Team Captain of the Month
For Marakai (Kai) Fellows of San Diego, Calif., APA began as a date night for her and her husband in 2006. Since then, she’s been Team Captain for 51 teams and played nearly 1,900 matches in 8-Ball, 9-Ball, Double Jeopardy, Ladies, Masters and 8-Ball and 9-Ball Doubles.
“Joining APA has turned out to be my best and most treasured decision I’ve ever made,” Kai said. “The amount of people I’ve met, and have come to know and love, grows exponentially. I have friendships that, I predict, will last the rest of my life.”
Kai first became a Team Captain in 2010 for a Ladies team. She was a skill level 5 and began to understand and recognize the other ways people played as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Kai’s fortunate enough to have learned from some of the best amateur players in the game.
“I really am so thankful to have her as my captain,” teammate Shannan Martinez said. “She is ALWAYS positive and supportive. The support goes beyond the pool table. I often have anxiety and Kai is so aware and does all she can to help me with that. I can tell her what works and what doesn’t and she is very understanding.”
As you can see, Kai’s teammates speak high praises of her. She’s patient, supportive and always willing to help. She’s there to offer advice, but doesn’t tell players how to play their game. So many of her peers look up to her for her knowledge of the game, her enthusiasm, her involvement in the organization and her willingness to help others enjoy all aspects of playing in the APA.
“She has been my go to person and an amazing coach and captain,” teammate Heather Jenkins said. “She is patient with me and always tells me in a way I understand what I did wrong on a shot and how to correct it. She makes pool even more fun than it already is.”
In 2010, Kai qualified for the 8-Ball Classic held during the National Singles Championships (now Poolplayer Championships) in Las Vegas. She placed 65th that first year and had such a great experience that she yearned to go back. She’s been lucky enough to return multiple years since then, finishing as high as 17th Place as a skill level 6 in the 9-Ball Shootout.
She now helps people try to qualify for the Poolplayer Championships by running Singles Boards for the San Diego APA. She also helps her League Operators, Brian & Jill Frankland, by volunteering as a referee for local tournaments whenever needed and acts as the Program Director for the San Diego APA Junior Academy.
“Marakai is one of our most highly respected Team Captains,” Jill said. “Because of her endearing personality and extremely high level of involvement on not only the local, but also the regional and national levels, she is known and loved by APA players from all over! We are very lucky to have her as a member of our league!”