Planet 9-Ball

[9balldiva]

Sarah,

Will you be attending the Florida Pro Tour at all? This weekend it strikes Planet 9-Ball in Tampa. I was trying to get a feel for who all will be there...so I can make sure I am shooting my best!!! LOL. My boyfriend has decided to play in this tournament, and wants to give me the opportunity to watch some great players, and possibly meet them too!!

I also have a question...at events like this I know there will be some professionals in attendance. Are most of them down to earth...in such a manner that if I ask for an autograph they are thrilled to give!?? I just don't want to ask, meanwhile breaking their concentration or making them mad?? What is your take on this?

 

[sarahrousey]

hey 9balldiva,

Sounds like you are going to have a great opportunity to watch and play some great pool. I will not be at that event. I'm not going to be in Florida until the WPBA tournament in Hollywood, FL. That is September 9-12.

Autographs should be pretty easy to get. Most of the pros are down to earth. Just be sure not to ask in the middle of a match or anything and maybe wait a few minutes if they just had a tough loss. Some people deal with things different than others. As far as I'm concerned all of the pros should feel honored that they are getting the chance to sign an autograph. I think it is one of the most awesome perks of the job.

I hope you get to meet some great players. Good luck to you and your boyfriend. Let me know how things go.

Take care,
Sarah

 

[vader93490]

hey 9balldiva,

Sounds like you are going to have a great opportunity to watch and play some great pool. I will not be at that event. I'm not going to be in Florida until the WPBA tournament in Hollywood, FL. That is September 9-12.

Take care,
Sarah

Sarah, I read that there's a Florida Pro Tour event the weekend of September 18-19 in the Gainesville area. Perhaps you might want to look into attending that event if your schedule permits.

 

[9balldiva]

There is a FL Pro Tour event that weekend in Gainesville. We will be attending that one as well, I am pretty sure! David Grossman is trying to implement a little different of a scenario at this one though. At the last one, it seemed to be a contest of who could rack best then run out (It was rack your own). Some of the players would rack the balls, then go around the rack touching and moving balls. The ones who did that seemed to always make the corner ball. This time Grossman is trying to get some neutral rackers, myself and another girl from my pool room being the first two.

On another note: I really enjoyed last months FL Pro Tour event at Planet 9-ball. I watched some good pool players. Richie Rich, Ray Martin, Thorsten Hohmann, Charlie (Predator Rep), Jimmy Wale, Buddy Hall, Tommy Kennedy, Corey Duele...and the list could go on and on. They had a full field of players, and it was great to watch. I encourage everyone to at least watch one of these some time. Sarah, I hope you'll be able to make it to the one in September.

 

[vader93490]

There is a FL Pro Tour event that weekend in Gainesville. We will be attending that one as well, I am pretty sure!

The (what I call) "classic" Florida Tour drew lots of good talent as well when it was around back in the late 80's/early 90's. From what I've read/heard so far it sounds like this new Florida Tour is enjoying a fair amount of success in attracting all kinds of players. Hopefully it'll keep going and attracting that same or greater amount of talent in the future as the old tour did.

 

[sarahrousey]

Sounds like a great tour they have started. Florida really seems like the place to go. The whole rack your own is a tough situation. It takes away bickering about the rack but it also brings up the problem with "fixing" the rack. A neutral racker seems like a good idea.

9balldiva...you are getting to see some great pool. That is a really great way to learn. I would like to make it to the tournament, even if it is just to watch. Maybe if I do well in the WPBA tournament I will be able to afford to stay a little longer.

Take care,
Sarah

 

[vader93490]

Sounds like a great tour they have started. Florida really seems like the place to go. The whole rack your own is a tough situation. It takes away bickering about the rack but it also brings up the problem with "fixing" the rack. A neutral racker seems like a good idea.

9balldiva...you are getting to see some great pool. That is a really great way to learn. I would like to make it to the tournament, even if it is just to watch. Maybe if I do well in the WPBA tournament I will be able to afford to stay a little longer.

Take care,
Sarah

Florida has been home to or visited by many a top player in years past. During the original Florida Tour, many top players such as David Howard, Jimmy Reid, Billy Incardona, Steve Mizerak and Tommy Kennedy competed. I remember when Kennedy was the domineering force in the late 80's, in fact if I'm not mistaken he won 12 out of 14 events in one season... I believe it was 1990 or 1991 that he accomplished that feat. If you ever run across some old Snap magazines, you ought to read through them as they featured good coverage of the old tour.

Anyway, regarding rack-your-own... I feel the rack-your-own idea does indeed cut down on some of the bickering, but not entirely and I've personally seen it almost come to blows between two players at some events. The same thing goes for the neutral racker scenario. I personally still prefer the loser racks format, but I have to admit I'm a traditionalist.

In any case, it seems like John and the Seminole tribe have gotten things off to a good start and hopefully things will continue to be successful for them. The added monies are certainly attractive, between 7k and 10k for each event.

Sarah, I think you ought to enter the event if you're able to get there soon enough. If the reports I read about it on here are any indication, there would be some good competition for you.