When someone hears the words play ball, they may think of baseball being played at an outdoor diamond. Or the word pool might conjure up cool water in a backyard or neighborhood park. But for many in southwest Riverside County, those words can only mean a large felt-topped table with 8 or 9 balls and a long cue stick.Members of the Riverside American Poolplayers Association work year-round to perfect their skills at various competitions. Earlier in August, several local teams traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the APA World Pool Championships. The competition hosted 13,542 participants on 2,558 teams from 49 states and three countries.Murrieta’s Kimberly Pankonin has been the Riverside APA league operator for 23 years where she is tasked with recruiting teams, teaching them how
