04.13.07
Considering Lessons???
A recent email from my friend Charles sparked my May column in Inside English, “So, you’re thinking about taking lessons…”
Check back soon to read the article.
04.08.07
This Weekend & More
This weekend, I played in a $250 added Women’s 9 ball tournament at the Colorado Cue Club. That’s the “this weekend” part. I also wanted to write about Thursday night. That’s the “& more” part. So, chronologically, I’ll be starting with the “& more” first.
So, Thursday night, I decided to stop by the Skylark to visit my friend Tom Ross. I hadn’t seen him in a while and he runs 
a free Thursday night pool clinic there every week. I knew it started around 7p.m. and by this time it was after 8p.m. so I figured he’d be wrapping up and I could hit some balls and hang out. On the contrary, he was in the midst of the clinic and there were about 20 people there! WOW! That’s really terrific!!!
I ended up staying to help out and doing a couple presentations myself. (That’s how I lost my voice… oops!) I worked with some of the students and then hung out and played with some of them afterwards. It was REALLY awesome! The thought of a room full of that many people that are THAT excited about pool just really made me excited. They were all like sponges, just soaking up every little thing I had to share with them. They were curious and excited and couldn’t wait to learn more and come back next week. It was truly inspiring.
This weekend – Well, yesterday, I played in a women’s tournament at the Cue Club. It was originally advertised as a 9 ball event and when we got there, we collectively decided to play 8 ball on the winner’s side and 9 ball on the loser’s side since this is all part of their “Springboard to the Nationals” series of events and we play both at nationals. 15 women showed up and they added $250. Of the 15, the six masters (including myself) raced to 6 and everyone else raced to 5.
I won my first match 6-4 against Nicole Keeney. She was actually one of the people I traveled to Valley Forge with. I played pretty well and could count the number of mistakes I made on one hand. You see, it’s bar table 8 ball. I couldn’t forget that this was my forte before I started working on my 9 ball game. Though I hadn’t been practicing much due to some matters in my personal life, I just reminded myself that there’s really no excuse for missing one single ball.
My next match would be a tough one. I managed to win 6-2 in an even race against my friend Caela Henley. She’s such a champion! She’s a bit of a mentor to me. She was the first strong female player that I met and watched. She sort of took me under her wing and asked me to join her masters team when I was just starting to get serious, long before I was master material. I admire her so much. I knew I would have to play hard and I did. I only missed two balls in that match and they cost me the two games she won. And, one of those balls skidded on me! I was very happy with my performance in this match.
Next, I played another (former) teammate, Bettina Nedel. I won 6-4. She has improved so much from the last time I played her or even watched her play. She played incredibly well against me, and I had to spot her a game. She broke and ran one rack and ran another rack off my break. I knew I would not be able to take her lightly. This win guaranteed me third and I would move on to play for the driver’s seat.
My next match was against another teammate, Bonnie Plowman. I ended up losing to Bonnie 6-5. I scratched on the hill and she made a great out. During that match, we both had our moments of greatness but it was one of those sort of goofy matches where things would go almost perfectly and then something would go wrong. I made a couple really nice outs and she made two incredible runs where she hooked herself on the 8 ball in one and then rolled right on top of the 8 ball in the other game. I missed and 8 ball and scratched a couple times on back door outs. Overall, my performance was not nearly as strong as my earlier ones. I wish I could’ve played better, especially against Bonnie.
Next, I met up with Julie Schultz. You guessed it. She’s another teammate and champion player. Since I had lost to Bonnie, I now had to switch gears and play 9 ball against Julie. she had a slight advantage because she lost an earlier match (I think it might’ve even been her first one) and had been playing mostly 9 ball. It started off back and forth but then I was down 5-2. I took a quick break and had a talk with myself and returned to win the next three games with a fire in my eye. She was playing just as great as she always does!
Unfortunately, I had another undesired turnaround on the hill. My normal side break had not been working for 9 ball. The balls weren’t spreading well and I wasn’t making a ball so I was breaking from an unfamiliar spot on the table. I made a couple new adjustments and unfortunately, hit the rack just a little off center. The cue ball spun itself into the side pocket and the 9 ball, like it was in slow motion, creeped toward the one ball and sat in front of the hole, leaving her a wired 1-9 combo with ball in hand. It was brutal! I didn’t even make her shoot it. I lost 6-5 and finished 3rd. I got 110 bucks.
