So many people have asked me about my shoulder. I’m really amazed at the thoughtfulness of the pool community. At this weekend’s Predator event, I was overwhelmed by how many people noticed I was gone the last two months and actually knew why.  Big mouth Tony I suppose. 

The two questions I get asked most are, “How’s your shoulder?” & “Did you think the PT was worth it?”

So, the shoulder is doing phenomenally well.  At this weekend’s Predator Pro/Am tournament I played well.  I was quite happy with my performance considering the rendezvous I had.  Mentally, it was like riding a bicycle.  After the first rack of my first match, I went into the zone of focus and didn’t look back.  And what was best, I didn’t have my shoulder nagging on my thoughts.  In fact, at 8pm on Saturday I skipped to Tony at the TD desk and said, “Ask me if it hurts.  Ask me?”  …

TR, “Does it hurt?”  …

GG, “Does what hurt? .. HA HA!” 

I was so thankful to not have pain.  In fact the only pain I felt was during my last match of the night and it was my back and neck.  Clearly this was out of shape pain, not injury pain. 

As for PT.  Let me debunk some misconceptions I had about PT….

The massage:  WHAT MASSAGE? No seriously.  I heard about these great massages on the insurance company’s dime.  Well, maybe a tug or stretch here or there felt good but my armpit saw most of the action. 

Yeah, the ARMPIT! You’ll never see Qi Gong Armpit Special listed at massage parlor because the armpit is NOT a pleasure point.  It frickin hurts, is uncomfortable, and trust me, ticklish is the least of your worries.  The thumb up my armpit and digging into the infraspinatus muscle.  OOOOWWWW!  Oh, then the rolling across the torn tendon & bicep muscle, yeah, that was fun.  And lifting up under the shoulder blade and digging deep into that too, what the #$@?  Then there’s the stretching, the rowing, moving parts that haven’t moved in a year, and coming home and doing it again. 

For the record, PT is work and pain.  But it appears it’s been successful for me.  I will have to do these exercises the rest of my life.  I have a weak left shoulder and tendons don’t like to heal quickly.  I injured other muscles and joints around my shoulder like my bicep, neck and lower back as my body compensated for the injury.  Those areas must now be strengthened to take the workload off my weak shoulder & help prevent future problems. 

And then there’s my core.  So anyone that’s seen me in person knows, I’m more of a pear shaped girl rather than an apple.  Love me or hate me, I’ve never gained weight in my stomach but rather my butt and thighs take the cake …  literally! 

So since my stomach has never needed much work I NEVER work it out.  No sit-ups, no core training at all.  I’m a squats, steps, and boxing kind of girl. Well, turns out the core is like REALLY important to body’s maintenance and injury prevention.  So they started me on a dead bug move … HA!  I suck at it because my core is HORRIBLE! I surely didn’t miss my career as a pilates instructor, balancing act artist, or anything involving grace!  I’m a pear-shaped klutz!  I’m improving but core training is a goal of mine for 2012.

The shoulder aches more on cold, raining days, but the majority of the time, it feels really good.

All in all, thank you for the shout outs of encouragement and here’s to all of us having a healthy 2012!

Oh and Go Giants!

For 2 1/2 months, I’ve been benched.  With that time I have gotten so much work done, I’ve redirected my goals in life, I’ve begun a work out routine through physical therapy & more importantly, I’ve reconnected with my family and friends.

While this wasn’t a self-induced hiatus, it has put a number of areas of my life into perspective.  It was an unknowingly healthy retreat.

I have a love/hate relationship with pool and after the break up in November, the last 10 weeks of distance allowed me to remember so much of what my life was before pool.  I’m not gonna lie, it’s been kinda nice to NOT play pool.  It’s helped me put pool into a healthier compartment mentally.  While improving in pool is an important hobby in my life, it’s NOT a priority.  Just writing that feels, traitorous, but healthy. 

Like all relationships, I’m happier in life when pool is a part of my life, not my entire life.

