DCC 2009
I shouldn't have waited so long to write this... now I'll have to go off of my fuzzy memory! I also apologize in advance for my improper grammar and spelling. Also, my writing style is not too exciting...
Quick Background
I live in Fort Worth, TX. The last DCC I attended was in 2006. My schedule was to fly into SDF (Louisville, KY) on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 and fly back to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) on Sunday, February, 1, 2009. Me and my travel buddy were slated to play 9-ball at the DCC.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I stayed up too late as usual. I went to bed around 4:00am. The phone rang about 5:30am, but I chose to ignore it. When I actually got up around 6:00am and listened to the message, it was a nice automated message from AA (American Airlines) saying that my flight had been changed. I quickly booted up my trusty computer and checked my Expedia itinerary. Nothing had been changed.
I called up Expedia and mentioned my personalized, computerized, automated call from AA and the customer service representative let me know that my flight had indeed been changed from 9:00am to 2:50pm due to the 9:00am flight being cancelled. He also said he'd update my itinerary for me and gave me my new flight number. I checked back a few times with their website, but my online itinerary was static. No problem though since I had the new flight number.
I called my travel buddy and told him the good news... he could sleep in. Around 11:00am, I met him at a mutual friend's house. We watched a movie and our mutual friend told me I should check to see if our new flight was still on course. Of course, a horse, a horse, I thought. I checked out Expedia and it was static still. I then checked my flight number on AA. The flight had been cancelled! The weather was getting bad at DFW apparently. If I were a smart person, I would have checked the weather in Elizabeth, IN. I'm not that smart apparently.
I called Expedia and they really weren't that helpful. They told me that I needed to talk to AA. So, I called AA and asked if I could get a flight that night. AA told me that no flights were going out to SDF that night and the earliest flight I could get on was 2:50pm the next day. Unfortunately, the 9-ball draw was early the next day, so I had her cancel my flights.
I talked to my travel buddy and asked him if he still wanted to go. He did, so we rented a car around 12:30pm and started a long, long trip that tops the charts in my life's worst ordeals. I could bore you with the details of our trip, but I won't. Needless to say it was the worst trip of my life. No less than four times during the trip did I wonder if we would make it to the DCC alive! The normal travel time from DFW to the DCC would have been 14 hours. It took us 21 hours!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A good 10 hours or so were spent on the road from DFW. We got to the Holiday Inn Express in New Albany, IN about 11:00am. The players meeting for 9-ball was scheduled for 12:00pm (noon). We did a quick truffle shuffle and got to the DCC (finally) around 11:40am. Well, they re-scheduled the players meeting for 1:00pm, so we had some time to spare. It wasn't enough for a nap though.
I took this opportunity to find the AZ/OP room. It had two tables and was quite a bit tighter than the one we had in 2006. A familiar face, Cornerman was there. I also met many new people, too numerous to name. I got to see Williebetmore again and I was surprised he recognized me! I thought us Asians all looked alike!
I went to the 9-ball players meeting and listened as best I could. Afterwards, me and my travel buddy grabbed some food at the buffet. The food was about as good as a Las Vegas buffet. It was okay. Afterwards I went back to the AZ/OP room for some more practice. I met more people, including boradriver who I was never able to give a ride to from the airport. Everyone was cool and nobody was a complete jerk. There were maybe a few incomplete jerks every now and again, but I don't recall them specifically. Maybe I was one of them.
My travel buddy started out on fire! He played Mike Dechaine and had him down 6-1 in a race to 7. Not bad for a guy who just drove 21 hours right? Unfortunately, that was the last game my friend would get as he just couldn't close it out. Shane Van Boening even came up to watch my friend's match. He must have been bad luck! Truth is, my friend missed a few shots and that's all it takes in race to 7.
My match was against a nice gentleman from somewhere (I didn't ask). He won the lag and only missed two shots the entire match (I'm not counting breaks and safeties). I remember having only three legitimate shots the entire match. He played well and beat me like a drum, 7-0. Ouch! First time wasn't the charm for me.
My buddy bought back. I did not. I just don't play at that caliber. Of course I thought about buying back just to maybe get beat by Efren, but luck would have probably pit me against my travel buddy! Round One went through the night, so my buddy went back to the hotel room for some well-deserved rest. I stayed up around the AZ/OP room and saw some great pool at the One Pocket Challenge. I personally witnessed Mika Immonen run his 53. I also finally got to meet jayhelfert of AZ fame!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My buddy picked me up around 2:00am and took me back to get some sleep. We got back to the DCC about 11:00am and I tried their buffet again. It was about the same as the day before. It provided sustenance. My buddy had a long day ahead of him in 9-ball.