It can be difficult playing our friends/teammates. We were also there celebrating Julie’s birthday yesterday, so along with a day of competition was a day of fun and celebration. It can be tough to take a match seriously against your good friends or people you care about. You (well, I do, anyway) want to root for them and see them succeed but I can’t forget that they are still my enemy when I get to the table.
Here’s a photos of the final four left in the tournament. From left to right, Deb Winter, Julie Schultz, Bonnie Plowman, & me! Our entire team finished in the finals. I thought that was pretty cool.
04.06.07
March Madness Wrap-up
Finally! The March Madness is over for me. And boy was it truly madness. 4 stops in 1 month is way more than I thought I could handle.
Here’s the full tournament lowdown:
March 2-5, Hunter Stop in Lake Jackson, TX – Finished 7th/8th
March 10, VNEA Denver Singles event – Finished 9th-12th
March 14-19, Super Billiards Expo in PA – Finished 9th-16th
March 22-26, BCA Midwest Regional Championships in Minneapolis, MN – Finished 2nd
March 30 – April 2, Hunter Stop in Tulsa, OK - Finished 17th-24th
And, as promised, here are the photos from the 2007 Super Billiards Expo:
03.20.07
Quick Tournament Update
Good thing I had a 2 gig card on my camera. I took a ton of pics this weekend but haven’t had a chance to load any of them yet. I just wanted to post a quick update of the results.
My results: 136 women signed up for the Women’s division. I got a bye and won three matches to finish 9th-16th.
The format: bar-table 9 ball (played on the gorgeous Diamond Smart Tables), single elimination, race to 4, best 2 out of 3 sets, flip for the first break, alternate breaks throughout set, alternate first-breaker in second set, flip again for first break in third set.
Personal highlights from the tournament: I was down 3-0 in the first set of my first match. I came back to win 4-3 and won the next set 4-2.
It was strange. I honestly didn’t feel like I played my best throughout the matches that I won. I kept warming up really well but just playing pretty mediocre, just well enough to win, in my three winning matches. It wasn’t until the match that I lost that I felt like I played my best. I didn’t really have much of a chance in the first set. I played Julie Melman. She won 4-0 and dominated the set with three nice runs.
I was down 1-0 in the second set and was finally getting an opportunity at the rack when all these giant TV cameras arrived. Apparently, they were filming some sort of reality show about pool & pool players and asked if I minded if they were there. I missed an 8 ball in the side pocket when they first arrived because I was a bit rattled by all the commotion. So, my initial reaction was to tell them it was too distracting. Then, I realized that would be silly. Someday, I may have to play under these pressures and circumstances and I should use this as free practice for this pressure.
It was then that I played the best that I had throughout the entire tournament. Unfortunately, I still lost, but I felt the best and felt like I was hitting the ball the best that I had throughout the entire tournament.
Other tournament highlights: Nicole who also came out from Denver to compete played very well this weekend. This was her first big tournament and she came one out of the money. She’s only 19 but already has a great style and mental toughness at the table. I was very impressed.
I was also extremely impressed with but don’t know the name of the girl that won the women’s event. Her matches were sweated by Charlie Williams and she did NOT know how to miss. She made thoughtful, methodical decisions and executed each one perfectly. She was like a machine. More to come once I find out who she is.
I was also impressed with Pam Treadway who won the event two years ago, won the second chance last year, just had a baby, and came back to take second this year. Truly impressive!
My friend Morgan competed in the both the open and the womens events. The open event started two days earlier. What a great idea. I think I’ll do that next year. It’s a longer race (by one game) and you get to start playing sooner. She won the womens event last year and won several matches this year, finishing one out of the money in both events. That stinks but I still think she’s great.
Stay tuned for photos and more on the tournament.
03.14.07
Super Billiards Expo (Day 1)
We got in today around 4p.m. Philly time and in less than an hour and a half, we’d picked up our luggage, got the rental car, driven to King of Prussia, and got all checked in.
