BCA Insider - Holiday Edition 2021

THE MICHAEL J. REPICI MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FOR GIRLS IN BILLIARDS HONORS A LEGACY AND SUPPORTS YOUNG BILLIARD PLAYERS

By Anthony Stoeckert When Laura Matera lost her husband, Michael J. Repici, on July 25 at the young age of 63, she wanted to find a way to honor him and his legacy. This, after all, was a man who gave so much of his life to the game of pool and who was respected and loved by people in the industry throughout the country.

The idea she came up with is the Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship for Girls in Billiards, and it is a perfect tribute to Repici, as it combines his love for pool and the boundless excitement he would exhibit when he saw young people, especially girls, play pool.

Michael J. Repici

Among the many happy memories Matera has for her husband are his reactions when they attended trade shows and saw kids participating in Billiard Education Foundation programs show their stuff.

“Michael was just amazed,” Matera says. “We would stand there for hours, watching these kids play. And he would be talking non-stop, pointing to the kids and saying, “Laura, Laura look – this kid can barely see over the top of the table!’

“But when he saw a young girl, he would go nuts, because he would say, ‘Laura, you need to understand, when I was coming up in the pool rooms, there were no girls – ever. You never saw girls, now look at these girls!’ And I’ve always been an advocate for women’s issues and girls, so I thought, what better way to honor his memory, and have my passion involved, so the scholarship is geared to girls.”

SUPPORTING YOUNG POOL PLAYERS The Michael J. Repici Memorial Scholarship for Girls in Billiards will bestow three $1,000 awards to young female players at the BEF Junior National Pool Championship – one each to the topplace finishers in the 14&U, 16&U and 18U Girls 9-Ball Divisions. The money is intended to help these budding bil32 | BCA INSIDER • HOLIDAY ISSUE 2021

liard stars with their expenses as they compete in events, with the goal of encouraging them to continue to strive for excellence in the sport that they love and which Michael dedicated so much of his time to promoting and growing.

“I started thinking about this within two days after he passed,” Matera says.

“I needed to do something, and it has brought me a lot of peace and comfort, I have to say, putting this together.”

Among the people who are supporting this endeavor are Michael’s teammates from his Tuesday night 9-ball team, who changed their name to Player #9 in his memory and who, along with members of the local APA, hosted a memorial tournament in August that raised more than $2,000 for the scholarship program, including more than $900 in a corporation donation and a man who offered $20 for every drink purchased at the bar during a specific hour.

And Laura notes that the best part of the event is that a woman, Kelly “Kels” Carnes, won the event.

Michael made quite an impact among his teammates and competitors, winning league MVP in his skill class three years in a row. That team of Michael’s was based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where he moved to three years ago after retiring from his business, Repici’s Custom Billiard Service. His pas-