With the turning of the new year I was feeling a little nostalgic and decided to take action on something Watchez mentioned. He mentioned in a post that we should make a time line of events since we started.
This is a version of that. I apologize for the length but as I sat down to write this I found I couldn't stop.
I went back and found most of the event flyers and some graphics for special events and decided to put them in chronological order. This covers most of what TAR has done since our first event in July of
2007. I have to say that I was a little surprised. Time fly's when you are having fun.
None of these events would have possible without the support of the players and fans. To all of you we say a very heartfelt thank you.
So here it is: The History Of TAR.
Our first event. Shooters $3000 Ring Game Tournament. This was the first time I or anyone else had held or turned on a prosumer camera. We literally unpacked the gear right from B&H Photo at Shooters. It was a great place to start. Dan Tull and the whole crew at Shooters in Olathe ,KS. have been very good to us right from the beginning. It was here that we got a glimpse of what Live Streaming could be. 5 days on the road.
The Action Challenge. Our first event that we produced and promoted ourselves. Both players were great to work with and took a chance on an unproven idea. Thanks to Mark Griffin putting up $2000 we were able to fly in two ledgends and the best commentators in the world to call the match. Mr. Grady Mathews and Mr. Billy Incardona. Both gentlemen were very gracious and professional and a true joy to work with. They and the players took a chance on us and we will be forever greatful to them. This event was when we started our relationship with Diamond Billiard Products. It was one we went after from the beginning because we wanted the best players playing on the best equipment. Greg Sullivan made it happen and it was the begining of a great relationship.
The Qlymipics. This was another major event for event for us. We had two major matches on back to back weekends. The first was The Action All Around featuring Danny Harriman vs John Schmidt. It was an epic match. This match was where we met James Doran owner of Side Pockets in Kansas City, Mo. It was a relationship that would prove to be important in our future. The other match was a battle of old school vs new school. The Action Challenge 2 featured Shane Van Boening vs Earl Strickland. What can you say about Earl other than he is one of the true giants of the game. Mike Gulyassy sponsored Earl in this match. It was the first time we had met Mike and he is a true gentleman and professional. As a side note this was a long trip for us. About 20 days if I remember right. Mark Griffin had the vision to see what we trying to do and once again thanks to his support we were able to help make something special happen. This is where the Legend of "The Sleeve" was born.
I was lucky to sit down with the 2007 Player of the Year Shane Van Boening in his home room, Lucky's in Sioux Falls, SD., in December for an in depth interview. Shane is a friend of mine and it was a pleasure to hear him discuss the amazing year he had in 2007. SVB is , in my opinion, the leader of the next generation of professional pool players in the United States. I think we have much to look forward to.
The 2008 Derby City Classic. The daddy of them the all. The best pool event in my lifetime. Thanks to Greg Sullivan we were able to set up in the legendary Action Room and stream all of the beautiful chaos that is the DCC action room. We saw some amazing things. I personally had the time of my life. It was there that we witnessed the beginning of what I think will be a rivalry that will go down in history. Alex Pagulayan vs Shane Van Boening. Only one of scheduled matches went off, Sarah vs Monica and they were a pleasure to work with. Thank you ladies. Thanks to all of the people we had help us with the broadcast were able to run almost 24/7. Our numbers on Ustream actually shocked me when I looked at them when it was all over. 512,818 total views, 72,000+ Unique views over the course of the event. About 11 days on the road for this one. We will be back this year January 23rd to do it again.
The 2008 United States Bar Table Championships at the Sands in Reno, NV. Another great event for us and one where we learned a lot about our trade. The thing that sticks out in my mind about this one is the bill for the internet access. A cool $2000 for seven days. In the end it was worth it. About 10 days on the road for this one. We will be back again this year Febuary 23rd.
The Young Guns Challenge. John Morra vs Justin Bergman. We were back at Shooters for what many considered a match that would answer the question: Tournament player or Action player? It was here that we got to know and work with Watchez and it has proven to be a good friendship ever since. Both of these young players never ceased to impress us with their professionalism and conduct. We will see much more from these two great young players in the future. Around a 6 day trip here I think.
The Action All Around 2. Danny Harriman vs John Schmidt. This was our first match at Side Pockets in Kansas City, Mo. Thanks to James "Duff" Doran who welcomed us with open arms and made us feel right at home. This match was epic. Four 100 ball runs in the straight pool and hil hill in the one pocket. Add in some bad blood and it is one people are still talking about. Ken Shuman and Fred Agnir flew in on their own dime to do the commentary and did a great job. I really hope that before it is over we will see a third and final match with these two American Champions. 5 days on the road here I think.
This is a version of that. I apologize for the length but as I sat down to write this I found I couldn't stop.
