Pool is alive and well in Wi.

muskyed

muskyed

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Attended the WSPA state championships , $40,000 added, 1st day yesterday, and it was a fantastic time. About 160 tables, and all being used on this 1st day. 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, scotch, teams, and most any version you can think of. Was a great time. Really looking forward to going back this weekend when my wife's team shoots.
 
muskyed said:
Attended the WSPA state championships , $40,000 added, 1st day yesterday, and it was a fantastic time. About 160 tables, and all being used on this 1st day. 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, scotch, teams, and most any version you can think of. Was a great time. Really looking forward to going back this weekend when my wife's team shoots.
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Great to hear! 👍

Where are you?

I grew up in Racine and as a young man spent time in Frank (Sailor) Stellman’s room back in the day.
 
I was wrong on the table count, it's over 170 tables. A couple tables are being streamed by, Mad Apple streaming you tube. It also will show some views between games, of one half of one hall's worth of tables set up There is three halls setup, so if you see that view, you can get an idea of how big this actually is. I think there is over 1000 competitors. It's really been a great time going there, wife plays tomorrow in a team match. I'm not playing this year, but a lot of my friends are. One of our close friends that we shoot with, won the womens masters 10 ball. We are in central Wi, close to Wausau Wi. I grew up in Racine also, Went into the service 1967-1970, worked and retired as a commercial photographer there till 2006, moved to Eagle river, and now live near Wausau Wi.
 
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jtompilot said:
160 tables, WOW. Were they Diamonds?
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Of course not, Not only are they Valleys instead of Diamonds but many of the tables likely have issues. I have gone to this tournament about 5 times recently but kinda gave up on it because I prefer Diamonds (you know, not hitting the rail 2 1/2 diamonds away from the pocket and still watching the ball wipe its feet on the way into the pocket) but there always seems to be issues with the tables from rolls, cushions, cloth loosening up, Formica coming loose and lifting off of the rail, and etc. After playing in the BCA tournament I really got spoiled by playing on Diamonds. I doubt they will ever switch to Diamonds, the sanctioning group is WSPA and there is some kind of weird stuff behind the scenes with WSPA and BCA. Its really unfortunate, the area where I play league and get WSPA sanctioned predominantly plays on Diamonds, if a bar does not have a Diamond its likely they wont get a team yet many of the players that insist they shoot league on Diamonds under WSPA sanction skip the Diamond equipped BCA tournament and shoot in this Valley equipped WSPA tournament. 😕😕
 
Yes, they are Valleys. While we have a Diamond table at home, I will say my wife is really looking forward to playing her team event tomorrow. She has met a lot of new women pool friends in the last couple years, and when some of them asked her to play on their team this year, she was thrilled. She is throughly enjoying all the new friends we have met the last few years playing pool. The only downside was the other day when my Shon cue returned from having the butt cap replaced, we were playing some pool in the house and she wasn't doing so well and grabbed my Schon and shot really good with it. She then told me if I wanted my cue back, I had better order one for her, as she was keeping mine till then. We are mid level players, and while we are working hard at getting better, for us the Valley tables are fine.
 
muskyed said:
Yes, they are Valleys. While we have a Diamond table at home, I will say my wife is really looking forward to playing her team event tomorrow. She has met a lot of new women pool friends in the last couple years, and when some of them asked her to play on their team this year, she was thrilled. She is throughly enjoying all the new friends we have met the last few years playing pool. The only downside was the other day when my Shon cue returned from having the butt cap replaced, we were playing some pool in the house and she wasn't doing so well and grabbed my Schon and shot really good with it. She then told me if I wanted my cue back, I had better order one for her, as she was keeping mine till then. We are mid level players, and while we are working hard at getting better, for us the Valley tables are fine.
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Serves you right.
Cues belong in their cases when you aren't using them.

Cues belong in their cases when YOU aren't using them.
 
The Iowa state ISPA tourney is happening now here, too.

The one thing that is very different from previous years is the talk. EVERYONE is talking before, during, and after matches, laughing, smiling, having just one hell of good time. Compared to previous years when everyone was too anal, imho, trying just to win. (few are masked, so...)

This year, we're all trying to finally enjoy living as man is meant to live. It is refreshing to see pool players actually enjoying play.

We have extra tables this year, in spite of the fears. I think there are about 164 tables, Valleys, normally 156 tables. They spaced them farther apart so they took over some space below the old Vets Auditorium. Very comfortable.

Fun fun fun. Anyone remember fun?


Jeff Livingston
 
muskyed said:
Attended the WSPA state championships , $40,000 added, 1st day yesterday, and it was a fantastic time. About 160 tables, and all being used on this 1st day. 8 ball, 9 ball, 10 ball, scotch, teams, and most any version you can think of. Was a great time. Really looking forward to going back this weekend when my wife's team shoots.
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Awesome that you are playing in a tournament. I have no idea how many tables get set up for the state tournament in North Dakota. But anyways I was going to say unless its all 9 foot tables I would not exactly say pool is alive and well. Maybe it is alive but visiting the doctors office.
 
jaime_lion said:
Why are they wiping the table with their hands?
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I wasn't watching but I assume it's to wipe off some chalk dust or debris because they dont want a bad kick.
If the cloth is a little nappy you can lay it flat if you have to slow roll a ball also.
 
couldnthinkof01 said:
I wasn't watching but I assume it's to wipe off some chalk dust or debris because they dont want a bad kick.
If the cloth is a little nappy you can lay it flat if you have to slow roll a ball also.
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I watched a little bit and they did not have a brush. Not sure how you can run a tournament and not have enough brushes or such.
 
Some people are so picky. Same here as chefjeff said, most tables previously was around 150ish, this year, over 170. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, well everyone except one of my close friends who didn't do so well in his 8 ball match this morning. Diamonds would be nice, but it is what it is.
 
fastone371 said:
Of course not, Not only are they Valleys instead of Diamonds but many of the tables likely have issues. I have gone to this tournament about 5 times recently but kinda gave up on it because I prefer Diamonds (you know, not hitting the rail 2 1/2 diamonds away from the pocket and still watching the ball wipe its feet on the way into the pocket) but there always seems to be issues with the tables from rolls, cushions, cloth loosening up, Formica coming loose and lifting off of the rail, and etc. After playing in the BCA tournament I really got spoiled by playing on Diamonds. I doubt they will ever switch to Diamonds, the sanctioning group is WSPA and there is some kind of weird stuff behind the scenes with WSPA and BCA. Its really unfortunate, the area where I play league and get WSPA sanctioned predominantly plays on Diamonds, if a bar does not have a Diamond its likely they wont get a team yet many of the players that insist they shoot league on Diamonds under WSPA sanction skip the Diamond equipped BCA tournament and shoot in this Valley equipped WSPA tournament. 😕😕
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Diamonds have issues too, and the 2 1/2 diamonds is a hyperbole.
 
u12armresl said:
Diamonds have issues too, and the 2 1/2 diamonds is a hyperbole.
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Other than the difference between the red and blue labels I still have not discovered anything wrong with Diamonds. I have seen what I think are shots that shouldnt fall go in on Valleys often, not sure how anyone can deny that one. It seems to me that Valleys were designed to help create profit for bar owners and Diamonds are more geared towards competition.
 
muskyed said:
Some people are so picky. Same here as chefjeff said, most tables previously was around 150ish, this year, over 170. Everyone seemed to be having a great time .... Diamonds would be nice, but it is what it is.
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I agree, for some people around here every silver lining has a big dark cloud wrapped around it. Lol
 
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