In American billiards, Johnny Archer is a living legend. With a multitude of accomplishments in nearly all disciplines of the game, there is very little that I can add to the story of his legend. That is the reason I accepted this assignment, not only would I have to listen to my heart, but I would also have to find a story that defines Johnny Archer, not as the Scorpion, but as the man who is making his way through this life, as we all do. I hope you enjoy the read as much as I enjoyed the interview.
Johnny Archer was born to George Archer and Mary Lee Hester November 12, 1968 in Waycross, Georgia. One of five children, Johnny had two brothers and two sisters. His father was a hard working man and worked as an auto mechanic, he didn't recall what his mother did for a living.Their lives would change forever, when at the age of 6 years old, Johnny's mother passed away from breast cancer. As a youth growing up in the south, there were many opportunities for Johnny to get into trouble, but Johnny had a different idea and began playing pool at 12 years old. He is grateful for his mentor Chester Flynt. Johnny told me that Chester "kept me out of trouble, kept my nose forward." When not playing, Johnny watched the older players, whom he idolized: Buddy Hall, Nick Varner, and Mike Sigel were mentioned.
Johnny decided to make his professional debut at the ripe old age of 17 years. He would play straight pool for practice, but his true love was for rotation, especially 9 ball. To this day, he has won more titles in 9 ball than any other discipline. His performance throughout the 90s resulted in being named the Billiards Digest Player of the Decade. During that period, he won two WPA World 9 Ball Championships, in 1992 and 1997, and the US Open 9 Ball Championship in 1999. Not only did Johnny perform exceptionally well in singles, he has been a Mosconi Cup team member for a record, 16 years, since the events inception in 1994. (Earl Strickland is in second with 13 years.) Of those, the USA won the Cup in 94, 96, 97, 98, 99, 01, 03, 04, 05, 06, and 09, with Johnny being a critical part of those teams in every year that he had participated. This last year (2012), Johnny did not lose a single match that he played, however, Team Europe edged out the win 11-9 to retain the coveted Mosconi Cup. There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Johnny would have been named team MVP if the USA would have won. When speaking of the MVP award, Johnny spoke softly and graciously. "It would be an amazing honor, but it would mean that the USA had won, and that is what the Mosconi Cup is all about. It is the team, not the individual, that wins..."
In 2001, Johnny's life would change forever again because of a woman, this time it was young Melanie Wynne. Melanie was the niece of Brass Tap Billiards owner in Raleigh, North Carolina. Johnny was competing at a memorial tournament there and Melanie held him up at the door for the $10 spectators entry fee. Johnny told her he was one of the players competing and she let him through, but Johnny lingered longer as the attraction was immediate and all consuming. They made arrangements for their first date, it was dinner at Vincents Italian Cafe and a movie. Johnny and Melanie were married in 2002 and welcomed Johnny Jr into the world in 2004 and little miss Mary LeeAnne made the family complete a few years later. Johnny, Melanie, and the kids make their home in Acworth, GA.
In Johnny's words: "Melanie and the kids completed my life. I used to always be out on my own, no one to be accountable to or for. If I wanted to get up and play golf or eat a McDonalds cheeseburger, that is what I would do. I was like a dog chasing his tail, same thing different day. Now, everything matters. When I do make a serious decision, I choose what is best for all of us." Johnny's family and faith are what keep him strong and motivated to do well in all his endeavours. Real life stresses about finances and health care, loss of loved ones, and raising a family the best way that he can are all in the back of his mind at the end of the day.
Away from family and competition, Johnny is a coowner of the Marrieta Billiards Club with life long friend Kim Davenport. I have never been to the room, but from what I hear it is spectacular: onsite cue repair, forty 9 foot Brunswick, Olhausen, Diamond Pro, and Triple Shimmed Brunswicks, weekly pool and poker tournaments, APA, BCA, and Tap Leagues, the Scorpion Room is available for private parties, and Golden Tee, plus many more video games available. Top it off with a fantastic menu of down home grub and you really have no need to go anywhere else. It is on the top of my pool room bucket list, for sure!
In addition to family, competition, and running a business, Johnny is very involved in organizations within the professional billiards community. He is the president of the Association of Billiard Professionals (ABP) and is the captain of the Atlanta Scorpions Bonus Ball team with Shannon Daulton and Dennis Hatch as his teammates. Johnny and I discussed both organizations at length and he feels very strongly that the ABP is a critical component to unifying the players in a sport that has been well known for its divisiveness. The ABPs primary goals are to unify the sport with one voice and to make sure that the players are getting paid. By sanctioning events through the ABP, criteria and contracts can be established in advance to ensure funds are available for payouts.