It was interesting. Within four minutes of being in the hotel and checking in, we were walking back out to the car to get our backs when I run into none other than the monk himself. I hadn’t seen him in almost two years since we last worked together in Vegas of ‘05. We chatted for a few minutes and he told me he was competing in the seniors division and we were on our way.
Next, of course, I had to stop by to say “hi” to old friends Morgan and Linda of Ride The 9 Designs, our booth partner Barry Cameron, and also ran into my good friend (and gracious host next weekend) Mike Fieldhammer of BilliardCoach.com.
Getting an early night’s rest tonight and will probably spend much of the day in the booth with Chris tomorrow, will maybe stay up late tomorrow night to practice, and may spend a half day in the booth on Friday. I have a bye in the first round so I probably won’t play until 9p.m.
I’m very excited to be here but with the single elimination format, I have no expectations and only hope to perform my best. I’m looking forward to playing soon.
For now, goodnight…
03.13.07
First Place and Ready to go!
I’m pretty proud to say that our Wednesday night BCA (women’s masters) team finished first in the league. There were only seven teams but we played everyone three times. We were ahead for most of the season and got killed the second time we played the second place team. That put them ahead of us by 4.5 (out of 6 possible) rounds and the last week that we played them, we beat them 6-0! That was the only way we could’ve moved ahead and we all pulled together and did it!
Also, I finished top shooter in the entire league by one game, even after missing a week of play. Holy Cow!
I just officially checked in online for my flight to Philly tomorrow for the Valley Forge tournament. I’ll be traveling with Chris Byrne, my sponsor/cuemaker, and our friends Nicole and Elijah.
I’m very excited for another pool trip! I hope to play well again and play lots of pool.
I’m especially looking forward to seeing my good friends Max, Charles, Shelly, and many others.
Catch ya on the flip side!
03.08.07
Ch-ch-ch-cherry Bomb!
Okay, so here’s the deal…
For the past couple years now, I’ve been entertaining the idea of having a nickname or moniker. Not that I need one to play better pool or have a better “image” but I knew that if I were to become successful with this game that there would be a chance that one would eventually be given to me and that there would be another chance of it being a less desirable one. Therefore, I wanted to nip it in the bud and try to choose one that I approve of.
Well, as time passed, I had forgotten about the whole idea until recently, the Instroke case I had ordered was finally going to be ready soon. Frank, of Frank’s Center, emailed me about putting my name on the case and asked if I had a nickname I wanted to put on it.
This was a couple months ago, and since then, I’ve been on high-gear of Operation You Name It! Many suggestions have been thrown around. The most recent one up for consideration was “Red Dragon.” Though I considered it and seriously pictured myself with the name, it just didn’t completely seem to suit me.
Dozens of others were thrown around, from SuperSamm, to The Vegas Uni, or The Golden Pork Chop, and even Hot n Spicy Samm. As I became discouraged, I was beginning to think that maybe Red Dragon was the one. I’m asian and I was born in the year of the dragon, but I just didn’t want that cliché stereotypical name. Everything just seemed so forced and unnatural. As I sifted through name and after name and read through some of the names of current pro players, I was beginning to lose hope. I was just about to post a poll for the readers to help name me, until……….…
Today, I was on the phone with my friend Robert. He had gone through the trouble of photoshopping “Red Dragon” onto a recent pool photo of mine. It looked REALLY awesome! But I confessed to him that I was having second thoughts about the Hannibal Lector movie name and mentioned I wanted something with Apple or Cherry or Apples and Cherries or something that fit my personality a little more. That’s when, out of the blue, he suggested, “What about Cherry Bomb?”
OMG!!! That’s sooooo perfect!!! Why didn’t you say that sooner?!?!??? That’s the first name so far that I’ve heard that I immediately loved. I’m SOOO happy about it!!! It just made my whole day. Then, after I told Bob about it, as I was getting off the phone, Bob said, “Okay, CB!” Well! CB?!??? That’s already on my cue! CB = Chris Byrne Custom Cues. It’s gotta be the right name.
