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Striking Viking Resigns as WPBA President
Nov 7, 2005, 4:19 PM

Tied to a hectic schedule and hoping to make a last big splash in the competitive arena, Ewa Laurance has decided to step down as president of the Women’s Professional Billiard Association with a full year left on her two-year term.

The position will be filled after the WPBA’s board of directors election on Wednesday, Nov. 9, at the WPBA Nationals in Lincoln City, Ore. Once a new seven-person board is constituted, the board members will elect a new president.

"I have never been busier in my life," said Laurance, who maintains a schedule filled with tournaments, exhibitions, and appearances for sponsors. "I don’t have time to breathe. I barely see my family.

"Plus, I’m starting to play well again, and if I’m ever going to give it a shot, this is going to be it," she said.

Laurance’s resignation comes as she and several other top WPBA players prepare for the first $1 million International Pool Tour event, to be held Nov. 30-Dec. 5 in Orlando, Fla. Laurance is among 12 Hall-of-Famers who will participate in the "King of the Hill" event, which has promised prizes of at least $30,000 to each Hall member participating.

Laurance also is among the 150 players pegged to participate in the IPT’s 2006 season, and one of only 15 women. Of those 15, nine are regular competitors on the WPBA Classic Tour.

Although her participation on the IPT tour potentially could be seen as a conflict of interest with her presidency, Laurance disagreed with any such assumptions and said they played no role in her decision to resign.