I love this sport.  I want desperately for it to be respected as a sport and it’s elite applauded and admired.  Will this happen in my lifetime?  I don’t know if it will happen at all, ever, but I do hope.

For now, I can only focus on what I can do to expand pool’s reach and I’m quite proud of how I’ve handled this responsibility.  I feel through the tour and the league in particular, Tony & I are making a positive impact on pool in our area.  Too many people only drink from the fountain and never think of ways to replenish it. 

You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love. ~ Henry Drummond

The beautiful, talented and always clever Trigger asked us PoolSynergy bloggers to let the pool world know what we are thankful for.  Given my current pool hiatus due to major shoulder malfunction, I’m gonna be uber cliché and say, my health.  While technically I’m not at 100%, I remind myself that it could be worse and to be thankful for what I’ve got. 

Anyone that rides the subway here in NYC has gotten close to the edge of the platform and thought,

‘god it would REALLY suck to fall down there.”  “Oh god, what if someone pushed me!”  “I could die, be electrocuted or eaten by the gorilla rats!!” Tony reminds me all the time to always step away from the edge if someone walks close by JUST IN CASE they get the urge to go all ‘Manson’ on me .. 

So in my usual paranoid fashion, I was jamming to my IPOD last week when this guy just wouldn’t stop staring at me. 

No seriously I’m talking about that REALLY inappropriate ‘yes he’s mentally undressing me RIGHT NOW’ stare but with that hint of serial killer mixed in.  My girls know what I’m talking about. 

Well that triggered a whole slew of bad thoughts and one was, ‘oh god what if he pushes me RIGHT as the train’s coming?  What would happen?  OMG, if I didn’t die, what if the train ripped off a limb?  Oh god, what if I lost my arm.  I couldn’t play pool!’ 

Aside from my RIDICULOUS imagination, I also noted my near death psychosis didn’t fail to weighed in the ‘I couldn’t play pool’ thought analysis. 

Because of crazy thoughts like these, I guess I can put into perspective my current ‘benched’ status.  So in the spirit of Melinda’s beautiful PoolSynergy topic, I’d like to give thanks for my health and ability to play this game.  I’m thankful for the agility to play.  I’m thankful for the mental capacity to play.  I’m thankful overall that I only face minor obstacles in my pool player life. 

Challenges will come up that test us in life and it’s up to us if we allow them to hold us back or fight off that adversity.

Love this scene from ‘The Legend of Bagger Vance.’

“You’re daddy is out sweeping streets because he took every last dime he had, and used it to pay up every man and woman he owed and every business who worked for him, instead of declaring bankruptcy like everyone else in town, including your best friend Wilbur Charles’ dad, Raymond, which is why <your dad> is able to sit around all day long on his dignity! You’re daddy stared adversity in the eye, Hardy. And he beat it back with a broom. “

Being in the pool world means sometimes traveling to competitions, tournaments, maybe even leagues that may or may not be in some sketchy areas …

My dad sent me the below email and I thought it had some clever ideas for survival and may just save my life one day so I thought I’d pass it on to you too! Enjoy!

Written by a Cop for Our Own Safety

Everyone should take 5 minutes to read this. It may save your life or a loved one’s life.

Put this where you will read it once a year—EVERY year!  This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, & everyone you know.  It never hurts to be too careful.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point on your body.  If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide.  If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,  DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.  Toss it away from you….Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse.  RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy..The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will.  This has saved lives.

GG Update:  Newer cars have installed RELEASE handles inside of trunks to prevent people from being trapped inside so look for these just in case.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS!)  The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF,

Repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car.  Your Air Bag will save you.  If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run.

It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor , and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side.. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator may not shoot or may only hit you in a non vital area. RUN, preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted
his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird.. The police told her

‘Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door..’

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, ‘We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’

He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby.. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.
Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbors!

Please pass this on….

