Balance

Returning to work after my trip to Spain was a bit overwhelming. In the process of catching up on work, I seem to have stumbled into a more balanced life. Over the past few years, my life was consumed with work and pool and very little else. Although I am a bit scared of what my pool game will look like in San Diego in march, it's a bit of a relief to have a more well rounded personal life.

In addition to working on some new projects with my family, I returned to my involvement with a non-profit organization that was a huge part of my life in high school and college. Eventually I will post more details about that organization but for now I'll stick to some pool updates.

I have been working with Predator a lot recently on sevearl different things and the CEO, Karim, has proven to be a great mentor for me. Karim is making his rounds this week in Texas visiting retailers and so I accompanied him to a sales training at the Billiard Factory. The store was a great facility in the new Galleria area and best of all, they carry lots of beautiful Brunswick tables :)

I will most likely be partnering with the Billiard Factory on a few events soon but no details as of yet.

Karim is the KING of a balanced lifestyle. He works hard and plays hard so anytime I spend time with him we do something constructive business-wise, followed by something fun. After our visit with the Billiard Factory guys, Claudia joined us for some wine and appetizers at Mandolas and then to one of Austin's tourist attractions, The Oasis.

The Oasis is a fun restaurant on the lake with overpriced mediocre food but some spectacular views. The weather was beautiful so we sat on the patio and enjoyed some margaritas and guacamoles, two Texas staples. That night, my boyfriend and I met Claudia, Karim and some girl friends out at the clubs.

During the Mosconi Cup in December, the National Finals Rodeo was in town and Karim was VERY disappointed when he polled the airport only to find that NONE of the cowboy hat wearing travelers were from Texas. With his stereotype shattered, we decided to take Karim to a new country bar with plenty of cowboy hats and boots. My boyfriend's college friends were all at this same bar so it was an interesting night.

Back to the working hard part of my balanced life this week then we are off for more fun this weekend. Predator donated items for the silent auction at the Magic Johnson and Alonzo Morning Charity 8-ball Tournament that kicks-off the NBA Allstar weekend in Dallas. So, obviously we HAVE to go represent :) I will not be joining the guys for the games this weekend but I'm certainly up for the pool part. I'll post pics of the weekend when I return.

RTC, Players to watch...

The WPBA has made a number of changes over the last year and one major change is the qualifying process. In the past, players had to win a qualifier to play in just one event. There’s a lot more to that old process but it would take far too long to explain all of the ways you could qualify to play in one or many events. The new process is much more streamlined and will hopefully prove to make a stronger consistent showing of players at the WPBA events.

The top 48 players in the end of year rankings for the WPBA have earned exemptions for 2010 and the remaining 16 slots at each event will be filled in a number of ways, the most important being the top 9 finishers at the Regional Tour Championship. This is one of my two favorite tournaments of the year because it usually brings in many of my friends from around the country and it’s a great opportunity to hang out with everyone at once. That being said, I am considering making the trip as a vacation to go and support all of the girls.

The winner of the RTC receives paid entry into all WPBA events in 2010 excluding the U.S. Open and the Tour Championships. I recently was able to see the tentative list of players and am very excited to see so many great players. Although I do not know some of the girls on the list, I do have my predictions of who could very possibly win this event.

First on the list is a past RTC Champion, Amanda Lampert. She is a good friend of mine and an incredible player. She won the RTC in 2006 or 2007 (I can’t quite remember) but had seemed to lose interest in playing for a bit. But I know she is now very determined and focused and, as a result, has been spending a lot of time on her game so she certainly has a great chance to win.

The next two who have proven to be able to hang on the WPBA are Bonnie Plowman and Heather Pulford. I haven’t seen them play in awhile since they moved away from the Austin area but if they are still playing a lot, both are very capable of snapping this off. Bonnie came very close to winning it last year and Heather has previously had an exempt spot on the tour so she is very seasoned as well.

So I might be a little bias because all of the girls I have just mentioned have come thru the OBCues tour but my next one will also be from that tour, Lisa Marr. Lisa was also an exempt player in the past and regularly wins tournaments on the OBCues tour.

