Just wanted to share this article about Nick Varner that I read on the Richmond Register website.
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World champion pool player from Owensboro makes his return
Jim Pickens
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
OWENSBORO — Nick Varner concedes that he had just about retired from professional pool last year, when he got wind of the International Pool Tour.
That provided a second wind, of sorts, for the 58-year-old Owensboro native, an eight-time world champion in a record five categories.
Varner, despite major surgery in 2004 and Lasik surgery earlier this year, is back in the game.
After the tour’s first three days of competition, July 23-25, Varner had won seven of his nine matches, including all five in his second group, guaranteeing himself at least a $17,000 payday. The winner of the tournament will take home $350,000.
“The numbers are phenomenal,” Varner said of the big-money prizes unavailable in professional billiards during his heyday in the 1980s and ’90s. “Let’s just say the numbers got my attention late last year.”
Varner chuckled.
“I saw what they were offering and I sort of said to myself, ‘Hmm, maybe I don’t want to retire after all,”’ Varner said. “So, I decided to give it a shot, and things worked out pretty well for me in that first tournament.”
That first tournament was last December in Orlando, Fla. In a field of 200, Varner finished a surprising seventh. It took Johnny Archer, the world’s top-ranked player, to eliminate him.
“I played well under the circumstances,” said Varner, who pocketed $30,000 despite a nagging contact lens problem that plagued him in the match against Archer. “That tournament gave me the incentive to keep plugging, and I’ve taken some steps to improve my game since then.”
The first step was Lasik surgery in May. Gone are those troubling contacts. The second step was working with a personal trainer, with the general goal to become more physically fit, and the particular goal to become more forceful on the break.
“In 8-ball, the break is really important,” Varner said. “It’s a huge advantage to pocket balls on the break.”
The result?
“I’m probably in the best shape of my life, actually,” Varner said. “I feel really good, really strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing how long I can go against a large group of players, many of whom are much younger than me.
“These tour events provide a big challenge, a grueling format, but I believe I’m up to it. If I didn’t believe I could compete, I wouldn’t be playing.”
All of this comes just two years after Varner underwent an aortal femoral bypass, which corrected blockage that could have led to ominous consequences without attention.
“That set me back for a while,” Varner said. “That set me down for five or six months.”
Down, that is, until Varner heard rumblings of a pro tour that was to be bankrolled by billionaire Kevin Trudeau, author of the book “Natural Cures,” which spent 25 weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times Best-seller List.
“Trudeau wanted to put together a pool tour that showcased the players as the athletes they are,” Varner said. “That’s why the format is so tough. You start at about 10 a.m. and if you keep winning you might play right through until 11 p.m., and that’s if the tournament’s running on schedule.”
The idea of earning significant money got Varner off the couch in a hurry.
“I’ve worked pretty hard the past several months,” said Varner, who still operates an Owensboro business that sells and repairs pool tables.
“I went over to Hutch’s (Family Billiards) to practice, and it was kind of funny; no one was around for awhile,” he said. “Then, people started showing up to watch, then more people started showing up. It kind of got my juices flowing a little bit.”
Now, Varner hopes to rekindle the talent that made him one of the world’s elite players.
“I have a lot of confidence going into this thing because getting in tiptop shape has made me a more consistent player,” Varner said. “The ability is still there, and I’m hopeful that the stamina will be there, too.
“There’s a lot of money to be made in this tour, and I wouldn’t mind earning my share of it. I can’t turn back the clock, but I can go out there as prepared as I can be and give it my best shot. And, that’s what I intend to do.”
------------------------------------------------------------
World champion pool player from Owensboro makes his return
Jim Pickens
Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer
OWENSBORO — Nick Varner concedes that he had just about retired from professional pool last year, when he got wind of the International Pool Tour.
That provided a second wind, of sorts, for the 58-year-old Owensboro native, an eight-time world champion in a record five categories.
Varner, despite major surgery in 2004 and Lasik surgery earlier this year, is back in the game.
After the tour’s first three days of competition, July 23-25, Varner had won seven of his nine matches, including all five in his second group, guaranteeing himself at least a $17,000 payday. The winner of the tournament will take home $350,000.
“The numbers are phenomenal,” Varner said of the big-money prizes unavailable in professional billiards during his heyday in the 1980s and ’90s. “Let’s just say the numbers got my attention late last year.”
Varner chuckled.
“I saw what they were offering and I sort of said to myself, ‘Hmm, maybe I don’t want to retire after all,”’ Varner said. “So, I decided to give it a shot, and things worked out pretty well for me in that first tournament.”
That first tournament was last December in Orlando, Fla. In a field of 200, Varner finished a surprising seventh. It took Johnny Archer, the world’s top-ranked player, to eliminate him.
“I played well under the circumstances,” said Varner, who pocketed $30,000 despite a nagging contact lens problem that plagued him in the match against Archer. “That tournament gave me the incentive to keep plugging, and I’ve taken some steps to improve my game since then.”
The first step was Lasik surgery in May. Gone are those troubling contacts. The second step was working with a personal trainer, with the general goal to become more physically fit, and the particular goal to become more forceful on the break.
“In 8-ball, the break is really important,” Varner said. “It’s a huge advantage to pocket balls on the break.”
The result?
“I’m probably in the best shape of my life, actually,” Varner said. “I feel really good, really strong, and I’m looking forward to seeing how long I can go against a large group of players, many of whom are much younger than me.
“These tour events provide a big challenge, a grueling format, but I believe I’m up to it. If I didn’t believe I could compete, I wouldn’t be playing.”
All of this comes just two years after Varner underwent an aortal femoral bypass, which corrected blockage that could have led to ominous consequences without attention.
“That set me back for a while,” Varner said. “That set me down for five or six months.”
Down, that is, until Varner heard rumblings of a pro tour that was to be bankrolled by billionaire Kevin Trudeau, author of the book “Natural Cures,” which spent 25 weeks at No. 1 on the New York Times Best-seller List.
“Trudeau wanted to put together a pool tour that showcased the players as the athletes they are,” Varner said. “That’s why the format is so tough. You start at about 10 a.m. and if you keep winning you might play right through until 11 p.m., and that’s if the tournament’s running on schedule.”
The idea of earning significant money got Varner off the couch in a hurry.
“I’ve worked pretty hard the past several months,” said Varner, who still operates an Owensboro business that sells and repairs pool tables.
“I went over to Hutch’s (Family Billiards) to practice, and it was kind of funny; no one was around for awhile,” he said. “Then, people started showing up to watch, then more people started showing up. It kind of got my juices flowing a little bit.”
Now, Varner hopes to rekindle the talent that made him one of the world’s elite players.
“I have a lot of confidence going into this thing because getting in tiptop shape has made me a more consistent player,” Varner said. “The ability is still there, and I’m hopeful that the stamina will be there, too.
“There’s a lot of money to be made in this tour, and I wouldn’t mind earning my share of it. I can’t turn back the clock, but I can go out there as prepared as I can be and give it my best shot. And, that’s what I intend to do.”
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