After fainting from the shock of PRP treatments pricing ($2,000!) which is still considered experimental to the Ins. company and so are NOT covered, my doctor prescribed a month of Physical Therapy.  Hmm .. I kind of don’t believe in this form of medicine.  (Sorry PT friends,) but the whole idea of stretching, massaging, electrical stimulation, ultrasound wave relief, blah, blah … well it goes against my black and white “cut open & cut out problem/stitch up problem OR Give medicine, feel better” ideals.  But with the incentive of full ins coverage & my doctor’s belief in it, I’m inclined to be persuaded.

I live in NY so there must be an open-minded girl chained & muzzled somewhere inside of me.

I had my first round of PT on Friday.  It was predictable BUT, I’m going to give it the respect of a full month as my doctor has prescribed.  I’m a VERY impatient person.  VERY IMPATIENT.  My fear is this is all wasting time & that I should have spent the $2K, gone straight to the PRP treatments & saved a month of recovery.  I guess time will tell. 

Insurance … let’s vent about health care for a second without getting too political into Universal Health care, ObamaCare, or anything like that.  That’s a different blog.  I just want to bitch how STUPID MY insurance is… So I went to my shoulder doctor because, I had a problem.  He figured out the problem and prescribed a solution.  My insurance however found NO VALUE in this.  NONE.  What DO they find value in, you may ask?  Turns out I would only be covered for Physical Therapy IF:

• I had already had surgery.  *Which would cost them a BUTTLOAD and I’m TRYING to avoid OR
• If I’d gone to the ER for my shoulder. *huh?

IF neither of these occurs, I’m not covered.  The agent said…

“Go to the ER today, sign in for your shoulder, they’ll record that you’ve been to the ER for your shoulder, THEN we’ll cover you.”

The agent and I both agreed that I’d taken ALL LOGICAL steps to be covered for the PT and we BOTH laughed in that

‘is-this-really-the-world-we-live-in’

way at the ILLOGIC of my need for the ER visit.  So it probably cost my insurance a couple grand, but I went to the ER this week, paid a $50 Co-Pay, told the ER doc my situation, she belittled me & then my ins company for wasting her time, the ER’s time, and the insurance company’s money, BUT now I’m covered.  STUPID!

(For the record, I am COMPLETELY aware I didn’t waste the insurance company’s money.  I will eventually PAY for this unnecessary ER visit and all unnecessary red tape they impose on patients, when they raise my insurance premium next year to keep their profits consistent.) 

A few interesting observations from the PT doc.  My posture is hurting me.  I hunch my shoulders forward and this weakens my shoulders.  So she had me squeeze my shoulder blades together and TAPED them like that!  This feels Weird.  I walk around like a drill sergeant.  I guess that’s good. 

I’m unconsciously changing my left arm’s natural functions.  For example….Unbeknownst to me I hold it in close to my body as if it were in a sling.  (The doc pointed it out to me in the mirror as I did it.)  My left shoulder is sagging lower than my right shoulder.  Also, instinctual I grab for things with my right arm now that are in reach of only my left one.  So part of my PT is to begin incorporating my left shoulder in life again.  Regain it’s strength and normalcy. 

So far, PT grade:  A questionable C-

Now for the good news.  I am allowed to play 2 hours of pool per week!  HOORAY!!  I know this isn’t a lot but it’s better than no pool at all.  This was the best news EVER!  I missed the Predator Tour this weekend since tourneys are too long and strenuous but it’s only for a month I’m out of competition. I’m just thankful I can play a little. 

Off to league for my little dose of <3. 

Enjoy the slide show! 

Halloween 2011–Photos from GG, NG & WF VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Hi, my name is Gail, and I’m a pool addict.

This summer was my best summer of pool ever.  I played in a lot of events, leagues, tournaments and got to actually practice some too.  I really enjoyed my summer.  I placed well in tournaments, did well in my leagues and my confidence was so strong that I was  surprised when I missed balls.

With so much momentum going my way, you’d think I’d be at the table nonstop to revel in my pool success right? 

