create a fun atmosphere for everyone on League night.
“I’ve been on Jamie’s Sunday double jeopardy team (Holland Daze) for a few years now and there’s nothing I look forward to more than playing pool on Sundays,” his teammate, Diane, said.
Jamie always texts the entire team each week to keep them informed of where they stand in both 8-Ball and 9-Ball and let them know where they’ll be playing that week, any special events going on and/or birthdays to celebrate. He’s the first to let the team know if anyone has done anything exceptionally well, advanced in rank, made a great shot, or earned MVP.
“Jamie always has a smile on his face and goes above and beyond to make sure the opposing teams are having a really fun night out at league,” Orange County APA League Operator Vicki Wirth said. “He even brings cakes to matches to celebrate birthdays of his teammates and other members of the League.”
He never misses an opportunity to celebrate his teammates’ victories, no matter how small. He keeps spreadsheets of players’ stats and knows posting strategies. Jamie is an engineer, which helps him provide great advice when teammates need assistance with angles. He also knows what his strong points are. When he thinks there may be someone else on the team that may have a time-out strategy better than his, he’ll gladly step aside and let someone else take the lead. Jamie’s also very supportive of the other teams. He’s always laughing and joking with the other teams, which makes for a great atmosphere.
“Jamie has always been an amazing and strategic Captain and that’s why he has led his teams to Local Team Championship victories and has been to Vegas twice,” Wirth said. “We are extremely fortunate to have him in the OCAPA pool family. It’s been an absolute pleasure to have gotten to know him over the years and see what a great leader he is.”