Great Lakes Classic

After a looooong trip overseas, having stomach woes from the food, catching colds from bad air, being depressed because of the 4 weeks of rain with no sun, Shane finally had a smile on his face on the very last night of his trip to the Philippines and China. I was enjoying the last day of my trip to Houston for the OBCues tour at the time but I stole away a few moments to chat with him online before he had to head home. He had a rough time over there with back and forth wins and losses in the pool rooms but on his very last night he got his revenge on Fu with a VERY big win that he was understandably excited about.



Coincidentally, that same day I was notified that I was (by default) eligible for the Great Lakes Classic...the only catch was that it started in THREE DAYS! All my favorite people stepped up for me to support my goals in pool. My boss approved me leave on VERY short notice, my sponsors (A-Tex Family Fun Center) booked me a ticket back from Chicago and my awesome boyfriend decided to drive up there with me to support me. So Tuesday night we headed out in his truck for a fun 18 hour drive. We drove straight thru with only a two hour pit stop somewhere near Memphis.



We arrived in Michigan City with about 30 mintues to spare before the Players Meeting. As luck would have it, I drew Jasmin first round. I was initially excited, there are very few players I respect more than Jasmin, on and off the table. But that excitement was short lived when Steve told me our match would be the first up on the streaming table the next day...GULP! As if there is not enough pressure playing against arguably the top female player in the world, let's display it for EVERYONE to see. And, as anticipated, I completely embarrassed myself. I couldn't think straight, made bad shot decision, and was just lucky to come away with the few games that I got.

I continued my horrible play all weekend but somehow came out with a win. I did get to spend some time with a few of the girls and am enjoying the women on the tour more each time I attend. Everyone has been very welcoming to me. I jumped in the booth a few times throughout the few days I was there with Jennifer Barretta, Nicole Keeney and Mike Howerton. The new streaming feature at the events is awesome. I love that all the members of the pool community can now connect with the tour players even more through the stream, BRILLIANT WPBA! And thanks to PoolDawg for stepping up as a presenting sponsor and making this all happen.

After being knocked out of the tournament, Shane and I went to visit my brother in Chicago. I have the absolute cutest niece in the world!



Next stop is the BCA Expo in Las Vegas this week but not before a grueling 3 work trip packed with meetings, presentations, legal ed courses and of course receptions. I will hopefully have some great updates after the Expo.