Long time lurker, but finally joined. Played growing up and represented my University in the old ACU-I tournaments for 5 years (including grad school) back in the mid-late 90s (had the pleasure of losing to Max Eberle during his run at his 2nd ACU title). I think a couple of my trick shot videos are some of the first ones ever uploaded to Youtube. I didn't appreciate it back then but I was fortunate to have known and met several of "names" in the game. I didn't know until he was moving out, but Grady Matthews lived just down the street from my parents house for several years outside Columbia SC... I only found out when he called me to help him dismantle his pool table because he was moving (I had a side gig as a local table mechanic). Still hate that I didn't know that sooner to try to get some time learning from him. I was also friends with a couple locals that were kind of representing (I use that term loosely) Mike Masse, Allison Fisher and Gerda H. back then... They took me to the BCA trade show in 98 where I worked the booth selling Mike Masse's trick shot videos and ended up going to Epcot with Allison and Gerda and a few others. I remember seeing a young Jeremy Jones, Rodney Morris, Johhny Archer, Coltrain, and several others I've forgotten come through our local pool room and realized pretty quick that as good as I thought I was (or could be), I was never going to be that good and better stick with school.
So, as with many pool players... a job, marriage, and kids pushed pool to the back burner and hadn't played much at all for 15+ years. I got back into it seriously about 2 years ago after buying a 9ft Diamond and using Covid downtime to take on a DIY conversion of the unfinished walk in attic in our new house into a gameroom.
The table I bought was a 9 ft Red Label Diamond with Dymondwood rails that I sent off to Diamond to have converted/re-profiled to a Blue Label. Just to show how out of the game I was... until 2 years ago, I didn't know Diamond had changed from red to blue labels, didn't know what a Fargo score was and I hadn't heard of many of the games top players like SVB, Alex P, Gorst, Shaw, etc. Now I can't get enough of watching the streamed tournaments and money matches.
I'm back at it now and I can't get enough... and I can't believe how long I was away from it and how much I missed. Trying to get back out into local and regional tourneys, but family schedules still keep me from playing much outside the home. After going 0-6 in 3 open tournaments last year, I finally showed up at a couple tournaments more recently, pulled off a few upsets and while I didn't cash in any of them, I'm no longer embarrasing myself. I'd love to play in the Derby one day and maybe even throw my money away at the US Open.