Wrong! Over the last month, I haven’t seen a table more than a few times and the forecast is damning. 

I spent this summer running, bicycling, playing softball, throwing the football, but I think it came at a serious cost. My left shoulder is shot.  It hurts in the morning, it hurts after an hour of play, it hurts to pull a shirt over my head, unsnap my bra, blow drying my hair, and even sleep is painful.  I’m on 8-10 Ibuprofen a day.  The cortisone shot from May is spent.

I first started having problems with my shoulder in March of 2010. An MRI revealed Rotator Cuff Tendonitis.  I’ve had a few cortisone shots & they provided temporary relief but they masked the problem.  I actually feel these temporary fixes have allowed me to further exacerbate the issue and now I’m paying the price for my steroid use.

After feeling the first diagnosis was wadding in the shallow end of the cure pool, I ditched the old docs, swallowed a $420 non-covered consult fee, and met Dr. Brian Halpern, Sports Medicine Doc Extraordinaire!  Reviewing my first MRI, he immediately found a tear the 1st doc missed.  A year and a half of misdiagnosis basically eliminates the physical therapy.  The four major issues in my shoulder now?  Tendinosis, and interstitial tear, bursitis, and another slap tear.  I get mad just typing all of it.  My best option is a new plasma procedure.  UGH.  That means needles.

It also means 2 months sans strenuous sports, and 1 month sans pool.  No pool for a month.  I cried when I left the hospital.  

It’s not like I’m at an age where injury is to be expected. I’m young. I’m healthy. I stay fit and exercise regularly. I feel like I’ve done what I’m suppose to do and it  just isn’t fair.

I’ve gone through the stages of mourning it. Depression, Pity, Anger and Isolation. But I lay in bed daydreaming about the summer that was and I fight the urge to get another shot of the ‘feel-good’ juice.

I’m scared.  I love this game.  I’m passionate about it, I want to continue improvement.  But of late, I avoid even walking in the pool room.  I can’t stomach the thought of knowing what I could do if I didn’t ache so.  It’s so frustrating.  I played a match the first week of league and coming back from behind I felt a rhythm ensue and I was dominating my opponent when an awkward rail shot came up and CLICK.  Yup, it’s that first click of the day my shoulder pulls the torn ailment and then the pain begins its’ onslaught.  I get down on shots and I find I focus on how much more or less a position hurts, rather than focusing on making the ball.

I’m just a silly amateur pool player and I’m feeling these emotions of loss, regret, angst and depression.  I now better understand how professional athletes turn to drugs to fight pain or enhance their performance. 

Athletes inherently are addicts in their own right.  Addicted to their sport, gluttons for success, slaves to improvement.   And their sport is their livelihood, their bread on the table, their family’s future.  A ‘quick shot of this ‘or the ‘pop of that pill’ must be so tempting in short sight.  The long-term is hard to see in the fast-paced impatient world we live in today. 

The pushers of sport drugs aren’t drug dealers, they’re the opponents, the rivals, the trophy, the glory & past memories of all the above.  They’re the family, the paycheck, the house, a future.  These enticements for an athlete are stronger than the pushiest drug dealer in the world. I better understand the dilemma.  It’s a slippery slope. 

I’m scheduled for the Platelet-Rich Plasma Procdure (PRP) in the coming weeks… we’ll see.  It’s got an 80% success rate for the tendinosis & burstitis and has shown positive effects on slap tears too … they take your blood, spin it, separate the red blood cells from the plasma and inject the plasma directly to the injured areas so the concentrated healing components of plasma can more quickly repair the damaged areas.  All that medical jargon means little to me.  I just know there are a lot of needles involved, needles and pain. 

The thought of walking into Amsterdam and not worrying when the shoulder will surrender … that’s motivates me.     

Hi, my name is Gail, and I’m a pool addict.