I went back and found most of the event flyers and some graphics for special events and decided to put them in chronological order. This covers most of what TAR has done since our first event in July of
2007. I have to say that I was a little surprised. Time fly's when you are having fun.
None of these events would have possible without the support of the players and fans. To all of you we say a very heartfelt thank you.
So here it is: The History Of TAR.
Our first event. Shooters $3000 Ring Game Tournament. This was the first time I or anyone else had held or turned on a prosumer camera. We literally unpacked the gear right from B&H Photo at Shooters. It was a great place to start. Dan Tull and the whole crew at Shooters in Olathe ,KS. have been very good to us right from the beginning. It was here that we got a glimpse of what Live Streaming could be. 5 days on the road.
The Action Challenge. Our first event that we produced and promoted ourselves. Both players were great to work with and took a chance on an unproven idea. Thanks to Mark Griffin putting up $2000 we were able to fly in two ledgends and the best commentators in the world to call the match. Mr. Grady Mathews and Mr. Billy Incardona. Both gentlemen were very gracious and professional and a true joy to work with. They and the players took a chance on us and we will be forever greatful to them. This event was when we started our relationship with Diamond Billiard Products. It was one we went after from the beginning because we wanted the best players playing on the best equipment. Greg Sullivan made it happen and it was the begining of a great relationship.
The Qlymipics. This was another major event for event for us. We had two major matches on back to back weekends. The first was The Action All Around featuring Danny Harriman vs John Schmidt. It was an epic match. This match was where we met James Doran owner of Side Pockets in Kansas City, Mo. It was a relationship that would prove to be important in our future. The other match was a battle of old school vs new school. The Action Challenge 2 featured Shane Van Boening vs Earl Strickland. What can you say about Earl other than he is one of the true giants of the game. Mike Gulyassy sponsored Earl in this match. It was the first time we had met Mike and he is a true gentleman and professional. As a side note this was a long trip for us. About 20 days if I remember right. Mark Griffin had the vision to see what we trying to do and once again thanks to his support we were able to help make something special happen. This is where the Legend of "The Sleeve" was born.
I was lucky to sit down with the 2007 Player of the Year Shane Van Boening in his home room, Lucky's in Sioux Falls, SD., in December for an in depth interview. Shane is a friend of mine and it was a pleasure to hear him discuss the amazing year he had in 2007. SVB is , in my opinion, the leader of the next generation of professional pool players in the United States. I think we have much to look forward to.
The 2008 Derby City Classic. The daddy of them the all. The best pool event in my lifetime. Thanks to Greg Sullivan we were able to set up in the legendary Action Room and stream all of the beautiful chaos that is the DCC action room. We saw some amazing things. I personally had the time of my life. It was there that we witnessed the beginning of what I think will be a rivalry that will go down in history. Alex Pagulayan vs Shane Van Boening. Only one of scheduled matches went off, Sarah vs Monica and they were a pleasure to work with. Thank you ladies. Thanks to all of the people we had help us with the broadcast were able to run almost 24/7. Our numbers on Ustream actually shocked me when I looked at them when it was all over. 512,818 total views, 72,000+ Unique views over the course of the event. About 11 days on the road for this one. We will be back this year January 23rd to do it again.
The 2008 United States Bar Table Championships at the Sands in Reno, NV. Another great event for us and one where we learned a lot about our trade. The thing that sticks out in my mind about this one is the bill for the internet access. A cool $2000 for seven days. In the end it was worth it. About 10 days on the road for this one. We will be back again this year Febuary 23rd.
The Young Guns Challenge. John Morra vs Justin Bergman. We were back at Shooters for what many considered a match that would answer the question: Tournament player or Action player? It was here that we got to know and work with Watchez and it has proven to be a good friendship ever since. Both of these young players never ceased to impress us with their professionalism and conduct. We will see much more from these two great young players in the future. Around a 6 day trip here I think.
The Action All Around 2. Danny Harriman vs John Schmidt. This was our first match at Side Pockets in Kansas City, Mo. Thanks to James "Duff" Doran who welcomed us with open arms and made us feel right at home. This match was epic. Four 100 ball runs in the straight pool and hil hill in the one pocket. Add in some bad blood and it is one people are still talking about. Ken Shuman and Fred Agnir flew in on their own dime to do the commentary and did a great job. I really hope that before it is over we will see a third and final match with these two American Champions. 5 days on the road here I think.
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This was our first event sponsored by OB Cues and they were great to us. Royce, John and Jessica as well as the whole OB crew are great people who support the game in many different ways. Our second action match I will cover below. All together we were out about 13 days for this one.
. Thanks again, and keep it up.
