Shaun Wilkie crying . .....

Not sayin its right......but if you drug tested pool players....you may have a hard time fillin up a 16 player bracket! ....
Lol

Every poolhall I have been to seems to have players.."goin outside".. often
 
bradsh98 said:
You automatically assumed that the drugs in question are the typical, weed and cocaine.

There are many focus enhancing pharmaceuticals available today. Adderall is one of the more common. Though, there are several others.

Taking a substance that improves cognitive function gives an absolute advantage. Of course, everyone's body chemistry is different, so it comes down to the person figuring out the proper mixture/dosage to function at peak level. We are not talking about your typical haphazard drug use.
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^^^
This
Can't believe people are denying drugs can enhance performance, there is a reason there is a banned list lol
 
KenRobbins said:
You need much more than 5 players to have real professional pool. Shaun Wilkie is a great player. I knew a couple players that would take Midol before a match. Not sure if it really works, but they say it does.
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It can still work as long as testing is frequent and small groups of players are tested.

Its how the system gets beaten in the Olympics, they can't test everyone.

They do collect samples and retroactively test them, but its too costly to screen all competitors before the events begin.
 
Isn't playing perfect pool the ultimate end goal for any aspiring pool player? The problem with complaining about something like this is that we all know that near perfect/perfect pool is achievable while sober, so you can get just as close to that goal sober as you can with PED's

I think the frame of mind for approaching this needs to change. Players need to understand that the opponent really only controls 2 things; the number of opportunities you get and the quality of those opportunities. Therefore, a players skill level should be able to be summed up using only those two variables -

"How many quality opportunities do I need in order to win"

This way of thinking completely removes the opponent from the equation. It's completely based on you.

Let's say, for example, that Shaun needs 5 opportunities to win any given set. His complaint is that his opponent, who normally affords 7 opportunities while sober, is now only giving up 3 opportunities using PED's and Shaun can't win like that.

However, at the end of the day, Shaun simply needs to lower his required opportunities needed because he's eventually going to run into a sober world beater and then who's fault will his loss be? Sure, he might be able to get deeper into any given field if drug testing existed, but he will be no closer to achieving the ultimate goal of playing perfect pool.

I understand that going deeper in fields puts more money in his pocket and allows him to keep his job as a pool player but come on, who aspires to just "go deeper in the field"? People want to be on top.

TL;DR - Git Gud
 
I know lots of pool players who do drugs.
I could list off plenty of world champions that do them too.
Absolutely no one cares.

All they want to see is fantastic pool.
They could care less that the guy is nodding off in the bathroom half dead, going outside to smoke, or wide awake at 3am after playing for 15 hours and suffering from post nasal drip where they never ever blow their nose to get rid of it.

As long as their buddy/horse cashes in the tournament or gets some of the calcutta money, it's all good.

All fun and games and everyone is in denial till you are having a memorial tournament for someone.
 
Making people feel bad for their habits isn't contributing to a solution.

As someone plays pro pool in a live event, it is easy to see when drugs are not being used.


SUPERSTAR said:
I know lots of pool players who do drugs.
I could list off plenty of world champions that do them too.
Absolutely no one cares.

All they want to see is fantastic pool.
They could care less that the guy is nodding off in the bathroom half dead, going outside to smoke, or wide awake at 3am after playing for 15 hours and suffering from post nasal drip where they never ever blow their nose to get rid of it.

As long as their buddy/horse cashes in the tournament or gets some of the calcutta money, it's all good.

All fun and games and everyone is in denial till you are having a memorial tournament for someone.
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I only know two legit world champion level players who habitually use drugs while they play. Not saying more don't just that I only know two for sure. Most guys at the really elite level don't fool with it much as far as I know. More I suspect because its a situation of the juice not being worth the squeeze than out of a sense of fair play.

When you have to fly all over the world to play pool and in some of those countries getting caught with drugs would really really suck it makes a lot more sense to build your game on the natural.

Lower level pool and gambling matches I just assume everyone is on something. Adderall is like skittles in a bunch of pool rooms I have been to. I always figured the better player is going to win anyway. The only real advantage drugs gives is in marathon sets. Outside of that the guy who depends on drugs is going to be inconsistent which means he will lose to the same quality natural player over time.

Whats funny is I have seen the trend of being "natural" now used as a new excuse for losing. Like some dude popping speed or hitting a joint takes them up to unbeatable level.
 
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justnum said:
Making people feel bad for their habits isn't contributing to a solution.

As someone plays pro pool in a live event, it is easy to see when drugs are not being used.
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Sorry.
I don't feel bad for someone else's choices. I don't pretend they are victims. Not when they did it to themselves to play better pool.

