This is a story about a pool player that had his ability robbed from him for awhile.
This is a story of a pool player trying to get back to where he once was.
In 1986 I was in a car wreck. Hit from the rear and they were going about 55 mph.
Sure I had a concussion and went through about 3 years of therapy. I was young then and felt like I bounced back pretty good but I always felt like I had lost a step. Still won numerous tournys but it was a bit of a struggle compared to how it was. It just wasn't as easy.
Then in about 1997 I slipped on the ice and hit the back of my head real hard. My son was in back of me and said my head sounded like when you hit a hockey puck real hard.
I definitely had a concussion then also. It really got hard to play.
I quit playing pool in 1999 because i felt like I couldn't even get there. Had no energy.
2000 i broke my back and that sealed the deal.
Got a good job as a contractor with Comcast and made big money, got married and tried to live the american dream
In Nov 2008 after my wife left, i was pretty sick and seeing many doctor, I was finally diagnosed with Diabetes after having a stroke. I was lucky, it was what they call a mini stroke.
I lost some weight and had to make a decision. Do i want to go back to making the big bucks being a contractor, chasing money i probably won't be able to spend or do i want to do something I enjoy doing and teach one of the most amazing aiming techniques ever discovered and play some pool.
I made a home made video so that when i gave a lesson the player could remember what they learned and took off to Vegas to play in the VNEA and the ACS tournys.
I won the ACS 8 ball highest division tourny and got 4th in the handicapped 9 ball.
Then went to Pheonix and did about 100 Perfect Aim lessons. In the mean time I entered one of the desert Classic tour tournys and won that playing some pretty siff competition.
I continued to try and tell everyone how great this works. But us pool players are pretty hard headed and something almost has to hit us in the head for us to really look at it.
Finally I came to the conclusion that I just need to enjoy what i was doing and teach as many players as I can one on one and have some fun and that is what I have done for about 4 years now.
Had a few setbacks. Shoulder surgery and a motorhome fell on me, almost killing me. Rehab was about 3 months just so i could walk around but I did free phone lessons teaching from a lawn chair sitting on the river. It was a difficult time and painful but when i was doing a lesson on the phone the pain seemed to disappear.
Back on the road again and finally i won 3 tournys in a row.
Again a stroke of bad luck. i was in Peoria Illinois and got rear ended by a big Jeep. Kind of a hit and run. They stayed just long enough to see that i was still alive.
I got another concussion. Headaches and sore neck. My whole body would ache everyday and I had no idea why.
I tried to play but it was a challenge using ice on the sore muscles and trying to get enough sleep just to be able to play.
While in Columbus Ohio I met a girl that wanted to learn how to play pool. I just agreed to help. I asked for nothing in return. Just to help someone else try to reach their dream.
Turns out it was the best thing i ever could have done. She sleeps like a log and usually doesn't wake up from anything but we were in a motel and the beds were real noisy.
She woke up and looked over and it looked like I was trying to kill the pillow with my head. She got up and got on the computer and about 40 minutes later I was at it again.
I kind of shrugged it off .as maybe I was just rolling over allot or something.
Then I started thinking. The beds that I was sleeping in since the car accident would have the mattress all crooked on the box spring when i woke up. i must be having allot of these siezures and I was. Wasn't getting any sleep. rem sleep for sure.
I went to the ER that night because it was obvious that i was having some kind of siezures. Turns out I was.
Within a few days i got some pills and the siezures have stopped for the most part. I know now that i might even have had trouble before the last car accident.
I had trouble even focusing on items in the store when i was shopping. it was difficult to even find the bread I was looking for. it always seemed hard to locate things. My eyes seemed to be all over the place. hard to look and focus.Always felt like I wasn't looking right at what I was looking at.
I took the first pill that night and it made me a little groggy. But I noticed that my vision seemed to clear up. The next day i had to play in a qualifier for this $20,000 tourny and played the best I have for the 4 tears I've been trying to play since starting in 2009 again.
This kept up everyday.
I played a few players over the last week and it was almost like stealing.
I played in a tough handicap tourny as one of the top Ratings and lost to larry Nevel on the hill after being ahead 4-2 in the final match. Just lost my focus like a normal player could.
The real test was this handicap tourny that shannon Dalton was having at Big dogs in Albermarle NC. I told Rhea that i was going to win it. She looked at me and said I know.
My confidence was up and so was hers because she had seen what I had done all week. I was getting out from everywhere. It was really fun to play again. She said it was fun to watch.
I won the tourny. Players are rated from 3 to 11. I was an 11. Shannon does a great job with this handicapping and it turns every player into a monster.
I had 5 matches go hill hill including the final.
I made the tough shots when all the chips were on the line just like in the old days. the balls look clear now. I can just zero in.
It turns out I might have had some kind of tremors in my brain that were making my vision kind of blurry. I can even read plates on cars now. As far as the pool shot, i can see the shot Perfectly again.
We got back from the tourny and got to the room about 6:00AM. Having touble sleeping my phone rang about 9:30 AM.
I saw 2 calls both from my brothers. My mother had a stint put in about 6 months ago and I was hoping they were calling to say she was in the hospital.
She had passed in the night. Kind of strange. I went to the car inbetween matches and had a strong urge to call my mother. I tried but she didn't answer. I thought she might have just taken the dog outside.
She was my hero in life as most mothers are for sure. She was always there for all of us. My 3 brothers and one sister. She was 85 and had a great life. She was always trying to help everyone she could and always had positive things to say. Always upbeat..
I'll be heading back to Wisconsin tomorrow after getting some rest. Couldn't sleep so i figured I'd do this to pass some time.
After going back to take care of mom we will be back on the road again.
I shared my new excitement with my mother a few days ago about the siezures and how much my game has improved. She was excited for me but felt really bad i was having the siezures.
I guess that's all I have to say.
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