The last 6 months I have played in the Amsterdam Straight Pool League.  After much coaxing from TR and Danny Barouty, I decided to join the league.  Since then a number of things have improved in my game that I directly attribute to my 14.1 time…

~Side Pocket Shots: I used to be scared to death of them from any angle.  In 14.1, they are a critical part of the game.  The majority of shots in 14.1 are pocketed in the 4 pockets surrounding the rack.  I have become so much more comfortable with side pocket shots because of this game as well as increasing my comfort and understanding in the steep angle shots into the side pocket.  I have also learned a great deal about the cue ball’s movement around the table from the side pocket shots.  These improvements have opened up so many doors in my 8/9/10-ball games. 

~ Caroms and Combos: Given the racks in 14.1 are often clumps of balls together, combos and caroms come up A LOT.  I was always fascinated by players that looked into a pack of balls, called some ball that seemed stuck in the middle and VOILA, they continue their run.  It turns out, this ISN’T blind luck!  Because of their frequent appearance in 14.1, I’ve learned some helpful carom and combo shots much sooner in my pool life than I would have if I only played the rotation games of pool.   

On a side note, a game called Scratch Pool is AWESOME for Carom practice as well.

~ Being on the Right/Wrong Side of the Ball: Pool is a game of angles anyway, but I have never been punished so much for being on the wrong side of the ball as I have in 14.1 matches.  Especially the oh so critical break shot.  OMG, how many times I stare down at a straight in break shot.  OH the torment I feel.    My respect for the cue ball’s pin point positioning is much more heightened since playing 14.1.

~Concentration: Straight pool is the most mentally exhausting game I have ever played.  Four hours of straight pool is equivalent to a full day of tournament play for me.  The game DEMANDS perfection of cue ball control, pattern selection and focus.  Once your opponent leaves you a shot, you are now in complete control of how many balls you run.  And disrespecting a shot, not thinking out your pattern, letting your fundamentals collapse, all these are severely punished in the game. 

I don’t recommend 14.1 for beginner players.  I played in the league about 3 years ago and I just wasn’t ready.  I hadn’t developed my game enough to run balls and it just depressed me.  Wait till you are comfortable with your stroke & intermediate position play before trying out 14.1 competitively. 

I think I like 14.1 mostly because it’s really just me battling myself.  MY ability to stay focused, thoughtfully find a pattern, respect the shot in front of me, and maintaining my fundamentals … straight pool demands this, and when one fails, the punishment is squirming in your chair as your opponent runs out the rack you could have run out, and those thereafter.  And NOTHING is worse than CHAIR SQUIRMING  OMG! I hate it. 

Of course, on the flip side, surpassing your high run is such a rewarding feeling!  And there is no ceiling.  In Straight Pool, improvement is limitless.

To read other PoolSynergy posts that may help you with your game, check on John Biddle’s summary of this month’s blogs.  click the PoolSynergy logo here->

Cherry Bomb asked us for a Top 10 List … hmmm … I pondered, kicked around and squandered away hours of the summer thinking of what to write then last night after a dope miss of the 8-ball, I thought, EUREKA! 

As many of my fellow pool players can agree, the times you failed in pool seem to haunt you so much more than the times you succeed.  The What If I had, the couldn’t it have been, and the why did I dos plague the Psyche…  I’ll narrow down my top 10 most embarrassing moments in pool… It should be a good roasting of double g… 

10. The Oops I Shot the Wrong Ball…

So this is just the general donkey move of, shooting the wrong ball.  Whether you shot the 2-ball, and forgot the 1-ball was still on the table or you shot a stripe and oops, you were solids, all of us have done this at some point in our career, and so have I.  Eeeh-Ahhh.

9. Team 9-Ball Playoffs, 2009, Playing against Jennifer Barretta:

Getting 4 on 9 from Jen, I was winning the match 8-7 in a race to 9 against a role model of mine, the beautiful JBar.  While Jen wasn’t playing her normal run out pool, I was playing really, really well and capitalized on a few of her mistakes.  Our coach Stu Mattana was watching and I really wanted to make him proud.  After a scratch by Jen on the 4 ball,  I had ball in hand with the 5,6,8,9 & was on the hill.  In my haste/excitement to win the match, I missed a dog-proof ball in hand 5-ball.  OUCH!  Jen ran out the rack and the following one too after a successful safety and we lost the playoffs…. Mommy!

