How receptive is your family about your passion with pool??

I don't think my parents fully understand what pool has done for my life - it's given me a passion. Also, I didn't play sports in high school, so never knew that sports can cause one to be more confident and positive, which flows nicely over into my personal/work life.

They don't understand why I go to the tournaments and "waste" my money and spend all my time practicing and going to tournaments yet still not winning everything (my coworkers don't understand either).

Ironically, it's because of pool that I saw my Dad right before he passed. My parents had both been ill last year so I had been going down to San Antonio from the DFW-area every 3 to 4 weeks for 8 months to spend 3 day weekends helping them out around the house and running errands for them. In August of '07, I decided to fly down to San Antonio a couple of days earlier than normal this particular weekend to spend quality time with them b/c I wanted to play in the Fast Eddie's women's tournament on the Sunday of that weekend, but I didn't want to miss any extra days with my parents.

I had never flown down to San Antonio before - just always drove down on a Friday. My Dad picked me up from the airport Thursday morning and we decided to eat lunch at Chilies. We had a good time, chatting and catching up from my last visit in August. I then ran errands that afternoon and interacted with him in the evening while I was also helping my Mom. The next morning, Friday, he passed away at the house. It is truly a miracle he passed away while I was there so my Mom and I could be there for each other during that trying time.

If it wasn't for the pool tournament, I wouldn't have been there a day earlier to spend that quality time with him. The same pool tournaments my parents wonder why I "waste" my time at. I am thankful for pool in so many ways.

It meant the world to me to dedicate my first big win to them in February. I think deep down they are happy I have a passion, but it's tough to express.
 
akaTrigger said:
The next morning, Friday, he passed away at the house. It is truly a miracle he passed away while I was there so my Mom and I could be there for each other during that trying time.

If it wasn't for the pool tournament, I wouldn't have been there a day earlier to spend that quality time with him. The same pool tournaments my parents wonder why I "waste" my time at. I am thankful for pool in so many ways.

It meant the world to me to dedicate my first big win to them in February. I think deep down they are happy I have a passion, but it's tough to express.
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I think your Dad just had to have his good bye with you and see that you were this perfect person before he could let himself go. My grandmother did the same thing. She held out until every one of the grandkids had a chance to sit with her and just chat for a little while. I was the last one, being 2000 miles away to have that moment. And she told me to enjoy life and then passed away minutes later.
 
ironman said:
I was raised by God Fearing, very hard working people who lived by very simple rules, but, very soled ones. They never understood the passion from day one and hated it for many many years.

I always understood ehy they objected so badly, but I was hooked at a very young age. I ate and slept pool and spent every available moment either playing or watching the better players play. I even had dreams about beating a Hopkinis or Buddy.

I would play day in and day out and spent time on the road at a young age, but would be forced to give it up and regroup. Finally at about 39 years old I decided to give it what I had and see where I was headed.

The truth is I made some remarkable scores and even beat a couple of pretty ggod players but could nev er sustain the focus or the bankroll. At 41 I was playing my best and finally decided my family was a lot smarter than I had ever given them credit for. Over a 4 week period I beat this very wealthy man out of close to $60,000, took the money home and went back to work and didn't hit another ball for 8 years. In those 8 years, not a day went by that I didn't think about it and talked about it quite a bit.

After my divorce in 2000 I began again and would like to know where I might have gotten had I not quit again, but there are always those questions. Now I'm 56 and dreaming of what it would be like to be 40 again. I guess that's natural.

I recently remarried to a beautiful woman who tries to understand, but just doesn't. I bombed out of a tournament this weekend and really emabarrassed myself and on the way home she asked, " just how long did you think you would be so competitive? Maybe it's time to move on!"

So what am I saying here? I think it is time to move on. But, what an education I recieved. But, what could have been? Maybe I should have done things differently!

Sound familiar?
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Yep it does sound very familiar ironman.......and to be perfectly honest any family who encourages a family member to take pool very seriously is probably doing that person no favours.