The creation of Bonus Ball has been discussed, at length, in multiple forums and medias. When Johnny and I spoke of the game, it wasn't so much the format that he was promoting, it was more the idea that professional pool players could make a living at the sport that they love without being on the road for 48 weeks out of the year. Tournaments and traveling take a lot out of a player, especially those who are interested in having a family and other obligations. Bonus Ball is designed to get those players paychecks, get large corporate sponsorship of pool, and extend the careers of players by taking out the fast paced break and increasing strategic play. Although on a short term hiatus currently, I am hopeful that all of Johnnys' hopes for Bonus Ball success come true. Pool needs more players that want to improve the image of the sport, taking it more mainstream. These players have so much talent, it really is a shame that they have to struggle at all.
In closing, I asked Johnny if there were any sponsors he would like to thank for their support. He wanted to thank:
Scorpion Cues (20+ year sponsor, designed a line in Johnny's name)
Triangle Tips
Cuesticks International
Championship Billiard Fabric
My thanks to Sneaky Pete Mafia for providing me with the the opportunity to conduct such a complete and personal interview with one of the most iconic pool players in American history. I will be conducting more interviews with the magazine in the future, so please email me any questions or recommendations for future interviews at editor@sneakypetemafia.com
WPBA San Diego Classic 2009, Photo by Anne Craig
Monday, November 25, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
My Pool Tournament Bucket List
With the end of my 2013 tournament year in sight (4 more tournaments in the next 6 weeks), I am compelled to share my pool tournament bucket list with you... I would love to hear what events are on yours.
Women's World 10 Ball Championship in the Phillipines- This is definitely the most difficult to attain as I need to achieve a certain level of play to even be considered for an invitation... But by writing it here, I am one step closer to achieving the possibility of this as a reality. Pool in the Phillipines is essentially the equivalent to football in the US. Players like Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, and Dennis Orcullo are celebrated as national heroes. Venues in the Phillipines are generally open area malls and I think it would be an absolutely amazing experience.
Derby City Classic- Definitely one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States, this 10 day pool extravaganza is in my sights for January of 2015. I will most likely sign up for the 9 ball division only, but have heard that there are many amazing historical and geologic sites to visit in the near vicinity. Tournaments ran during this event included 9 ball banks, 1 pocket, and 9 ball on the 9 footers, then Straight Pool and 10 ball on the 10 Footers. 2013 Champions include: 9 ball banks- Francisco Bustamante, 1 pocket- Corey Deuel, 9 ball- Alex Pagalayun, 10 ball- Dennis Orcullo, Straight Pool- Max Eberle
US Open 9 Ball Championship- Also a very prestigious event in the US. I have no other real motivation for attending, other than players from around the world covet the title. Recent champions include: 2012 Dennis Orcullo, 2011-2010 Darren Appleton, 2009-2008 Mika Immonen
Turning Stone Classic- Hosted at the absolutely beautiful Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona NY, this event brings out the very best of what pool has to offer. I want to see this event first hand and learn how everything works. It is my goal to organize events on this scale, where the level of play is at the highest that it can be and where it can be appreciated by the community of pool players far and wide. Earl the Pearl just snapped this one off last weekend :)
Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament- Played at the Hard Times in Bellflower, this tournament is one of the toughest 9 ball fields on US soil. Top players from around the world come out to compete on sub 4" pockets.
White Diamonds - I honestly have only heard about this tournament because I was in the south a couple years ago playing at Emerald Billiards for US Amateur Open. My soul purpose of attending would be for the Calcutta. Chris Miller is legendary as the auctioneer.
Super Billiards Expo- Also known as Valley Forge, this Allen Hopkins event has achieved legendary status and includes both amateur and professional events. The trade show is where you can view all of the exciting new product lines put out by the billiards industry for the year.
I am sure there are many more events that will be added to this list, but for now these are the biggies :)
Women's World 10 Ball Championship in the Phillipines- This is definitely the most difficult to attain as I need to achieve a certain level of play to even be considered for an invitation... But by writing it here, I am one step closer to achieving the possibility of this as a reality. Pool in the Phillipines is essentially the equivalent to football in the US. Players like Efren Reyes, Francisco Bustamante, and Dennis Orcullo are celebrated as national heroes. Venues in the Phillipines are generally open area malls and I think it would be an absolutely amazing experience.
