I’m 47 years old - I have been struggling with that fact, as women my age tend to do, and wondering if I was beyond my prime as far as pool is concerned. I worried that I was too old to bring skills I used to have to the table any more. On top of the age issue, I rarely play any more – league one night per week, and sometimes a Saturday tournament. I LOVE tournament play, but I usually have to travel to get to them. And since I don’t play much, I don’t have confidence that I could do well… so I don’t go.
This past weekend our IOMA/VNEA State Championships were held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The venue was a first for this tournament, but the set up was great. 130 tables (maybe more), and plenty of space for the singles events (team events are another story though – 5 people on each team, but only 3 chairs at each table??)
I played in the women’s master singles 8-ball event. I have won this event a few times before, placed 2nd a few times, and finished 4th last year. One year I went two and out.
The tournament started on Friday at 1pm. The format is loser breaks, race to 4 on 7’ Valley tables. The cloth was in good shape, the balls were clean and shiny. BUT the tables were not set up correctly. The rails were at least 1/8” higher than they should be. The result of that was that a ball would die off the rail, especially the 2nd rail. I love to play two rail position, so this is a major impediment.
I had no idea how I would play. My husband and I had played a lot of practice games all morning and I did not do well at all.
But when my first match started, I was a different person. I was the old me, the pool player that I thought was gone – I don’t know where she came from, but here she was.
Match #1 - I didn’t miss a ball in this match. I ran 3 tables from her break and won the match 4-0. I should have been hooked a couple of times, but the dead rails saved me from over-running position.
My next match made me a little nervous because I know how hard my opponent works on her game. I felt like even though I was, in my opinion, the better player, she DESERVED it more than I did because she puts so much time and effort into it.
Match #2 - I missed the first shot of the first game, a long cut shot down the rail, but got back to the table and ran down to one ball. One of her balls was in a spot on the rail that I couldn’t avoid that would keep me from getting back out for the 8. I tried something crazy and scratched. She ran out, a nice run, and I was a little scared.
But not that scared. I missed one more ball in that match and won 4-1. I played one safety, my first and last of the day.
Match #3 - My next match was against a girl I didn’t know. I don’t know how well she plays, but she must have some game because she wound up getting 4th in the tournament. But in this match she only shot once aside from breaking. She never made a ball on the break, and each time I ran out. I won 4-0.
Match #4 – I missed a couple balls during this match, but still won 4-0. She did get to shoot a few times, and she thanked me for that after the match. I don’t know if she was being sarcastic or not.
On Saturday play continues. I have made it to the winner’s bracket final and am up against my arch rival but good friend, JF. I have been playing her for years, and for the first few she couldn’t beat me. But I could tell by her drive and dedication that one day she would, and when that day came I knew a new era had begun. She had overcome that hump, and now our matches were no longer a foregone conclusion.
JF is a fantastic 8 ball player. She uses tools that are often overlooked, like giving up ball in hand by intentionally shooting at one of her opponent’s balls that is either a) keeping her from getting out, or b) a way for her opponent to get a break out or c) she just doesn’t want it there. Goal #1: learn how to deal with this.
Match #5 against JF - I lost this match 1-4. She’s been in my head for a long time, and matches I’ve won against her in recent history I’ve won because she gave them away. This time I had the same mental obstacle but I still played fairly well. I had one very difficult run and left myself a straight in, half table shot on the 8 ball. But I was shooting over a ball (I left that position intentionally because my other options were too risky) and missed it. But in that game, she ran six then dogged a long shot before the 8 ball and swept the table. So that was my one win in this match.
The high rails hurt me in match #5, though. Twice I played two rail position with one or two balls left and both times came up a fraction short - it cost me the game both times. The final score doesn’t really reflect the level of play.
During all of my matches, I had been careful to calculate break outs. Instead of just driving into the pack and hoping for a good outcome, I did my best to determine where and how hard I needed to hit tied up balls so as not to tie up other balls or leave no shot afterwards. The fact that I pulled off break outs successfully numerous times gave me quite a boost. This was one part of the game I thought I had lost. Goal #2: keep doing this.
I didn’t want to get into any defensive games, though. In 8 ball, they require so much calculation and thought. They make me very tired, very fast. Goal #3: overcome this.
