BAR TABLE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN RENO - 2011
The week before the USBTC, I was surprisingly calm. I was watching videos, reading my pool books, and just trying to get there, mentally speaking. I didn’t have much time to get on the table, so the thought of not much practice time was a bit unnerving. The Saturday before, I went to Danny K’s to play the tournament. During which, I felt a hopeless, exhausting feeling. I wasn’t seeing patterns, I couldn't make simple shots. I was talking trash to myself for 2 hours straight. When I lost in the first round, I beat myself up. I went to the car and stewed on my poor performance, and thought, “If I can’t perform here, I’ll never be able to hold it together in Reno. Instead of getting up, going back inside and grinding out an afternoon of practice and drilling, I took the easy road and took a nap. I woke up to an annoyed, disappointed Ramin exclaiming “Really?” through the car window. He didn’t have to say anything. I knew long before he came outside that I was only hurting myself in the long run. There is nothing more destructive than doing nothing at all. His disappointment was just icing on a very bitter tasting cake.
Waking up on Sunday, I was still dwelling a bit on the fact that I had wasted much of my opportunity to practice the day before. Ramin was feeling sick, and we were both popping vitamin C to try to avoid sickness. The plane ride was a tester. By the time we touched down in Reno, Ramin was really feeling down in the dumps. I was starting to sneeze as we went from the airport to the Sands Regency.
We got checked in and settled in the room. Then we went downstairs to check out the tournament room. To be perfectly honest, I was expecting this huge room, but was pleasantly surprised to see a rather small room with limited spectator seating. It made me feel a little better…just seemed a little cozier. (Can’t think of a better word.) Ramin and I practiced a little and while I was hitting them around, the body aches started. Suddenly, I felt feverish and I knew I was in trouble.
We went back upstairs, ate some food and went to sleep. When I woke up around 4AM, I thought I was dying. Ramin and I were both running fevers. Getting up to get ready to play was not easy, but we did it, and suddenly it was 1PM. Time for Ramin to play. Ladies 10 ball would not start until 6PM, so I had some more time to prepare myself.
Or so I thought. When I looked at the board for the first time, I was struck with laughter. My first opponent was Vivian Villarreal. “How does that work?” I thought. My first tournament, and my first match, I go up against the veteran player of the tournament. I decided to just let it turn into a learning experience. Or at least that is what I tried to convince myself to do. We both got into the small room, where I was actually comforted to be in. It felt a little less exposed I guess. I wasn’t worried about everyone seeing the endless amount of unforced errors I was sure I was going to string together. Though I tried to keep myself in a positive mood, I was being brutally realistic with myself, and not expecting too much from my performance.
10 Ball
We lagged. I lost. I racked (with a Magic Rack, which I’d never used before). She broke. Next thing I knew, she was up on me 3-0. I remember thinking as I was breaking, “Ok, I want this game.” As I watched Vivian during the first few games, I noticed that my safeties were starting to annoy her. I was slowing her down. Throwing off her rhythm was the only way I was going to get anywhere in this match. So that was the direction I took for that game. While she got good hits after each safety, I was able to get decent run out position eventually, and ran out the rack. The feeling of elation that I had for winning that one game was indescribable. It pushed me. I knew at that moment I could win another. Which I did. The next rack, I broke and came up dry. The balls were scattered, and after a few solid breakouts, and grueling shots, Vivian ran out on me. I felt okay about it though. She hadn’t skunked me, and I felt ok, even though physically, I was in serious agony. I hurried up to the room to pound more Alka Selzer, DayQuil, and some water. Then I had to go right back down stairs for y next match. I ended up playing a very nice woman named Vicky Rose. It was a good transition to go from Vivian to Vicky. She was courteous, friendly and I felt a little more confident at that point.
Unfortunately, I think my positive feeling was from the fuzzy high I was on from the medications. Normally a few Advil’s for a headache is the extent of my pill popping. Not that it is an excuse, but I do feel like mentally, I did as well as I could expect from myself at that moment. I lost the match hill-hill. Despite the fact that I lost 2-0, and was out of the tournament, I have to admit I was a little relieved to have the next day free to rest and recover. By the time I went to bed, I was exhausted and feeling awful. I kept Ramin up, I’m sure, with my pathetic whining. I felt miserable.