Derby City Classic- Definitely one of the most prestigious tournaments in the United States, this 10 day pool extravaganza is in my sights for January of 2015. I will most likely sign up for the 9 ball division only, but have heard that there are many amazing historical and geologic sites to visit in the near vicinity. Tournaments ran during this event included 9 ball banks, 1 pocket, and 9 ball on the 9 footers, then Straight Pool and 10 ball on the 10 Footers. 2013 Champions include: 9 ball banks- Francisco Bustamante, 1 pocket- Corey Deuel, 9 ball- Alex Pagalayun, 10 ball- Dennis Orcullo, Straight Pool- Max Eberle
US Open 9 Ball Championship- Also a very prestigious event in the US. I have no other real motivation for attending, other than players from around the world covet the title. Recent champions include: 2012 Dennis Orcullo, 2011-2010 Darren Appleton, 2009-2008 Mika Immonen
Turning Stone Classic- Hosted at the absolutely beautiful Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona NY, this event brings out the very best of what pool has to offer. I want to see this event first hand and learn how everything works. It is my goal to organize events on this scale, where the level of play is at the highest that it can be and where it can be appreciated by the community of pool players far and wide. Earl the Pearl just snapped this one off last weekend :)
Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament- Played at the Hard Times in Bellflower, this tournament is one of the toughest 9 ball fields on US soil. Top players from around the world come out to compete on sub 4" pockets.
White Diamonds - I honestly have only heard about this tournament because I was in the south a couple years ago playing at Emerald Billiards for US Amateur Open. My soul purpose of attending would be for the Calcutta. Chris Miller is legendary as the auctioneer.
Super Billiards Expo- Also known as Valley Forge, this Allen Hopkins event has achieved legendary status and includes both amateur and professional events. The trade show is where you can view all of the exciting new product lines put out by the billiards industry for the year.
I am sure there are many more events that will be added to this list, but for now these are the biggies :)
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Sneaky Pete Mafia launches Inaugural Issue
Hello Readers :)
I wanted to apologize for my recent hiatus from posts. I have been very busy in the last several months working with a group of great individuals to launch a brand new pool magazine. It's called Sneaky Pete Mafia Magazine. The Sneaky Pete Mafia community started out as a group on Facebook and was founded by Garret Troop.
I was first approached by Garret the weekend of my Grandma Betty's passing. It was not a good time for me as I was dealing with some very heavy emotions and just didn't feel like the timing was right. I came highly recommended to him from someone I didn't know very well, TV Mike with the Onsite Pool Network. I met Mike in Houston for the WPBA Regional Tour Championships, OSPN was streaming the event and we had a couple good conversations about life in general and the pool world.
My first thought when Garret approached me to be the Editor of this new magazine was "I just don't know." I wasn't sure if it was the right time or if it was something that I could do, but I tentatively told him that I would work with the group and help them launch. He gave me total control over content and in the last few months I have come to embrace the idea. The primary goal of the Sneaky Pete Mafia (SPM) is to get players what they need to take their game to the next level. Whether it be product reviews, instructional articles, inspiring interviews with both old and young players, or road stories to remind us of all the great times to be had, SPM Magazine is blazing a trail in a media saturated pool world.
We have a great team together with a mutual respect and understanding for what we want to do. I am lining up interviews with some amazing pool players. Our first issue featured two of my interviews, one short Q&A piece with Billiards Education Foundation (BEF) Junior National participant, Eric Roberts and then one longer interview I had with Johnny Archer "The Scorpion". I am very excited to see where things go and for the second issue I have lined up interviews with Darren "Dynamite" Appleton and rising pool sensation Briana Miller. If you ever have ideas about interviews you would like to see, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message at editor@sneakypetemafia.com.
Sneaky Pete Mafia Magazine is a proud support of the BEF and will be contributing 5% of all ad space sales to their foundation. The youth of the sport, and our world in general, are the foundation of the future. By supporting them, we support ourselves. I truly hope that you enjoy our magazine. You can check it and future issues out at www.sneakypetemafia.com. Thanks for being patient with me. I will post the interviews to my blog when the following months publications are released.
