Meet NoCo
Our Values
North Country (or NoCo for short) believes every player deserves a chance to compete, improve, and expand horizons in cue sports. True development begins with exposure to challenges, but also from having support around you. When we grow as players and people, our sport is strengthened. That’s why we look beyond what we can offer locally in the Pacific Northwest. NoCo pays expenses for our top performers to travel to and experience first-rate CSI showcases in OH, OK, LA, MI, NV, TX, WI, and Puerto Rico.
We’re currently expanding our league with new divisions made of as much of the right stuff as we can cultivate:
✔ Great players, better humans
✔ Fun, engaging local formats
✔ Sanctioned competition, rules
✔ Stipends for performers (ROI)
✔ Travel to top U.S. showcases
✔ Passion and self improvement
✔ Fairness and economic value
Because we don’t own the venues where we play, we can only ask that owners invest in their tables (and most will).
Members can look forward to opportunities to expand horizons, like the time one of our own won a Pro-Am doubles tournament with U.S. #3 and Mosconi Cup captain/MVP Sky Woodward.
Founding + Year 1 (2024)
North Country was initially founded as Cascade BCAPL by Susan Andree and Eric Townsend through Cue Sports International sanction #2202 on December 22, 2023. In 2025, We were asked by the co-owners of Golden Fleece in Everett WA to bring BCA back to the area after an almost three-year hiatus. For that time, the venue had severed its relationship with Players Club Limited (PCL), the previous BCAPL league that had operated there in the past. Our motto was simple: “More Options for Players!”
We launched and operated multiple nights of play in year 1, which included a 9Ball singles division and a mixed-format (8Ball/9Ball/10Ball) teams division, the latter of which has evolved to become our “MOSCONI CHALLENGER SERIES.”
Eric Townsend, Susan Andree, Andi Beebe.
“More Options for Players!"
We twice applied to join Western BCA as either a member or affiliated league. Each time, there was a compelling opportunity for inclusion. Unfortunately, each time we fell short of the votes needed. The first vote was particularly telling. While we were filling a void in the marketplace for a BCA pool league in Everett (a large WA city), WBCA stated that the venue existed within an established “territory” of Western BCA, and that we hadn’t consulted first with the local league there (PCL). At the time, we felt this was unnecessary as WBCA doesn’t own or control Golden Fleece or its people and equipment. They asked us to start league. So, we instead forged our own path. We presumed we would be accepted into Western BCA if we returned a venue they had lost. That wasn’t the case.
Forward (2025 + Beyond)
In 2025, Andree stepped down as league operator and handed the reins to Townsend. He initiated a name change because a competing and similar league in Portland OR (Cascadia Pool League) was set to expand north into Washington state. It was a pre-emptive move to avoid confusion in the marketplace but also one that symbolized a new beginning. Townsend then expanded the North Country team to include division managers Jack Cramer, Dustin Sjoerdsma, and Harold Jackson (with more coming ahead). He personally funded a local venue to launch the inaugural SKY OPEN twice-annual regional pool tournament from Startup Event Center in his hometown of Sultan WA. To help support this decision, he enlisted the assistance of Andi Beebe, BadBoys Billiard Productions, Diamond, and the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce.
North Country BCAPL has sent its first three teams to CSI showcase events with earned stipends (CSI Expo in February 2025).
Your League Operator
Eric Townsend offers more than 25 years experience in amateur pool as organizer, sanctioned league operator, promoter, sponsor, and player. He and his wife Gwen are members of Players Club Limited in Western BCA and North Country BCAPL, both out of Everett WA. As league operator for NOVA BCAPL (Northern Virginia, 2009-2021), Eric innovated around “differential.” Performance was measured, in part, by the number of balls each player exceeded their average, expressed as +, -, or neutral tally. The winner of this scoreline was awarded one of three points in each BCAPL team match, with the other two points up for grabs being: did the team show (+1) and did they team win (+1). Player averages were also refreshed to their last 100 scores, These simple but novel approaches curbed sandbagging, trued performance, and directed purses toward deserving champions. Townsend’s work has been featured in AZBilliards, Pool & Billiard Magazine, Cue Sports Nation, and WTOP Radio (clip 1, clip 2). Eric is author of Sharking: Don't Get Fooled Again, an audiobook that deconstructs mind tricks in billiards. Endorsed by author Phil Capelle (A Mind for Pool, Play Your Best 9Ball, and others).
CSI CEO: Finalist (interviewed in 2014 by CSI’s Mark Griffin, Don Owens).
USAPL National Director: Finalist (interviewed in 2016 by CSI’s Ozzy Reynolds).
Promoter: American Rotation (hired in 2014 by CSI’s Mark Griffin to partner with Joe Tucker).
League Operator: NOVA BCAPL (VA, 2009-21), Cascade BCAPL #2202 in (WA, 2023-2024), North Country BCAPL #2202 (WA, 2025-).
Tournament Director: Action Pool Tour (for Ozzy Reynolds, 2014), World Games, Police/Fire (2015).
Sponsor: Sky Open (2025), DMVA Tour (2015).
Member-at-Large: ran for WBCA elected office, received 32 member votes in ID, WA, OR (2024).
Author: “Sharking: Don’t Get Fooled Again” (2013), endorsed by Phil Capelle.
Apparel Designer: Ridonk (2014-present), Scratch (2025)
APA Captain: (2001-10), 3x MVP, SL 7 (2007-10), 15x Division Champ (8B).
BCAPL Captain: Captain (2009-now), SL 8/40 (2009-21).
USAPL Captain (2021-3), 1x Division Champ (10B).
TAP Captain: (2023), SL 5/6 (9B/8B).
Players Club Ltd, PCL/WBCA (WA): cash league (2021-2), 2x 7th-8th Place, singles (8B), Member (2019-present).
Lincoln City CSI/WBCA Regional: (OR, 2021-now) 2x Top 5 Scotch Doubles with Kirstin Norris and Kathy Stanley, 2x Second Place with Sandy Surface and Gwen Townsend. 1x Sweet 16 Singles (8B).
Pocatello Open (ID, 2021) 7th-8th Place (8B Singles main event).
Libby Open (MT, 2021) 1st Place (9B Singles warmup event).
Atlantic City CSI Regional (NJ, 2022-3) 2x Sweet 16 Finishes (8B Singles. Teams).
CSI Expo (NV, 2014-present): 9th-12th Place (2016), 13th-16th Place (2018), 17th-24th Place (2019, 2021), all 8B Teams.