PoolSynergy 2011- Rest, Relax, and Refocus: How I Recharge My Batteries

When I saw the topic of this month's PoolSynergy I absolutely knew I wanted to contribute. Not only am I in the process of doing so, but also it was another opportunity to share a little piece of insight into what makes me work. Please check out how some of our other contributors do the same at http://angleofreflection.wordpress.com/2011/12/15/poolsynergy-december-2011/. I would like to give a shout out to Miss Cherry Bomb herself, Mrs. Samm Diep Vidal, for thinking of me and asking if I would be interested in writing for this, my second PoolSynergy contribution. We have started discussing the possibility of my hosting an edition, so please check back and find out what the word is. For now, let’s get back on track. At the end of sections, I have highlighted what I think are the take away messages. I hope you enjoy.

Life in general, not just pool, can be very hectic... With work and family obligations it has always been a priority for me to find a healthy balance that would allow me to play the best that I can, while still feeling like I am being a good wife, mother, sister, daughter, employee, etc. Finding a way to recharge my batteries has been a key element to the success that I have found. Looking back over the years a certain theme has definitely emerged and what better place to reflect than my blog :).

Winter Break.

As a child, winter break was always an exciting time that I looked forward to. Not only were we out of school for two whole weeks, but we also always found time for family and friends that we didn't get to spend as much with during our "regular" schedule. Now that I am an adult, my pool schedule, because of the tournaments that I tend to gravitate towards, has a similar downtime. The ladies tour that I play on runs from March through November and when the season ends, it affords each of the players an opportunity to reflect on themselves and do what they need to do to prepare for the next year. As I've gotten older and matured, I am able to use this time to recharge my batteries and make plans for the future that align with my goals. Here are a couple things that I will be doing during the lull in my tournament schedule this holiday season.

Family Time

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but I was very grateful to have the opportunity to travel to Spokane with my sister and our daughters (Chloe and Sierra). There was about twenty of us for family dinner and with a potluck style, everyone contributed. Fortunately, the only crisis was when I clogged up the sink with potato peelings (apparently everyone on the planet besides me knew that those should not go in the disposal). All three of the men in attendance joined forces to fix the sink before Aunt Debby got home from work. Phew! We got the chance to visit with the newest members of our clan- 6 month old Amelia and 10 month old Adora, and of course feast on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Grandma Clare made the pies like always and it was wonderful to catch up with all of our extended family. Laughs and hugs were plentiful as we took strength from the love that we share.

Christmas is right around the corner, nothing major this year. Christmas Eve with my family at my sisters and then Christmas Day with my husbands' parents. Who knows, we might even take the kids up to the snow :) And then New Year's... Not sure yet what we will be doing to celebrate the birth of the new year. Family time can be great because you can let go of all the pressure that you put on yourself while competing. If you never take a break you can get worn out and mediocre performances tend to follow.

Evaluate

Something I always find myself doing in my pool game is evaluating my own progress. Of course, how often you are winning can be used as an indicator for progress, but there is so much more to the sport than that. I have had a mixed bag of results this year and if I based my progress solely on tournaments that I won, I finished at about 17 1/2 % (3 wins/17 tournaments), I would say that I didn't progress very well. And this just isn't the truth. My goal for this year was to work on my mental game, not to win every tournament, and by evaluating how I handled myself during competition throughout the year, I started to understand my own performance, where my strengths and weaknesses are, and how I can move forward. Once you have identified critical weaknesses in your game you can tackle them individually, which is a great transition to the next thing I'll be doing during my holiday season.

Take Lessons

Even the best players in the world have a coach that guides them on their mental preparation and points out bits of wisdom to keep them in line with their goals. Why not us amateurs?!? In my opinion, we have the most to gain from these mentors, so why not take full advantage of the immense amount of knowledge available to us? That is exactly what I plan to do...

Over the break, I plan on taking lessons on two topics: 2 rail kicking systems and counter safety strategies. I struggled with both of these throughout 2011 and want to improve my understanding of the table. Of course, my instructor may identify other areas for improvement, but for me personally I think it is best to have a sense of what I would like to be working on when I set out to take lessons. This way, I can maximize the value of my lessons (which aren't always cheap) and my instructor knows that I take my time with him/her seriously. Taking lessons can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses during competition, so find someone who can help you take your game to the next level.

Watch Live Streaming

With the live stream revolution, there is great action to view from the comfort of your home nearly every weekend. I discovered live streaming when I went on maternity leave for my daughter Sierra. It was summer time and she slept 14-18 hours a day, so I had lots of free time. Not to go here or there, but books and internet browsing were high on the list, until I discovered live streams. Watching live streams will increase your understanding of strategy. Even if you are already doing everything right (which isn't most of us), it broadens your perspective when you start to understand why the choices you make are right. My favorite games to watch via live stream are rotation, either 9 or 10 ball. While watching, it is much easier to predict what a player is going to do because they are playing position on the next ball in sequence.

