Yesterday was a pretty cool day. I probably played some of my best tournament pool in an extremely long time. I say this every year, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE DIAMOND SMART TABLE! It’s truly a girls’ best friend. The responsive rails and the slick new cloth with clean Aramith balls make for my favorite playing conditions. It makes it tough to appreciate another national event after you’ve played on the finest equipment.
I have to admit that outside of a few minor hiccups and one bad match, I’m pretty proud of my tournament performance yesterday. I made it to the big board and two rounds into the money. Everything just sort of came together. I felt calm and confident.
After a while, you see the same faces and play the same players over and over again. It was really refreshing yesterday to play against people I didn’t know and entering the match now knowing if I was the favorite or if I would get steamrolled. Constantly playing the same players, you come to learn their strengths and weaknesses and you end up playing a game tailored to theirs for than just playing your own game. I really felt great yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it!
In the midst of my first match I remember thinking, please just let me win at least one match and not look like a complete jack-tard. I know. That’s a horrible pep talk. Nonetheless, I started really dialing in on the table speed and believed that what my shot-making was lacking, my safety play made up for. In the final game, I was ahead 6-5 (in a race to 7) and was left with this after my opponent attempted to play safe:
I could’ve went for the shot on the 7 ball but would not have been rewarded with a shot on the 8. So, I chose to bank the 7 to the short rail, the cue ball narrowly escaped the double kiss and came straight back, leaving him dead hooked on the 9 ball (which was just a lucky bonus) resulting in ball in hand and match for me. I felt pretty proud of myself for that one.
In my next round, I played Mike‘s teammate (and team anchor) Shane. I KNEW he was a super strong player, but after a bye and a forfeit, our match would be his first of the tournament and I think the speedy tables might’ve got him. I knew I would really have to play well to stand a chance. I jumped to a 3-1 lead and held it until 6-4 when I took my eye off the 7 ball for the prize and the lunch break. Ugh… The next thing I knew, it was hill-hill and he was at the table. He had some tough shots, but he showed why he was the anchor man. In the end, an overstroked 7 ball led to a fluky snooker on the 8 and ball in hand for me. Wow… That was quite lucky!
I wish I could’ve kept the flow going but I ended up losing my next match and playing the worst of the tournament. Boo… 
The guy ripped in two 9 ball breaks and I just made too many mistakes. Ugh…
When I checked the bracket, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that I landed in the green “$” column. My word! I made it into the money! Woohoo! By now, I had a three hour break before playing again at 7pm. I did a little work and had a bite.
My 7 o’clock match was a tough one. I was super solid and ran out from everywhere. I was down 4-0 and then 6-3. In the end, he made some errors and I was finally starting to get in stroke. At 6-5, I fluked in a 9 ball combo that went two rails in the side, to make it hill-hill. Oops. In the final game, I went for an aggressive break out that worked out in my favor.
In my final match, I found myself again with a slow start and down 3-0. I made two nice runs and a b&r to make it 3-3. The winner-break format really gives you hope for coming back if you’re down. At 3-3, I broke and was on my way out when I miscued on the 5 ball and didn’t shoot again in the next two racks. Ggggggrrr!!! It was quite frustrating. In the final rack, I stroked in an 8 ball which led me on top of the 9. I tried to cut it in but missed. The rest was history. I’m so happy about the way I played yesterday and am really looking forward to scotch in the morning.
I was so excited when I picked up my check that the lady at the counter asked, “Is this your first time winning money?” Cute! 
Congrats to Tyler Edey who ended up winning the 9-ball Challenge again! (interview to come)
Gotta run. I’ve been at the library long enough. Check out the complete BCA brackets and payouts online for all of the events.
The Riv is not the same with pool players and no Splash Bar. Oh well, it doesn’t bother me any. It does look incredibly odd without the splash bar, but I’m happy to not smell it anymore.