Anyway, I will from now on refer to myself as “Cherry Bomb” (no “The” – I’m not a “The” kinda person). Heehee. We’ll see what happens. I think it fits. Cherries are sweet. Cherry Bombs are little firecrackers. They’re also a brand of loud mufflers. I like cherries! What more could I ask for? In fact, within 10 minutes, Robert threw a logo together for me already. I love it!
I’ll post it here once it’s all finalized. Thanks for all your support!
03.07.07
Memoirs of Lake Jackson
Most of this posting was written at 8:21a.m. (Houston time) March 3, 2007. I’m back in Colorado now.
I’m currently waiting at the Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, waiting for my 11:30a.m. flight. Of my many travels, this is the most confusing airport I’ve ever been to. When you get off the plane, there aren’t even signs indicating which direction the baggage claim is. I just relied on following the locals from my plane. Oh! Amongst them included Houston Rockets, Yao Ming. Yeah. He could barely fit through the airplane doors. I was pretty proud of myself for recognizing him.
Anyway! I arrived Friday afternoon around 3p.m. My good friend Carter picked me up and we immediately headed to Lake Jackson. After checking in, Carter obliged a starving me to a nice seafood feast before we decided to swing by to check out the pool hall.
I was initially not going to hit any balls on Friday night. Bob gave me the entire day off from pool and just wanted me to have some fun but get a good practice in the next morning. Unfortunately, it’s really difficult to get a quality practice in the morning before the tournament starts because everyone else is trying to do the same thing. So, I decided to go ahead and play some with Carter.
Most of the tables in Texas are 8 foot tables. That’s what all the qualifiers are played on. Most of the serious girls on the tour practice on 9 foot tables either at home or on the one or two 9 foot tables in their pool room. This place, Shooters II, had 8 foot Gandys. Those are the tables they have at Table Steaks East. They were newly refelted with clean balls so you could draw like a champion on these tables but the rails played about normal to slower speed. I quite like the combination, myself. It’s ideal conditions for the delicate, finesse player.
Okay, if you just want to skip to the final results of the tournament without all the middle stuff, feel free to continue to the final paragraphs.
Format: Big (8 foot) table 9 ball. Race to 7. Alternate Break. Flip for the first break. If you make a 9 on the break, you receive a $2 scratch ticket and if you break and run, you receive a $5 scratch ticket.
Match #1 vs. Natalie Mans. I consider Natalie a good friend away from the table. I met her in Vegas last year and we usually hang out when we see each other at these events. I had warmed up well and felt pretty comfortable with the tables but honestly, I didn’t really play my best during this match. I didn’t play horribly, but just not as well as I know I could have and should have.
I ended up losing to Natalie 7-6 after being up 5-3. I started off pretty strong and got out when I was supposed to, but towards the end, a botched safety led to a nice table run by her and another one to follow. I ran the next rack to make it 6-5 and she broke in the 9 to make it hill-hill. At double hill, I broke, didn’t make a ball and she missed the opening shot. The table was pretty open and I was “on the rack.”
I began shooting. All the way to the 4-8 combo, which was the only problem on the table. It wasn’t a hanger either, I had to get good on it and I did. Unfortunately, only focusing on making the combo, I ended up leaving myself a shot where I needed to use the bridge for the 4 ball that was now pretty close to the pocket. I just needed to draw it straight back a few inches to have a decent shot on the 7 for the 9. I drew it straight into the opposite corner pocket… 
I don’t think I drew it at all. I think I just punched it straight over there. Bummer…
Match #2 vs. Julie Stephenson. I won 7-3 and I played pretty well. I was finally getting my confidence back and loosening up. I had a couple racks where I could’ve broke and ran but miscued or something goofy like that. It was still a much better performance from my first match and I felt like I was just one ball away from greatness in every game. UGH!
Match #3 vs. Jillian Valles. I continued that some energy from my match with Julie, concentrating on only a few main things: 1) making the ball (and really focusing on the contact point of the object ball), 2) making sure my stance was perfectly locked in, and 3) staying down (which I’m generally pretty good about) and following through completely, all the way. This helped tremendously!
