The WPBA Michigan City Thread
- Thread starter sjm
- Start date
Wow, thanks SJM.
It is now 4-3 Allison. The 6 and 8 were next to each other on the head rail and Allison tried to move them a bit closer while sending the cue ball to the foot rail. She hit the 6 and then the cue ball came down and scratched. Kim has ball in hand on a 6 that is in a little funny position, makes it, has a long but very makeable 7. She missed that and Allison runs out. Allison is taking her break right now.
It is now 4-3 Allison. The 6 and 8 were next to each other on the head rail and Allison tried to move them a bit closer while sending the cue ball to the foot rail. She hit the 6 and then the cue ball came down and scratched. Kim has ball in hand on a 6 that is in a little funny position, makes it, has a long but very makeable 7. She missed that and Allison runs out. Allison is taking her break right now.
Also, for anyone interested, there are some great pictures of Alli and Kim White on www.wpba.com that Kelly Oyama just posted while she is sitting next to me.
Thanks for updating Tina. Hope you didn't miss your flight. 
Well, we all know who I'm routing for. No since in mentioning it.
Pictures, finally!
Well, we all know who I'm routing for. No since in mentioning it.Pictures, finally!
sjm said:
Man, you are a fount of knowledge about stats! Thanks for the correction. I was only stating what Vivian told me.
Great pics! Kim looks so much better with her curly hair and makeup. I remember when she first joined the WPBA. In case you can't find the pics, they are at this link. http://www.wpba.com/cms/?pid=1005912
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No score, but it's reported that Allison has won the event. I'm bummed because not only would I have liked to have seen a different winner, but it would've been Vivian. But, I have to give major credit to Allison for fighting back after a first round loss.
PJ
PJ
Another bridesmaid finish for Vivian 
but it's nice to see Vivian getting her game back in order and making all these TV rounds.
Congrats to Allison (and to Kim White on a fantastic tourney)
And more importantly I'm thrilled to learn Vivian's daughter has been found! That really made my day. I'm soooo happy for her. What a weight off her shoulders after all these years.
but it's nice to see Vivian getting her game back in order and making all these TV rounds. Congrats to Allison (and to Kim White on a fantastic tourney)
And more importantly I'm thrilled to learn Vivian's daughter has been found! That really made my day. I'm soooo happy for her. What a weight off her shoulders after all these years.
I agree.
I think the most entertaining match I've ever seen was Vivian and Allison really late on a Thursday or Friday night in Peoria last year....
And the second most is a recorded one I have of them quite a few years back... Vivian is a great player. Glad she was in the finals with Fisher.
I think the most entertaining match I've ever seen was Vivian and Allison really late on a Thursday or Friday night in Peoria last year....
And the second most is a recorded one I have of them quite a few years back... Vivian is a great player. Glad she was in the finals with Fisher.
WPBA Great Lakes Classic Final day review/pics
Overall, a great day of pool in Michigan City.
In the first semi-final, Jeanette and Vivian played a 2+ hour match (yes, that's with a shot clock) that was nip-tuck the entire way. There were so many series of safety, return-of-safety safety, etc., it's hard to remember any particular exchange that stood out. Both players had to grind it out for everything they got. I don't believe either player led by but 2 games maybe once the entire match. In the end, it all came down to safety play. In the hill-hill game, Vivian played a safety that forced Jeanette to try to get to a ball that was pinned up against a rail, behind another ball. She was unable to make a good hit and Vivian had ball-in-hand to run out the winning balls. Overall, a great result for Jeanette, only being 7 months removed from her 8th back surgery. If her back continues to heal and strengthen, look out to all the other touring WPBA ladies. She's back....(no pun intended).
In the second semi-final, things started out very well for Kim. She was able to take advantage of a few good table layouts and get out to a 2-1 lead with a chance to get to 3-1 when she got a bit of an unfortunate roll. TinaP described it in an earlier post. Kim was able to hit the ball and almost cross-side banked it, just narrowly missing the pocket. Allison was able to pocket the 9-ball and even the match at 2-2. I think this was a big turning point of the match: Kim had a chance to be up 3-1, but now it's 2-2. I thought she started out playing solid, simple pool, as she had done on Saturday to advance to this point. As the match progressed, Kim's layouts and shots seemed to become a bit more difficult, thus requiring her to try to do more with the cue ball. She made a small error or two and the feeding-frenzy alarm must have gone off in Allison's head. Once this happened, it was Allison in full-blown "machine" mode. Overall, a great weekend for Kim, so many congratulations to her. I can say that she was more than thrilled on Saturday night after securing her spot in the TV round, and still in great spirits after she was eliminated on Sunday. The way she played this weekend, we may be seeing more of her on TV in the coming months/years.
The finals were all that was left to be played. Vivian and Allison joked around with each other while trading racks at the table during warm-ups. Of course, Steve Tipton was talking up the match up to the crowd, so he was doing his part to "egg-on" the combatants. Once the match started, it was pretty intense. There were several safety exchanges, as well as a number of well-executed jump and kick shots. Vivian missed a shot or two and Allison capitalized. Next thing you know, it's 6-1 Allison. Never known to give up, Vivian fought back. Allison seemed to miss a shot or two that you normally don't see her miss, especially in a final TV round. I also noticed that Allison went to a softer break in the 2nd half of the match. She looked to be trying to get the 9-ball to peel off the front of the rack and go in the side pocket. I believe she had 2 breaks on the hill and wasn't able to make a ball either time, thus giving Vivian a chance to run-out and get back into the match. But in the end, it was Allison that ended up getting out the final game and securing the championship.