The next day, I did nothing. I lay in bed most of the day…while Ramin and I dealt with getting my phone back. I had left it in the cab on the way from the airport, and it was quite the ordeal getting it back…we’ll just leave those details out…
At around 5PM, we got up and started moving around. After lounging all day, we decided I should move around and loosen up my muscles. I was in for a long day Wednesday, and I wanted to do well, so I was praying that I would feel alright the next day.
9 Ball
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt a million times better. I was looking forward to playing. I figured I had plenty of time, assuming the women would start in the evening like we did in 10 ball. I was wrong.
I had gone downstairs to look for Ramin and find out where he would be playing, but I couldn’t find him. Thinking he may have gone back up to the room, I headed for the elevator. As the doors opened, he walks out with my cue in hand. “Come on, you’re up, and you’re on the T.V. table.”
“WHAT?”
Trying not to panic, I listened to Ramin’s voice as he told me, “Calm down. You are fine. Just breathe. Breathe.” I went up the stairs and went to the table. Ramin got tokens for me, and brought them over. I was pleased to find out I was actually going to play Vicky again. Seeing a semi-familiar place made the pressure melt away a little. We started playing right away. It took me a few racks to get it together. She was up on me 3-1 when I finally started to feel in stroke.
I made some really nice shots and played some well executed defensive shots. By the end of the match I was feeling very comfortable. I finished it out at 7-3.
Right away I was up again. My match with Vicky had taken a while, so I had just enough time to take a few drags off a cigarette before playing Ces Ralston. Maybe I was still dwelling on my last match. I’m not sure what it was. While I felt good, I was making good decisions, playing good defense, I just couldn’t seem to close out the games.
I had gotten up 4-1 against Ces, but ended up losing the match 7-4. I wasn’t really disappointed though. I had shot well, and was just trying to clear my head for my upcoming match. My next opponent was Anne Martinez.
During our match, I felt like I was complete control. When she fired at me, I came back stronger. When she played defensively, I was seeing the return shots and playing right back. By the end of the match, she was talking to herself and had no confidence left. I saw how the “verbal assault” she was inflicting on herself was giving me strength. At that moment, I understood, and physically felt how she was “feeding me”. Before that, I think I only understood the concept of feeding or being fed. I had never actually paid attention to it. She fed me well and I won that match 7-2.
My next match would be against Sunny Griffin. I had a few hours so I ate and took a few Advil because I was starting to feel a little run down at that point.
When my match with Sunny started, I felt good. I remember lagging, and though I felt the nerves, I felt confident. I’m not sure if I was twisting my wrist or if my aim was off, but for some reason, I couldn’t close out the games. I missed three 9 balls that match. I was running balls, but I would miss shape on the 7, 8 or 9 and be unable and obviously unwilling to close the game. I lost my match with Sunny 7-5. Though I was disappointed to be out, all in all, I was satisfied. I was confident that I would do better in 8 ball. With a history of a strong break and good strategy, I felt good that I could play well and be a strong competitor in 8 ball.
8 Ball
I woke up pumped on Friday. I had a bye in the first round, so I wouldn’t play until 4PM. My opponent was Sunny, so I was ready to redeem myself from our 9 ball match.
I practiced a little before our match and was in stroke quickly. When I got to the table, I noticed Sunny seemed a little under the weather.
When we started our match, I could tell she wasn’t feeling well. She missed some pretty basic shots. She won the first game, but I felt good anyway. The table seemed to make sense through the match. I went for breakouts and played them well. I was cautious, but also aggressive and I think I took control of the match well. I ended up winning the match 4-1. When the match was over, I was a little flustered. I thought she was going to bite my head off when I asked Sunny to sign the sheet. I wasn’t aware that they weren’t requiring a signature from the losing player. She signed it nonetheless, and I happily turned my sheet in.
My next match wasn’t until 10PM, so I went and got something to eat. I felt really confident after my match. I had shot well, and felt I had made up for my loss against Sunny in 9 ball. My next opponent was a lady named Betsy Sundholm. I had no idea who she was, and I was looking forward to the match. If I won this match, I would play Vivian. I tried not to think about that too much to keep from psyching myself out.
