DIARY OF A STUDENT
ROAD TRIP TO SACRAMENTO, CA FOR CHUCK MARKULIS MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
When i woke up Friday morning, I was instantly excited. I was going on a roadtrip to Sacramento, CA for the Chuck Markulis Memorial Tournament. In case you have never heard that name before, Chuck Markulis was the original owner of the world famous "Hard Times Billiards" located in Bellflower, CA and also Sacramento, CA. He was very popular in the California pool community, and regarded as " the best friend a pool player could ever have." (Thanks Jay) So not only am I going to go to my first traveling event, but I am not going to be alone.
I would be driving to Sacramento in the same car with some VERY good pool players. Ramin Bakhtiari, Kent Davis, and Tang Hoa would also be in the car with me. You don't understand how exciting this was for me. So much knowledge and wisdom in one car! I had a million questions I wanted to ask them.
I guess I will tell you a little bit about the guys that I would be riding with in case you aren't familiar with their backgrounds. Tang Hoa is an amazing player. He won the Swanson Memorial tournament in 2000 and has placed in numerous others such as the Derby City Classic, and Reno Open. He has a lot of control of his mental game. He has the ability to not only take control of a match and render his opponent helpless from the start, but to also reverse the momentum of a match he may be losing and come back to take it. He has the best "poker face" in pool that I have seen in a long time. I was inspired by his attitude from the very start. He loves the game, and therefore, the game loves him back. Guess what? He also shoots with a Kent Davis cue. Which brings me to the next passenger.
Mr, Kent Davis himself. Kent Davis is becoming more and more popular amongst the Southern California pool scene. His beautiful, hand-crafted cues are quite a find. More and more players are learning that his skills not only produce a nice looking cue stick, but a cue stick that shoots well. He has been part of the Southern California pool community for years, and his knowledge of the game makes him a player to watch out for. He has already given me a few suggestions and tips that have given me a new perspective on certain shots and ways to control the cue ball. '
Of course, we wouldn't be going anywhere if it weren't for the driver. Ramin would be driving us to our destination. He is the reason I am here, so he is definitely the most important part of this experience. If I hadn't met him, I never would have thought I would be capable of competing with these fine pool players.
So here I am, in the car with Ramin Bakhtiari, Tang Hoa, and Kent Davis. I was a little beside myself for a while...absorbing it all. Tang and I discussed one of the books I've been reading, I played around on Photoshop for a bit, and the boys slept. I decided that I would wait to grill the guys on how they thought I could improve my game until later. We pulled into town about an hour before the Mini-tournaments would be starting at Hard Times. It was time to check into our rooms and get ready to head over to Hard Times!
ROAD TRIP TO SACRAMENTO, CA FOR CHUCK MARKULIS MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
When i woke up Friday morning, I was instantly excited. I was going on a roadtrip to Sacramento, CA for the Chuck Markulis Memorial Tournament. In case you have never heard that name before, Chuck Markulis was the original owner of the world famous "Hard Times Billiards" located in Bellflower, CA and also Sacramento, CA. He was very popular in the California pool community, and regarded as " the best friend a pool player could ever have." (Thanks Jay) So not only am I going to go to my first traveling event, but I am not going to be alone.
I would be driving to Sacramento in the same car with some VERY good pool players. Ramin Bakhtiari, Kent Davis, and Tang Hoa would also be in the car with me. You don't understand how exciting this was for me. So much knowledge and wisdom in one car! I had a million questions I wanted to ask them.
I guess I will tell you a little bit about the guys that I would be riding with in case you aren't familiar with their backgrounds. Tang Hoa is an amazing player. He won the Swanson Memorial tournament in 2000 and has placed in numerous others such as the Derby City Classic, and Reno Open. He has a lot of control of his mental game. He has the ability to not only take control of a match and render his opponent helpless from the start, but to also reverse the momentum of a match he may be losing and come back to take it. He has the best "poker face" in pool that I have seen in a long time. I was inspired by his attitude from the very start. He loves the game, and therefore, the game loves him back. Guess what? He also shoots with a Kent Davis cue. Which brings me to the next passenger.
