Pool returns after a 5 year hiatus.
I moved to Boulder, CO in January 2001. I "tried" to play pool with some consistency - but that entailed driving to Denver to play in the local weekly tournaments.
The prospect of driving to Denver and possibly driving back to Boulder in snowy/icy conditions deterred me from playing competitively. In addition, there are so many cool things to do in CO - the thought of spending all my free time in a smoky pool hall lost it's appeal.
So for 5 years - i pursued snowboarding, rock climbing, motorcycle riding, road bicycle riding and mtn biking. Who has time for pool when all these great activities are available??
I only played with friends on occasion or hit The Foundry for free pool on Sundays during the cold winter months. Even tho my skill level decreased - it was still good enough when i would practice at The Foundry - people would comment about my skill. I have to admit there is an appeal being the center of attention due to the fact you can do something really well. ;)
In October 2005 - I received an invite to play a 9ball tournament benefiting Breast Cancer. So I went.
It was at Wykoop Brewery in Denver. Turns out Melissa Little aka "the Viper" ranked 15th on the Womens Pro Tour is the house pro. She had helped organized the tournament. Last time Melissa and I played I beat her 7-6 in a super close match.
Melissa saw me walk in and our conversation went like this:
ML: "how's is going?"
me: "i'm good - how about you?"
ML: "I've been having shoulder problems and am having surgery soon. Luckily I'll only miss 1 Pro event"
me: "cool - i hear you've been doing well on the tour"
ML: "yeah"
me: "Are you playing tonight?"
ML" No - i helped organize so I'm not playing"
I continued to practice waiting for the tournament to start. When the board was drawn I looked to see who I got and it was Melissa. ?!? I thought she wasn't playing - I thought it an interesting coincidence that I "drew" her. Oh well - it was for a good cause, eh?
Oh course she smoked me...I didn't win a game against her. I had my chances - but I was low on confidence, mental toughness and practice! She's a great player. I went on to tie for 7th/8th place winning a $25 gift certificate to Wazee's Supper Club. Melissa went on to win the tournament.
Yikes - even though I didn't do as well as I have potential for my passion for pool was reinigited.
The prospect of driving to Denver and possibly driving back to Boulder in snowy/icy conditions deterred me from playing competitively. In addition, there are so many cool things to do in CO - the thought of spending all my free time in a smoky pool hall lost it's appeal.
So for 5 years - i pursued snowboarding, rock climbing, motorcycle riding, road bicycle riding and mtn biking. Who has time for pool when all these great activities are available??
I only played with friends on occasion or hit The Foundry for free pool on Sundays during the cold winter months. Even tho my skill level decreased - it was still good enough when i would practice at The Foundry - people would comment about my skill. I have to admit there is an appeal being the center of attention due to the fact you can do something really well. ;)
In October 2005 - I received an invite to play a 9ball tournament benefiting Breast Cancer. So I went.
It was at Wykoop Brewery in Denver. Turns out Melissa Little aka "the Viper" ranked 15th on the Womens Pro Tour is the house pro. She had helped organized the tournament. Last time Melissa and I played I beat her 7-6 in a super close match.
Melissa saw me walk in and our conversation went like this:
ML: "how's is going?"
me: "i'm good - how about you?"
ML: "I've been having shoulder problems and am having surgery soon. Luckily I'll only miss 1 Pro event"
me: "cool - i hear you've been doing well on the tour"
ML: "yeah"
me: "Are you playing tonight?"
ML" No - i helped organize so I'm not playing"
I continued to practice waiting for the tournament to start. When the board was drawn I looked to see who I got and it was Melissa. ?!? I thought she wasn't playing - I thought it an interesting coincidence that I "drew" her. Oh well - it was for a good cause, eh?
Oh course she smoked me...I didn't win a game against her. I had my chances - but I was low on confidence, mental toughness and practice! She's a great player. I went on to tie for 7th/8th place winning a $25 gift certificate to Wazee's Supper Club. Melissa went on to win the tournament.
Yikes - even though I didn't do as well as I have potential for my passion for pool was reinigited.
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