8. Ultimate 10 Championships 2011, Livestream Match against Kyoko Sone:

After an embarrassing 1st round livestream match against Angel earlier in the tourney (see below), I again found myself on the livestream against Kyoko.  The first rack showcased how incredibly unprepared I was for that pressure….. after a missed 9-ball by Kyoko, I made the 9-ball and got long position on the 10-ball. 

I then missed the 10-ball by nearly a full diamond.  You can see the AWFUL steering of my cue in the picture. Who let’s donkey’s on a livestream?

7. Monica Webb, WPBA Satellite Tour Stop, July 2009, 9-Ft Table: I drew Monica 1st Round.  I said I wasn’t nervous … HA!  Not that I was gonna win the match anyway but there were at least 3 racks where she left me 3-ball routine outs & I could not capitalize on.  I lost the match 7-0. Hello donut!

6.  Vegas BCA Singles, Christina De La Garza Match, 2008, Bar Table:

After being up 3-0 in a Race to Four, I dogged this 8-ball to win 4-0.  She won 4 in a row to beat me 4-3.  Afterwards, CDLG went on to win like 5 more matches, ended up in 17th place & $500 in the tourney.  Before we became friends, I only knew her as $500 girl – my beautiful reminder that I dogged it.  WOOF WOOF!

5.  Mezz Women’s Tour Stop, 2011, Finals against Supadra Geronimoooooo 9-Ft Tables: 

After a grueling day of play, Supi had to beat me twice in the finals to win.  I was ahead the first set 6-3 and missed countless outs to close the tournament.  She won the first set and decisively won the 2nd set.   There were 2 big time donkey moments in this finals.  And to make it more painful, these misses were in front of my friends and the crowd, on my home turf.  Aye Mami! 

4. Ultimate 10-ball Championships, 2011, Livestream Match against Angel Paglia, 9-Ft Table:

The below pic, I missed hardcore.  Just missed it. Didn’t take my time or respect the shot enough.  In my head I was thinking, it’s gonna be 2-2 against Angel Paglia, WOW!!  I should have instead been saying, stay down, focus on the aim point, follow through in a dead straight line .. since my ego was talking instead of my sanity, it’s donkey time!!!

3. University of Florida SEC Semi-finals, 2001, Hill/Hill:

(For the record I didn’t know what hill/hill was back then.) In college, I didn’t know much more than follow and draw (I knew draw, I couldn’t actually draw the ball back though.) I was on UF’s Billiards Team and somehow I made it to the Semi Finals of the SEC Tourney. My opponent had gone to nationals the previous year so I was definitely nervous about playing her. Somehow I got to hill/hill against her and she made the 9-ball and Scratched!! Wow, I was gonna beat her … Not so Fast There Kid. I got my first lesson in extreme follow, and humility.

2.  Tri-State Invitational, 2007, Finals against Christian Smith, 9-Foot Table:

This was really early in my career and to be in the finals of a big event like the Invitationals is still a fluke to me but whatev.  In the match, I remember being was up like 8-3 or something in a race to 9.  Christian played safe, after safe, after safe and my D player ass couldn’t do a damn thing about it.  At hill/hill though, Christian surprisingly missed the 6 ball.  With 6/8/9 on the table, I potted a hanging 6-ball then proceeded to display the worst fundamentals anyone ever had.  I jumped and steered so bad on the 8-ball, I missed it by at least a diamond.  Christian won the invitational and I settled for 2nd. 