Cheers! SOS
I wanted to apologize for my recent hiatus from posts. I have been very busy in the last several months working with a group of great individuals to launch a brand new pool magazine. It's called Sneaky Pete Mafia Magazine. The Sneaky Pete Mafia community started out as a group on Facebook and was founded by Garret Troop.
I was first approached by Garret the weekend of my Grandma Betty's passing. It was not a good time for me as I was dealing with some very heavy emotions and just didn't feel like the timing was right. I came highly recommended to him from someone I didn't know very well, TV Mike with the Onsite Pool Network. I met Mike in Houston for the WPBA Regional Tour Championships, OSPN was streaming the event and we had a couple good conversations about life in general and the pool world.
My first thought when Garret approached me to be the Editor of this new magazine was "I just don't know." I wasn't sure if it was the right time or if it was something that I could do, but I tentatively told him that I would work with the group and help them launch. He gave me total control over content and in the last few months I have come to embrace the idea. The primary goal of the Sneaky Pete Mafia (SPM) is to get players what they need to take their game to the next level. Whether it be product reviews, instructional articles, inspiring interviews with both old and young players, or road stories to remind us of all the great times to be had, SPM Magazine is blazing a trail in a media saturated pool world.
We have a great team together with a mutual respect and understanding for what we want to do. I am lining up interviews with some amazing pool players. Our first issue featured two of my interviews, one short Q&A piece with Billiards Education Foundation (BEF) Junior National participant, Eric Roberts and then one longer interview I had with Johnny Archer "The Scorpion". I am very excited to see where things go and for the second issue I have lined up interviews with Darren "Dynamite" Appleton and rising pool sensation Briana Miller. If you ever have ideas about interviews you would like to see, please don't hesitate to shoot me a message at editor@sneakypetemafia.com.
Sneaky Pete Mafia Magazine is a proud support of the BEF and will be contributing 5% of all ad space sales to their foundation. The youth of the sport, and our world in general, are the foundation of the future. By supporting them, we support ourselves. I truly hope that you enjoy our magazine. You can check it and future issues out at www.sneakypetemafia.com. Thanks for being patient with me. I will post the interviews to my blog when the following months publications are released.
Cheers! SOS
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Slippery Slope Effect
The most challenging thing about having big dreams is that sometimes you will fail... One of my goals is to compete at the professional level. I have twice at this point in my short pool career, and both times were the result of winning a tournament. The first time, I won the NWPA's Year End Event in 2008 that was a qualifier for the 2009 WPBA San Diego Classic. The second was by winning the 2011 US Amateur Championships, which earned me the opportunity to compete at the 2012 WPBA US Open. I have received many invitations to play on the WPBA since my first time, but typically the opportunity came up on such short notice that I was unable to attend. Now that I have achieved that certain position, I feel like I need to work even harder to earn my way back onto the WPBA. One friend told me that receiving the invitations means that I have already earned it, but I just don't agree. I am not sure why, but in my mind I just don't want to be a filler. I don't want to be considered a bye. I want to get better and give every ounce of myself in the battle. My journey will continue and as I gain experience and knowledge, I know that I can compete at that level.