As a pool mad person you will forever be viewed by the majority of people, including many potential employers, potential clients, in-laws and bank managers to name but four groups, as being slightly short of a fully rounded and mature adult, lacking in class, slightly downmarket, slightly untrusworthy and as someone who 'could have done better' but got in with the wrong crowd.

Sad but unfortunately as true today as it was 40 years ago.
 
akaTrigger said:
I don't think my parents fully understand what pool has done for my life - it's given me a passion. Also, I didn't play sports in high school, so never knew that sports can cause one to be more confident and positive, which flows nicely over into my personal/work life.

They don't understand why I go to the tournaments and "waste" my money and spend all my time practicing and going to tournaments yet still not winning everything (my coworkers don't understand either).

Ironically, it's because of pool that I saw my Dad right before he passed. My parents had both been ill last year so I had been going down to San Antonio from the DFW-area every 3 to 4 weeks for 8 months to spend 3 day weekends helping them out around the house and running errands for them. In August of '07, I decided to fly down to San Antonio a couple of days earlier than normal this particular weekend to spend quality time with them b/c I wanted to play in the Fast Eddie's women's tournament on the Sunday of that weekend, but I didn't want to miss any extra days with my parents.

I had never flown down to San Antonio before - just always drove down on a Friday. My Dad picked me up from the airport Thursday morning and we decided to eat lunch at Chilies. We had a good time, chatting and catching up from my last visit in August. I then ran errands that afternoon and interacted with him in the evening while I was also helping my Mom. The next morning, Friday, he passed away at the house. It is truly a miracle he passed away while I was there so my Mom and I could be there for each other during that trying time.

If it wasn't for the pool tournament, I wouldn't have been there a day earlier to spend that quality time with him. The same pool tournaments my parents wonder why I "waste" my time at. I am thankful for pool in so many ways.

It meant the world to me to dedicate my first big win to them in February. I think deep down they are happy I have a passion, but it's tough to express.
Click to expand...
Very nice story,thx.
 
I think the majority of my family knows how much of a passion I have for this game. I started playing pool at a young age, learning from my grandfather. He played many years in Mexico, and spent a lot of time on the road but never played champion speed. Even at the age of 81, he used to play me one handed and be able to run out. He had a stroke 2 years later and was pretty much confined to a wheel chair. One day, he showed up to watch me play a tournament with my parents. I ended up getting 2nd in the tournament, but the best part was getting to play pool with my grandfather again. He'd push himself around the table, then stand up briefly and shoot. And yes...he still managed to beat me.

Now, my dad plays one of my teammates , and my sister plays on a different team in the same league. Going to Vegas is especially fun considering I get to watch my dad and sister play in such a big tournament. My mom loves to watch us all play, and is actually pretty knowledgable about the game. She doesn't like to play at all though, and she leaves that to all 3 of us. My family is also ok with me gambling, since they know that I don't have a problem. My dad told me a long time ago, to never gamble with needed money, and I've stuck to that ever since.
 
akaTrigger said:
I don't think my parents fully understand what pool has done for my life - it's given me a passion. Also, I didn't play sports in high school, so never knew that sports can cause one to be more confident and positive, which flows nicely over into my personal/work life.

They don't understand why I go to the tournaments and "waste" my money and spend all my time practicing and going to tournaments yet still not winning everything (my coworkers don't understand either).

Ironically, it's because of pool that I saw my Dad right before he passed. My parents had both been ill last year so I had been going down to San Antonio from the DFW-area every 3 to 4 weeks for 8 months to spend 3 day weekends helping them out around the house and running errands for them. In August of '07, I decided to fly down to San Antonio a couple of days earlier than normal this particular weekend to spend quality time with them b/c I wanted to play in the Fast Eddie's women's tournament on the Sunday of that weekend, but I didn't want to miss any extra days with my parents.

I had never flown down to San Antonio before - just always drove down on a Friday. My Dad picked me up from the airport Thursday morning and we decided to eat lunch at Chilies. We had a good time, chatting and catching up from my last visit in August. I then ran errands that afternoon and interacted with him in the evening while I was also helping my Mom. The next morning, Friday, he passed away at the house. It is truly a miracle he passed away while I was there so my Mom and I could be there for each other during that trying time.