1.  8-ball, Vegas Team Event, Hill/Hill KOD 2007, Bar Table: 

The below shot I spent a lot of hours crying over.  In a nut shell, my entire team counted on me making this ball for us to continue on in the tourney.  After a great shot to get on the 8-ball this way, I watched the 8-ball hang.  A full recap of this shot is HERE.  <-Click Me.

This shot was one of the best things to happen to me in pool.  I think of this shot and it’s importance on my career quite often.  It made me so much stronger   

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is ONLY because of ALL these mistakes that I could possibly have had the biggest Non-Donkey Moment of my Life   Remember and Reflect on the Mistakes …. they are Gateways to Your Successes. 

Naldo recording BCA Championships

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.

~Michael Jordan

For more Top 10 Lists, Check Out Samm’s Recap for this month of PoolSynergy.  Enjoy! 

PoolSynergy Host Mike Fieldhammer has asked our opinion on what makes for a good tournament experience.  I have a unique perspective on this subject as I know what it’s like to run a tournament as well as play in a tournament.

From a player’s perspective my two best tournament experiences were:

Ultimate 10-ball Championships, Frisco TX, Promoter Badi Nazhat:  This was the most professional tournament I have ever seen &/or played in.  It was very well organized and oozed class.  I didn’t just feel like an entrant in this event, I actually felt like a professional athlete.   Each of the 24 tables had it’s own referee that also racked for the players, there were two-live streams with multi-camera feeds, match times listed, a quality hotel and professional attire & sportsmanship were required. 

Yes, there were a few glitches, unseeded draw, poor ref training, but overall as a player I enjoyed my experience in this event and appreciated the promoter’s dedication to running a high-class event for the players while demanding they behave like high-class individuals. 

BCA Nationals, Las Vegas NV, Promoter Mark Griffin/CSI:  This event sets the standard for all national/large entry events.  The event is constantly improving it’s efficiency, conveniences, timelines & experience.  With over 7,000 players playing in multiple events over 10 days, a standing ovation should be given to Mark Griffin and his staff for their commitment to improvement.  Last year, the players enjoyed an online bracket system provided by Cue Sports International. This year, another forward thinking bonus, the text message alert system.  When do I play and where?  Did my table change?  CSI sends a text with all that information. 

It’s never easy running an event that involves handicapping players thus the BCA also find some who disagree with certain players being classified as Open/Advanced/Master & Grand Master, but overall, I am impressed and appreciate the events dedication to improvement and being a forward thinker in the billiard world. 

So from a player’s perspective, I appreciate a tournament that is organized, constantly innovating itself & delivers and demands respect for the sport and players.  I know first hand these goals are NOT easy to execute so I applaud the above tournaments for succeeding on these fronts.

Tournament Owner Perspective:

Predator Pro/Am Tour:  Promoter, Tony Robles, Director, William Finnegan:  This is the tour I help run and also play in.  I am NOT saying we are in the same class as the above mentioned tournaments by listing us here.  But as for local tours, I feel we are in the upper echelon of tours provided.  Tony & Finnegan do their very best to improve the tour each year.  We cannot make every player happy but we are proud to see our turnouts continue to be high and player feedback remains overall very positive. 

I get so much joy looking out across the tournament room and seeing the product of a lot of hard work that few players see or know about.

I’m sure to many players it seems that running a tournament is no big deal, maybe even fun, but you have NO IDEA the amount of time Tony & Finnegan spend negotiating with rooms, scheduling events, coordinating with other tours so to not conflict, negotiating with sponsors, accommodating player needs, addressing handicap issues, etc.  And to top it off, weekend tournaments means sacrificing family time & time off from the 9-5.  It’s a stressful undertaking that often goes unappreciated. 

And like the above tournaments, we definitely make our mistakes.  We start late sometimes, we’ve messed up on handicaps, etc. so we’ll always have room for improvement.  

I bring this up because as we PoolSynergy columnists discuss the makings of a good tournament experience, I ask us all to be thankful to those that provide that experience.  A big thank you to ALL tournament operators out there for continuing to give us competition in pool and doing the very best they can.