Tough Decisions

As many of you might know, I play on the Northwest Women's Pool Association - also called the NWPA  (http://nwpatour.wordpress.com/) and have consistently been a top 10 player for the last four years.  It is a WPBA sanctioned regional tour, essentially a farm club designed to groom players that are interested in advancing into the pro ranks.  In the U.S., the regional tour system is the primary way to gain access to the WPBA, so there is always strong competition and level of play, especially in the later rounds.

Other regional tours include:
Tiger West Coast Women's Tour http://www.twcwt.com/
Southern California Ladies 9 Ball Tour http://www.scl9t.com/
Arizona Women's Billiard Tour http://www.awbt.net/
OB Cues Ladies 9 Ball Tour http://www.obcuestour.com/
JPechauer Northeast Women's Tour http://www.jpnewt.com/
MissCues Regional 9 Ball Tour http://misscuestour.wix.com/info
Flamingo Billiards Tour http://flamingobilliardstour.com/

The first stop of the NWPA's 2013 season was initially scheduled for March 23-24 at Malarkey's Pool & Brew in Tacoma, WA.  It is a qualifier for the WPBA US Open, held in June each year.  I generally pick additional tournaments that don't conflict with NWPA stops, so with the release of confirmed dates for the NWPA, I begin to fill in my tournament season, generally trying to play one to two tournaments from February through October/November.  I had already agreed to play on a women's master team at the Western BCA 8 Ball Championships the third weekend in March, so I was looking to find a tournament to kick off my tournament season in late February. 

Running from Feb 25 - March 3, 2013, the US Bar Table Championships in Reno, NV fit perfectly.  During this week long event, men's and women's divisions compete in three disciplines: 10 ball, 9 ball, and 8 ball.  Many top pros from around the country have competed at the US Bar Tables, but only the strongest have earned the title of champion. 

Recent Men's Champions
2012- SVB (10), Stan Tourangeau (9), Jeff Beckley (8)
2011- Alex Pagulayan (10), Warren Kiamco (9), John Morra (8)
2010- SVB (10), SVB (9), Earl Stickland (8)
2009- Darren Appleton (10), Glenn Atwell (9), Stevie Moore (8)

Recent Women's Champions
2012- Rebecca Wagner (10), Rebecca Wagner (9), Stacy Allsup (8)
2011- Vivian Villareal (10, 9, 8)
2010- Melissa Little (9), Melissa Little (8)

As soon I made the mental decision to go to Reno, I was fully committed.  I started coordinating travel plans and made arrangements with a good friend to share a room and rental car, to help cut down on costs.  I had yet to purchase airfare, as I was waiting to receive my friend's itinerary so I could best coordinate our travel to/from the airport.  An excitement that always comes with making travel plans filled me up.  I love traveling for tournaments. It is the one thing that I have just for me and I thoroughly enjoy the experiences that I am exposed to. Then the unthinkable happened... 

The WPBA's Regional Tour Championship (scheduled for May in 2012) was scheduled for the same weekend as the NWPA's first event.  Immediately concerned about being able to support both my tour and the WPBA, I contacted a NWPA representative to inquire about the scheduling conflict.  She indicated that the NWPA's first stop had been rescheduled to prevent a conflict with the RTCs.  I was relieved, until I found at that our first NWPA event was now scheduled for Mar 2-3, the last two days of the 8 ball tournament at the US Bar Table Championships.  Super bummed, I was now facing an extremely difficult decision.  Do I miss only my second NWPA event in 5 years, or do I pass on the opportunity to compete at one of my Bucket List Tournaments?  I talked with friends and fellow pool players and basically knew that regardless of what anyone said, the choice was mine to make.  I did receive one very useful piece of advice from a friend.  Essentially, he said "Whatever you decide, fully commit to it and don't have any regret about your choice."   That being said, I did make a decision.

I will be attending the US Bar Table Championships in Reno, NV.  I will play pool with some of the best pool players in the country and create memories of a lifetime well lived.  Without regret, I will miss the first event of our 2013 NWPA Season.  There are six other stops throughout the year, so hopefully with due diligence I won't be forced to choose between tournaments again.  I am very excited to play in Nevada (a new refridgerator magnet!), take lots of photos, and make frequent blog posts on my progress through each of the events.  I will also be completing my interview with Profilee #5 Mary Rakin.  Thanks for checking in, I'll be back soon :)