Plan My Tournament Schedule

Decisions, decisions... One of the great things about playing pool in the Northwest is that there are so many great tournaments. Fortunately with my performance recently, there are a couple of events that have already been cemented in my 2012 schedule. Once other tournament dates are finalized I will be able to determine the course of my year, on paper at least. I personally love traveling tournaments where you go out of town, playing in a different city, in a new pool room and against new opponents. As Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." If you never go outside of your comfort zone your progression will be slower. If you really want to improve then make it happen, it's all in your hands :)

Well, that's what I'll be doing over the next few weeks, I hope you enjoyed getting a little insight into my life. I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I'll be enjoying such much needed time off and then preparing for 2012. It's right around the corner and there is lots of excitement in store. Take care and get lucky!

Reflections on 2011

With the Year End NWPA Event wrapping up last Sunday, I have no more tournaments on my 2011 tournament schedule. What better time to reflect on the year that I have had and what my goals are for 2012? Overall, I picked up speed throughout the year breaking my 2 year dry spell with a bang, winning three singles tournaments in a row. I have also met many great people and players along the way and am looking forward to an exciting 2012.

My 2011 Highlights

Finished tied 9-12th at the 2011 WPBA Regional Tour Championships. Unfortunately, for me, only the top 8 ladies earned their tour cards. I played great and got lucky, so felt pretty good about the event. I took lots of great pictures, made many new friends, and reconnected with some old friends. Match scores: 9-3, 9-8, 4-9, 7-3, 7-5, 2-7

Defeated Erica Park 7-5 at the Ozone Billiards US Amateur Open ProAm 9 Ball event at Emerald Billiards in New Iberia, LA. After being down 5-1 no less (Erica had recently took 3rd at the US Open in her first WPBA event), I rallied back through each of the next racks to tie it at 5, then take the lead, and then win the match. PHENOMENAL. Although she came back through the B side and defeated me 5-3, it felt great to lay it all on the line and not give up with such a huge deficit against a great player.

Finished 2nd Place at NWPA Tour Stop #5 at The Parlor (lost to 2011 NWPA Tour Champion Liz Cole.) Liz is somewhat of a nemesis for me. After this event, I started taking lessons on zone safeties and one rail kicking systems. I went back and analyzed the final later and immediately recognized the value of the lessons I had taken. Once I am able to execute these skills at a proficient level, I have a feeling I will be able to bridge the gap.

Went undefeated to win US Amateur Championship Preliminary at The Cue Ball in Salem, OR. This was the first time in my short pool career that I was considered the favorite. Not only did I learn about myself, I figured out how to stay out of my own head (Check out previous blog entry- Mental Warfare...) Match scores: Bye, 5-3, 5-1, 5-3, 9-2

Went undefeated to win the Western BCA Regionals Women's Master Singles title at Chinook Winds in Lincoln City, OR. With the creation of the Grand Master Division at Regionals, that opened up the Master's division for a new champion. Only one former champion in 37 ladies is pretty good odds that a new champion would be crowned. Luckily for me, I happened to be shooting well, and had a new confidence that carried me through the event. Match scores: 7-5, 7-5, 7-0(F), 7-2, 7-3, 7-6, 7-4

Went undefeated to win the ladies' division of the US Amateur Championships at Strokers in Tampa, FL. This was probably my fondest pool memory to date. Not only did I go through a field of extremely tough competition to win the event, I learned so much about myself and continued to work on my mental toughness. It's hard not to care about how others think you play and start second guessing yourself, but if you can figure out how to let all of that go so you can focus on what you are doing Success will be Yours. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. Set goals and plan a course of action that will get you there :) Match scores: 5-1, 5-1, 5-3, 5-2, 5-3, 9-5

Finished 3rd Place at NWPA Tour Stop #7. Yet again, I was defeated by Liz Cole (I have yet to defeat her for the hot seat...) and then was unable to earn a rematch when Kimberly Kirk came through the B side. She was shooting fantastic and I played kind of flat. Not a good combination. I solidified my position at 8th in the overall standings of the NWPA, which will hopefully be good enough to earn me a bid to the 2012 WPBA Regional Tour Championships. With Liz's earning her WPBA Exemption status and the return to a qualifier system, our top two players already have spots for the WPBA next year. Essentially, that leaves the next six (including me) as invitees to the RTC event. We will see :) Match scores: 7-3, 7-3, 7-2, 7-2, 4-7, 4-7


After a year like that it will be interesting to see how my experiences could improve, but it isn't all about winning. I have many goals and very few of them actually involve winning; however, by learning how to make the right choices and improve my skills winning will inevitably follow suit. Here are some of my 2012 goals and events:

Learn how to play 3 Cushion (and eventually Straight Pool and 1 Pocket)

NWPA Tour Stops #1-7, perhaps even winning one :)

Potential Traveling Tournaments: Essentially timing is everything, once dates have been confirmed I will finalize my schedule...) WPBA Regional Tour Championships, US Bar Table Championships, Super Billiards Expo, One Regional Tour Event not including the NWPA

WPBA US Open- June 6-10, 2012

Defend US Amateur Championship Title- 1st weekend in November 2012

Well, that's it for now. I would like to thank each and every one of my supporters, without them I would be just another pool player ;) I am excited to enjoy the holiday season and then resume the hard work that has paid off immensely this year. Happy Holidays to all of you, Cheers!