FL Spirit Tour
- Thread starter Johnnyt
- Start date
It's ok, I don't mind. I was stoked to play Helena last tournament. I won 4 games and felt I played as well as I could. I was awestruck and shaky but it was good practice. Maybe next time I'll get 5. Since I don't want, (too old, too lazy) nor expect to be a pro, I personally don't mind if the pros play. When/where else would I have the chance to play a pro player but on the Spirit Tour? For me it's just the journey and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
The pros have to pay a double entry fee which puts more money in the purse. That money is used to pay out more places e.g. 13-17th place. So I don't mind that either.
Also, let me tell you what those wonderful ladies did...they donated their time, autographs and photos... and Helena offered a pool lesson for a raffle for a sweet little boy who has leukemia. Anyone could have their photo taken with Helena and Monica and it was put on t shirts for a donation to the family of the sick little boy. I was the first one to put up $10 for the raffle for a pool lesson from Helena (don't know if I won) and there would only be 15 tickets. Helena offered her time/lesson as a donation. Speaking for myself, I am happy and feel priviledged to have the pros play with us. And as for the players who want to improve and go pro it is great practice for them.
The pros have to pay a double entry fee which puts more money in the purse. That money is used to pay out more places e.g. 13-17th place. So I don't mind that either.
Also, let me tell you what those wonderful ladies did...they donated their time, autographs and photos... and Helena offered a pool lesson for a raffle for a sweet little boy who has leukemia. Anyone could have their photo taken with Helena and Monica and it was put on t shirts for a donation to the family of the sick little boy. I was the first one to put up $10 for the raffle for a pool lesson from Helena (don't know if I won) and there would only be 15 tickets. Helena offered her time/lesson as a donation. Speaking for myself, I am happy and feel priviledged to have the pros play with us. And as for the players who want to improve and go pro it is great practice for them.
The arguments for and against having pros playing in WPBA qualifying events are obvious. For me, I've always been in favor of having them present. Not only does it help promote the women's pool product regionally, but it also helps prepare future WPBA pros for the kind of competiton they'll have to face later in their careers.
The LST has consistently produced players that have done well at the pro level. Sarah Ellerby, Jeannie Seaver, Ga Young Kim, Tracie Hines, and Myuki Sakai are all recent examples.
The presence of fantastic players like Monica and Helena in these events will continue to ensure that the ladies of the LST are ready to succeed when their chance comes in WPBA play.
The LST has consistently produced players that have done well at the pro level. Sarah Ellerby, Jeannie Seaver, Ga Young Kim, Tracie Hines, and Myuki Sakai are all recent examples.
The presence of fantastic players like Monica and Helena in these events will continue to ensure that the ladies of the LST are ready to succeed when their chance comes in WPBA play.
sjm said:
the same is true for all of the other regional tournaments out there - the Hunter, JPNEWT, etc. etc. it seems to help open the wallets of the pool room owners knowing they can advertise WPBA pros coming in and it only benefits those of us on the tours because that allows more events to play in. sometimes it makes it a little tougher to bang one out, but if you are trying to get to the next level, what better way to start then to have to play them on your home turf.
Johnnyt said:
My comment was generalized in that there are professional players on all regional tours, but no I was not referring to the top sixteen players. However, the JPNEWT does allow top sixteen in its state championships - we just had one in Jersey a month or so back that Karen Corr, Julie Kelly, Gerda, etc. etc. came to, and this weekend the Maryland state championships for the same tour is open to ALL pros yet again.
I am not taking away from the Florida events in the least, just reiterating that I think that the competition when the top pros are allowed on the regional circuit is a good thing to toughen up the players even more (this again is generalized for those that are wanting to go to the next level) and it makes it a bit easier to up the anty of added money from the rooms. An event that would normally be $1500 added could grow to $4000 instead - it deepens the payouts. The issue with them coming in to snag the $$$$ is another in my book, but there are alternatives to modify the impact.
Johnny - one thing I meant to add to my post - I am not sure if the Florida tour is the same, but the regional tours I have played on have the option to vote as a member of the tour - in short, this may have been something the ladies there wanted initially - if not, they always have the option to express their thoughts on the subject and if the tour directors don't listen, play elsewhere. without the players, they don't have a tour.
9balllvr said:
That was a great post, SP. I believe that players of Monica's ability have helped the Ladies Spirit Tour immensely. Monica is not the only pro that has played on this tour and won, Vivian, Ga Young, Pan Xiaoting, and others have also, and everybody on the tour or involved with the tour looked upon their participation as an honor.
I think that the competitiveness that these tougher fields have provided have helped elevate the games of Tracie Hines, Debbie Schjodt, Jeannie Seaver, and Crystal McCormick. None of these tournaments are a picnic for anybody, especially Monica. This tour is the toughest of the regional tours because they allow the top pros to participate, and that is a good thing.
It is also important to realize that Monica has been working very hard on her game with the assistance of a great coach (Tony Crosby). The LST is a great place for her to test out what she has been working on by putting it into action against tough competition. Having watched Monica progress over the past few months, I believe that she is on a collision course with her first WPBA title. IMO, it is just a matter of time, and I believe that her participation on the LST will assist her in achieving that goal.
Last but not least, Monica... if you're reading this, congratulations on 3 in a row - and congratulations on becoming the Florida State Champion. After all of the hard work you have done, you definitely deserve all of this success!