The next two girls that could have a strong chance at winning this event are 2 former Junior Champions, Mary Rankin and Liz Lovely. Mary has a great deal of fire power, she has a big stroke and an aggressive game, certainly a force to be reckoned with. Liz has also gained a good amount of experience on the tour recently and is no stranger to the winners circle.

Although those are the girls that stand out in my mind to possibly win this event, there are several others I expect to see in the top 9 or very close to that. Julie Comitini, another past WPBA player, has been ranked as high as the top 15 on the tour and is back on the tournament trail. Borana Andoni and Katie Cowan are younger players that have been placing high in big events over the past year or two. Katie has played in several WPBA events and Borana regularly plays in Predator Tour events in the NYC area where she has defeated a number of notable male players.

Lastly, four players that also have a good chance at earning a spot in the top 9 are Naomi Williams, Tina Larsen, Veronique Menard and Orietta Strickland. I don’t know Naomi well but have seen her play in a few events and she can certainly hang. I first met Tina through the APA at the U.S. Amateur Championships a few years back. She is another very aggressive player and regularly places in the top at many national events. Veronique had a strong finish in the Galveston event and Orietta is a very methodical steady player as well.

The format is a bit different this year so I don’t know how this will play out. I hope to see many of my friends do well but I’m sure whichever girls win, they will be good additions to the tour. The tournament takes place the 3rd weekend in February so anyone in the L.A. area should come out to watch.

La Experiencia

I have loved pool since I first began playing. There are many aspects that I find intriguing but I think I am drawn to the sport for different reasons more recently than I was when I first began playing. At first, I was fascinated by the ways the balls move, the strategy and the competitiveness of the sport. But these are things you can find in many other sports.

Perhaps it is unfortunate and fortunate that the availability of an established men's tour is lacking in the United States. On the one hand, American players, men in particular, have limited options on good tournaments. However, this has caused the industry to be a global market and thus the players must travel to where the money is. I don't like to word it that way where it seems like players are only after the money but in reality, you support those that support you. Companies that are willing to put money back into the industry are the companies you want to see succeed.

Every time I fly into a new city I think about how lucky I am to have the opportunities that I have. As much as we complain about our sport sometimes, it's the intangibles that keep us coming back. There are interesting and unique characters involved in all levels of pool from players, to promoters, to sponsors. There is a distinct culture that only pool players can understand. And the tournaments we attend provide unparalleled experiences that you can't find anywhere else.

Live streaming has become very popular in our sport and it has allowed fans from across the world to familiarize themselves with top players that they may never see in person. This is a great thing. But nothing compares to experiencing a great tournament first hand. The friends you make, the dramatic matches you witness, and the cultures you engage with while at the tournament in person are all things you would miss out on.

I am currently in Lloret de Mar, Spain for the Predator World Tour event and so far it has been an incredible experience and the tournament is still 2 days away. I will be posting pics and details about the trip soon.

Best Advice I Ever Received

I was filling out my player bio for the WPBA website this week and found a few pretty interesting questions on there.

"The best advice I ever received was:"

When I moved to Austin after college I joined an APA league. I am super competitive and I really wanted to improve my game so I started taking lessons shortly after I started playing. There are many very valuable things I learned from my instructor, Rod Gustafson, but this particular piece of advice continues to influence me.

"Put yourself in competitions above your skill level whenever possible."

I don't care if you are straight up DONATING in a tournament and have zero shot of cashing...if you can afford to play in it, make yourself play. This will do wonders for your game on so many levels. Obviously playing better players will help you improve because you will learn from them but you can learn from them by just watching higher level play too.

Sure you might feel completely stupid playing in a tournament that some may say you have no business playing in but believe me, it will cure you of all nervousness in other tournaments. (Well maybe not ALL nervousness but it sure puts things into perspective)

Many people wait until they think they are "ready" to play in a big tournament instead of just jumping feet first any chance they get. I understand the reasoning behind waiting until you feel mentally ready and feel like your skill level is there but I think it "wastes" your real chance at doing well. Let me explain what I mean by "waste".

