2010 in Review: What's a significant pool memory in 2010 for you?

[SKILLZELITE]

9-Ball Champions

Best memory for me this year ,,gotta be winning the
Pittsburgh Premiere League 9-Ball Championship with my Family.. :thumbup:

 

[JAM]

Best memory for me this year ,,gotta be winning the
Pittsburgh Premiere League 9-Ball Championship with my Family.. :thumbup:

That's a pretty cool memory for sure! :thumbup:

 

[JAM]

The Mosconi Cup first and the World Cup in Manila second. Never saw crowds that were so into a match as I did in London. Not in forty+ years of attending tournaments have I seen anything like it. York Hall and the Brits made for a most memorable experience!

At the World Cup, held in a giant mall in the heart of Manila, the crowds were five and ten deep all the way around the arena, and four levels high there were packed balconies of people looking down on the action. Literally thousands of pool fans who were hanging on every shot. No one can tell me that pool is not a spectator sport. I saw for myself right there, that people will turn out in throngs to watch great play by great players!

Has there ever been anything close like those venues in the States? When I say close, I mean large crowds.

 

[JAM]

My highlight was the BCAPL in Vegas, Watching SVB,Busta and Efren playing craps with Earl standing there watching. It was priceless

I've seen Efren and Bustie at the craps table before. Those Filipinos do love their action! :wink:

 

[JAM]

Nothing so grand for me this past year, at least compared to the previous posters.

My APA team won our division two out of three times, that was cool.

Got a new cue. Quite happy with that. A new break cue, too, and a new case for christmas.

Learned an awful lot, from a bunch of great people, and can't wait to learn a bunch more. I think I've improved reasonably well, given the limited time that I'm able to put into it. Hopefully I can continue to improve as much in the coming year as I did in the past year... That would be a big victory.

Stayed up till 3am local to watch the beginning of the Borana/OMGWTF stream.... that was the highlight of my stream-watching

Met a whole bunch of great people here on AZB. This darned forum has become a bit of an addiction for me. Thanks, everyone. This place is great.

It is good folks like you who make this forum what it is today. Thanks for sharing your happy memories of 2010.

 

[JAM]

Ten Ball making its way into pro pool. It's giving pros the proper representaion of our sport and weeding out 9 ball and all that goes with its rack structure....

Ten-ball looks like it is here to stay, though the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championship is still a tradition. Straight pool also has its once-a-year happening.

The great thing about the DCC is that it showcases ALL games of pool. That's a good memory for those who go and see it up front and close. I love the DCC!

 

[tom mcgonagle]

I won the BCAPL Eight-ball Senior Division in front of several members of my team. We all grew up playing in the same pool room in Everett, Massachusetts. It was the first time any of them had witnessed my winning a major event. "PRICELESS!"

_______________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com

 

[JAM]

Brumback repeating as Bank Champion at the DCC...

How fitting that he is going to be inducted into the One-Pocket Hall of Fame this year for his Banks. If you go, please take some pictures. I would really enjoy seeing all the happenings and the smiles on the players' faces.

 

[jay helfert]

Has there ever been anything close like those venues in the States? When I say close, I mean large crowds.

The biggest crowds I've ever seen have been at the U.S. Open on the weekends (maybe 1,250-1,500 people), and also at my first L.A. Open in 1992 (also over 1,500 in attendance at one time). The best crowds were in Kentucky for the Clyde Childress events in the 80's. Maybe five or six hundred people in a compact arena and they cheered loudly on the good shots, but got deafly quiet before a critical shot. Now that's a good crowd!

Also at the old Bicycle Club tourneys in the 90's, we would absolutely pack the place, maybe four or five hundred people in a very small area. The fire marshalls had to clear the aisles and the exits every night. Oh and one more, the Peter Vitalie Invitational at the Biltmore Hotel in 1987. People lined up all the way down the hall and up the long staircase to buy tickets and get a good seat. The capacity in the Biltmore Bowl was about 900, and we filled it on several nights.

 

[edd]

2010 marked another year of loss for many cities as some of our favorite pool rooms and bars have shut their doors due to the economic pressures of today. The Northern Lounge and Alexanders were two local action spots in the Phoenix area that have been lost in the last couple years.

Is there a favorite room or owner in your area you would like to give a shout out to that suffered the same fate?