I was very close to earning my third opportunity this last weekend, one match away to be exact. I finished 3rd place at the NWPA's 3rd tour stop of the 2013 season. If I would have won the semifinal (against someone I had already beat once on the A side) I would have earned a paid entry to the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship in Tunica, MS. Although this is not a WPBA event, the WPBA has made it a points ranking event, so all of the top players are going to be there: Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher, Siming Chen, Ga Young Kim, and many many more. I could have been a contender and paid the $500 entry fee to go, but I wanted to earn it and I just couldn't get it done. It's heartbreaking to be so close and have the wheels fall off, shoot the whole damn thing fell apart. I must have scratched 10 times in our short race to six, even shorter because I didn't win a rack. And you know what happens when you are struggling, you get absolutely no rolls, not one... Brutal, painful, and totally necessary for me to grow into the person that I will be next time. I still need some time to be able to look objectively at what happened. Everything I tried to do to stay present, let mistakes go, and focus on what I was doing didn't work. It was like there was a force in the room, the harder I tried the further I fell. Absolutely the worst feeling in pool that I can imagine. I felt like everything I had done up until that point didn't matter. But I suppose once I can overcome that, I will be the stronger for it... Not sure when I will pick up my cue again, I have a month until the next one. Lots of time to sort through things and get my mind right. I know I will, even if it isn't today :). Hope you have a fantastic day! Thanks for reading :)
I was very close to earning my third opportunity this last weekend, one match away to be exact. I finished 3rd place at the NWPA's 3rd tour stop of the 2013 season. If I would have won the semifinal (against someone I had already beat once on the A side) I would have earned a paid entry to the Ultimate 10 Ball Championship in Tunica, MS. Although this is not a WPBA event, the WPBA has made it a points ranking event, so all of the top players are going to be there: Allison Fisher, Kelly Fisher, Siming Chen, Ga Young Kim, and many many more. I could have been a contender and paid the $500 entry fee to go, but I wanted to earn it and I just couldn't get it done. It's heartbreaking to be so close and have the wheels fall off, shoot the whole damn thing fell apart. I must have scratched 10 times in our short race to six, even shorter because I didn't win a rack. And you know what happens when you are struggling, you get absolutely no rolls, not one... Brutal, painful, and totally necessary for me to grow into the person that I will be next time. I still need some time to be able to look objectively at what happened. Everything I tried to do to stay present, let mistakes go, and focus on what I was doing didn't work. It was like there was a force in the room, the harder I tried the further I fell. Absolutely the worst feeling in pool that I can imagine. I felt like everything I had done up until that point didn't matter. But I suppose once I can overcome that, I will be the stronger for it... Not sure when I will pick up my cue again, I have a month until the next one. Lots of time to sort through things and get my mind right. I know I will, even if it isn't today :). Hope you have a fantastic day! Thanks for reading :)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
This Moment
For those of you that know me, the fact that I am interested in writing on this topic should not come as a surprise. Those closest to me know that I am a highly analytical person, often unable to control the expansive series of processes that are my mind. I am who I am so, instead of changing that, I have shifted my efforts to harnessing my mental capacity. Let's go back in time briefly.
About eighteen months ago, I achieved my highest level of performance on the pool table. In fall of 2011, I actually won three tournaments in a row, a qualifier for the US Amateur Championships, the Women's Master Single's title at the Western BCA Regional 9 Ball Championships, and the ladies division title at the US Amateur Championships. I was elated that I could perform under that kind of pressure in back to back to back events. That being said, I haven't won a tournament since. I can't help but feel like there is something missing. I have solid fundamentals, excellent equipment, and practice as much as I can with what free time I have. So why can't I win???
In the time leading up to those wins in the fall of 2011, I had been focusing all of my energy on being present, in this moment. When I would start making mistakes, instead of focusing on trying to figure out why I just made that mistake, I would constantly bring myself to center by saying "I am sitting in my chair. I am waiting for my turn." and when it was my turn at the table I would focus on making this ball with position for that ball. That was it, no rocket science, no ground breaking discovery. I had to let everything go. All of my expectations, all of my doubts, everything.... I truly believe that this is the absolute key to success both on and off the pool table. Putting myself in the right frame of mind to achieve optimimum performance is the first part, while putting myself in the position to perform at a higher level is the second. Essentially both parts are critical. If I wasn't putting myself in the position to lose big, I may never win big...
Truth be told, the better that you get at this game the harder it gets to win. Top level pool players are everywhere and until you get the experience of performing consistently under the same type of conditions, you won't be winning much of anything. I was recently in Reno for the US Bar Table Championships and a good friend was telling me what they were told the best thing about being a pro is... and that is that amateurs will fold because they are an amateur. They just don't have the mental edge they need to execute. People playing top pros will dog shots and fail to run out when they should, just because of who they are playing (knowing that their opponent will get out if they don't). I have experienced this first hand during the 2012 WPBA US Open. I played Allison Fisher in the first round (brutal draw, yes, but I was thrilled). I jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then faltered in several racks throughout the rest of the match; overstroking, understroking, you name it, I did it, or didn't do it, however you want to look at it. My confidence was high starting out, but slowly waned throughout the match with each error that I made in execution. The final 2-9 score was not because I didn't have opportunities, it was because I didn't/couldn't capitalize. Painful as it was, I learned more about myself during that match than I did while winning the most prestigious amateur event in the US. I will never know how far I can go, unless I continue to put myself in positions to play the worlds best.
