I applaud Greg Sullivan for keeping the Derby City Classic alive. It is a pool player's mecca, welcoming to players of all caliber, whether you're a tournament soldier or an action player. That's what it's all about for some.
The time of year, January, sucks for traveling to this region of the country. I remember driving there from D.C. and seeing 18-wheelers slide of the roads in the mountains of West Virginia due to the icing of the highways, and one year, we had to get a hotel an hour away from the Executive West and stay there for two days until the winter storm subsided. It was too dangerous to drive back home. The weather this time of year in this neck of the woods is a big bugaboo for some, I think.
The buyback makes the scheduling challenging, and it used to cause a lot of forfeits because the players did not know when their match was, which sometimes had several time changes.
As an aside, I was surprised to learn from a friend that veteran Derby goers Shannon Daulton and John Brumback did not go to this year's Derby.
Also, I'm curious what happened to the One Pocket Hall of Fame banquet occurring elsewhere instead of at the Derby
In sum, no matter where the event is held, whether a new venue is found or it stays here, it is impossible to please everybody, and in the end, people will keep coming back because of the nonstop pool action and competitions which is really the main draw.