Kings Billiards in Fayetteville, NC

 

[JCIN]

Mine was TAR 19 with Mika and Shane at Amsterdam Billiards in NYC. The entire experience was great. Three years ago if someone would have told me we would be doing a match with two of the best players in the world in Manhattan I would have thought they were nuts.

So many good people in NYC made it one of my favorite pool experiences ever.

 

[Eric.]

Worst- the unjust murder of Mike Surber

Best- watching the growth of streaming Pool and contributing as a customer, as well as a commentator in the Booth.

Last, but not least... its nice to go to various pool events and hang with new friends that have become old friends.

Happy new years everyone.


Eric

 

[inside_english]

Well, 2010 was a full pool year for me. I played in Valley Forge, went to the U.S. Open, and played in a few smaller tournaments. I even attended a 14.1 seminar by Mike Sigel!

My favorite "memory", or happening would be the start of a monthly 9B tournament at Big Daddy's Billiards in Glen Burnie, MD.

I proposed to the owners that they should host a mid-range monthly tournament which I will advertise and run. It started in September, and we just had our third event, drawing some of the best players in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

First tournament = 30 players
Second tournament = 42 players
Third tournament = 31 players

Our fourth will be on Jan. 15 and I hope to continue this every month.

As far as memories go though, hanging at Q-Masters during U.S. Open week is incomparable.

And I watched the entire TAR match between Shane and Mika...what a blast!

 

[marek]

from the spectators point of view the biggest thing for me was the mosconi cup,the atmosphere was awesome!!! as a player my biggest memory of 2010 definitelly was my 9:8 victory over ralf souquet from 2:7 down at european championship 9ball division.i was so excited after the match that i couldnt get any sleep two nights after that match...

 

[JAM]

The biggest crowds I've ever seen have been at the U.S. Open on the weekends (maybe 1,250-1,500 people), and also at my first L.A. Open in 1992 (also over 1,500 in attendance at one time). The best crowds were in Kentucky for the Clyde Childress events in the 80's. Maybe five or six hundred people in a compact arena and they cheered loudly on the good shots, but got deafly quiet before a critical shot. Now that's a good crowd!

Also at the old Bicycle Club tourneys in the 90's, we would absolutely pack the place, maybe four or five hundred people in a very small area. The fire marshalls had to clear the aisles and the exits every night. Oh and one more, the Peter Vitalie Invitational at the Biltmore Hotel in 1987. People lined up all the way down the hall and up the long staircase to buy tickets and get a good seat. The capacity in the Biltmore Bowl was about 900, and we filled it on several nights.

Thanks for the reply. Whatever made those events popular, attracting the masses, this is the magic bullet that pool needs. What do those events have that events today don't have? is the question.

The Clyde Childress tournaments sound similar to the Mosconi Cup with the smaller venue allowing the audience to feel involved.

 

[JAM]

I won the BCAPL Eight-ball Senior Division in front of several members of my team. We all grew up playing in the same pool room in Everett, Massachusetts. It was the first time any of them had witnessed my winning a major event. "PRICELESS!"

_______________________________

http://tommcgonaglerightoncue.com

Congratulations! That is a one happy 2010 memory that you will have forever. Wow!

There's nothing better than having it happen, though, in front of your peers. That's cool.

 

[JAM]

Worst- the unjust murder of Mike Surber

Best- watching the growth of streaming Pool and contributing as a customer, as well as a commentator in the Booth.

Last, but not least... its nice to go to various pool events and hang with new friends that have become old friends.

Happy new years everyone.


Eric

Happy New Year, Eric! :wave2:

Hope you didn't party too hearty last night. Of course, I was fast asleep in my luxurious Sleep Number bed by midnight. When we were kids, we used to go outside and take wooden spoons and bang on pots and pans. I never knew where that tradition came from. I'm sure the neighbors loved it. :embarrassed2:

The continuing lack of justice for Mike Surber the entire year of 2010 is terrible. I think the murder happened in November of 2009, but there has not been much by way of development in finding the murderer.

There are some videos out that GulfportDoc and another local video gentleman from the area got published. They are on this website, as well as YouTube: Justice for Mike Surber

I hope I get to attend some pool events in 2011. I haven't been to a pool tournament since July 2006. I have made some acquaintances in the pool world. But I do have long-time friends in my area from when I was quite young, working in the pool room graveyard shift.

