This is my 4th year playing pool. Only my 2nd year playing at the Iowa State Pool Tourney...
I play in tournaments when I can and I play for money to keep my game sharp...but I really don't get that much table time. Hour or two a day max...
So, Wednesday morning I rolled into the River Center to get warmed up before my first match. I am pumped up because I feel I have a chance to win some money. Wed-Thurs is the 9-ball Open and that's what I am playing in, at the moment.
So, my first match starts....I get blown away...I couldn't get into stroke and kept missing position by a diamond on almost every shot...it was pathetic...it looked like I was a newbie.
So I lost my first match and was immediately put into the losers bracket..From this point on, I had to play every hour on the hour.
After that match, I was shooting like a god. I couldn't miss a ball...jump shots, kick shots, masse, hard cuts...I was everywhere on that table. I ran through the bracket making it to the final 16...I then won my next two matches...one against Anthony 'Pun' Garcia, then another against Blake Mattson. A 13-year-old that has a PHENOMENAL game.
Against 'Pun', I ended up down 1-to-4...Then came back and beat him 5-to-4. With Blake, he ran out the first two racks, jumping up 2-to-0. I then came back and beat him 5-to-2. This would finish my night off and I would have to start back up in the morning to play for 7th-8th.
I don't play good pool in the morning, as history would tell. Naturally, my next match I got out of stroke again and couldn't get back into it...Getting annhiallated 0-to-5. The payout was decent and it made it worth my while, but I was really upset that they didn't start the tournament earlier in the day, so we wouldn't have to sleep and get dead cold out of stroke. I took a couple of pics of the brackets to post up on here...(cell phone pics...shitty quality)
356 Entrants.....
A view of all of the brackets for the Open 9-Ball
Showing my progression through my bracket:
The Finals Bracket:
Me vs Blake Mattson:
My last match vs Darryl Ostwinkle:
I ended up placing 7th-8th...The highest finisher in Clinton. I was happy with my performance, just a little peeved that I lost it the next day. As the pictures show, the payout was $285. It paid for my new cue case...heh.
I didn't get a hotel room for the entire weekend. I drove back and forth from Clinton each time. So I wasn't getting much sleep. In 8-ball...I had to play at 1:30 PM, then at 10:30PM, then at Midnight. At this point I was dog tired...one loss into the losers bracket...I got into the money ($40)...I said F*ck it and didn't come in for my 9:00AM match. I forfiet.... It was 3 AM by the time I got to sleep and was dog tired from doing it the 2 nights before. I never have forfeit a match...but I just couldn't handle it...10 hours of sleep in 3 days wasn't cutting it.
Overall I did well, for a 23 year old with a Full time job, and school on the side. Any kind words would be appreciated..:grin-square:
I play in tournaments when I can and I play for money to keep my game sharp...but I really don't get that much table time. Hour or two a day max...
So, Wednesday morning I rolled into the River Center to get warmed up before my first match. I am pumped up because I feel I have a chance to win some money. Wed-Thurs is the 9-ball Open and that's what I am playing in, at the moment.
So, my first match starts....I get blown away...I couldn't get into stroke and kept missing position by a diamond on almost every shot...it was pathetic...it looked like I was a newbie.
So I lost my first match and was immediately put into the losers bracket..From this point on, I had to play every hour on the hour.
After that match, I was shooting like a god. I couldn't miss a ball...jump shots, kick shots, masse, hard cuts...I was everywhere on that table. I ran through the bracket making it to the final 16...I then won my next two matches...one against Anthony 'Pun' Garcia, then another against Blake Mattson. A 13-year-old that has a PHENOMENAL game.
Against 'Pun', I ended up down 1-to-4...Then came back and beat him 5-to-4. With Blake, he ran out the first two racks, jumping up 2-to-0. I then came back and beat him 5-to-2. This would finish my night off and I would have to start back up in the morning to play for 7th-8th.
I don't play good pool in the morning, as history would tell. Naturally, my next match I got out of stroke again and couldn't get back into it...Getting annhiallated 0-to-5. The payout was decent and it made it worth my while, but I was really upset that they didn't start the tournament earlier in the day, so we wouldn't have to sleep and get dead cold out of stroke. I took a couple of pics of the brackets to post up on here...(cell phone pics...shitty quality)
356 Entrants.....
A view of all of the brackets for the Open 9-Ball
Showing my progression through my bracket:
The Finals Bracket:
Me vs Blake Mattson:
My last match vs Darryl Ostwinkle:
I ended up placing 7th-8th...The highest finisher in Clinton. I was happy with my performance, just a little peeved that I lost it the next day. As the pictures show, the payout was $285. It paid for my new cue case...heh.
I didn't get a hotel room for the entire weekend. I drove back and forth from Clinton each time. So I wasn't getting much sleep. In 8-ball...I had to play at 1:30 PM, then at 10:30PM, then at Midnight. At this point I was dog tired...one loss into the losers bracket...I got into the money ($40)...I said F*ck it and didn't come in for my 9:00AM match. I forfiet.... It was 3 AM by the time I got to sleep and was dog tired from doing it the 2 nights before. I never have forfeit a match...but I just couldn't handle it...10 hours of sleep in 3 days wasn't cutting it.
Overall I did well, for a 23 year old with a Full time job, and school on the side. Any kind words would be appreciated..:grin-square:
