Kim Jones First Black Woman to Play in World Championship
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Sweet Marissa
www.Bella-Muse.com
I think it's a great opportunity for EVERY woman who is competing in this championship. Where were qualifiers held and who else has secured a spot?
Must be alot of FAR-LEFT Demorcrats on azbillards, some of you are probably working for that NUTHEAD in the white house trying to start trouble in the billiard industry now. Race,$$$$ and so on!!!!!!
I am the first guy to play pool with 4 white toes, 3 black fingers, and 1brown eye!!!!
Joe
I am the first guy to play pool with 4 white toes, 3 black fingers, and 1brown eye!!!!
Joe
What color is the other eye? And I don't think it's terribly significant that you just play pool...I mean, have you played in a world championship??
There were two in Orlando.
Jeannie Seaver and Angel Paglia won those two over Shanelle Loraine and Rachel Abbink.
As far as the qualifiers in Japan, I have no clue.
Shannelle Loraine-it says on her website that she is going to Manila, Philippines for Women's World 10 Ball.
S.
She didn't win one of the qualifiers here in Orlando, maybe because she took 2nd to Jeannie at the 2nd qualifier? I don't know, if that's the case, Racheal Abbink should be going.
It's inevitable that we would disagree on something.
I am sorry Stu but I don't see the fact that Kim is a black person who can play pool well and who won a spot into a world championship as any more worthy of such an announcement than anyone else's victories are.
The fact that she is a part time player who is taking on the big girls is very noteworthy.
You seem to indicate that Kim being black and being successful in pool might spur growth in pool? How? By inspiring more black people to play pool? If that's the theory then I have to say that black people are already inspired enough to play lucrative sports by the comparative success of the Williams sisters, Arthur Ash, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and a long long long line of successful black athletes. As harsh as this is to say I feel that black parents might even say to their kids that there is not a chance in hell that they are going to let them waste their life on pool if Kim Jones is held up as a role model. They may say something like that girl graduated from college and had a good job and she threw it all away to try and be the best in a sport that pays less on average than a New York City garbageman makes.
I don't know where you play pool but in the places I have played there are plenty of black pool players. Bad ones, average ones, and great ones. In fact the great black pool players seem to be a little smarter than the white ones in that they stay under the radar and just hustle for a living, snapping off champions who get too close to the fire instead of "outing" themselves on the "pro" circuit and killing all their action.
If we are going to start celebrating accomplishments by first calling attention to the race of the person being heralded then lets be fair and equitable and do it for all people.
Everyone has something about them that makes them a minority in society. Find out what that is and bring it to the forefront whenever we write about their accomplishments.
Sorry Stu, but MLK's dream has come true with the election of Barak Obama, we don't need to write "first black person to do or be anymore" - it's done. Now we can move on.
Congrats to your election to the WPBA board. I don't understand why they are having so much trouble. I really hope that you and the other board members can turn it around.
Plus - I do not think that Pool has ever been viewed as a white man's' or woman's game.
When Doug Williams won a Super Bowl as a black QB, it was a big deal because the QB position has been publicly regarded as a white person's position on the football field for decades. Whether that is fair or not is not the reason why I bring it up, just a fact.
Kim might be the first black women to play in a World Pool Championship but I don't think her entering or even if she won as a black woman would be something for a topic of conversation. Well, that is beyond DP News trying to make something out of nothing.
And I don't think that DP News would be so scrutinized by the AZ forum members IF DP News would join in other discussions or have the common courtesy to respond to questions asked.
When Doug Williams won a Super Bowl as a black QB, it was a big deal because the QB position has been publicly regarded as a white person's position on the football field for decades. Whether that is fair or not is not the reason why I bring it up, just a fact.
Kim might be the first black women to play in a World Pool Championship but I don't think her entering or even if she won as a black woman would be something for a topic of conversation. Well, that is beyond DP News trying to make something out of nothing.
And I don't think that DP News would be so scrutinized by the AZ forum members IF DP News would join in other discussions or have the common courtesy to respond to questions asked.
I see your reasoning, and if the rest of the world were willing to go along and ignore race utterly, I'd sign right up and go along with it too. We both have the same idea.
But of course they're not so while I personally don't make a big deal out of someone's race... I can't fault the original poster for it because he has good intentions. And a black female playing pool at all IS noticeable. It's just that rare. I am not going to spot kim jones shooting from across the room and pretend like I didn't notice she's the only black female in the room. I'm not gonna make a production out of it but I'd certainly notice.