In 2013, I will continue to work on my mental game and hopefully achieve more successful outcomes in my pool tournaments. I have lots of opportunities for success, so am hopeful that by staying present I will minimize my errors and make better decisions during competition.
Off the table, I have just begun a 21 day meditation challenge, called Perfect Health with Deepak Chopra and Oprah as its facilitators. I am also reading The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin and have several other books that have been recommended to me by my health/pool mentor. By refining strategies to center myself, I hope to find a balance in my physical, mental, and spiritual well being that will correlate to my ability to achieve optimum levels of performance on the pool table. We'll see how all of this works out. Bottom line, if you can not be here, right now, you are never going to achieve the prowess you desire at any skill. I am very interested in receiving feedback on this piece because I know that many pool players hone their mental strengths through various media and exercises. What are you doing? What are you reading? How are you going to take it to the next level?
Come back soon, more exciting pieces are in the works :) Let's do this... SOS
About eighteen months ago, I achieved my highest level of performance on the pool table. In fall of 2011, I actually won three tournaments in a row, a qualifier for the US Amateur Championships, the Women's Master Single's title at the Western BCA Regional 9 Ball Championships, and the ladies division title at the US Amateur Championships. I was elated that I could perform under that kind of pressure in back to back to back events. That being said, I haven't won a tournament since. I can't help but feel like there is something missing. I have solid fundamentals, excellent equipment, and practice as much as I can with what free time I have. So why can't I win???
In the time leading up to those wins in the fall of 2011, I had been focusing all of my energy on being present, in this moment. When I would start making mistakes, instead of focusing on trying to figure out why I just made that mistake, I would constantly bring myself to center by saying "I am sitting in my chair. I am waiting for my turn." and when it was my turn at the table I would focus on making this ball with position for that ball. That was it, no rocket science, no ground breaking discovery. I had to let everything go. All of my expectations, all of my doubts, everything.... I truly believe that this is the absolute key to success both on and off the pool table. Putting myself in the right frame of mind to achieve optimimum performance is the first part, while putting myself in the position to perform at a higher level is the second. Essentially both parts are critical. If I wasn't putting myself in the position to lose big, I may never win big...
Truth be told, the better that you get at this game the harder it gets to win. Top level pool players are everywhere and until you get the experience of performing consistently under the same type of conditions, you won't be winning much of anything. I was recently in Reno for the US Bar Table Championships and a good friend was telling me what they were told the best thing about being a pro is... and that is that amateurs will fold because they are an amateur. They just don't have the mental edge they need to execute. People playing top pros will dog shots and fail to run out when they should, just because of who they are playing (knowing that their opponent will get out if they don't). I have experienced this first hand during the 2012 WPBA US Open. I played Allison Fisher in the first round (brutal draw, yes, but I was thrilled). I jumped out to a 2-0 lead, then faltered in several racks throughout the rest of the match; overstroking, understroking, you name it, I did it, or didn't do it, however you want to look at it. My confidence was high starting out, but slowly waned throughout the match with each error that I made in execution. The final 2-9 score was not because I didn't have opportunities, it was because I didn't/couldn't capitalize. Painful as it was, I learned more about myself during that match than I did while winning the most prestigious amateur event in the US. I will never know how far I can go, unless I continue to put myself in positions to play the worlds best.
In 2013, I will continue to work on my mental game and hopefully achieve more successful outcomes in my pool tournaments. I have lots of opportunities for success, so am hopeful that by staying present I will minimize my errors and make better decisions during competition.
Off the table, I have just begun a 21 day meditation challenge, called Perfect Health with Deepak Chopra and Oprah as its facilitators. I am also reading The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin and have several other books that have been recommended to me by my health/pool mentor. By refining strategies to center myself, I hope to find a balance in my physical, mental, and spiritual well being that will correlate to my ability to achieve optimum levels of performance on the pool table. We'll see how all of this works out. Bottom line, if you can not be here, right now, you are never going to achieve the prowess you desire at any skill. I am very interested in receiving feedback on this piece because I know that many pool players hone their mental strengths through various media and exercises. What are you doing? What are you reading? How are you going to take it to the next level?
