It's hard to compare Euro/Asian and Middle Eastern programs with the USA. We just don't sponsor non mainstream amateur sports. In the past it was Brunswick that had the pool/snooker/carom world and players in its pocket. Well its just different now. I just feel like the APA could get involved and see where it leads.

Bob Jewett said:

My understanding is that in Europe, the lower levels of players partly fund the expenses of the higher-level players through their memberships in their clubs and leagues. There are also sponsors at the higher levels.

Why would they? To help the sport. Of course, not all people feel that way.

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Helping the sport is good. And I also think amateur competition should not focus on money. In pool people want that prize money, I get it. But you also need a worthy group to send the donation to. For instance, if the BCA were a more coherent organization and you paid some modest annual fee to play amateur events and $5 a year of that went to pros, I think people might accept that. But BCA split with CSI/BCAPL a while ago, so any league fees aren’t going there. Indirectly maybe the Las Vegas Predator events benefit from that, I dunno. I don’t see US pool having such a group and I don’t know why amateurs should be expected to fund it. Maybe it would help the sport and maybe not. If it is a good spectator event people will pay something to watch it.

Having a healthy amateur sport helps pros to some extent in itself because the equipment manufacturers will sponsor pros. But why should the amateur directly fund the pros? I’m not trying to be obstinate because I see what you are saying, and many on these forums would, and do, willingly support pro pool in one way or another. I know you have. But paying for a gym membership doesn’t include money for the professional strongman competitions does it? This is an example I thought of - trying to think of niche professional sports with a big participation factor. Maybe surfing or skateboarding are like this, I don’t know.

If you have enough amateur participants you have a built in audience. Pool has a lot of participants but hasn’t figured out how to interest enough of those people into watching. I think there may be many reasons for that, but you can’t force people to watch.

Bob Jewett said:

Maybe tax law has changed, but in my experience, tax paid to a foreign country is directly deductible from your tax on that money in the US. Also, there are individual tax treaties with each country, and that complicates things. Some foreign nationals are exempt from the 30% withholding on winnings in the US, for example.

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Exactly what I know it to be, who knows now though but I have never heard of being double taxed.

In looking up coefficients of friction for leather (https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/friction-coefficients-d_778.html#gsc.tab=0) it is seen that leather-metal has a coefficient u=0.6, which is within the theoretical neighborhood of what is needed for no-miscue.

It makes me wonder if spending more effort in developing a chalkless leather tip would be better than trying to get more friction and less dust out of the chalk.

I did find a "scientific" paper where they looked at chalk v. no-chalk, but as soon as I saw that they used screw on tips for the experiment, dismissed it due to improper methods.

Deal fell through-back up for sale

kidcuban21 said:

It's work but in the end very worth it, I did all the refinishing, and cut my rails down the table saw, extended wood before relaminating tops with Wilsonart Intl commercial laminate and then sent rails out to Georgia for Mark Gregory to put new subrails and new superspeed cushions, while I did the white conversion varnish on all legs, aprons, ball box, etc. Powder coating for corner castings and feet.

4" pockets with no extending shims (cushion facings). Possible to do rails in so many unique combinations with laminate, so many beautiful options out there & finishes, also possible to veneer with exotic woods, but laminate is more durable.

By extending rails with wood before relaminating tops, gives you a tight pocket (any size you desire) from factory finish, where the laminate now continues on top of said extended rail, gregory then added rebuilt wood subrail and cushion

Also you can make castings flush with top.

My table is from 80's as am I, you can take any gold crown, restore it how you want and still be way under what a new table costs, hence I did this project on my own accord minus the rail work that Gregory did, enjoyed every minute of doing the project greatly, table plays amazing and you can make it however you want to look.

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That is one beautiful job on the table, you should be really proud of what you did.

Master Chalk causes more skids than premium chalk and this is common knowledge. I've never heard anyone suggest otherwise, but you've measured the extent to which it is true and under what conditions, giving form to the matter. Well done. Great video!

I still think the biggest takeaway from this incident is in the area of sportsmanship and general propriety. Darren's outburst was way out of bounds, and to go public with a negative rant about the product of a company that has supported pool for decades is just plain wrong. Equipment can and does become outdated. If the players are of one mind with respect to the unsuitability of a product or piece of equipment in the pro game, they can petition the event producers, who would have to assess the advisability of disallowing it in their events.

Pro players who saw this occurrence live or on video should be just as concerned about how bad a look this is for pro pool as they are about the already widely accepted fact that there are more skids with Master chalk, to which you have given great form and clarity.

PS I would extend the definition of cling to include any foreign substance, not just chalk. Grady Matthews used to take note of how players whose hands were not clean or who had been handling things like food or drinks can get foreign substances on the balls. There's a reason that only referees should be touching the balls in the biggest spots in top pro competition.