Pool isn't thought of as a white man's sport (unlike golf and the presidency, haha?), there is diversity in pool... and this post is just a little reminder of that fact. It reinforces the idea that the sport is open to anyone with the drive to play. Can you honestly see an announcement like this causing harm or setting the sport (or racial equality) back?
I see this as a case of "It's the thought that counts". Bear with me as I am gonna sound a little preachy but I don't mean to. In the past I'd read certain posts and write back negative replies. Sometimes I'd stubbornly argue a point or just write at length on the topic. I realized I'd been getting up in arms over something I really didn't care much about, and that I was going out of my way to argue with people who I basically agreed with.
What I'm trying to say is.. when people see someone make a post like this, and it's clear it's made with good intentions... and it's clear no offense was meant... and the reader personally does not take offense...
why do they respond as if they're offended? Not saying that's you rackm, or anyone else in the thread, just saying that some of the negative vibe in this thread feels like this kind of situation. I'd lay odds that nobody who read the announcement is honestly bothered by it, but somehow I can see the thing turning into a ten page argument >_<
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For the record - The USA is still 75% white (according to wikipedia.. yeah, I know... this can be debated a bit) and I've seen 25% as an estimate for the rest of the world. There are still areas where nonwhites and females are underrepresented, the presidency notwithstanding.
Just to keep things light - http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/black_man_given_nations
Sweet Marissa
www.Bella-Muse.com
That's awesome for Jeannie and Angel. But if Loraine didn't win a qualifier, how is she going??
Nobody seems to have the answer to that question...
Were some people merely 'invited'?
And (I apologize if this question was asked and/or answered already) how did Kim qualify? I think the article said she qualified but it doesn't say how, right? Let me go read it again...
And once again, I'm just curious. I'm not intentionally picking apart the OP.
EDIT: "Oh no. I am truly excited. Ever since being on tour, fans, of all color, have always come to me with words of support. I'm really happy to be making history, and I think it's quite an honor. I really hope I can encourage other black players worldwide to try to compete more",explained Jones on her significant role and invitation.
Ok, well, there's my answer, and probably yours, Marissa.
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Sweet Marissa
www.Bella-Muse.com
I guess my next question then is, why are some players forced to qualify when lesser players get an invitation based on their race or cup size?
This is not to put down Jones at all. I just think it's discriminatory to INVITE players, some of them of obvious lesser calibre than others, when they have just as much chance of winning a qualifier as everyone else.
This is not to put down Jones at all. I just think it's discriminatory to INVITE players, some of them of obvious lesser calibre than others, when they have just as much chance of winning a qualifier as everyone else.
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Shanelle finished second to Jeannie Seaver in one of the qualifiers here at Fast Break in Orlando. She played extremely well in that tournament and fought hard in an attempt to earn a qualifying spot. Though she did not win a qualifier, she can still receive an invite to play in the event if there are spots to fill in the draw. Each selection must be approved. Having made the finals of an extremely competitive qualifying event, Shanelle received an invite - and IMO she earned it.
Sweet Marissa
www.Bella-Muse.com
Well, that's a different tune.
So the question is then would Jeanie Seaver have received the "invite" if Shanelle had won the qualifier.
Again I don't understand. There are well more than 48 women who play professionally in the world. This is a "World Championship" sanctioned by the WPA and yet it seems as if spots are handed out at will and it allows people to get in who can't win against the top women.
At least Ronnie Alcano was tearing up the Joss Tour BEFORE he won his qualifier to enter the 9-Ball World Championships.
I think that inviting players who are not qualified based on their skill level cheapens the event.
And it ESPECIALLY CHEAPENS it if they entered qualifiers and didn't win and then STILL get to play. I feel sorry for the women that Shanelle beat who were in the qualifier she played in. DP should have just invited her from the outset and let the players who had no chance in hell of getting an invite play out the qualifier. It's pretty dodgy to me to basically have a situation where a player is guaranteed a spot and they try to snap off a "paid" spot before getting their invite.
I have NO IDEA how it all went down. NONE.
So if it were announced for example that first place in the qualifier was a paid spot in the tournament and second place was an unpaid invite then that would be cool.
Anyway, I am done. Good luck to all the ladies who are playing. My money is on Kelly Fisher to snap this one off.
they needed more players and she came in second in a qualifying event. which i'm assuming meant that she played well enough to win but didn't. so they invited her because she plays well enough to compete. why would you assume it's got anything to do with her race?