Jack and Jill went down the road to Las Vegas, and in the process, brought back the first-ever billiards championship to Carbon County.

In this case, Jack would be Trevor Kunkle, of Lehighton, while Jill would be Kim Horowitz, of Penn Forest Township.

Together, the team known as Double Trouble certainly lived up to its billing when it recently competed in the national 8-ball Jack and Jill Tournament in Las Vegas.

Jack and Jill is a male/female match where players alternate shots. Each player gets to shoot one time, make or miss, and then their partner is up next.

Breaks are included in the rotation, so whoever would pocket the 8 ball, their partner would then break the next rack.

Love of the game

For both Kunkle and Horowitz, their passion for the sport is unquestioned.

Kunkle said he’s been shooting pool since the age of 12.

“My stepfather used to take me to this little bar in Lehighton call Charlies on First Street before he would shoot leagues,” he said. “Then I shot a lot of pool through my five-year Navy career, and have been shooting in multiple leagues in the area for about 24 years.”

Horowitz said she began shooting in the APA league in 2007, and instantly fell in love.

“I always tell my teammates that pool is not all about skill,” she said. “It’s about attitude, positive outlook, sportsmanship, and a little bit of luck.”

Kunkle said he loves the challenge that pool represents in that the objective is to run out as many balls as possible before missing a shot.

“It may not seem like a big deal, but when you get that break and run, there is this rush of adrenaline and you are on this natural high,” he said. “I enjoy shooting with friends and showing them some pointers to help improve their game as well.”

Horowitz said, “My hands always shake in tournaments and people think I’m nervous; I’m not nervous, that’s my adrenaline pumping because I love the challenge.

Throughout the years, I’ve made not just pool league friends, but lifelong friends like Trevor. It’s about going out on pool league nights and having fun with your teammates. That’s what I love about pool.”

Qualifying for Vegas

In order to qualify for the event, Kunkle and Horowitz had to compete against 24 local teams in a modified single elimination tournament in Pocono Summit.

The team of Kunkle and Horowitz won first place, which then qualified them for the Vegas tournament.

The format for the tournaments were what is called a modified single elimination, which means they are guaranteed to shoot two matches, but not necessarily be able to lose two times.

Usually if a team loses its first two matches, they are done, but after the third round, when a team loses, they’re finished, regardless of how many prior losses they had.

So for instance, if a team wins its first three matches and then loses its next one, it is more than likely finished.

Kunkle and Horowitz shot about 10 matches overall.

On the first two days, they shot two games each. But, on the third day, it was one game right after another from 9 a.m. through the finals at 6:30 p.m.

All the dynamic duo did in that time was go undefeated en route to bringing back the grand prize.

Champions

Kunkle described his reaction to winning.

“It was incredible; a feeling of relief, joy, excitement ... so many emotions,” Kunkle said. “And then you look in the stands and see all the support we had from our 183 division; my heart was racing, my hands were shaking, I still can’t believe we did it.”

Horowitz added, “It was definitely a feeling that I have never felt before.

When we won semifinals, they brought us into a different room with lights, cameras, commentators, stadium seating, and all eyes were on us. Our hearts were definitely pumping. When Trevor made the 8 ball to win it, I just couldn’t wait to hug him.

Kunkle said the team’s win was a credit to Horowitz.

“It was an honor just to represent our area out in Vegas, and then to bring home a championship was icing on the cake,” he said. “We never imagined we would make it that far.”

Likewise, Horowitz deflected credit from her direction and bestowed it upon Kunkle.

“He was the most incredible partner, and I truly believe that’s why we won,” she said. “We stayed positive, and supported each other even when we both missed easy shots. We would laugh about it and move on. That’s very important in pool, not to focus on the missed shots.”

A close call

Ironically, the duo nearly missed its chance to make history when Kunkle received a call from Horowitz about five to six weeks before they were supposed to leave for Vegas.

Horowitz broke her leg.

“My jaw dropped,” Kunkle said. “What were we going to do?”

Kunkle credited Horowitz for her strong work ethic to ensure the team would be able to compete in Vegas.

“But, she had a positive attitude and pushed herself through therapy,” he said. “Working with her therapist on her shooting stance, she was the highlight of the match for sure.”

Horowitz admitted that even she wasn’t completely sure she’d be able to make the trip.

“When I called Trevor a few weeks before the tournament to tell him that I broke my leg and needed surgery, he told me not to worry about the tournament and just focus on getting better,” she said. “Throughout the healing process, he just kept saying that we will just go out there and have fun and not to worry. And that we did.”

Horowitz said she had to buy a special walker that she could sit on because she was non weight bearing on her leg.

“Trev said it was our time to win, and he was right,” she said.

Kunkle expressed his affection for Horowitz not only as a fellow pool shooter, but more specifically as a human.

“I could not have asked for a better partner and friend,” he said. “At one point we just kept joking with each other, basically saying it doesn’t matter what happens because we shot our best, and had fun. Then we went all the way to bring home a championship. It was a pretty crazy how it all happened, but I guess it was just our time.”

Plenty of support

Both were quick to heap praise on Doc Holtzman — the league operator, as well as Marni Dorneman, the secretary for the league — for all that they do for the league and it players.

Dorneman, in fact, was with the duo in Vegas livestreaming their semifinals match, keeping everyone back home posted on their status, and cheering them the entire way.

“We had a lot of support back here in PA as well, and I didn’t find out until I returned home, but there was quite a bit of folks watching the match live,” Kunkle said. “Wayne Davis at Griff’s, which is our 8 ball home location, was showing it on the TVs, and we were being cheered for from 2000 miles away.”

Horowitz echoed Kunkle’s sentiment.

“It was so incredible seeing our division, “The 183,” sitting in the stands cheering us on and also watching and commenting on the livestream,” she said. “We just had so much support from back home that my heart was full.”

Horowitz had a few others whom she wanted to recognize as well.

“Speaking of support, I was stuck in bed for a month and my parents had to change their lives to help with my healing process,” she said. “They gave me the strength to be able to make it to Vegas to compete. They never let me give up even on my tough days. My sister was sending me “Eye of the Tiger” texts throughout the tournament to keep me focused.”

In addition, Horowitz said there was one other important person she wanted to acknowledge.

Her wife, Charlotte.

“She literally ran me from pool table to pool table in my wheelchair for days,” Horowitz said. I would not have made it to Vegas without her strength, both mentally and physically. She watched every single match, and was there if Trevor and I needed anything. She definitely deserves a trophy.”

Kunkle said he was also blown away by the level of support the duo received.

“Thank you to everyone who made all of this possible, and all of those who supported us along the way,” he said. “ We are definitely blessed to have had this opportunity, and will cherish the moments forever.”