Come back soon, more exciting pieces are in the works :) Let's do this... SOS
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Moments of Clarity
Many of my days are spent in a blur. As a mother, wife, scientist, pool player, there are any number of things that can be going on in this head of mine, but every now and then there are moments of clarity... I am having one of those moments as we speak, so what do I do? I take the moment to purge these thoughts in the written word. I write to make myself clear, not only to myself but to others, and in these words I find comfort because I know that I am just a person on a journey through this life. I am blessed to have a husband that supports my every ambition, a family who uplifts and supports me every single day, and a daughter who is along for the ride because it has been destined so.
I don't often open up in this way here, but what better forum than people who for some reason or another like what they find on these electronic pages that are far too infrequent, more often than not. I am a firm believer that my journey is intertwined with yours and as I am your witness, you will be mine. My pedestal for today is personal accountability. The freedom to take charge of your life... Your life does not choose you, you choose it. A line from the Wedding Date comes back to me, "Each of us has exactly the love life that we want.." or something like that. I think this applies to all of life. I know we don't choose for the bad things to happen, but they do, so I'm not really talking about that. Life is complicated and we make choices every day that directly influence where we are going and the things that we will encounter when we get there. Why not mix it up and free ourselves from the negative mental constructs that limit our growth as people and souls.
I acknowledge that control is an illusion, because ultimately there are higher powers at work here than we can know. But acknowledging that you have some influence on where you are in your life is empowerment to the fullest. I honestly wish I had more faith to rely on, but like so many, I am a work in progress and as Jack Nicholson says in The Bucket List, "I envy those with faith, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it..." Too true, my friends, too true.
As a person, I am a collector of experience and have proclaimed myself an ethnographer of the pool world. My love of competition will take me around the world and I am hopeful that the people I meet along the way will be as glad to share their stories as I am to write them down. I am not sure of many things, but I do know that when I am at a competiton or inspired to be involved with a project, I feel free. Free of the outside world and all of its problems, our societys' woes, cultural inequality, corruption and greed... Free of all of it. There is a new experience before me. I play. I write. I just am.
I wish that this moment could last forever, but I know from my own history that it can't. Inspiration and motivation are often fleeting in my life, although I have good days and bad. The every day living arrives with all of its responsibilities and schedules to keep. Just know that my soul yearns for the freedom and intertwining of our lives. I'll return with regular programming shortly. The tournament year is coming, I have lots of projects that I am involved with, and I am thoroughly enjoying most every moment of my life. I hope that you can take a moment and look at your life honestly and openly, so that you can as well. We are truly on an amazing journey, together...
I don't often open up in this way here, but what better forum than people who for some reason or another like what they find on these electronic pages that are far too infrequent, more often than not. I am a firm believer that my journey is intertwined with yours and as I am your witness, you will be mine. My pedestal for today is personal accountability. The freedom to take charge of your life... Your life does not choose you, you choose it. A line from the Wedding Date comes back to me, "Each of us has exactly the love life that we want.." or something like that. I think this applies to all of life. I know we don't choose for the bad things to happen, but they do, so I'm not really talking about that. Life is complicated and we make choices every day that directly influence where we are going and the things that we will encounter when we get there. Why not mix it up and free ourselves from the negative mental constructs that limit our growth as people and souls.
I acknowledge that control is an illusion, because ultimately there are higher powers at work here than we can know. But acknowledging that you have some influence on where you are in your life is empowerment to the fullest. I honestly wish I had more faith to rely on, but like so many, I am a work in progress and as Jack Nicholson says in The Bucket List, "I envy those with faith, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it..." Too true, my friends, too true.
As a person, I am a collector of experience and have proclaimed myself an ethnographer of the pool world. My love of competition will take me around the world and I am hopeful that the people I meet along the way will be as glad to share their stories as I am to write them down. I am not sure of many things, but I do know that when I am at a competiton or inspired to be involved with a project, I feel free. Free of the outside world and all of its problems, our societys' woes, cultural inequality, corruption and greed... Free of all of it. There is a new experience before me. I play. I write. I just am.
I wish that this moment could last forever, but I know from my own history that it can't. Inspiration and motivation are often fleeting in my life, although I have good days and bad. The every day living arrives with all of its responsibilities and schedules to keep. Just know that my soul yearns for the freedom and intertwining of our lives. I'll return with regular programming shortly. The tournament year is coming, I have lots of projects that I am involved with, and I am thoroughly enjoying most every moment of my life. I hope that you can take a moment and look at your life honestly and openly, so that you can as well. We are truly on an amazing journey, together...
Photo taken from www.ascensionwithearth.com January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
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 :)
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 :)
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