I went back up the AZ/OP room to watch the One Pocket Challenge again. I got to watch Corey Deuel give it a go in the morning. Later, Darren Appleton had a great run as did Efren Reyes. Both of these guys were great to watch. In fact, I spent pretty much the entire day up there, breaking for some food every now and again. Poor Jay was looking very tired after a while, so I got to keep score for the challenge while he took a good break.
Mika played again as I kept score. It was mix of great runs and unexpected bad luck. He did manage to run a 50 though. I watched a lot of great pool in the One Pocket Challenge that day. My buddy got through the day undefeated. We left a little early (around 11:00pm) and grabbed some munchies for the hotel room. The Holiday Inn Express was about 8-10 minutes away. It was close, inexpensive and not too shabby. I saw some other players there that I recognized. I slept well.
Friday, January 30, 2009
We woke up and headed to the DCC and tried the breakfast buffet. Same story... but food is food. Vendors lined the entrance. I saw Joe Salazar and Jerry Oliver. I also recognized a few other vendors, but I really didn't browse their wares. I picked up quite a few shirts for friends back home though. I spent some time again in the AZ/OP to warm up a bit for the One Pocket Mini to be played at midnight.
I watched John Schmidt play Jose Parica One Pocket and Scott Frost play Jeremy Jones One Pocket. Schmidt won his match to put him in the finals against Scott Frost who won again Jeremy Jones. Jeremy Jones was a bit upset after that match and broke his cue (shaft) on the table. I watched the One Pocket Final and though Frost got the first game, Schmidt was a ball running machine and won it!
My buddy was playing well and got round 6 where he lost in tough fashion to Brandon Shuff. Losing to Brandon wasn't bad, it was how my buddy lost. At 4-4 apiece, my buddy left Brandon a tough long rail bank on the 5-ball. Brandon shot at the bank hit the side pocket point and sunk the 5-ball awkwardly down in his intended pocket. At that point the cueball moved and froze on the side of the 6-ball near the end rail. Brandon kicked at the 6-ball, intending to play safe but sunk it and got out from there. The next game saw my buddy play a good safe and get out to tie it back at 5-5. After that, my buddy broke dry and Brandon ran out and then broke and ran to win the match 7-5. I can't help but think that the 4-4 game made the difference in the match.
After that, my buddy wanted to go home. Unfortunately someone had to drive the car back, but my buddy didn't mind. At that, my buddy collected his personal affects from the hotel and started the long journey home. Round 6 paid $350.00 I believe.
I stayed around until midnight for the One Pocket Mini, but I was tired. I lost my match to Sam Monday who plays very well. I had a good chance the first game, but tried a left-handed shot and missed position where I could have gotten another four or more balls. With nothing left to do, I called a taxi to take me back to the hotel. I was very tired, without a car and missed being home. Don't get me wrong, there was still some great pool to be seen, but I just felt it was time to go home. I bought a one-way ticket home for Saturday around noon for $299.00.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I woke up around 8:00am. I like to be early before my flights. I gathered up all of my junk, checked out and got a taxi to take me to SDF. Breakfast at the terminal was okay, but I don't really like fake eggs. I bought a book to read to pass the time and finally made the flight back home. My loving wife picked me up at DFW and that was the end of my DCC 2009 trip.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
I visited the OB Cues Tour stop in Arlington, TX at Rusty's. There I got to tell everyone about my DCC adventure and mentioned that I got to see Royce Bunnell and Samm Diep at the DCC. Kolaches were eaten! My buddy made it home safe and sound.
Final Thoughts
Since I hadn't been to a DCC since 2006 a lot had changed. The Action Report didn't exist back in 2006, or at least they weren't as big. The venue was more quaint, but it seemed roomier. The new venue could work though. I wished the AZ/OP was a bit bigger and more people stopped by, but hey, things change. Hopefully any issues that occurred can be resolved, but I still believe the DCC is the best tournament to go to in any given year! I enjoyed meeting everyone there and seeing familiar faces as well Next time I'm not taking the road trip though. 21 hours of my life just isn't worth it!