We started our match and I knew I could win. I just had to play smart. Betsy was very aggressive, but she got herself into trouble. She avoided breakouts and would inevitably “kill off her soldiers.” I played defensively, yet aggressively. My defensive strategy is what won the match, but my aggression nearly cost me that win. I admit I got lucky taking that match. But a win is a win, and I walked away from the 4-3 match.
I was elated to be on the winner’s side going into the 2nd day. However, my next match with Vivian would not be until 10PM the next night. That frightened me a little because I knew it was enough time for me to psych myself out. I spent the day watching Ramin play, and various other matches. I tried to watch for the shots I struggle with and how people were playing them. I would as people how they did something when the opportunity came up. I did my best to stay focused on something other than the fact that I was getting tired and that I still had 7 hours until my match. I swear time dragged slower than ever before. I found it comical when I asked someone what time it was and they said 7:30. I asked someone else a little later what time it was and they told me “7:30”. I laughed when they corrected themselves and told me they forgot to change the time on their watch…It was actually 8:30. In the last 30 minutes before the match, I suddenly had an attack of the yawns. Ramin says to me “I like that. People yawn when they are nervous.” “GREAT” I thought to myself. His statement, though nonchalant, did nothing to relieve my frazzled nerves.
By the time our match began, I was a mess. I had destroyed myself all day. Beat myself up before I had the chance to get to the table. I was a wreck. I missed ball in hand, I messed up defensive shots. I missed balls that were straight in. I got ball in hand with the 5, the 2 and the 8 ball, and nearly messed it up. I was torturing myself when I was sitting, and when it was my turn to shoot, nothing made any sense. I was doing everything I had told myself not to do all day.
When the match was over and I had let her beat me 4-1, I felt very disappointed in myself, yet excited that I was still in, and would be back the next day. I was still alive, and I knew I could still go far.
My next match would be at 10AM. Feeling beat up, I drifted off to sleep quickly. I woke up the next morning feeling very tired, yet pumped to play. My opponent was going to be Jacqueline Karol. I warmed up with a few racks and then wandered around. I watched my opponent warm up and saw that she had a smooth stroke. She was pocketing nice shots.
Right away, I came out strong and played some really nice shots and strong defense. In the 4th rack, I had a lucky roll when I missed a shot and hooked her on her ball.
She got a good hit, but left me open for the out. It was not 2-2. During the last rack, I ran down to the 8 and missed. She was running the table and miscued. She got a good hit, but her ball rolled right between the cue ball and the 8, leaving me hooked.
The 8 ball was nearly frozen so I decided to go for making it. I knew merely hitting it wasn’t enough because it would surely leave her with an out. I did the measurements for the kick, and felt confident. I just got down and shot it before I could second guess myself, which I had done often during the week. As soon as I stroked it, I knew I had hit it good. I couldn’t have hit it any better it turns out. The cue ball hit the 8 nearly perfectly and sent it cleanly into the corner pocket. I shocked myself, and smiled big as I even got a little applause from a few onlookers. With the score now 3-2, Jacqueline broke and came up dry. The table was fairly open except for 2 balls tied up. I immediately broke them out and ran down to the 8. I didn’t leave myself easy though. I missed the shot and she came to the table to shoot. She made one ball, and then missed the next. For a moment, in my chair, I thought she had hooked me. I looked closely, and knew I could see it to get a good hit, but I didn’t think that I could catch enough of it for it to go. It was a very difficult cut, even if I could see the whole ball. I put a little bit of left hand English on it, and stroked it clean. The 8 ball very slowly made its way to the pocket and dropped in. I won the match with a very satisfying score of 4-2.
This win put me up against Brittany Bryant. I went into the hall to smoke a cigarette and prepare myself for the next match. I later learned that it was Jacqueline’s father, but he came up to me and shook my hand and said “Nice match, you shot great.” Appreciatively, I thanked him.
I was surprisingly not very nervous when our match began. I simply wanted to have fun and play my best.