If you wait until your skill level is there, you are still going to have those "oh my god" moments when you play a world famous player or when you are playing in front of a huge crowd or on the TV table. And inevitably, you will not play your best because you will have all these other things factoring into your mental game. But, if you throw yourself in before your skill level is there, you will get all those nervous moments over with. And the next time you play a top name or play on a TV table, it won't be quite as big of a distraction to your game.

Then, when your skill level has caught up with the level of competition you are playing against, you will have that seasoning that other new players to those tournaments won't have. And you won't be "wasting" your real shot at cashing or placing in a bigger tournament.

Work Hard, Play Hard :)

My last post was all about the tournament...but that was all work. This will be all about the fun outside of the event. We all know you can't go to Vegas and not play a little :)

Unlike most people who visit Vegas, I don't gamble...AT ALL. Not out of principle or because I get carried away or anything like that. I just came to realize that if I gambled at every tournament we went to, I would be broke quickly. There's at least one tournament a month at a casino and I can think of a million other things I would rather with a few hundred dollars a month than blow it on slots or table games.

The first couple of days were pretty slow. I met up with Tim from Cuetec one night to catch up and just relaxed the other night after a pretty eventful Players Reception. The interviews at the reception were fun, especially as it got later, the interviews got more and more candid.

Karim from Predator arrived on Thursday and that's when all the fun began. He took me and a couple of friends to an awesome dinner at B&B in the Venetian. There's nothing like a good bottle of wine (or a couple of bottles in our case) and a great meal. After a tame first evening, we scheduled another nice dinner at a steakhouse in the Bellagio called Fix. We stopped by the bar while we waited for our reservation and stumbled upon a satellite event for the WPT tournament that was taking place.

A couple of my poker friends were at the satellite event so I hung out with Shannon Shorr for a bit while we watched his buddy at the final table. The poker boys are fun but when they are there for work, it's tough to spend time with them.

After that it was off to the club. I would love to post all my pics but I fear that I might incriminate some of my friends so these are the PG ones :)

I'm a big people watcher and this Vegas club was quite entertaining. Karim booked a VIP table at Tryst and throughout the night the bouncers brought over group after group of young girls to entertain our group (which was all guys and 2 girls). The girls started out cute but as the night went on they looked more and more rough :) but everyone seemed to have a good time anyway. I showed Karim how to dance to some spanish music (okay he kinda already knew how to dance to it) then Melinda, Michael, Mike and I cut out early to head back to the MGM. Karim and the boys closed the place down and I heard some fun stories the next day.

Shane's grandparents were in town so it was great to see them and spend some time catching up. This was also the first tournament where Shane and I were able to hang out and it not be awkward so that was a nice change.

After the tournament ended, Kevin and I went to one of the oldest steakhouses in Vegas which is a quaint little place off the strip. Then we braved the Las Vegas Cue Club which I had always heard was a very sketchy, unsafe place to go. I had heard correctly. Walking into the ladies bathroom I was confronted by transvestites and crackheads who didn't know the meaning of personal space. Our visit there was understandably short lived and we retreated back to the MGM to meet up with Shane and some of the other players.


My last day there consisted of lunch and a long practice session with Shane. It was a fun trip all around. Great people, great tournament, and I loved working with Matchroom. I'm very glad to be home though and have gotten some much needed rest. 2 more weeks then I'm off to Europe :)

Mosconi Cup 2009 - USA over Europe 11-7

I'm finally recovered from too many days in Vegas. Being a pool player, naturally Vegas is a usual tournament destination but there is only so much I can take of it these days. I've conditioned myself not to gamble while I'm there but I can't help but spend a ridiculous amount of money on food and drinks. They have some of the best restaurants and clubs, I just can't help myself.

But enough about me, let's talk about Team USA and the tournament itself. First let me say that the people at Matchroom are awesome and do amazing things for the sport. I love all of their events and hope that they can continue these traditions.