I just visualized the ball going into the pocket and forced myself to override the negative thoughts. That was NOT easy to do but when I would start to doubt myself, I just kept saying in my head, “Just make this ball. It doesn’t matter what else happens.” I could say that last part because I had already decided how I wanted to shoot before I got down on the shot. It was in this match that I really “fought for the angle” like Bob always says and didn’t make any careless decision. I controlled the table and when I wasn’t on the rack, I ducked. I felt pretty good about this match.
Oh! I also got my first $5 scratch ticket of the tournament during this match.
Match #4 vs. Belinda Lee. Again, I continued to focus on those same three things and played steadily and solidly. She proved to be a fierce competitor. She was ahead for the early part of the match. She has a consistent, solid break and a beautiful stroke. Her biggest downfall was not being demanding enough of her cue ball. She must’ve ran 2-3 tables during our match but the ones she didn’t were because she got on the wrong side of a ball or one time, she left herself straight on the 8 ball but all stretched out and she tried to draw it straight back for the 9 on the other side of the table. She ended up just stopping it and missed the bank on the 9.
These subtle little errors are things we are all capable of being guilty of. I know I am. That’s one HUGE thing that Bob has been forcing me to work on. He pounds into my head everyday the importance of fighting for your angle and for me, that includes making sure I leave myself somewhere that I can reach, even if it means having a longer shot or a bigger angle. I would rather have a longer shot that I can reach than be closer to the ball but have to use the bridge. That’s just my preference.
Match #5 vs. Kyu Yi. She’s one of my favorite people on the tour. She has such a great attitude about this game and a terrific energy about her. She is one of those players that really plays this game the right way. She makes all the right decisions and is truly a smart, smart player. She doesn’t wait until she gets into trouble before addressing a problem. She always has a plan. She’s got a great stroke and fires everything into the center of the pocket. In fact, she knocked me out of the last Hunter stop.
Our match was finished pretty early and we actually went to dinner together afterwards. I wish I could’ve continued playing all night. I was really shooting great! My match against her was my best of the tournament. I only missed maybe one or two balls early on in the match and did not may any dumb decisions or take any risky shots throughout the rest of the match. I was very proud of how I played and I really needed to deliver a strong performance against her and I did. She was considered one of the early favorites in a pre-tournament AZBilliards article. Also, I broke and ran on the hill which was huge for me because I did not want to give her a chance to get back in the match which I knew she was more than capable of.
Match #6 vs. Helen Hayes. This was my first match on Sunday morning at 10a.m. Silly, superstitious me ate the same thing for dinner and breakfast and tried to follow my regimen from the day before as closely as possible. I didn’t specifically seek out to do it, but I figured if it worked yesterday… Overall, I played barely above average against Helen. I had a few strong outs but for the most part, it wasn’t anything to write home about.
I really, really wanted this match. I was beginning to develop a pattern of making it to the Sunday round and dogging my first match and I really didn’t want that to happen. It was important to me to play well in this first match and do my best to not give up one game.
Match #7 vs. Heather Lloyd. This would be the end of my reign of terror through the loser’s bracket. This was my first experience playing Heather and I really enjoyed watching her play. Although I lost 7-1, I don’t feel the score reflected how I felt and played. The one game I won was a solid run by me and every time she got to the table with a chance to run out, she did. She’s a strong, fierce player.
She had one 9 ball break, I miscued on a 7 ball, and played two poor safeties that cost me those games. Maybe I’ve said (written) this before but there’s something very unassuming about her that I really admire. She is not flashy in anyway and even when she needs to stroke the ball, she executes with such a smooth consistency that looks so effortlessly. I really like her style.
Final Results: Well, after losing my first match on the hill, I won the next five matches to finish 7th/8th but better than that, I was only one place away from the qualifier spot. Leslie Anne Rogers got the spot, finishing 5th/6th. Had I won one more match, I could’ve duked it out with her for it. Of the 43 girls in the tournament, only 8 paid the qualifier and 3 of us traveled in from other states. Oh well. Next time.
The brackets from this tournament can be found on AZBilliards.com. Heather Lloyd came back to double-dip Lisa Marr in the finals. Here are the payouts. Also, I’m currently ranked 11th on the tour. SWEET! You don’t even have to scroll down to see my name on the Point Standings page. I would love to finish the year in the top ten!