We lagged. She hit it hard, and I learned I should have eaten my Wheaties. I lost the lag by an inch. I racked and made sure to do the deep breathing. I was having fun already. Maybe it was cocky of me, but I confidently felt like I was playing a game of cat and mouse. I played defensive shots when I could have broken up my trouble balls. I played the same defensive shot repeatedly. I could see I was wearing her down. I had noticed throughout the week that Brittany thought and played quickly. I knew the only way I had a chance was to slow her down and throw off her rhythm. I was doing it well. She won the first game but soon, the score was 2-1 in my favor. As she racked, I took my break. Ramin’s smile made me feel sheer happiness. I knew no matter what happened from this point on, I had done both of us proud. I was leading in a match against the former junior world champion. Happiness was an understatement.
I returned to the table and broke. Nothing dropped. To be honest, I think I zoned out because before I knew it, Brittany was on the hill, and I had barely gotten to the table. She missed a shot because she was trying to force the cue ball to the other side of the table. I was screaming in my head and felt like doing a little dance as the ball drifted toward the pocket and scratched. I had 5 balls on the table and saw a fairly easy run out. I executed it nearly flawlessly and was thrilled to move that bead making it hill-hill. I was hill-hill with Brittany Bryant. Holy cow! Losing the lag, I knew my chances were slim that I would get to the table. So I sat back, relaxed, and watched as Brittany methodically and graciously ran the table. Though at times, making shots of desperation, she did her job and I sat helplessly as she made her last ball and landed perfectly for a straight in shot on the 8. I knew this girl would never miss this shot after all the work she did, so I stood up and told her “That’s good.”
As I shook her hand, I felt so satisfied, and content, going home with a 7th place finish. Did I mention how thrilled I was to have gone hill-hill against Brittany Bryant? In case I forgot, I was and still am thrilled.
It made me feel even better to learn that she had been talking to someone about me. She said “I heard you’ve only been playing for like 6 months.” I said “Yea…I’m pretty new to the tournament world. This is my first big tournament.” She informed me that I was doing very well and to keep it up. “I’ll be here next year” was all I could say. “I hope I don’t play you next year.” WOW. A perfect end to an exhausting and amazing weekend.
So when is the next tournament? I’m hooked! .
The week before the USBTC, I was surprisingly calm. I was watching videos, reading my pool books, and just trying to get there, mentally speaking. I didn’t have much time to get on the table, so the thought of not much practice time was a bit unnerving. The Saturday before, I went to Danny K’s to play the tournament. During which, I felt a hopeless, exhausting feeling. I wasn’t seeing patterns, I couldn't make simple shots. I was talking trash to myself for 2 hours straight. When I lost in the first round, I beat myself up. I went to the car and stewed on my poor performance, and thought, “If I can’t perform here, I’ll never be able to hold it together in Reno. Instead of getting up, going back inside and grinding out an afternoon of practice and drilling, I took the easy road and took a nap. I woke up to an annoyed, disappointed Ramin exclaiming “Really?” through the car window. He didn’t have to say anything. I knew long before he came outside that I was only hurting myself in the long run. There is nothing more destructive than doing nothing at all. His disappointment was just icing on a very bitter tasting cake.
Waking up on Sunday, I was still dwelling a bit on the fact that I had wasted much of my opportunity to practice the day before. Ramin was feeling sick, and we were both popping vitamin C to try to avoid sickness. The plane ride was a tester. By the time we touched down in Reno, Ramin was really feeling down in the dumps. I was starting to sneeze as we went from the airport to the Sands Regency.
We got checked in and settled in the room. Then we went downstairs to check out the tournament room. To be perfectly honest, I was expecting this huge room, but was pleasantly surprised to see a rather small room with limited spectator seating. It made me feel a little better…just seemed a little cozier. (Can’t think of a better word.) Ramin and I practiced a little and while I was hitting them around, the body aches started. Suddenly, I felt feverish and I knew I was in trouble.
We went back upstairs, ate some food and went to sleep. When I woke up around 4AM, I thought I was dying. Ramin and I were both running fevers. Getting up to get ready to play was not easy, but we did it, and suddenly it was 1PM. Time for Ramin to play. Ladies 10 ball would not start until 6PM, so I had some more time to prepare myself.
