I've been a bit busy catching up on life since my trip to Vegas, but better late than never I suppose. I would like to recount a few of my experiences and thank all the people involved with making my trip unforgettable.
It all started Sunday with an exclusive cocktail party for the players and sponsors, where I was greeted by lovely Donna who knew instantly who my friend and I were. We were directed to Luke Riches who handed me priority tickets to the cup and backstage passes to meet the players. That night included talking to Buddy Hall about bank pool, SVB about his break, Earl about the food selection ("I like to take BIG bites when I eat!"), and taking pictures next to Mosconi Cup alongside Johnny Archer.
The next day continued the excitement with passes to sit anywhere we wanted in the arena (my friend and I were the Uncle Sams in the front row every day). We did our best to boost USA morale and Dennis Hatch thanked us for our efforts. The scoreline couldn't deflate our mood as we continued our day at the BCA Hall of Fame banquet, where we got to sit next to commentators Jay Helfert and Jim Wych to name a few. What a fantastic experience. Congratulations again to Jeanette Lee and Barry Hearn for their prestigious induction.
After another rough day for team USA, a few AZBers met up at Best Billiards to shoot some ring games. Insisting none of us had brought our "A" game, we kept it mostly friendly and shared some drinks in the meantime. I also got to play on a 5x10 for the first time which was a lot of fun and much easier than I expected.
On day 3 of the MC I had the privilege of sitting next to beautiful Jeanette Lee who offered me play-by-play commentary. After a devastating 11-2 loss for team USA on day 3, I managed to get everyone's signature on 2 team cue balls I had prepared for the trip. Determined not to let our loss ruin my trip, I got to congratulate every European player in the practice room on playing extraordinary pool and then celebrate with them in the bar that night, where I had some drunken conversations with Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes, Michaela Tabb and a few others. Definitely an interesting night.
The next day, a few of us took our hangovers and staggered to Best Billiards again where I got to play a few games of 10 ball with Cakti, match up with a local in 1 pocket, watch Jayson Shaw school a couple of people, and hit some balls around with Larry Ross. What could be better? Oh... we took a limo back.
I would like to thank everyone who made my trip memorable, especially including JP Parametier and Luke Riches. You guys are awesome. It will be an experience I won't forget.
It all started Sunday with an exclusive cocktail party for the players and sponsors, where I was greeted by lovely Donna who knew instantly who my friend and I were. We were directed to Luke Riches who handed me priority tickets to the cup and backstage passes to meet the players. That night included talking to Buddy Hall about bank pool, SVB about his break, Earl about the food selection ("I like to take BIG bites when I eat!"), and taking pictures next to Mosconi Cup alongside Johnny Archer.
The next day continued the excitement with passes to sit anywhere we wanted in the arena (my friend and I were the Uncle Sams in the front row every day). We did our best to boost USA morale and Dennis Hatch thanked us for our efforts. The scoreline couldn't deflate our mood as we continued our day at the BCA Hall of Fame banquet, where we got to sit next to commentators Jay Helfert and Jim Wych to name a few. What a fantastic experience. Congratulations again to Jeanette Lee and Barry Hearn for their prestigious induction.
After another rough day for team USA, a few AZBers met up at Best Billiards to shoot some ring games. Insisting none of us had brought our "A" game, we kept it mostly friendly and shared some drinks in the meantime. I also got to play on a 5x10 for the first time which was a lot of fun and much easier than I expected.
On day 3 of the MC I had the privilege of sitting next to beautiful Jeanette Lee who offered me play-by-play commentary. After a devastating 11-2 loss for team USA on day 3, I managed to get everyone's signature on 2 team cue balls I had prepared for the trip. Determined not to let our loss ruin my trip, I got to congratulate every European player in the practice room on playing extraordinary pool and then celebrate with them in the bar that night, where I had some drunken conversations with Darren Appleton, Karl Boyes, Michaela Tabb and a few others. Definitely an interesting night.
The next day, a few of us took our hangovers and staggered to Best Billiards again where I got to play a few games of 10 ball with Cakti, match up with a local in 1 pocket, watch Jayson Shaw school a couple of people, and hit some balls around with Larry Ross. What could be better? Oh... we took a limo back.
I would like to thank everyone who made my trip memorable, especially including JP Parametier and Luke Riches. You guys are awesome. It will be an experience I won't forget.
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