PARMA HEIGHTS — Bill McRae, Tina Schofield, Ed Harbie, Ryan Campbell, Tom Schofield, Staci Giera, Jennifer Stout and Derek Schofield — all playing out of Rookie Sports Bar and Grill in Parma Heights — are the new American Poolplayers Association World 9-Ball Champions.
Bill said beating 695 other teams was everything they hoped for. Only one team went home with the trophy.
"Yes. Ours! It was terrific!"
The teams competed in Las Vegas. Ed said the moment hasn’t lost any of its shine, and he’ll be telling this story for a while.
"It doesn't get old, it doesn't get old… it just, uh… I get better at telling it, actually."
Unlike many tournament teams that are assembled from players across different leagues, The Rookies compete together throughout the year. Bill said that bond made a difference.
"We are a team all year long, and we're friends, we've been friends for a long time."
Ed agreed.
"We just have a great time playing with each other."
The road to the championship was not without doubt. Tina said she didn’t really expect the team to make it to the finals.
"No, no… I had to be at work Sunday, Ha-Ha!"
Travel plans were changed, and the team kept playing. Tina said the entire roster stepped up.
"We all played well!"
All 8 players were at the table for meaningful games throughout the tournament. Ed said the magnitude of the achievement is still setting in.
"It's crazy, it's crazy. And it still hasn't sunk in."
From a bar in Parma Heights, through qualifying tournaments, and into the bright lights of Las Vegas, The Rookies survived, advanced and believed in each other every step of the way.
Bill summed it up simply.
"Why not us!"
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