Mr, Kent Davis himself. Kent Davis is becoming more and more popular amongst the Southern California pool scene. His beautiful, hand-crafted cues are quite a find. More and more players are learning that his skills not only produce a nice looking cue stick, but a cue stick that shoots well. He has been part of the Southern California pool community for years, and his knowledge of the game makes him a player to watch out for. He has already given me a few suggestions and tips that have given me a new perspective on certain shots and ways to control the cue ball. '
Of course, we wouldn't be going anywhere if it weren't for the driver. Ramin would be driving us to our destination. He is the reason I am here, so he is definitely the most important part of this experience. If I hadn't met him, I never would have thought I would be capable of competing with these fine pool players.
So here I am, in the car with Ramin Bakhtiari, Tang Hoa, and Kent Davis. I was a little beside myself for a while...absorbing it all. Tang and I discussed one of the books I've been reading, I played around on Photoshop for a bit, and the boys slept. I decided that I would wait to grill the guys on how they thought I could improve my game until later. We pulled into town about an hour before the Mini-tournaments would be starting at Hard Times. It was time to check into our rooms and get ready to head over to Hard Times!
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Ramin, Tang, Kent and I all piled back into the car and headed down to Hard Times. Honestly, I was very anxious. Very excited. The first time I walked into Hard Times in Bellflower, I was so nervous. I wasn't even going to play, but my nerves were jittery. I guess when you watch the videos, see the settings, and know the players that frequent certain establishments, it almost makes them landmarks. I felt like I was walking into the Louvre, however dramatic that may seem. This pool room is made of legends...the best of the best. So pulling into the parking lot and seeing the glowing red sign reading "Hard Times Billiards" made me smile. We walked inside and I was instantly pumped up. Seeing the beautiful, well maintained tables. Hearing the familiar clacking of the balls, the sound of a solid break, and seeing familiar faces took some of the anxiousness away and replaced it with a feeling of sheer happiness. Right away, I saw a very tough field of players. Brian Parks, Santos, Oscar and Ernesto Dominguez, Dave Hemma, and Rafael Martinez are just a few of the faces I saw right away when we walked through the door. We walked straight into the tournament room and struck up a few conversations with friends. As I looked around, I smiled. Sitting, in a line, were gentlemen who truly understand, love, and respect the game. Watching, absorbing, feeding off of the action taking place before them. I have dubbed them, respectfully, as "The Judges". As I knelt down to take a photo of them, they all smiled. I was beaming, inside and out. After a while, we decided to get a rack and practice a little. Maybe it is because I'm still new to this caliber of play, and new to the world of exceptionally well-played pool, but I felt very privaleged to be in the same room with these players. As I looked around I saw steady cue ball control, fluid strokes, and amazing shots being made. All the while, I'm thinking to myself...."Wow, I'm competing with these great players tomorrow!"
Then, Bustamante and Efren walked in.
Then, Bustamante and Efren walked in.
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At first, I saw Bustamante. I was totally starstruck. Ramin chuckled at me and then really put me on the spot when he asks him to take a photo with me. The poor guy had just walked through the door and already he is being bombarded by some crazed pool fan...I was a little embarrassed. But I quickly got over it as we took the photo together. After that, we wandered around for a bit and ended up in the tournament room again, watching fellow players practice for the next day. I was looking around, when all of a sudden I looked right next to me, and Efren was standing there. I made some weird grunting noise and it caught Ramin's attention. He smiled and laughed at me. Then, he embarrassed me again by asking Efren to pose for a photo with me. We walked into the main room and he took a few quick pictures. It may sound silly, but I always think of him being this little happy guy that just bounces around the pool table, effortlessly pocketing balls, and creating perfect cue ball control, and shape. I was on cloud nine as we left Hard Times, and returned to our hotel to try to get some rest for the next day.
Read more on my trip to Sacramento. Click the links below to follow me through my journey.
Sacramento Day 2
Sacramento Day 3
Read more on my trip to Sacramento. Click the links below to follow me through my journey.
Sacramento Day 2
Sacramento Day 3