Okay, so I played in three single-elimination events  last week and didn’t win one match, but believe it or not, I didn’t play half bad and I still enjoyed my time at the Expo. Like I previously mentioned, I’m lovin’ this game again. Well, my first match I wish I could have a mulligan on, but I can’t complain too much about the other two.

This year was sort of a first for many things for me at the show.

For the first time this year, I signed up to also compete in the Open division. I’d seen my friend Morgan do it in years past and have even done pretty well in the Open division before. I always either didn’t think about it at the time of sign up or was too chicken to pull the trigger on the extra 75 bucks. Either way, I  felt confident this year and welcomed the extra warm-up. The Open division starts Thursday morning and the Women’s division doesn’t begin until Friday night.

I wish I could remember more about my match, well, not really, but it’s all a big blur by now. All I know is that I played like a dummy and made a lot of mistakes. I guess I was still getting used to the tables but whatever the case, I wish I could have that match to do over again.

With all the free time on my hands Thursday and Friday, I brought Frank around to get our first batch of photos.

On Thursday night, I also did something I’d never done before… I jumped on a challenge table! This was my sixth consecutive year attending this event and the first year I got in any sort of action. I admit that it can be slightly intimidating when you watch guys break and run rack after rack and you’re not even sure if you’ll get a shot when your turn comes up. I mentioned to a couple people that I was contemplating this and my one friend in particular was so encouraging, he even gave me 20 bucks towards my cause.

I ended up playing on a $10 8-ball table. I actually stayed on it for quite some time and ended up ahead by 6 games at the end of it all. SWEET! It was great pressure, I met some interesting people, and I made some nice runs. The line of quarters was so long every night after that, it ended up being my only challenge table night.

I did get into some $10/game action with a couple other guys to kill time and learned the hard way that, that’s not the best format for gambling. Both times, I started off not very seriously, either doing other things or talking to other people. The next thing I know, I’m down four or five games. By the time I get my act in gear and started coming back, they both quit on me (which I learned later is not good gambling etiquette). One time, we had to move tables and he just disappeared and the other guy’s ride was leaving him or something. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Friday night began the women’s amateur event. I never like to look at the bracket, but Cristina wanted to check it together on Thursday and says, “Well, you’re playing the winner of someone I’ve never heard of against someone else I’ve never heard of. That’s a good sign.” As it turned out, one of those “never heard of”‘s ended up being replaced by Morgan, who was on the waiting list and jumped in when the original player didn’t show up.

Our match was pretty quick and painless. In a race-to-4, best 2-out-of-3 sets format, it basically went like this: Morgan broke and ran three of her four breaks, I broke dry twice and the other two were crappy spreads. She missed a 9 ball and a 1 ball. I missed a 6 ball and scratched on a 9 ball. 8 games later, it was over. I got very few chances and she played flawlessly. What can I say? It was a bad combination.

Here was the 9 ball that I scratched on after she missed it and almost scratched. With the cue ball in the jaws, all I was focusing on was pocket the ball. The shot was tough enough without adding any extra spin. It just came off the rail after I made the 9 ball and just kept rolling, right into the pocket. That kinda sucked.

The only good thing about losing right then was, when I saw Cristina, she said, “Allen said he would add another $5,000 if we can find 8 more women to play.” Well, for the last few years, Allen’s been adding $5,000 for an 8-women invitational event for the professional women that attend the show to support their sponsors. This year, the tournament was extended to 16 players.

Well, I ended up taking Jeanette‘s place in the event after she forwent her spot for some big money game she was in. How much money actually ended up changing hands over the course of the five days is still undetermined.

My First Experience Playing in a Professional Women’s Event

I have to admit that as excited as I was to be playing in “the pit” it was also a bit nerve-racking. The thought of going in there and completely embarrassing myself in front of the stands of people had absolutely crossed my mind. I had a couple brief meltdowns prior to the tournament and received some encouraging words from friends.

“Don’t try to play someone else’s game. Play your game.” Corey Harper Tiger Products.

“Don’t forget to have fun. Enjoy yourself.” Sandy Schuman, Inside English.

Both simple, yet effective.

Format: 10-ball on the 9-foot table, race to 10

I drew My Hanh Lac. I’ve never played her (seriously) before but we did hang out some at last year’s RTC. As I entered the pit, oddly, I felt a sense of comfort. In my mind, I just kept repeating to myself, “You belong here… You belong here…” I didn’t look up into the bleachers. I didn’t look around. I just kept my head down and made my way to my table.

