Rhea vs OMGWTF

I feel both players acquitted themselves well.

I also believe most out there haven't experienced being put on camera with commentary, in the knowledge that their performance will be shipped into cyberspace in perpetuity for present and future generations to watch and kibitz. On the TV table all the shots you would normally fly in abandon you. Simple position plays go from getting on the next shot to getting on the right half of the table.

Pool is wicked tough and what that link shows is what two amateur players look like. We all get so spoiled watching pros that we expect to see runs and every shot whiz in. That's not the way it is in real life and if you are a nonbeliever all you have to do is wander on down to your local pool room and take a gander.

I would also have to say that as much as we all, as men, revel in our neanderthalness, in today's day and age we should all be able to accept transgender folks without making it a big deal or referring to a "condition." And if we accept that, then we should be courteous enough to not take a shot at a woman's weight.

Lou Figueroa
and that's all
I have to say
about that

You have a lot of posts under your belt, Lou. This is one of the best!
 
I feel both players acquitted themselves well.

I also believe most out there haven't experienced being put on camera with commentary, in the knowledge that their performance will be shipped into cyberspace in perpetuity for present and future generations to watch and kibitz. On the TV table all the shots you would normally fly in abandon you. Simple position plays go from getting on the next shot to getting on the right half of the table.

Pool is wicked tough and what that link shows is what two amateur players look like. We all get so spoiled watching pros that we expect to see runs and every shot whiz in. That's not the way it is in real life and if you are a nonbeliever all you have to do is wander on down to your local pool room and take a gander.

I would also have to say that as much as we all, as men, revel in our neanderthalness, in today's day and age we should all be able to accept transgender folks without making it a big deal or referring to a "condition." And if we accept that, then we should be courteous enough to not take a shot at a woman's weight.

Lou Figueroa
and that's all
I have to say
about that

Well said, Lou. Well said.
 
Rhea - find a good instructor (not a good player, good INSTRUCTOR) and work for 6 months exclusively on your fundamentals without playing any tournaments, money matches or friendly games. Do this and your games will jump up several levels. And then you may try the road again if you wish to, you may actually more than survive then. ;)[/QUOTE]

Good advice.
 
it's not the ability of the brain that separates men and woman in sports
1

FYI your statement is not exactly correct, men in general have better depth perception while women in general have much better peripheral vision and can see WAY more colours than men which is a result of human evolution where men used to be hunters while women used to be gatherers (of course there are exceptions). And it is definitely only a smart part of differencies between brains of both sexes. So actually woman/man brain plays distinct part in sport performances :wink:
 
It is more than a little disappointing that our pool room- the friggin pool room: where everyone can mix, without concern for race, affluence, age, etc...- can't fathom or even deal with Rhea.

Wtf, people? Get with the times.
 
Congrats to Mel for taking the whole thing down! Can't think of anyone who has worked harder and been willing to put it all out there like she does.

Also sad commentary that this thread deteriorated the way it did. I like to poke fun at Rhea for the Fargo stuff but some of you are hitting way below the belt which is just mean, not funny, mean.
 
To me, ultimately, it doesn't matter either. I am a nobody in the pool world and the real world but I do think it is great and admirable that she is brave enough and also able to be the person she wants to be...

However...

If a sport/activity/hobby has a Women's division then doesn't that mean that the activity would have a sex based handicap, whether it be a positive or a negative for a woman? If women are able to compete evenly in any activity that there are women's only events, then why bother having women's only events at all?

Would it make it 100 percent fair for transgender people to compete in the activity as the opposite of how they were born specifically if the gender they now identify as is traditionally the underdog?

Personally, I don't care either way as I will never be good enough to compete at a level where this matters. These do seem to be questions for the ages that will never truly be answered I think.

Edit to add. Congrats to Mel on snapping this event off!!!!

I knew there was an elephant in the room.

Probably just a baby elephant in this case. Until she starts taking money from the ladies at the tournaments, nobody will probably say anything. Probably just a bit of fear from them. As I understand the process removes the man levels of Testosterone. Has no affect on stubbornness and excuse making. Gene was trying hard to make the same suggestions some are making in this thread. What, 4 years ago.
 
I had a talk with a player in the ladies division. She told me that none of the women minded because the trans-genders played at the same level as they did. It would be different to them if they felt they were being robbed. I also found out that there were a few other transgenders besides Rhea in the tourney.

So the bottom line is if the lady participants did not have an issue with this situation, no one here should.


I knew there was an elephant in the room.

Probably just a baby elephant in this case. Until she starts taking money from the ladies at the tournaments, nobody will probably say anything. Probably just a bit of fear from them. As I understand the process removes the man levels of Testosterone. Has no affect on stubbornness and excuse making. Gene was trying hard to make the same suggestions some are making in this thread. What, 4 years ago.
 
Last edited:
Congrats to Mel for taking the whole thing down! Can't think of anyone who has worked harder and been willing to put it all out there like she does.

Also sad commentary that this thread deteriorated the way it did. I like to poke fun at Rhea for the Fargo stuff but some of you are hitting way below the belt which is just mean, not funny, mean.

Nice pun, but maybe it was not intended ?
As far as deteriorating, ha they jumped on her immediately about the gender stuff. Most say they are just treating the subject as though she is one of the guys in the pool room. Probably so.

