Big Shoes to Fill

One of my favorite things about pool is the accessibility of the pro players and legends of the game. In other sports, you may never meet Michael Jordan or Babe Ruth. But the pool world is so unique in that even though the professional scene is an international community, it is still a tight knit community. At almost every major national or international event (many of which have an amateur component) you are likely to meet or watch legends like Earl Strickland or Efren Reyes compete.

I was reminded of how small this international community is when I was practicing with my friend who will be playing scotch doubles with me in Vegas at the BCA National tournament. We were talking about how he hasn't been to Vegas for the BCA in years and is excited about going back. We started chatting about old partner experiences and joked about funny things this person or that person would do and then he tells me, "The only time I ever played scotch doubles in Vegas was when I played with Vivian a long time ago."

Alrighty then! I had never really felt pressure when Shane and I would gamble scotch against other players because he is so freaking good that it was just a given that I will not play as well as him. But when the only thing this guy has to compare to is Vivian, I'm pretty sure I won't measure up :)

So far though we seem to be playing well. We think similarly about patterns, break outs and safeties so that is encouraging. And so far, he is very patient with me and doesn't seem to get discouraged when I make mistakes. We'll see how it turns out in a few weeks :)

My article is up now on PoolisFun.com so check it out.