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I don?t believe the majority of the players feel that way. The Hunter Tour doesn?t let WPBA touring pros play at all. Some of the others don?t let the top 16 play. These regional tours are supposed to be a stepping stone to the WPBA and/or to qualify for a spot. Once you have touring pro status you should not play in them. IMHO. Johnnyt
Johnnyt said:
Johnnyt
FWIW, most of the players that I know feel the same way as 9balllvr and PoolHallMaven. The pros that play in the LST do not effect the qualifier spots. If Monica wins, she cashes, but the qualifier goes to the highest finishing player that is NOT a WPBA touring pro.
It is not uncommon to have pros win all of the events for the year.
Here is the list of winners from the past few years - WPBA Touring pros are in bold print...
2005
Stop 1 - Vivian Villareal
Stop 2 - Ga Young Kim
Stop 3 - Wendy Jans
Stop 4 - Ming Ng
Stop 5 - Ga Young Kim
Stop 6 - Wendy Jans
Stop 7 - Wendy Jans
Stop 8 - Jeannie Seaver
Stop 9 - Kim Shaw
2006
Stop 1 - Pan Xiaoting
Stop 2 - Jeannie Seaver
Stop 3 - Tiffany Nelson
Stop 4 - Debbie Schjodt
Stop 5 - Monica Webb
Stop 6 - Debbie Schjodt
Stop 7 - Maria Catalano
Stop 8 - Tracey Hines
Stop 9 - Sarah Rousey
I am not certain of Ming Ng's or Jeannie Seaver's touring pro status - correct me if I am wrong, but I am sure that they are. It should also be noted that Wendy Jans and Pan Xiaoting earned their WPBA Qualifiers by competing on this tour. At the time that Pan Xiaoting won her LST tournament, she was not on the WPBA. I talk to Debbie Schjodt almost every other day, and I am positive that she is extremely grateful that the LST is so competitive because she is able to play against not only the best players in Florida, but the best players in the entire world. This prepares her for the WPBA events, and last year she was able to defeat GYK in North Carolina - mostly because they had played many times on the LST.
I was with PoolHallMaven imediately after her match with Helena, and believe me, she thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity of playing such a great player - for $50 entry it's one hell of a good deal for the non-pros - and for $100 entry, its not a bad deal for players such as Helena and Monica.
Johnnyt said:
The purse money increases when more pros play because they pay the double entry fee - and it pays down the line for the lower finishers... its win-win for everybody. If you finish high enough, you get a WPBA qualifier spot and free paid entry into a WPBA event. Of course, nobody will get rich playing on this tour, but its one of the best and well run regional tours I have ever seen. I'm not sure why anybody would be unhappy about the pros competing on this tour.
Johnnyt said:
I know what you are trying to say. Honestly, as it is, I never plan on coming home with money won. Almost every stop is at least 3 hours away and in order to do more then break even, I have to finish 1st or 2nd. If it weren't for that, I would drive to all of them--- just can't spend that much money so I have to pick and choose. Sad, because I've played in two events this year (palm harbor and jax) each having 40+ women and I did cash in both--- 5th and 7th. Didn't break $200...
Please don't take this the wrong way anyone. I still love going to these tourneys. I have a lot of fun, great competition, and a lot of great ladies--personality and pool wise!
Someone earlier said that the pros attendance could turn a $1500 added tournament into a $4000 added....... I WISH!! If that happened, I'd be on my way to all of the events!
What was the girl from Canada's name. There was a girl playing in the 8 ball tournaments every week at the pool hall i play at. We were in the finals like 4 weeks in a row then the owner would not let us play anymore because everyone else was mad. If it's the same girl she was a good shot. This girls name was Lauren.
You talkin about Laura Lindauer?
I have no problem with pros being allowed to play in these events but it does make the decision to travel to it much more difficult. If I lived there, I would not hesitate to pay my $65 (not $50) and welcome the opportunity to play a great player...
However, if your not a local, it is a lot bigger investment than just an entry fee. I was lucky to have a free place to stay in Jacksonville and someone to share the driving expenses. I had hoped to make it to Capone's but when no else could make the trip with me, at the very least, I was now looking at a $300 investment. That is a pretty hefty "lesson" fee! It essentially becomes a game of russian roulette, with the bullets being pros, you can only hope not to draw one in the early rounds...
Florida is a big state, even if you live there, you may have to travel 5 + hours to get to an event. So, it just becomes a major consideration, when travel expenses are an added concern. I would suggest that maybe they could work with just one hotel chain that might be willing to give better deals on rooms? The lowest rate I found was 65.00 a night and that was not using their player rate, but through a AAA rate.
The Great Lakes tour, was able to get a $25 room rate for their event in Bristol! Huge difference! Even if I can not find a travel partner, I will be able to make that trip for closer to $200.
However, if your not a local, it is a lot bigger investment than just an entry fee. I was lucky to have a free place to stay in Jacksonville and someone to share the driving expenses. I had hoped to make it to Capone's but when no else could make the trip with me, at the very least, I was now looking at a $300 investment. That is a pretty hefty "lesson" fee! It essentially becomes a game of russian roulette, with the bullets being pros, you can only hope not to draw one in the early rounds...
Florida is a big state, even if you live there, you may have to travel 5 + hours to get to an event. So, it just becomes a major consideration, when travel expenses are an added concern. I would suggest that maybe they could work with just one hotel chain that might be willing to give better deals on rooms? The lowest rate I found was 65.00 a night and that was not using their player rate, but through a AAA rate.
The Great Lakes tour, was able to get a $25 room rate for their event in Bristol! Huge difference! Even if I can not find a travel partner, I will be able to make that trip for closer to $200.
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