I shouldn't have waited so long to write this... now I'll have to go off of my fuzzy memory! I also apologize in advance for my improper grammar and spelling. Also, my writing style is not too exciting...
Quick Background
I live in Fort Worth, TX. The last DCC I attended was in 2006. My schedule was to fly into SDF (Louisville, KY) on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 and fly back to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) on Sunday, February, 1, 2009. Me and my travel buddy were slated to play 9-ball at the DCC.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
I stayed up too late as usual. I went to bed around 4:00am. The phone rang about 5:30am, but I chose to ignore it. When I actually got up around 6:00am and listened to the message, it was a nice automated message from AA (American Airlines) saying that my flight had been changed. I quickly booted up my trusty computer and checked my Expedia itinerary. Nothing had been changed.
I called up Expedia and mentioned my personalized, computerized, automated call from AA and the customer service representative let me know that my flight had indeed been changed from 9:00am to 2:50pm due to the 9:00am flight being cancelled. He also said he'd update my itinerary for me and gave me my new flight number. I checked back a few times with their website, but my online itinerary was static. No problem though since I had the new flight number.
I called my travel buddy and told him the good news... he could sleep in. Around 11:00am, I met him at a mutual friend's house. We watched a movie and our mutual friend told me I should check to see if our new flight was still on course. Of course, a horse, a horse, I thought. I checked out Expedia and it was static still. I then checked my flight number on AA. The flight had been cancelled! The weather was getting bad at DFW apparently. If I were a smart person, I would have checked the weather in Elizabeth, IN. I'm not that smart apparently.
I called Expedia and they really weren't that helpful. They told me that I needed to talk to AA. So, I called AA and asked if I could get a flight that night. AA told me that no flights were going out to SDF that night and the earliest flight I could get on was 2:50pm the next day. Unfortunately, the 9-ball draw was early the next day, so I had her cancel my flights.
I talked to my travel buddy and asked him if he still wanted to go. He did, so we rented a car around 12:30pm and started a long, long trip that tops the charts in my life's worst ordeals. I could bore you with the details of our trip, but I won't. Needless to say it was the worst trip of my life. No less than four times during the trip did I wonder if we would make it to the DCC alive! The normal travel time from DFW to the DCC would have been 14 hours. It took us 21 hours!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
A good 10 hours or so were spent on the road from DFW. We got to the Holiday Inn Express in New Albany, IN about 11:00am. The players meeting for 9-ball was scheduled for 12:00pm (noon). We did a quick truffle shuffle and got to the DCC (finally) around 11:40am. Well, they re-scheduled the players meeting for 1:00pm, so we had some time to spare. It wasn't enough for a nap though.
I took this opportunity to find the AZ/OP room. It had two tables and was quite a bit tighter than the one we had in 2006. A familiar face, Cornerman was there. I also met many new people, too numerous to name. I got to see Williebetmore again and I was surprised he recognized me! I thought us Asians all looked alike!
I went to the 9-ball players meeting and listened as best I could. Afterwards, me and my travel buddy grabbed some food at the buffet. The food was about as good as a Las Vegas buffet. It was okay. Afterwards I went back to the AZ/OP room for some more practice. I met more people, including boradriver who I was never able to give a ride to from the airport. Everyone was cool and nobody was a complete jerk. There were maybe a few incomplete jerks every now and again, but I don't recall them specifically. Maybe I was one of them.
My travel buddy started out on fire! He played Mike Dechaine and had him down 6-1 in a race to 7. Not bad for a guy who just drove 21 hours right? Unfortunately, that was the last game my friend would get as he just couldn't close it out. Shane Van Boening even came up to watch my friend's match. He must have been bad luck! Truth is, my friend missed a few shots and that's all it takes in race to 7.
My match was against a nice gentleman from somewhere (I didn't ask). He won the lag and only missed two shots the entire match (I'm not counting breaks and safeties). I remember having only three legitimate shots the entire match. He played well and beat me like a drum, 7-0. Ouch! First time wasn't the charm for me.
My buddy bought back. I did not. I just don't play at that caliber. Of course I thought about buying back just to maybe get beat by Efren, but luck would have probably pit me against my travel buddy! Round One went through the night, so my buddy went back to the hotel room for some well-deserved rest. I stayed up around the AZ/OP room and saw some great pool at the One Pocket Challenge. I personally witnessed Mika Immonen run his 53. I also finally got to meet jayhelfert of AZ fame!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
My buddy picked me up around 2:00am and took me back to get some sleep. We got back to the DCC about 11:00am and I tried their buffet again. It was about the same as the day before. It provided sustenance. My buddy had a long day ahead of him in 9-ball.