Or so I thought. When I looked at the board for the first time, I was struck with laughter. My first opponent was Vivian Villarreal. “How does that work?” I thought. My first tournament, and my first match, I go up against the veteran player of the tournament. I decided to just let it turn into a learning experience. Or at least that is what I tried to convince myself to do. We both got into the small room, where I was actually comforted to be in. It felt a little less exposed I guess. I wasn’t worried about everyone seeing the endless amount of unforced errors I was sure I was going to string together. Though I tried to keep myself in a positive mood, I was being brutally realistic with myself, and not expecting too much from my performance.
10 Ball
We lagged. I lost. I racked (with a Magic Rack, which I’d never used before). She broke. Next thing I knew, she was up on me 3-0. I remember thinking as I was breaking, “Ok, I want this game.” As I watched Vivian during the first few games, I noticed that my safeties were starting to annoy her. I was slowing her down. Throwing off her rhythm was the only way I was going to get anywhere in this match. So that was the direction I took for that game. While she got good hits after each safety, I was able to get decent run out position eventually, and ran out the rack. The feeling of elation that I had for winning that one game was indescribable. It pushed me. I knew at that moment I could win another. Which I did. The next rack, I broke and came up dry. The balls were scattered, and after a few solid breakouts, and grueling shots, Vivian ran out on me. I felt okay about it though. She hadn’t skunked me, and I felt ok, even though physically, I was in serious agony. I hurried up to the room to pound more Alka Selzer, DayQuil, and some water. Then I had to go right back down stairs for y next match. I ended up playing a very nice woman named Vicky Rose. It was a good transition to go from Vivian to Vicky. She was courteous, friendly and I felt a little more confident at that point.
Unfortunately, I think my positive feeling was from the fuzzy high I was on from the medications. Normally a few Advil’s for a headache is the extent of my pill popping. Not that it is an excuse, but I do feel like mentally, I did as well as I could expect from myself at that moment. I lost the match hill-hill. Despite the fact that I lost 2-0, and was out of the tournament, I have to admit I was a little relieved to have the next day free to rest and recover. By the time I went to bed, I was exhausted and feeling awful. I kept Ramin up, I’m sure, with my pathetic whining. I felt miserable.
The next day, I did nothing. I lay in bed most of the day…while Ramin and I dealt with getting my phone back. I had left it in the cab on the way from the airport, and it was quite the ordeal getting it back…we’ll just leave those details out…
At around 5PM, we got up and started moving around. After lounging all day, we decided I should move around and loosen up my muscles. I was in for a long day Wednesday, and I wanted to do well, so I was praying that I would feel alright the next day.
9 Ball
When I woke up Wednesday morning, I felt a million times better. I was looking forward to playing. I figured I had plenty of time, assuming the women would start in the evening like we did in 10 ball. I was wrong.
I had gone downstairs to look for Ramin and find out where he would be playing, but I couldn’t find him. Thinking he may have gone back up to the room, I headed for the elevator. As the doors opened, he walks out with my cue in hand. “Come on, you’re up, and you’re on the T.V. table.”
“WHAT?”
Trying not to panic, I listened to Ramin’s voice as he told me, “Calm down. You are fine. Just breathe. Breathe.” I went up the stairs and went to the table. Ramin got tokens for me, and brought them over. I was pleased to find out I was actually going to play Vicky again. Seeing a semi-familiar place made the pressure melt away a little. We started playing right away. It took me a few racks to get it together. She was up on me 3-1 when I finally started to feel in stroke.
I made some really nice shots and played some well executed defensive shots. By the end of the match I was feeling very comfortable. I finished it out at 7-3.
Right away I was up again. My match with Vicky had taken a while, so I had just enough time to take a few drags off a cigarette before playing Ces Ralston. Maybe I was still dwelling on my last match. I’m not sure what it was. While I felt good, I was making good decisions, playing good defense, I just couldn’t seem to close out the games.
I had gotten up 4-1 against Ces, but ended up losing the match 7-4. I wasn’t really disappointed though. I had shot well, and was just trying to clear my head for my upcoming match. My next opponent was Anne Martinez.