One happy memory in 2010 that I missed was the Strawberry Memorial One-Pocket Tournament, about 30 minutes from my house. Read all about it at: OnePocket.org

The winner is a young'n from my area named Illir. I remember him in the local tournaments. I think he was from Romania, if memory serves me right. He spoke with accented speech, but the common language with him was pool. He loved pool and was trying to absorb everything he could about it. To see him win this one-pocket tournament in an area where one-pocket reigns over all other games, well, it's pretty cool.

My goal is to get out more in 2011, dag nab it, so I don't miss these gems.

 

[JAM]

Happy New Year, Eric! :wave2:

Hope you didn't party too hearty last night. Of course, I was fast asleep in my luxurious Sleep Number bed by midnight. When we were kids, we used to go outside and take wooden spoons and bang on pots and pans. I never knew where that tradition came from. I'm sure the neighbors loved it. :embarrassed2:

The continuing lack of justice for Mike Surber the entire year of 2010 is terrible. I think the murder happened in November of 2009, but there has not been much by way of development in finding the murderer.

There are some videos out that GulfportDoc and another local video gentleman from the area got published. They are on this website, as well as YouTube: Justice for Mike Surber

I hope I get to attend some pool events in 2011. I haven't been to a pool tournament since July 2006. I have made some acquaintances in the pool world. But I do have long-time friends in my area from when I was quite young, working in the pool room graveyard shift.

One happy memory in 2010 that I missed was the Strawberry Memorial One-Pocket Tournament, about 30 minutes from my house. Read all about it at: OnePocket.org

The winner is a young'n from my area named Illir. I remember him in the local tournaments. I think he was from Romania, if memory serves me right. He spoke with accented speech, but the common language with him was pool. He loved pool and was trying to absorb everything he could about it. To see him win this one-pocket tournament in an area where one-pocket reigns over all other games, well, it's pretty cool.

My goal is to get out more in 2011, dag nab it, so I don't miss these gems.

Here's the caption in OnePocket.org of the event. Look at the joy in Illir's face, as well as his left paw on the cheese!

Man, I wish I had been there to see it: Strawberry's son Melvin presents the winner's trophy as Quball 1 Billiards owner Larry Steele presents the cash to tournament winner Illir Jaho.

You can see a picture of Strawberry behind them. I have not been to that pool room. It looks like they have some very nice memorabilia on the walls. I must get out there in 2011.

 

[JAM]

Our monumental 3rd place of the Greek national team at the world team championship in February.
They beat the USA 2009 Mosconi cup winning team in order to get to the semifinal.
Our 18 year old Alexandros Kazakis beat Corey D. and Nikos Oikonomopoulos made the winning spot shot at a thrilling shootout.
The team was completed by two other Greek champions, Vangelis Vettas and 50 year old Aris Damoulakis who pulled out victories over Daryl Peach and other top class players half of his age.
They were the only team without team leader and any kind of financial support.
Their shirts were provided by Greek immigrants in Germany where 45 nations sent out their best to compete.
They fought with their soul against pool giants and brought home the greatest Greek achievement in Pool history.
Made everyone proud here.
Petros

This is a very cool picture. I just downloaded it and am sharing it on this thread. Hearing the background of the shirts just warms my heart. :smiling-heart:

 

[JAM]

Well, 2010 was a full pool year for me. I played in Valley Forge, went to the U.S. Open, and played in a few smaller tournaments. I even attended a 14.1 seminar by Mike Sigel!

My favorite "memory", or happening would be the start of a monthly 9B tournament at Big Daddy's Billiards in Glen Burnie, MD.

I proposed to the owners that they should host a mid-range monthly tournament which I will advertise and run. It started in September, and we just had our third event, drawing some of the best players in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware.

First tournament = 30 players
Second tournament = 42 players
Third tournament = 31 players

Our fourth will be on Jan. 15 and I hope to continue this every month.

As far as memories go though, hanging at Q-Masters during U.S. Open week is incomparable.

And I watched the entire TAR match between Shane and Mika...what a blast!

It does sound like you had a very pool-filled year, indeed. Good for you. Out of all of your memories, the Q-Masters for me would have been my favorite. I do like that pool room and sweating the action. It's so nice that we live not too far from there. I hope I can make it next October, if I can swing the logistics.

The tournaments you and Mike are running are sorely needed in our area. With pool rooms shutting down, it is great that you are keeping pool alive and well. I hope to be sitting on the rail someday soon at Big Daddy's!