The U.S. had dominated for many years in the Mosconi Cup but have struggled in recent years. The European team (featuring 5 World Champions) were favored on the betting sites with 2-1 odds! The players of Team Europe were calling this their "Dream Team." Now don't get me wrong, I think these players are all amazing, but 2-1 being the line is just crazy. That means the US would have had to lose 11-5 or worse. Whoever did these odds obviously underestimated the power of the newbies on Team USA.

From Day 1, Jerry Forsythe predicted the betting site to be wrong and, although he did not think the USA was the favorites to win it, he was sure they would beat the spread. Now we all know the results but let me tell you what I saw from behind the scenes.

In the practice room Captain, Nick Varner, had set up inspirational posters all over the room. He had new players pictures imposed on backgrounds of Mosconi Cup sets to show them shooting in the Mosconi Cup arena. He had posters of boxers like Ali and other inspirational athletes around the wall with quotes about heart and determination. And perhaps the most important of all, along the exit he had a poster of Team Europe winning the 2008 Mosconi Cup in Malta with the words "This is NOT Acceptable!" above it. The players would slap this poster every time they exited the room.

This was the first year that Team USA acted and practiced like a team. They had team breakfasts each morning before the matches started, the would support each other in the stands when they weren't playing, team dinners every night and a curfew that kept anyone from getting wrapped up in all that is Vegas.

New this year was the public vote. The fans had it right when they chose Hatch to join this team. He was by far the heart and soul of the team and you could tell at any moment that this mean the world to him to be part of this. He played incredible all week, pumped all the other players up and would help them keep an eye on the clock from the stands. He was awarded the very much deserved MVP for Team USA. I hope they invite him back next year.

Shane played an awesome final match that was a must win situation. If he had lost that match, Europe may have had too much momentum going into the final few matches. I saw a completely different player in him this weekend, some emotion that he never shows. Hopefully that carries into other tournaments for him and he'll be "hungry" again to win.

What Does it Take to be a Champion?

For the past few weeks there has been a long thread in the AZ Forums around the question "What does it take to be a Champion?" I will avoid all the drama surrounding this and what has transpired through these posts as this is NOT why I am bringing this thread to anyone's attention. I will also start by staying that I can offer no definiative answers to this question. From my observations in being around other champions and seeing the daily lives and practice schedules of those that have acheived that level, I can make assumptions about what I think it takes, but I don't know for sure.

A friend of mine is fairly involved in the boxing world and trains athletes which at first seemed a little unrelated to pool. However, the more I have exposed this friend to the pool world the more I see these concepts of mental toughness and self discipline to be applicable to pool (or any sport for that matter). Perhaps the best piece of advice he's given me is not to fight what is in your nature to do. For instance, it's in my nature to dwell on something that has gone wrong or that may go wrong. I get this from my father. He is a habitual worrier and no matter how much I don't want to think about the negatives, I'm a "worst case scenario" type of thinker. I guess this comes with the math/engineering side of me. So instead, he has suggested that I find a way to channel that energy and change WHAT I think about those shots since I obviously will not let myself forget about them.

My favorite champion is not my favorite because he was tactful and well spoken...he was far from it. It was his sheer confidence (which many might call arrogance) that I admire because I wish I had the balls to think and be more like that.

"I like the moment when I break a man's ego." -- Bobby Fischer

"I like to make them squirm." -- Bobby Fischer

"I am the best player in the world and I am here to prove it." -- Bobby Fischer

"I play honestly and I play to win. If I lose, I take my medicine." -- Bobby Fischer

"You have to have the fighting spirit. You have to force moves and take chances." -- Bobby Fischer

"You know, I can beat all those guys." -- Bobby Fischer

"There's no one alive I can't beat." -- Bobby Fischer

"Let's play. I'm willing to play anywhere." -- Bobby Fischer

"Don't even mention losing to me. I can't stand to think of it." -- Bobby Fischer

"I wanted to give them something to think about when they prepare for me in future tournaments." -- Bobby Fischer