America's NEW HOPE?

[Steve Lipsky]

Mike Tosado is a very close friend of mine, as is his father. I have known him since he began playing pool. Mike got started through the tutelage of outstanding instructor Rolando Aravena at the Amsterdam Billiard Club, who gave him a solid foundation on which to build.

I think Mike's greatest asset is his passion for the game. It has enabled him to put in the hours that it takes to become a fine player, and he has improved quickly. Mike's second greatest asset is his wonderful father. Lou Tosado has not only given Mike as much direction and encouragement as a young man could ever hope for, but he has helped Mike in his practices, racking the balls, setting up shots, and keeping performance statistics. In addition, Lou loves his son as much as any father has ever loved his son, ans has shown Mike how to balance his education with his pool game, enabling Mike to succeed at both.

It is too early to say whether Mike has the talent to scale the highest heights of the game, but his passion for the game and the support system he has in place will give him the opportunity to reach his potential.

Mike Tosado and I have practiced together often, and I am very proud of him and wish him continued success.

Stu,

I owe you and Rolando a big apology. I just reread my post, and when I wrote that there is "a dearth of really strong players to help him", I didn't mean that as zero; just less than there were in years past. I sincerely hope you didn't take it the way it sounded, though I fear you did. It was not my intention and I am sorry.

The work that you and Rolando have done with Michael has been nothing short of incredible.

- Steve

 

[alinco]

the best 16 and under player in the country is hands down chris futrell.

I agree. He lives in Virginia near the US Open. I heard he played a match til 1:00 am in the morning and went to school the next day while still in the Open!

 

[branpureza]

I agree. He lives in Virginia near the US Open. I heard he played a match til 1:00 am in the morning and went to school the next day while still in the Open!

yeah he's always been an honor roll student as long as ive known him... his friend curtis coleman plays the same speed and he's only like 17. they're both good kids and could easily be top pros some day... although i don't think it appeals to chris as much... he puts his education above playing pool, and rightly so.

 

[sjm]

Stu,

I owe you and Rolando a big apology. I just reread my post, and when I wrote that there is "a dearth of really strong players to help him", I didn't mean that as zero; just less than there were in years past. I sincerely hope you didn't take it the way it sounded, though I fear you did. It was not my intention and I am sorry.

The work that you and Rolando have done with Michael has been nothing short of incredible.

- Steve

No apology called for, Steve.

I agree with you that Amsterdam East had a stronger contingent of top players than Amsterdam West back in the day. I did not feel slighted, nor did the interpretation of your post that you seem to fear I made as much as cross my mind.

Much ado about nothing here, my friend. Anybody who knows you will realize that it was not your intent to belittle those at Amsterdam West that have participated in the molding of Mike Tosado as a player.

 

[catscradle]

There have been and always will be young players with the potential to be one of the greats of this sport. But, all the pieces have to fall into place as well. 1) Have a mentor that cares enough about the kid and his game to work with him and teach him how to win. 2) Be able to travel some and get exposure to top-notch pool and 3) (probably most important of all) Stay away from the bad habits that can be found in poolrooms. There have been many young players that fall into the "dark side" of pool that either burn out or fall out and their true potential is never seen. I have seen Tosado play on video and I hope he sticks with it 100%

Southpaw

How many prodigies in how many disciplines (sports, arts, scholastics) have fallen by the wayside? Lots and lots. That last small, critical difference between the greats and the near-greats can be impossible to obtain. He may very well stagnate at the "A" level, or short stop, or whereever. He may prove to be the pool equivalent of the math "genius" who goes to MIT at 14 and winds up as just another brillant math professor in another major university, never contributing anything special to the discipline of math.

Good luck to him, but it's a very long way to being the "next hope".

BTW, does it really matter very much if the USA is dominant in pool or not? Will it really effect anybody's enjoyment of the game we play? Good for him if he winds up being the next Willie Mosconi, but it really won't effect my game or life in the least.

 

[JAM]

Ok, after seen several video's on youtube.com of this kid playing against a couple of world beaters I have to ask, is he our Only hope for the future of America?

The kid is Michael Tosado. And you can find a few videos of him on Youtube.com And he plays lights out for his age and the guys he is playing against.

I am curious as to where he is from? NYC?

Thank you, StormHotRod300, for initiating this thread. In these difficult times when pool's toughest critics come from within its own culture, as evidenced by some of the responses to POSITIVE threads such as this one about POSITIVE developments on American soil, it is quite REFRESHING to read about young players coming to the fore.

Chris Futrell, Michael Tosado, Landon Shuffett, Tanner Preuss, and others are entering the next frontier. As an American pool enthusiast, I applaud their dedication and look forward to reading more about these young champions and, hopefully, others down the road.

With the lot of American professional pool players dwindling, it is players like these young'ns who give me hope for a future. Without them, there is no future for American professional pool players. Their triumphs and successes do affect my outlook on what may be some difficult times up ahead. With them, their contributions to the sport will be welcomed by pool enthusists like me.

JAM

 

[JDog_1]

fast improvement indeed!

Nicky is playing a bit again, from time to time. He's so talented that it really doesn't take him long to get the feel back. He's moving to Vegas soon, but will try to stop in at the Cue Club from time to time.

Mike's rate of improvement is one of the fastest I've ever seen. If he were around the old east side amsterdam days (like, 1998 to 2002), he'd be an even better player. What a training ground that was for up-and-coming players. Still, even with a dearth of really strong players to help him, Michael has turned himself into a helluva player. We're all really proud of him...

- Steve

I played him in a D level 9-ball league at Corner Billiards about 3.5 yrs ago. Though I won that league, I'm still a D+ player and Mike is now breaking and running out against Archer in pro tourneys!

 

[beetle]

15 yr old (maybe 16 by now) John Morra has already come second in a Joss tour event. Yeah, I know he's Canadian, but he deserves mention here.

If I recall correctly, John Morra got 3rd one year in Valley Forge in the OPEN event in which there were over 1000 players. He could have played the junior event, of course. He was probably 15 then (I think he's 17 or 18 now). I think that's the best evidence of how strong he plays.

Nobody around DC should underestimate 14 year old Richard Barney. He's made a lot of noise at local tournaments. In a few years everyone will know him.

 

[TannerPruess]

Can't forget some Midwest shooters: Dan Olson, Ryan Stone, Riley Pugh, and the Behnke brothers.