Pool Tournament Today

[rickhem]

I play league pool and I do OK. Like almost any other hobby activity, I have my good and bad days. After a while, you realize that a path to improvement, is getting your butt kicked by someone much better than you. It exposes the holes in your skill set. Once you get past the hit to your ego, it's a powerful lesson. Figuring out why they did what they did, and how they go about the overall process is a good thing to learn from.

So today is a bigger tournament in our area for league players. I played last year and went out early, but took second in the "second chance" tournament. It'll be a full day of pool, playing a lot (I hope), and meeting some friends that I've met at these kinds of events in the past. I'm going alone, and that will actually help, as all I need to focus on is my own game.

My view is that I want to know where I'm at. I enjoy competition, and seeing if I can deliver when it matters. I'll follow up with results, good or bad.

[Hatchdog]

I play league pool and I do OK. Like almost any other hobby activity, I have my good and bad days. After a while, you realize that a path to improvement, is getting your butt kicked by someone much better than you. It exposes the holes in your skill set. Once you get past the hit to your ego, it's a powerful lesson. Figuring out why they did what they did, and how they go about the overall process is a good thing to learn from.

So today is a bigger tournament in our area for league players. I played last year and went out early, but took second in the "second chance" tournament. It'll be a full day of pool, playing a lot (I hope), and meeting some friends that I've met at these kinds of events in the past. I'm going alone, and that will actually help, as all I need to focus on is my own game.

My view is that I want to know where I'm at. I enjoy competition, and seeing if I can deliver when it matters. I'll follow up with results, good or bad.

Good luck. Used to love to shoot pool, never in a league but still had a great time.

[rickhem]

Well, I won more than I lost, but didn't make it far enough into the main tournament to place for some cash. I lost to the guy that eventually won, and didn't play well in that match. I've played him before in other local tournaments, and honestly, he usually beats me. He's a nice guy, so good for him that he won.
They have a second chance tournament, and I was eliminated from the main event just in time to get in on that, so I did. Won my first two rounds in that, and got matched up against a local pro level player. I seriously hoped that I'd get to play him, since I've seen him in some national level tournaments. I won the first game with a nice run-out, and ran the second game to the eight ball, but missed an easy shot. That was that from there. I think my having two strong games like that just woke him up, and he made short work of me after that. The games were close, but it felt that he was controlling the table and letting me hang myself, which I did. He just doesn't miss, and while it's interesting to watch him make so many tough shots, not so much when it's against me. Oh well. He won the next match for the final of that second chance tournament.
I did place for some cash in the second chance tournament, doubled my money on that, and I had a fun day meeting some old pool friends, and making some new ones.