Sorry for the novel. Thanks for all your support!
03.06.07
What an honor!
This was a recent review from the Billiards Blogger. It’s not too late to vote if you haven’t already.
I feel so honored that anyone that anyone would refer to my blog as a “must read.”
Also, here are some links from this weekend’s tourney:
Online Brackets
Complete Payouts
Photos by the tour
Photos by a visitor
More to come on my reflections from the experience.
02.27.07
A Work in Progress
Today was one of those amazing, old school 10 hour days of solid pool. My day began with an 11:30 lunch with my friend Denny (I know. That’s way early for me.). Since I was already downtown, I decided to pay my friend Kermit a visit at the Wynkoop. He works Monday days and if I’m ever up early enough, I like to swing by to match up with him. We played a few games of 9 ball from 1:30 to about 3:30 before I left for Shakespeares to meet Bob for our usually Monday afternoon session.
Today, Bob asked, “What do you want to do today?” To which I responded, “Play some 9 ball!!!” So, that’s exactly what we did. We played two sets of 9 ball and I lost both sets 7-2, 7-2. Funny, I really didn’t feel like I was playing that badly. In fact, the racks that I ran were pretty tough and I really felt like I was hitting the ball well. Nonetheless, I lost.
Afterwards, I confessed to Bob that I was feeling a little nervous about my upcoming tournaments. I have a pretty packed calendar of events for the month of March. I’m really excited about and looking forward to all the competition, but I was expressing to Bob some anxiety I was feeling about possibly not being “prepared” or “ready” for next weekend’s Hunter stop.
Well, after the tears and the pouting subsided, Bob very patiently reminded me that next weekend’s tournament is only going to be the first of many, many tournaments to come and that I should look forward to it and enjoy it since I’ve worked so hard. He also told me that if I was feeling stressed out then I was putting too much pressure on myself. In Bob’s words, “You can only win a tournament one match at a time, you can only win a match one game at a time, and you can only win a game one ball at a time.” Wow… That’s deep…
Seriously though, he also reminded me to “HAVE FUN!” That’s a concept that is, believe it or not, reletively new to me. I’d always trained to be so serious and focused that I’d lost sight a bit of why I was playing this game in the first place……….BECAUSE I LOVE IT!!!
Lastly, he reminded me that if my goal was to go out there and “win” then that’s the wrong goal and I can’t control that. Obviously, we want to win, but there are so many variables involved in why we may not win a match or a tournament. If my goal is to do my best and perform at my best, then I just need to focus on one ball at a time. I feel very fortunate to have found Bob. He has so many great things to share and I couldn’t ask for a more compatible coach!
After my brief pep talk, it was time to begin my striaght pool match. Tonight I played my friend Robbie. In an even race to 100 balls, I won 100-33! I had a high run of 27!! And, the entire match was over in 17 innings!!! I was in near dead-stroke. It was SOOO exciting!!! That’s my highest run of the league so far and I’m sure it ended in record breaking innings for me. You see, I’m really not that great of a straight pool player. I love the game, but sometimes I hate it. I just try not to miss or sell out.
Anyway, since we finished up so early, Robbie asked if I wanted to stick around and play some more. I purposed 9 ball and he kindly obliged. In two races to seven, I lost 7-6 and 7-5. Bummer… I was still stroking the ball pretty well and had a lead but made some little goofy errors that were costly. I guess I can forgive myself tonight since I delivered such an acceptable performance during league.
I’m very happy with my 27 ball run and with the way I felt during the entire straight pool match. It was like I was the only one in the room and I just knew I was going to make everything I was going for. When I got in my car, it was 11:30. I was pretty proud of the fact that I’d hit my first ball of the day 10 hours ago and didn’t break but to drive and eat.
Oh! I almost forget! The reason this post is entitled “a work in progress” is because I still consider myself a work in progress. I recently ambitiously and courageously made a mechanical adjustment in my stroking arm and am finally beginning to be at one with it. I’m finally beginning to feel more confident and more relaxed and comfortable. Just give me a few more weeks! 
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