I went back up the AZ/OP room to watch the One Pocket Challenge again. I got to watch Corey Deuel give it a go in the morning. Later, Darren Appleton had a great run as did Efren Reyes. Both of these guys were great to watch. In fact, I spent pretty much the entire day up there, breaking for some food every now and again. Poor Jay was looking very tired after a while, so I got to keep score for the challenge while he took a good break.
Mika played again as I kept score. It was mix of great runs and unexpected bad luck. He did manage to run a 50 though. I watched a lot of great pool in the One Pocket Challenge that day. My buddy got through the day undefeated. We left a little early (around 11:00pm) and grabbed some munchies for the hotel room. The Holiday Inn Express was about 8-10 minutes away. It was close, inexpensive and not too shabby. I saw some other players there that I recognized. I slept well.
Friday, January 30, 2009
We woke up and headed to the DCC and tried the breakfast buffet. Same story... but food is food. Vendors lined the entrance. I saw Joe Salazar and Jerry Oliver. I also recognized a few other vendors, but I really didn't browse their wares. I picked up quite a few shirts for friends back home though. I spent some time again in the AZ/OP to warm up a bit for the One Pocket Mini to be played at midnight.
I watched John Schmidt play Jose Parica One Pocket and Scott Frost play Jeremy Jones One Pocket. Schmidt won his match to put him in the finals against Scott Frost who won again Jeremy Jones. Jeremy Jones was a bit upset after that match and broke his cue (shaft) on the table. I watched the One Pocket Final and though Frost got the first game, Schmidt was a ball running machine and won it!
My buddy was playing well and got round 6 where he lost in tough fashion to Brandon Shuff. Losing to Brandon wasn't bad, it was how my buddy lost. At 4-4 apiece, my buddy left Brandon a tough long rail bank on the 5-ball. Brandon shot at the bank hit the side pocket point and sunk the 5-ball awkwardly down in his intended pocket. At that point the cueball moved and froze on the side of the 6-ball near the end rail. Brandon kicked at the 6-ball, intending to play safe but sunk it and got out from there. The next game saw my buddy play a good safe and get out to tie it back at 5-5. After that, my buddy broke dry and Brandon ran out and then broke and ran to win the match 7-5. I can't help but think that the 4-4 game made the difference in the match.
After that, my buddy wanted to go home. Unfortunately someone had to drive the car back, but my buddy didn't mind. At that, my buddy collected his personal affects from the hotel and started the long journey home. Round 6 paid $350.00 I believe.
I stayed around until midnight for the One Pocket Mini, but I was tired. I lost my match to Sam Monday who plays very well. I had a good chance the first game, but tried a left-handed shot and missed position where I could have gotten another four or more balls. With nothing left to do, I called a taxi to take me back to the hotel. I was very tired, without a car and missed being home. Don't get me wrong, there was still some great pool to be seen, but I just felt it was time to go home. I bought a one-way ticket home for Saturday around noon for $299.00.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
I woke up around 8:00am. I like to be early before my flights. I gathered up all of my junk, checked out and got a taxi to take me to SDF. Breakfast at the terminal was okay, but I don't really like fake eggs. I bought a book to read to pass the time and finally made the flight back home. My loving wife picked me up at DFW and that was the end of my DCC 2009 trip.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
I visited the OB Cues Tour stop in Arlington, TX at Rusty's. There I got to tell everyone about my DCC adventure and mentioned that I got to see Royce Bunnell and Samm Diep at the DCC. Kolaches were eaten! My buddy made it home safe and sound.
Final Thoughts
Since I hadn't been to a DCC since 2006 a lot had changed. The Action Report didn't exist back in 2006, or at least they weren't as big. The venue was more quaint, but it seemed roomier. The new venue could work though. I wished the AZ/OP was a bit bigger and more people stopped by, but hey, things change. Hopefully any issues that occurred can be resolved, but I still believe the DCC is the best tournament to go to in any given year! I enjoyed meeting everyone there and seeing familiar faces as well Next time I'm not taking the road trip though. 21 hours of my life just isn't worth it!