What did the boss say ? Just locker room talk. Most of y'all that are shocked and offended probably should apologize about the anonymous keyboard warrior stuff. I'll bet that few on this thread are unknown or unwilling to say their name. Okay I'll go first. My name is Jim Talmon and I am a recovering from white privelage, still scratching my nuts, lifting one cheek in public and hating on stuff that I don't understand. I think I was just born this way.
Now can we all just get along ?
Remember this...if you edit your posts, you are a keyboard warrior.
P.S. my Fargorate is crap, but that's why I get the nutz.
 
Heya Jimbo
I'm not anonymous as it appears, name and numbers in the sig

Seems like there's way to many sensies here to take a good ribbing,a good ol punch in the arm

Meh
Whatryagonnado
If we were all the same, the world would be boring af

All the best
 
Well stated.

Lou, you do have a way with words. This may be my favorite post from you all time.

Well stated by all accounts!

jbk

I feel both players acquitted themselves well.

I also believe most out there haven't experienced being put on camera with commentary, in the knowledge that their performance will be shipped into cyberspace in perpetuity for present and future generations to watch and kibitz. On the TV table all the shots you would normally fly in abandon you. Simple position plays go from getting on the next shot to getting on the right half of the table.

Pool is wicked tough and what that link shows is what two amateur players look like. We all get so spoiled watching pros that we expect to see runs and every shot whiz in. That's not the way it is in real life and if you are a nonbeliever all you have to do is wander on down to your local pool room and take a gander.

I would also have to say that as much as we all, as men, revel in our neanderthalness, in today's day and age we should all be able to accept transgender folks without making it a big deal or referring to a "condition." And if we accept that, then we should be courteous enough to not take a shot at a woman's weight.

Lou Figueroa
and that's all
I have to say
about that
 
Nice pun, but maybe it was not intended ?
As far as deteriorating, ha they jumped on her immediately about the gender stuff. Most say they are just treating the subject as though she is one of the guys in the pool room. Probably so.

What did the boss say ? Just locker room talk. Most of y'all that are shocked and offended probably should apologize about the anonymous keyboard warrior stuff. I'll bet that few on this thread are unknown or unwilling to say their name. Okay I'll go first. My name is Jim Talmon and I am a recovering from white privelage, still scratching my nuts, lifting one cheek in public and hating on stuff that I don't understand. I think I was just born this way.
Now can we all just get along ?
Remember this...if you edit your posts, you are a keyboard warrior.
P.S. my Fargorate is crap, but that's why I get the nutz.

I'm not shocked or offended and I have been around this place since it's inception so most have actually met me in person and know who I am. My point is, this wasn't harmless locker room talk, it was completely mean spirited and anyone who condones it or tries to justify it isn't someone that I would want to associate with, period.
Trust me, I'm no snowflake who get offended at anything. Just call things for what they are.
 
I had a talk with a player in the ladies division. She told me that none of the women minded because the trans-genders played at the same level as they did. It would be different to them if they felt they were being robbed. I also found out that there were a few other transgenders besides Rhea in the tourney.

So the bottom line is if the lady participants did not have an issue with this situation, no one here should.
This is mainly what I was curious about. If her competition doesn't care then no one else should.
 
It would be better to have a policy in place before any negatives occur.

I fail to see what the issue is: your government-issued ID detrrmines your gender.

Should a pool tournament have different standards? I think not.
I had a talk with a player in the ladies division. She told me that none of the women minded because the trans-genders played at the same level as they did. It would be different to them if they felt they were being robbed. I also found out that there were a few other transgenders besides Rhea in the tourney.

So the bottom line is if the lady participants did not have an issue with this situation, no one here should.
 
I'm not shocked or offended and I have been around this place since it's inception so most have actually met me in person and know who I am. My point is, this wasn't harmless locker room talk, it was completely mean spirited and anyone who condones it or tries to justify it isn't someone that I would want to associate with, period.
Trust me, I'm no snowflake who get offended at anything. Just call things for what they are.

Solid post right there by a solid man......whom I have met in person & know who he is.
 
It would be better to have a policy in place before any negatives occur.

I fail to see what the issue is: your government-issued ID detrrmines your gender.


Should a pool tournament have different standards? I think not.

I understand your (legal) meaning, but, one's DNA is the only valid factor determining one's gender, certainly not the government's social engineering policy, or one's wishful thinking.
 
It would be better to have a policy in place before any negatives occur.

I fail to see what the issue is: your government-issued ID detrrmines your gender.

Should a pool tournament have different standards? I think not.

From the WPBA a few years ago

Essentially their policy is a FEMALE is a person living as a woman who has sex hormones in the medically acceptable range for a female.

A transgender female is eligible to play provided that upon request she can produce a letter from her healthcare provider attesting to the above.

http://www.wpba.com/assets/wpba_player_policy_handbook_2015.pdf

*********
This seems like a reasonable compromise between concerns over rights, privacy, and integrity of the competition.

As a practical matter, I can see allowing a person who lives as a female and identifies as female to compete as female without requesting invasive medical information unless and until the issue threatens the integrity of the competition (player a particular threat to finish high or high-level major event).
 
Back
Top