During our match, I felt like I was complete control. When she fired at me, I came back stronger. When she played defensively, I was seeing the return shots and playing right back. By the end of the match, she was talking to herself and had no confidence left. I saw how the “verbal assault” she was inflicting on herself was giving me strength. At that moment, I understood, and physically felt how she was “feeding me”. Before that, I think I only understood the concept of feeding or being fed. I had never actually paid attention to it. She fed me well and I won that match 7-2.
My next match would be against Sunny Griffin. I had a few hours so I ate and took a few Advil because I was starting to feel a little run down at that point.
When my match with Sunny started, I felt good. I remember lagging, and though I felt the nerves, I felt confident. I’m not sure if I was twisting my wrist or if my aim was off, but for some reason, I couldn’t close out the games. I missed three 9 balls that match. I was running balls, but I would miss shape on the 7, 8 or 9 and be unable and obviously unwilling to close the game. I lost my match with Sunny 7-5. Though I was disappointed to be out, all in all, I was satisfied. I was confident that I would do better in 8 ball. With a history of a strong break and good strategy, I felt good that I could play well and be a strong competitor in 8 ball.
8 Ball
I woke up pumped on Friday. I had a bye in the first round, so I wouldn’t play until 4PM. My opponent was Sunny, so I was ready to redeem myself from our 9 ball match.
I practiced a little before our match and was in stroke quickly. When I got to the table, I noticed Sunny seemed a little under the weather.
When we started our match, I could tell she wasn’t feeling well. She missed some pretty basic shots. She won the first game, but I felt good anyway. The table seemed to make sense through the match. I went for breakouts and played them well. I was cautious, but also aggressive and I think I took control of the match well. I ended up winning the match 4-1. When the match was over, I was a little flustered. I thought she was going to bite my head off when I asked Sunny to sign the sheet. I wasn’t aware that they weren’t requiring a signature from the losing player. She signed it nonetheless, and I happily turned my sheet in.
My next match wasn’t until 10PM, so I went and got something to eat. I felt really confident after my match. I had shot well, and felt I had made up for my loss against Sunny in 9 ball. My next opponent was a lady named Betsy Sundholm. I had no idea who she was, and I was looking forward to the match. If I won this match, I would play Vivian. I tried not to think about that too much to keep from psyching myself out.
We started our match and I knew I could win. I just had to play smart. Betsy was very aggressive, but she got herself into trouble. She avoided breakouts and would inevitably “kill off her soldiers.” I played defensively, yet aggressively. My defensive strategy is what won the match, but my aggression nearly cost me that win. I admit I got lucky taking that match. But a win is a win, and I walked away from the 4-3 match.
I was elated to be on the winner’s side going into the 2nd day. However, my next match with Vivian would not be until 10PM the next night. That frightened me a little because I knew it was enough time for me to psych myself out. I spent the day watching Ramin play, and various other matches. I tried to watch for the shots I struggle with and how people were playing them. I would as people how they did something when the opportunity came up. I did my best to stay focused on something other than the fact that I was getting tired and that I still had 7 hours until my match. I swear time dragged slower than ever before. I found it comical when I asked someone what time it was and they said 7:30. I asked someone else a little later what time it was and they told me “7:30”. I laughed when they corrected themselves and told me they forgot to change the time on their watch…It was actually 8:30. In the last 30 minutes before the match, I suddenly had an attack of the yawns. Ramin says to me “I like that. People yawn when they are nervous.” “GREAT” I thought to myself. His statement, though nonchalant, did nothing to relieve my frazzled nerves.
By the time our match began, I was a mess. I had destroyed myself all day. Beat myself up before I had the chance to get to the table. I was a wreck. I missed ball in hand, I messed up defensive shots. I missed balls that were straight in. I got ball in hand with the 5, the 2 and the 8 ball, and nearly messed it up. I was torturing myself when I was sitting, and when it was my turn to shoot, nothing made any sense. I was doing everything I had told myself not to do all day.
When the match was over and I had let her beat me 4-1, I felt very disappointed in myself, yet excited that I was still in, and would be back the next day. I was still alive, and I knew I could still go far.
My next match would be at 10AM. Feeling beat up, I drifted off to sleep quickly. I woke up the next morning feeling very tired, yet pumped to play. My opponent was going to be Jacqueline Karol. I warmed up with a few racks and then wandered around. I watched my opponent warm up and saw that she had a smooth stroke. She was pocketing nice shots.