I don't enable people.

Guaranteed, the ones abusing drugs don't feel bad.
They are laughing it up all the way to that higher cash.


I play clean.
I can respect S. W.'s perspective.
I've known him for something like 16 or 17 years.
I've played him plenty of times over the years.

I get up and i play to the best of my ability, whether that's good or bad.
Just like a week ago, how i was out with friends i hadn't seen in a while, drinking till 5am.
Had to play that evening.
Was hung over and played like absolute garbage. But it was 100% my fault i wasn't ready.
It wouldn't even occur to me to take something to "try" and help me wake up or snap out of it and focus. It's just something i don't do.

On that same note, i will never ever lay blame for someone doing drugs on anyone but them.
Their body, their choice.

I can understand trying to compete against them. I've done it plenty of times.
It's one of the reasons i quit pursuing serious pool way back when.
Because if that was what i had to do to compete at the next level, to try and win a small slice of some pathetic pro pool prize money with players that have astronimically way more talent then i ever could, then i didn't want any part of it. So i stopped trying and moved on.

Shaun's problem is that he still plays and takes pool seriously and he plays clean...and he is surrounded by people who have no problem taking whatever, to maintain that next level.

He is fighting an uphill battle.
 
JCIN said:
Whats funny is I have seen the trend of being "natural" now used as a new excuse for losing. Like some dude popping speed or hitting a joint takes them up to unbeatable level.
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There are plenty of champs, who if they didn't take their meds, would drop down from world class consistency, to shortstop speed.
They would still play great. They just wouldn't play "perfect"
 
Fighting drug abuse is an uphill battle.

For users the benefits of drugs can be important, it is challenging is when you can't escape the drug environment, like you mentioned.

For my family and friends, supporting them with positive encouragement is proven as more helpful that negative encouragement.

SUPERSTAR said:
Sorry.
I don't feel bad for someone else's choices. I don't pretend they are victims. Not when they did it to themselves to play better pool.

I don't enable people.

Guaranteed, the ones abusing drugs don't feel bad.
They are laughing it up all the way to that higher cash.


I play clean.
I can respect S. W.'s perspective.
I've known him for something like 16 or 17 years.
I've played him plenty of times over the years.

I get up and i play to the best of my ability, whether that's good or bad.
Just like a week ago, how i was out with friends i hadn't seen in a while, drinking till 5am.
Had to play that evening.
Was hung over and played like absolute garbage. But it was 100% my fault i wasn't ready.
It wouldn't even occur to me to take something to "try" and help me wake up or snap out of it and focus. It's just something i don't do.

On that same note, i will never ever lay blame for someone doing drugs on anyone but them.
Their body, their choice.

I can understand trying to compete against them. I've done it plenty of times.
It's one of the reasons i quit pursuing serious pool way back when.
Because if that was what i had to do to compete at the next level, to try and win a small slice of some pathetic pro pool prize money with players that have astronimically way more talent then i ever could, then i didn't want any part of it. So i stopped trying and moved on.

Shaun's problem is that he still plays and takes pool seriously and he plays clean...and he is surrounded by people who have no problem taking whatever, to maintain that next level.

He is fighting an uphill battle.
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PocketSpeed11 said:
Wilkie has a point, but there is a time and place. It shouldn't be used as an excuse. Some people want pool to be more professional and to be held in higher regard than it is by the general populace. It this were to ever happen, mandatory drug-testing is one of the many steps in the right direction. I used to snort ADD drugs all the time in high school and my early college years. So much that it seemed like my snot was bright orange or blue more often than not. These drugs absolutely provide a competitive edge. In other sports, lengthy suspensions are handed down. Richard Sherman claimed a few years back that about half of the NFL was on Adderall (though he is probably wrongly grouping both amphetamine salts and methylphenidate under that name). For sports that require speedy movements, these drugs can provide an even greater edge. For sports less reliant on speedy movements, the competitive edge should still remain unquestioned. These stimulants provide enhanced focus and energy.
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For hours, yes.

But for years? No.


Jeff Livingston
 
Drug testing would be the last nail in the coffin for professional pool.

It's cost prohibitive, it's inaccurate, it fails to show the difference between someone who consumed drugs yesterday and someone who is under the influence right now.

The drug that will ALWAYS show up in a test is the one that is not performance enhancing although it's appetite enhancing.
 
Everyone getting their undies in a wad...over what?? these "tests" would need to be a full tox screen for about a Grand a pop.


Who's paying?


Not happening.
 
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