Match #6 - I won this match on the one loss side 4-2. I played well, not as good as I had been, but better than I would have hoped for prior to Friday’s matches.
Match #7 – JF again, the tournament final. I was happy with where I was already, 2nd place wrapped up, $440 towards the bottom line. Not bad for someone who plays an average of <10 games per week. This put me about $200 in the black for this event, which is enough for me. She’s still in my head, though, and I still don’t know how to combat those defensive plays that stump me sometimes.
So I just run out every rack. Tough runs, with a lot of obstacles to maneuver around. Final score is 4-0. I proved to myself that I can still beat her.
But I have to beat her again, it’s true double elimination. And I couldn’t muster up the energy to do it, even though she gave me plenty of chances and I SHOULD have won. I threw away three opportunities at wide open tables – one by miscuing (because I hit it bad, not because my tip needs work or the chalk is defective) and another by trying to do more with the ball than the table would allow. I had ball in hand once and studied the table for a very long time. I had two trouble balls, fairly close to one another but with her balls in the mix as well. I looked long and hard and didn’t see any way to make one of the balls and get a favorable break out on the other one. I finally decided on a draw shot off the four ball, to come back into the pack and kick the 5 ball out. It was risky, and I really thought I might just be making things worse. After the shot though, everything had a pocket. I checked that the 5 ball would indeed go by one of her balls, shrugged and smiled. JF came to the table to check it out, and was disgusted enough to utter a groan of disapproval. I would have done the same in her position.
I shot the 5 but left myself nearly straight on the 7. I needed to roll down for my next ball, so tried to cheat the pocket a little too much and missed. She ran out from there.
The final score was 2-4, but it was 1:15 am and I told myself I was too tired to win anyway. I was telling myself that the whole match, I even dramatized it by keeping my eyes closed for extended periods. It’s no wonder I lost! Goal #4: quit doing this!!! And work on building stamina.
I learned a lot about myself this past weekend. I can still play this game and even at age 47, I can still play it well. I think I pinpointed my weaknesses and they are not insurmountable. I already have some ideas on how to deal with some of JF’s defensive strategies. JF, if you’re reading this, don’t worry about your other half’s comment on Sunday – I did not take it as an insult, I took it as a challenge.
!!!I love this game!!!
This past weekend our IOMA/VNEA State Championships were held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The venue was a first for this tournament, but the set up was great. 130 tables (maybe more), and plenty of space for the singles events (team events are another story though – 5 people on each team, but only 3 chairs at each table??)
I played in the women’s master singles 8-ball event. I have won this event a few times before, placed 2nd a few times, and finished 4th last year. One year I went two and out.
The tournament started on Friday at 1pm. The format is loser breaks, race to 4 on 7’ Valley tables. The cloth was in good shape, the balls were clean and shiny. BUT the tables were not set up correctly. The rails were at least 1/8” higher than they should be. The result of that was that a ball would die off the rail, especially the 2nd rail. I love to play two rail position, so this is a major impediment.
I had no idea how I would play. My husband and I had played a lot of practice games all morning and I did not do well at all.
But when my first match started, I was a different person. I was the old me, the pool player that I thought was gone – I don’t know where she came from, but here she was.
Match #1 - I didn’t miss a ball in this match. I ran 3 tables from her break and won the match 4-0. I should have been hooked a couple of times, but the dead rails saved me from over-running position.
My next match made me a little nervous because I know how hard my opponent works on her game. I felt like even though I was, in my opinion, the better player, she DESERVED it more than I did because she puts so much time and effort into it.
Match #2 - I missed the first shot of the first game, a long cut shot down the rail, but got back to the table and ran down to one ball. One of her balls was in a spot on the rail that I couldn’t avoid that would keep me from getting back out for the 8. I tried something crazy and scratched. She ran out, a nice run, and I was a little scared.
But not that scared. I missed one more ball in that match and won 4-1. I played one safety, my first and last of the day.
Match #3 - My next match was against a girl I didn’t know. I don’t know how well she plays, but she must have some game because she wound up getting 4th in the tournament. But in this match she only shot once aside from breaking. She never made a ball on the break, and each time I ran out. I won 4-0.