We each warmed up with a couple racks and I was extremely worried. I hadn’t hit a ball on a big table in days and I couldn’t make a shot during my warm up. The beginning half of the match was a string of minor errors, here and there from both of us. We’d both run a few balls and then let the other person back in, etc, etc. The score was 1-1, 2-2, 3-3. And then, at 4-4, she decided to take off. Next thing I knew, it was 6-4. Crap!

Finally, at 9-5, My Hanh miscued with ball in hand on the 6 ball and left me ball in hand with the 9 and 10. The tables were turning and I made a few sporty runs. Eventually, it was 9-9. I had done it. I had caught up and proven that I deserved to be there and that I wasn’t goin’ down without a fight. Ultimately, at hill-hill, My Hanh broke dry leaving me a looksy on the 1 ball but no shot. I decided to play a safety and was not fully committed to my cue ball, leaving her a look at the 1 ball.

She played a better safety back and I ended up kicking and barely missing it. She finished the set with a very nice 1-10 combo. (All the other balls were on the table, obviously, but I have no clue where they were at.) Final score: 10-9. The difference between of one less mistake here or there.

Highlight of the Match

At one point during the match, I managed to hook myself on the 8 ball.Brilliant! Feeling pretty confident that I could make the jump shot, I went for it. I only had a piece of the 9 ball to jump and it was far enough away. Unfortunately, I had just a little too much elevation and gave it just a little too much oomph. Well, I cleared the 9 ball and really feel like I might’ve made the 8 ball.

The cue ball and the 8 ball were both ejected from the table. The cue ball launched into the stands, to the back of the bleachers, and about five people attempted to crawl underneath to retrieve it. Eventually, they borrowed the bridge from our table to fish it out and as they were returning it, one of the guys needed to use it again to fish his jacket out (which he had dropped down there trying to save the cue ball). We had to stop the match and in true, dry My Hanh spirit, she just put her head down and said, “This is so embarrassing…” I thought it was pretty funny. Hey! I’ll never forget it.

Commentating
I did have the opportunity to commentate for both AZ and IP’s live streaming. Since the only media I was representing this trip was me, I could be as Switzerland as I wanted. That was fun but I should not be permitted to commentate wee into the night on a full stomach while all sleepy and loopy. Bad formula…

CB brought some exquisite pool cues this year. Look for him in InsidePool’s next issue of Cuemaker’s Corner.

It was a real treat to reconnect with some of my favorite friends and to also meet some new ones.

Congratulations to Larry Price!

Larry defeated last year’s BCAPL Open Champ Danny Barnes in the Open division out of 400 & some odd players. He and I have quite a bond ever since my interviews with him at the 2008 DCC after he won the Banks for the second time. We’ve since bumped into each other all over the country and I could just pinch his cheeks every time I see him! He’s a total sweetheart, but deadly at the table!

He missed this year’s DCC due to yet another heart attack. This makes #4 but he mentioned he might be getting a pace-maker. Please take care of yourself, Larry. You’re loved my so many!

According to Paul, IP‘s writer for this event, when he approached Larry for a post-match interview, he said, “Who are you? Where’s that young Asian girl with the red hair?! I want her to interview me!” Oh, Larry! Looking forward to seeing a lot more from you!

The Hotel

Now, you know I can’t have a tournament post without mentioning the accommodations. This was obviously not my first year staying at the Scanticon, but I’ll just go through the list for anyone who’s never attended before. First, if you’re planning to come to the show, make sure you book your room PLENTY early in advance. Most people book their room for next year while they’re checking out from this year. Also, you want to make sure you get a room in the Scanticon and NOT the Radisson. That’s an extra mile or two of walking everyday.

The Scanticon comes fully equipped with:

• soft, comfy beds and down pillows & comforters (the suites even have Sleep Number beds)
• shower caps
• a cute little shoe polish cloth
• complimentary (or so I’m assuming) bottled water
• the very large signature bubble jet tub in each room (which I have only used once, during my first year)
• and a magnificent fitness center! (which I just discovered, but didn’t end up using, this year)

They could use:

• longer shower curtains
• a speedier internet connection
• a new key card system that doesn’t reset your keys EVERYDAY (at least once a day). WTH?!??? That was a bit annoying!

I leave you with some of my favorite Frank pics:

Well, hope to see you there next year!

THE END…

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