Right away, I came out strong and played some really nice shots and strong defense. In the 4th rack, I had a lucky roll when I missed a shot and hooked her on her ball.
She got a good hit, but left me open for the out. It was not 2-2. During the last rack, I ran down to the 8 and missed. She was running the table and miscued. She got a good hit, but her ball rolled right between the cue ball and the 8, leaving me hooked.
The 8 ball was nearly frozen so I decided to go for making it. I knew merely hitting it wasn’t enough because it would surely leave her with an out. I did the measurements for the kick, and felt confident. I just got down and shot it before I could second guess myself, which I had done often during the week. As soon as I stroked it, I knew I had hit it good. I couldn’t have hit it any better it turns out. The cue ball hit the 8 nearly perfectly and sent it cleanly into the corner pocket. I shocked myself, and smiled big as I even got a little applause from a few onlookers. With the score now 3-2, Jacqueline broke and came up dry. The table was fairly open except for 2 balls tied up. I immediately broke them out and ran down to the 8. I didn’t leave myself easy though. I missed the shot and she came to the table to shoot. She made one ball, and then missed the next. For a moment, in my chair, I thought she had hooked me. I looked closely, and knew I could see it to get a good hit, but I didn’t think that I could catch enough of it for it to go. It was a very difficult cut, even if I could see the whole ball. I put a little bit of left hand English on it, and stroked it clean. The 8 ball very slowly made its way to the pocket and dropped in. I won the match with a very satisfying score of 4-2.
This win put me up against Brittany Bryant. I went into the hall to smoke a cigarette and prepare myself for the next match. I later learned that it was Jacqueline’s father, but he came up to me and shook my hand and said “Nice match, you shot great.” Appreciatively, I thanked him.
I was surprisingly not very nervous when our match began. I simply wanted to have fun and play my best.
We lagged. She hit it hard, and I learned I should have eaten my Wheaties. I lost the lag by an inch. I racked and made sure to do the deep breathing. I was having fun already. Maybe it was cocky of me, but I confidently felt like I was playing a game of cat and mouse. I played defensive shots when I could have broken up my trouble balls. I played the same defensive shot repeatedly. I could see I was wearing her down. I had noticed throughout the week that Brittany thought and played quickly. I knew the only way I had a chance was to slow her down and throw off her rhythm. I was doing it well. She won the first game but soon, the score was 2-1 in my favor. As she racked, I took my break. Ramin’s smile made me feel sheer happiness. I knew no matter what happened from this point on, I had done both of us proud. I was leading in a match against the former junior world champion. Happiness was an understatement.
I returned to the table and broke. Nothing dropped. To be honest, I think I zoned out because before I knew it, Brittany was on the hill, and I had barely gotten to the table. She missed a shot because she was trying to force the cue ball to the other side of the table. I was screaming in my head and felt like doing a little dance as the ball drifted toward the pocket and scratched. I had 5 balls on the table and saw a fairly easy run out. I executed it nearly flawlessly and was thrilled to move that bead making it hill-hill. I was hill-hill with Brittany Bryant. Holy cow! Losing the lag, I knew my chances were slim that I would get to the table. So I sat back, relaxed, and watched as Brittany methodically and graciously ran the table. Though at times, making shots of desperation, she did her job and I sat helplessly as she made her last ball and landed perfectly for a straight in shot on the 8. I knew this girl would never miss this shot after all the work she did, so I stood up and told her “That’s good.”
As I shook her hand, I felt so satisfied, and content, going home with a 7th place finish. Did I mention how thrilled I was to have gone hill-hill against Brittany Bryant? In case I forgot, I was and still am thrilled.
It made me feel even better to learn that she had been talking to someone about me. She said “I heard you’ve only been playing for like 6 months.” I said “Yea…I’m pretty new to the tournament world. This is my first big tournament.” She informed me that I was doing very well and to keep it up. “I’ll be here next year” was all I could say. “I hope I don’t play you next year.” WOW. A perfect end to an exhausting and amazing weekend.
So when is the next tournament? I’m hooked! .