Match #4 – I missed a couple balls during this match, but still won 4-0. She did get to shoot a few times, and she thanked me for that after the match. I don’t know if she was being sarcastic or not.
On Saturday play continues. I have made it to the winner’s bracket final and am up against my arch rival but good friend, JF. I have been playing her for years, and for the first few she couldn’t beat me. But I could tell by her drive and dedication that one day she would, and when that day came I knew a new era had begun. She had overcome that hump, and now our matches were no longer a foregone conclusion.
JF is a fantastic 8 ball player. She uses tools that are often overlooked, like giving up ball in hand by intentionally shooting at one of her opponent’s balls that is either a) keeping her from getting out, or b) a way for her opponent to get a break out or c) she just doesn’t want it there. Goal #1: learn how to deal with this.
Match #5 against JF - I lost this match 1-4. She’s been in my head for a long time, and matches I’ve won against her in recent history I’ve won because she gave them away. This time I had the same mental obstacle but I still played fairly well. I had one very difficult run and left myself a straight in, half table shot on the 8 ball. But I was shooting over a ball (I left that position intentionally because my other options were too risky) and missed it. But in that game, she ran six then dogged a long shot before the 8 ball and swept the table. So that was my one win in this match.
The high rails hurt me in match #5, though. Twice I played two rail position with one or two balls left and both times came up a fraction short - it cost me the game both times. The final score doesn’t really reflect the level of play.
During all of my matches, I had been careful to calculate break outs. Instead of just driving into the pack and hoping for a good outcome, I did my best to determine where and how hard I needed to hit tied up balls so as not to tie up other balls or leave no shot afterwards. The fact that I pulled off break outs successfully numerous times gave me quite a boost. This was one part of the game I thought I had lost. Goal #2: keep doing this.
I didn’t want to get into any defensive games, though. In 8 ball, they require so much calculation and thought. They make me very tired, very fast. Goal #3: overcome this.
Match #6 - I won this match on the one loss side 4-2. I played well, not as good as I had been, but better than I would have hoped for prior to Friday’s matches.
Match #7 – JF again, the tournament final. I was happy with where I was already, 2nd place wrapped up, $440 towards the bottom line. Not bad for someone who plays an average of <10 games per week. This put me about $200 in the black for this event, which is enough for me. She’s still in my head, though, and I still don’t know how to combat those defensive plays that stump me sometimes.
So I just run out every rack. Tough runs, with a lot of obstacles to maneuver around. Final score is 4-0. I proved to myself that I can still beat her.
But I have to beat her again, it’s true double elimination. And I couldn’t muster up the energy to do it, even though she gave me plenty of chances and I SHOULD have won. I threw away three opportunities at wide open tables – one by miscuing (because I hit it bad, not because my tip needs work or the chalk is defective) and another by trying to do more with the ball than the table would allow. I had ball in hand once and studied the table for a very long time. I had two trouble balls, fairly close to one another but with her balls in the mix as well. I looked long and hard and didn’t see any way to make one of the balls and get a favorable break out on the other one. I finally decided on a draw shot off the four ball, to come back into the pack and kick the 5 ball out. It was risky, and I really thought I might just be making things worse. After the shot though, everything had a pocket. I checked that the 5 ball would indeed go by one of her balls, shrugged and smiled. JF came to the table to check it out, and was disgusted enough to utter a groan of disapproval. I would have done the same in her position.
I shot the 5 but left myself nearly straight on the 7. I needed to roll down for my next ball, so tried to cheat the pocket a little too much and missed. She ran out from there.The final score was 2-4, but it was 1:15 am and I told myself I was too tired to win anyway. I was telling myself that the whole match, I even dramatized it by keeping my eyes closed for extended periods. It’s no wonder I lost! Goal #4: quit doing this!!! And work on building stamina.
I learned a lot about myself this past weekend. I can still play this game and even at age 47, I can still play it well. I think I pinpointed my weaknesses and they are not insurmountable. I already have some ideas on how to deal with some of JF’s defensive strategies. JF, if you’re reading this, don’t worry about your other half’s comment on Sunday – I did not take it as an insult, I took it as a challenge.
!!!I love this game!!!
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