If it wasn't for the pool tournament, I wouldn't have been there a day earlier to spend that quality time with him. The same pool tournaments my parents wonder why I "waste" my time at. I am thankful for pool in so many ways.

It meant the world to me to dedicate my first big win to them in February. I think deep down they are happy I have a passion, but it's tough to express.
Click to expand...
I don't think it should matter that it's pool that gives you this passion. the fact is, its a passion, your passion, regardless if you are a world beater or not. A lot of people overlook it as a competitive sport, mainly due to the fact they have never played the game or been around a tournament.
I found that if anyone ever gives me grief about my wasting money on pool, or wasting time for that matter, then i openly invite them to come hangout and watch league/tournament play. my sister often used to ask me the same thing, but when i brought her along on her last trip to NY she quickly got the picture. not only is it a relatively simple game (i mean, you dont need to be a super-athlete to play) but it is tremendously addictive. far more than people realise.
personally, i think people should see what it means to you and take that at face value and embrace it.
and what a nice quirk of fate that a pool tournament meant you flew early.
I am no world beater, but there is something strangely satisfying about watching those little balls disappear into the pockets, and as long as the pool table remains a place where i can get away from everyday strifes, i'll continue to play and enjoy it :grin:
 
ridewiththewind said:
If I was married to a cue maker, I am afraid I would be a huge PITA! I would be in the shop all the time checking out what was being done at any given time...trying to help out, make suggestions for designs or wood combos...etc....a bona fide PITA!! :bash:
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I can see it now Lisa, you'd be in the shop saying "I want to keep that one" followed by "You can make him another, but I want that one" .... and the next day you'd be back with an "I saw the new cue that Roscoe got and I want one even nicer".... you'd work the poor fellow to an early grave while depleting his stock of Rosewood :eek:

Dave
 
Mrs Dan asks me why I want to play so often. I somehow tricked her into playing on my CPA team (APA) by bringing her out to league, having her keep score, learn the rules etc and then I just put her on the roster saying "it will be something fun we can do together" Shes played maybe 20 games in her life so far, doesnt like playing for points but likes playing the game.

She doesnt get how I bought a new break cue when I already had one....... Im working on that.
 
akaTrigger said:
I don't think my parents fully understand what pool has done for my life - it's given me a passion. Also, I didn't play sports in high school, so never knew that sports can cause one to be more confident and positive, which flows nicely over into my personal/work life.

They don't understand why I go to the tournaments and "waste" my money and spend all my time practicing and going to tournaments yet still not winning everything (my coworkers don't understand either).

Ironically, it's because of pool that I saw my Dad right before he passed. My parents had both been ill last year so I had been going down to San Antonio from the DFW-area every 3 to 4 weeks for 8 months to spend 3 day weekends helping them out around the house and running errands for them. In August of '07, I decided to fly down to San Antonio a couple of days earlier than normal this particular weekend to spend quality time with them b/c I wanted to play in the Fast Eddie's women's tournament on the Sunday of that weekend, but I didn't want to miss any extra days with my parents.

I had never flown down to San Antonio before - just always drove down on a Friday. My Dad picked me up from the airport Thursday morning and we decided to eat lunch at Chilies. We had a good time, chatting and catching up from my last visit in August. I then ran errands that afternoon and interacted with him in the evening while I was also helping my Mom. The next morning, Friday, he passed away at the house. It is truly a miracle he passed away while I was there so my Mom and I could be there for each other during that trying time.

If it wasn't for the pool tournament, I wouldn't have been there a day earlier to spend that quality time with him. The same pool tournaments my parents wonder why I "waste" my time at. I am thankful for pool in so many ways.

It meant the world to me to dedicate my first big win to them in February. I think deep down they are happy I have a passion, but it's tough to express.
Click to expand...

