Ozones, Dragons, and Emeralds

For those of you that know me, it is no surprise why the name of my blog is what it is. But for the rest of you out there, I just want to say thank you for taking a moment out of the whirlwind we call life to listen to me vent. Yet again, the lack of support sometimes after a good match can really be disheartening. I carry it with me, fuel for my ambition and a running joke for me to appreciate. I will elaborate further after some much needed background and build-up.

I played at the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open last weekend, down at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, LA. Not only was this the first event that I had played in Louisiana, there were several other firsts including 1) my first Charlie Williams/Dragon Promotions Event, 2) my first open ProAm Event, 3) getting to the see SVB, Charlie Williams, Johnny Archer, Shawn Putnam, and so many other great pros compete at the DP Pro Classic (in person), and 4) play with a mixed doubles partner that I didn't know.

There are several stories that I just want to tell, not only because I can, but I feel compelled to do so. I suppose that is obvious by even having a blog, but anyways let me get back to it. I numbered the stories, not only for clarity as a reader, but to prevent myself from digressing.

1) Charlie Williams/Dragon Promotions
When I first saw the flyer for the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open and DP Pro Classic, I was like "Yes, yes, yes", why wouldn't I want to travel to a new city and expand my story as a person, as a pool player, and as an aspiring photo journalist. I have played in events all over the country and I have to say that Dragon Promotions did run a great event. There were multiple divisions for the amateurs, ProAms where you could test your skills against some of the best players in the world, and the Pro events where amateurs could sign up as well (but had no real chance at coming through).

I played in the Ladies Amateur 8 Ball, Ladies ProAm 9 Ball, and the ProAm Mixed Doubles 8 Ball. All three events were held on the barboxes and I shot pretty sporty overall, cashing in 2 out of 3 events and having one of the biggest wins of my short pool history. My only complaint would have to be that the amateur events weren't really treated with the same importance as the ProAm or Pro Events, but I understand why. Spectators are paying to see the Pros and amateurs are well, just amateurs. I didn't take it personally; however, I know that there were several match conflicts because of opponents playing in multiple events which resulted in 6 to 12 hour delays. Dragon Promotions did a great job getting through all of the events and I look forward to playing in DP events in the future.

2) My first ProAm 9 Ball Event
I thought it was strange that the ProAm 9 ball event only drew 8 players, especially being hosted in the south where there are so many great players within a relatively short distance. My first round draw was against Ms. Erica Park, Dragon Promotions' newest protege (Charlie's Angels as some of the players were calling them) from Korea. Immediately, I knew I would have to play my best (why I would think it might be some other way, I don't know) and ultimately I set the goal of not dogging it, just playing the table and trying to take advantage of what opportunities I was given. In a winner breaks format, race to 7, on barboxes I figured a seven pack was not only possible, but probable by the lady that just finished 3rd at the WPBA's US Open.

I think my nerves got the best of me early on as Erica only had one break and run in the games building up to her 5-1 lead. Being down that much, it is really easy to fold and just let them have it, but what fun would that be? From the moment I realized I was just playing barbox 9 ball my mental edge sharpened significantly. It no longer mattered who I was playing, how I was doing, and definitely not how my opponent was doing. I was waiting for my turn, I was making the ball, I was running out... After I tied things up at 5, I broke dry and Erica attempted a 1-9 carom where she ended up leaving the 9 in the jaws. Of course I immediately went for the 1-9 bank and made it to reach the hill first. We both had misses during the final rack, but victory was to be mine as I ran out from the 3 to win the match 7-5. After the match, Erica was very gracious as she congratulated me on my performance and wished me good luck in my next match. Someone else, who I will leave nameless for my own purposes, decided that now would be a good time to let me know exactly how lucky I got (hence the legacy...) Not only did Erica not get any rolls while I did, but she is a world class player and champion while I am not, and to top it off there is no way that I should ever even have had a chance... 3 minutes of this type of conversation can feel like an eternity, but Oh well, such is life of 9 ball on the barboxes. I felt great about the heart that I showed and the skill that I used to my advantage. Even if I am never a champion, I can always say I beat one ;)

I ended up losing my next match to Belinda Lee 7-6 (after being down 6-3), man I had some great run outs to stay in that match, and then defeating Stephanie Goens 5-4 to earn a rematch against Erica which she won 5-3. Erica went on to defeat Belinda Lee and then double dip her Dragon counterpart Kaori Ebe from Japan to earn her Championship in the ProAm 9 Ball. What a fun event :)

3) Getting to see the Pros- DP Pro Classic
Dragon Promotions and Emerald Billiards really went out of their way to show their support for the Pro Players that ventured down to New Iberia for the DP Pro Classic. The Pro Arena was curtained off and both 9 and 10 ball tournaments were played on eight 9 foot Brunswick Tournament Edition tables. Arena seating was available throughout the event and Ray "Big Truck" Hansen provided live streaming for the entire weekend.

For me personally, this was a huge opportunity considering I had never had the experience of watching these players, especially in such an intimate setting. Seriously, I got some amazing photos and watched some of the best pool I have ever seen played in person. Not only were most of the pros totally friendly and open to chatting, photographs, and signing my book (of course), but some even watched me play and gave me some pointers (you know who you are ;).) I really am a lucky girl!

4) Playing Mixed Doubles with Someone I Didn't Know
When I paid my entry fees, I was under the impression that the ProAm 9 Ball and Mixed Doubles 8 Ball events overlapped which meant I had to choose. Considering how far we were from home and any male counterpart that I knew could handle a stick, I opted to play it safe and play the ProAm 9 ball. Singles, I can do.

On our first night (we arrived Thursday), I met the guy who would end up being my Scotch Doubles partner on Sunday. He basically walked up to the table we were shooting at and said I want you to be my partner. Me being who I am, I basically said well, I'll need to see you shoot first. LOL. Ron Canterbury originally grew up playing with the likes of Chris Bartram and Corey Deuel in the Ohio area, but gave up pool for several years to raise a family. We had great chemistry from the get go and we ended up with a mixed bag of results. I think we both tried our hardest, but in the long run made too many mistakes. We ended up with a 3rd place performance, when 1st was in our sites.

I would definitely recommend going out of town and playing Mixed Doubles with someone you don't know, you really realize your own strengths and weaknesses as both a player and a teammate.

Overall, I had a great time traveling to Louisiana for this event. I know in my heart that pool is alive and well in the Bayou. I look forward to traveling to different events in the future and hope that if you ever have the opportunity to put yourself out there that you take full advantage of it. I would like to thank Criegh Dumo for sponsoring myself and Stacy with some Hustlin' USA apparel. I think we would have made you proud.

That's it for now. Come back soon!

Reflections for the day...

I met Rodney "The Rocket" Morris last night and I couldn't help but feel like a little school girl asking for his autograph. How could I not, he is probably one of the best American pool players right now and the fact that he was in the pool room that I was playing league at was truly exciting.

Honestly, it made me think back to my first autograph. I am a relative nobody, but when I went to Miramar with some ladies from the WPBA (Liz Cole, Denise Belanger, and Cristina Delagarza), those soldiers were probably just as excited to have us sign their books. It's amazing how this game can touch so many lives. It is probably the thing I like most about this sport. You can go anywhere around the world and find pool rooms a plenty with students of the game.

Hope everyone has a great day. And as Rachel Abbink would put it, "May your slate roll straight." Cheers :)