Allison is now the only champion of the Great Lakes Classic, 2-years running. The WPBA originally signed a 2-year agreement with Boyd Gaming/The Blue Chip Casino, and per Steve's comments on Saturday, "we're up for renewal this year." The facility has undergone major renovations/upgrades over the last year. They've built a new boat that is some 3x bigger than the previous one. They've also added a parking garage and remodeled the entire concourse area. I only wish they had added on a larger ballroom so the WPBA would have a larger room to stage the event.
As a nearby resident, I really hope they come to a new agreement and the tourney returns to Michigan City next year. Thanks to all that I spoke with over the weekend, I had a great time. I spoke with Sarah Rousey yesterday evening. She was a bit bummed because she felt she could have won either match she lost. Remember, she took GYKim to hill-hill on Saturday evening. Not bad considering GY is fresh off her 2nd World Championship just last weekend. Sarah seemed to realize it's a learning experience for her and her game will be better-off in the long run. Nice to finally "officially" meet Sarah and I look forward to watching/following her career for many years to come.
I'll attach some photos that I took yesterday. I don't have the greatest camera, but a few came out O.K.
Overall, a great day of pool in Michigan City.
In the first semi-final, Jeanette and Vivian played a 2+ hour match (yes, that's with a shot clock) that was nip-tuck the entire way. There were so many series of safety, return-of-safety safety, etc., it's hard to remember any particular exchange that stood out. Both players had to grind it out for everything they got. I don't believe either player led by but 2 games maybe once the entire match. In the end, it all came down to safety play. In the hill-hill game, Vivian played a safety that forced Jeanette to try to get to a ball that was pinned up against a rail, behind another ball. She was unable to make a good hit and Vivian had ball-in-hand to run out the winning balls. Overall, a great result for Jeanette, only being 7 months removed from her 8th back surgery. If her back continues to heal and strengthen, look out to all the other touring WPBA ladies. She's back....(no pun intended).
In the second semi-final, things started out very well for Kim. She was able to take advantage of a few good table layouts and get out to a 2-1 lead with a chance to get to 3-1 when she got a bit of an unfortunate roll. TinaP described it in an earlier post. Kim was able to hit the ball and almost cross-side banked it, just narrowly missing the pocket. Allison was able to pocket the 9-ball and even the match at 2-2. I think this was a big turning point of the match: Kim had a chance to be up 3-1, but now it's 2-2. I thought she started out playing solid, simple pool, as she had done on Saturday to advance to this point. As the match progressed, Kim's layouts and shots seemed to become a bit more difficult, thus requiring her to try to do more with the cue ball. She made a small error or two and the feeding-frenzy alarm must have gone off in Allison's head. Once this happened, it was Allison in full-blown "machine" mode. Overall, a great weekend for Kim, so many congratulations to her. I can say that she was more than thrilled on Saturday night after securing her spot in the TV round, and still in great spirits after she was eliminated on Sunday. The way she played this weekend, we may be seeing more of her on TV in the coming months/years.
The finals were all that was left to be played. Vivian and Allison joked around with each other while trading racks at the table during warm-ups. Of course, Steve Tipton was talking up the match up to the crowd, so he was doing his part to "egg-on" the combatants. Once the match started, it was pretty intense. There were several safety exchanges, as well as a number of well-executed jump and kick shots. Vivian missed a shot or two and Allison capitalized. Next thing you know, it's 6-1 Allison. Never known to give up, Vivian fought back. Allison seemed to miss a shot or two that you normally don't see her miss, especially in a final TV round. I also noticed that Allison went to a softer break in the 2nd half of the match. She looked to be trying to get the 9-ball to peel off the front of the rack and go in the side pocket. I believe she had 2 breaks on the hill and wasn't able to make a ball either time, thus giving Vivian a chance to run-out and get back into the match. But in the end, it was Allison that ended up getting out the final game and securing the championship.
Allison is now the only champion of the Great Lakes Classic, 2-years running. The WPBA originally signed a 2-year agreement with Boyd Gaming/The Blue Chip Casino, and per Steve's comments on Saturday, "we're up for renewal this year." The facility has undergone major renovations/upgrades over the last year. They've built a new boat that is some 3x bigger than the previous one. They've also added a parking garage and remodeled the entire concourse area. I only wish they had added on a larger ballroom so the WPBA would have a larger room to stage the event.
As a nearby resident, I really hope they come to a new agreement and the tourney returns to Michigan City next year. Thanks to all that I spoke with over the weekend, I had a great time. I spoke with Sarah Rousey yesterday evening. She was a bit bummed because she felt she could have won either match she lost. Remember, she took GYKim to hill-hill on Saturday evening. Not bad considering GY is fresh off her 2nd World Championship just last weekend. Sarah seemed to realize it's a learning experience for her and her game will be better-off in the long run. Nice to finally "officially" meet Sarah and I look forward to watching/following her career for many years to come.
I'll attach some photos that I took yesterday. I don't have the greatest camera, but a few came out O.K.
Attachments
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ragbug,ragbug74 said:
Thanks for the report and pics. It was fun on Saturday, wish I could've made it yesterday as well.
Tracy
Bug-man,
NICE report. Many thanks.
It looks like you might have gotten Nostroke in one of your pictures - he just needs to get a job (I'm about half sick of seeing him in EVERY tournament picture - I'm jealous).
NICE report. Many thanks.
It looks like you might have gotten Nostroke in one of your pictures - he just needs to get a job (I'm about half sick of seeing him in EVERY tournament picture - I'm jealous).
Thanks Ragbug!