I remember this as if it were yesterday and have had a new repect for you ever since. You handled this like a soldier and I"ll always be proud to call you a friend.

Keep your chin up.
 
I truly detest family gatherings. It's not that I hate my family; it's just that I don't have much in common with any of them. My dad is probably the lone exception.

I'm currently finishing up an electrical engineering degree part time, everyone else graduated LONG ago.

I'm single and I like it that way, everyone else is married and wonders why I?m single, but no one is interested in asking me why I?m single.

I play pool several times a week and spend many more hours practicing, most of them have never played or only play a couple times per decade.

I'm seriously getting into golf now, lots of research on technique, lots of hours practicing, etc.... At best I might be able to talk about golf for 2 to 5 minutes with a couple of them, but it quickly becomes apparent that because they are not as serious about it as I am, we have little to discuss.

It's really been getting to me lately and given the number of nieces, grandparents, parents, siblings, brother-in-laws I have, not to mention regular holidays; it seems like there is something I have to go to every other weekend. I go and say hello to everyone when I get there, grab a drink and then walk around or watch TV. I'm not really interested in talking to any of them and they are equally uninterested in what I've got to say. Yet if, god forbid, I skip one of these things, all I hear about is how bummed out everyone was that I didn't go.

Sorry, got a little off topic here, just needed to rant a bit.
 
I am pretty lucky when it comes to support. Everyone in my family knows that I play and always look for updates on how I have been doing on the tournament scene. If I get notice in a pool magazine, they get excited and want to check out the article.

The coolest thing for me was when my grandparents and uncle got to see me play twice at the pro event in Oregon. Even when I didn't do as well as I thought I should the last time, they put it in perspective for me by reminding me that I am only one of 64 women in the US playing in the event, so that has to count for something. They don't completely understand the game, but they tried to learn during every match they watched. They were enthralled by the competition and level of play as the only previous exposure they had was in occassional bar settings.

My family knows that I don't do it for a living and don't have plans to, but if I did, I think they would still be okay with it as long as I could support myself.
 
My family (wife) really understands and is happy I have a sport/hobby.
My kids are young and don't really care or get it.

Funny thing though, I was back east recently and was talking to my Parents about the value of some cues, and the subject got to some fine Balabushkas.
I saw 2 on my trip that were in the high teens as far as price.

When I brought this up, I got the old; "Oh that's ridiculous.. You'd have to be crazy to spend that on a piece of wood" routine.

They said that about my Midget Racer that I restored and won 1st in class at the Los Angeles Councours recently. Also my Antique toy collection that I sold and bought a condo with the proceeds. They come from the Depression times and it's understandable. God love 'em but they just DON'T get collecting or hobbies.
 
Milo said:
I have had alot of support from my family about my passion for pool. Mostly my husband and my dad. They are my stable force behind me.
And then I do have some family members that just really dont understand. LOL.
I have slowly tried to involve them more, so they can get a glimpse of why I love this sport so much.
Just wondering if there are others out there that have people around them in their lives that really dont understand the passion and love that you have for this great sport.
Just like anyother passion you have. Once it bites you, Its Forever!!!!
I would love to hear your storys!!!!!!
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My father is very supportive and has been my influence since I was young. He was a very solid player and had a lot of success. His wife also plays and she supports me as well. My mother despises pool and doesn't understand why I have devoted so much and gave up the "normal" way of life. This is partly due to the fact that she was once married to my father and it caused them some problems. She has not seen me play one game of pool in probably 10 years. My girlfriend is just starting to get the concept, but still has a long way to go. Basically, I just formed relationships with people that have the same passion as me, and that are trust worthy. My close pool friends, a long with my father have been my inspiration and kept my competitive drive alive.
 
Sounds very familiar!!!!

1on1pooltournys said:
My father is very supportive and has been my influence since I was young. He was a very solid player and had a lot of success. His wife also plays and she supports me as well. My mother despises pool and doesn't understand why I have devoted so much and gave up the "normal" way of life. This is partly due to the fact that she was once married to my father and it caused them some problems. She has not seen me play one game of pool in probably 10 years. My girlfriend is just starting to get the concept, but still has a long way to go. Basically, I just formed relationships with people that have the same passion as me, and that are trust worthy. My close pool friends, a long with my father have been my inspiration and kept my competitive drive alive.
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I can say without a doubt my father also has been a true inspiration for me. My mom was supportive, but just didnt really understand it. (she is now deceased) Also, my husband is my cornerman. He also plays, and very well I might add, so I am lucky to have people in my life who love and support me. I can certainly say I am a very lucky girl!!!!!
The other family members who do not understand my passion, well LOL, they are entitled to their opinions. Life goes on!!!! We all just have to do our best to be happy.
 
Well, I thought that my wife supported me 100% until one day when she referred to herself as being a "pool widow". At that point I re-evaluated and decided to avoid going to EVERY tournament EVERY week. I have passion for pool, but I also have passion for my sexy wife!;)
 
I'm pretty lucky. I play league two nights a week and try to make 10 local tourneys (mostly one day bar tourneys) a year. She is very supportive and both my kids play junior league and play in 6 to 8 tourney a year. My parents ask how we are doing and really got into it when my son made the VNEA monthy magazine (my wife and mom both have a copy framed and I was pretty proud too). Pool seemed to kind of take over the family two year ago so pool is fall, winter and spring and summer is traveling baseball and softball teams.

Wife even let me buy a second pool table for the basement!
 
Maybe you can help?

Milo said:
I can say without a doubt my father also has been a true inspiration for me. My mom was supportive, but just didnt really understand it. (she is now deceased) Also, my husband is my cornerman. He also plays, and very well I might add, so I am lucky to have people in my life who love and support me. I can certainly say I am a very lucky girl!!!!!
The other family members who do not understand my passion, well LOL, they are entitled to their opinions. Life goes on!!!! We all just have to do our best to be happy.
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A recent problem has been when my gf goes with me to a tournament or to gamble and her friends give her a lot of heat about it. I understand they have no idea of what is really going on and make it seem like I'm some type of huge sucker that thinks he can make money by gambling. So, seeing as how you are a female, is there any way this can be presented to them in a manner that may shed some light? We went to a Dave Matthews concert in Bloomington, Indiana not to long ago and went to some college bars after the show and I beat some guys out of about 200. The one girl with us thought this was the coolest thing in the world, yet gets pissed when she hears that I'm out late at night playing pool. Sorry to keep rambling, but It is definitely a concern, as I'd like to keep our relationship strong and prevent her friends from despising me!!
 
I had support

My parents are long gone but I had support. No battle when I bought a pool table and put it in my dad's living room when I was fifteen and about five years later my mom was the one that brought up the subject of playing pool professionally with me since pool and circle tracking were my two passions and she thought pool might be a little safer. I had to tell her the same thing about pool as Clayton Delaney said about playing a guitar, "There ain't no money in it and it'll lead you to an early grave." The few times I played "names" I won and I'll always wonder how good I could have been. There simply wasn't any smart way to go with pool though and I knew that even at that tender age.

Hu
 
My family allowed me to totally renovate the garage and put in a Diamond Pro/Am, as well as save up enough money to take off and play for 6-9 months.

Doesn't get much more accepting than that. :D

Russ
 
I had an 8' Brunswick in my bedroom when I was ten years old, actually the entire upstairs of my parents house was my bedroom.

I banged balls around until I was about 15 and then a very good player took me under his wing and mentored me and started taking me to tournaments all through high school, my parents were very supportive, neither of them were pool players, my dad thought he was back in the day but he really wasn't.

After high school I lost a string of girlfriends all the way up into my 20's because as soon as they gave me the 'pool or me' ultimatum they were sadly disappointed with my choice.

I have been married now for 13 years and my wife doesn't care if I go play but she does have a habit of calling me a million times on my cellphone and if I don't answer she will call the room phone and have me paged.

My son plays now too so it gives me an excuse to get us both out of the house and the wife doesn't mind that at all.
 
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