US Open 9Ball Moving

KoolKat9Lives said:
Where did you get this "3 room 250" info? Is that 250 people per room which totals 750? I'd sure hope so... Does anyone know if there will be 16 tables or ? I can't envision that us spectators that have been to the convention center are going to be pleased only being able to view a third of the field at a time.

16 tables at the Convention Center was great. When a match got tight or something extra exciting occurred we could easily move seats to catch it closer up. Now, that becomes difficult to impossible. :(

I hope there are ample hotel options as well. Dropping $43 a night for a double with efficiency that was a football field length away was a HUGE convenience.

Someone told me Q Masters is like 2 blocks away from the Holiday Inn. That's about the only good thing I can see at this point...
Click to expand...


That's from the BD article.

It would seem that there is no one big room -- but three smaller ones. The Grand Ballroom, presumably the grandest of the three can hold 250 spectators. In the past, once again according to BD, the finals have drawn 700 fans.

Lou Figueroa
 
mholmes1218 said:
I thought it was at Lake Wright at least one Year.
Click to expand...

1989 and 1990 at the Lake Wright, Nick Varner and Loree Jon Jones won back to back there.

They were my first US Opens.

Joe Blackburn, Don Sherman, the shirt guy and I were the total vendors.
 
lfigueroa said:
I think we all make the mistake of believing good things will go on forever.

Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

I don't know that it's a mistake to believe that if you do but also it's not something that I did.

I just have certain attachments to certain venues because of my own first experiences with iconic events in those venues.

I can't know what The Rack in Detroit was like. But my friend knows. I can't know what Johnston City was like.

But I know what the US Open at the Chesapeake Convention Center was like. I know what the DCC at the Executive West was like, I know the big events in Vegas at the Riviera and all those places evoke very good memories for me. As a vendor you get to know a place and its people from going there year after year.

Sometimes you walk into a venue and it's just magic, the way things are set up, the way people are milling around, the conversations happening, it just all gels. I am sure that the US Open will be great no matter where it goes but for me it was a thing where that building at that time was the right spot.

I didn't think of it as good or bad particularly. I just am kinda sad that I will never again go to that tournament and see it in the same way as when I first got to see it.
 
Last edited:
JB Cases said:
I don't know that it's a mistake to believe that if you do but also it's not something that I did.

I just have certain attachments to certain venues because of my own first experiences with iconic events in those venues.

I can't know what The Rack in Detroit was like. But my friend knows. I can't know what Johnston City was like.

But I know what the US Open at the Chesapeake Convention Center was like. I know what the DCC at the Executive West was like, I know the big events in Vegas at the Riviera and all those places evoke very good memories for me. As a vendor you get to know a place and it's people from going there year after year.

Sometimes you walk into a venue and it's just magic, the way things are set up, the way people are milling around, the conversations happening, it just all gels. I am sure that the US Open will be great no matter where it goes but for me it was a thing where that building at that time was the right spot.

I didn't think of it as good or bad particularly. I just am kinda sad that I will never again go to that tournament and see it in the same way as when I first got to see it.
Click to expand...

Johnston City had that magical quality to it, all the best players gathered together only once a year. The tournament room (two tables) and the back room (five tables) were compact, but crowded with sweaters all night long. Things kicked off in the back room after the tournament wrapped up for the night. In the 60's at Johnston City, the Ten Ball Ring Game was usually $20 a man and sometimes $50 a man. Big action back then! A typical big One Pocket match might be for $200 a game or maybe a $1,000 freeze out. Of course that was serious money at the time. There is much more action at DCC every year. And for much bigger stakes. DCC has so many more players of all skill levels and so many money games you can't keep up with it all. It has its own flavor to it, like a ten ring pool circus going on every night. Like Johnston City, the tournaments can be secondary to the action, but everyone wants to win! At JC first place in each division was $2,000 and maybe $1,500 extra to the all around champ. But if you won $5,000 back then, it was huge.

As for the Rack, that was a phenomena unlike anything seen before or since. All the biggest gamblers and mobsters hung out in there, literally betting sacks full of money. I wouldn't want to know where it all came from. Even in the 70's, they were playing for Dippy sized stakes, and sometimes even bigger. $10,000 a game One Pocket on the snooker table was considered an ordinary bet. $1,000 a game 9-Ball was a decent starting bet. There were six figure scores made every week! And a few guys actually became millionaires just from playing pool in the Rack. It was not open to the public and you had to know someone to get in. If you didn't have a pocket full of money or a well heeled backer you didn't belong in there anyway.

The only thing close today is DCC and like I said, it has a flavor all its own.

P.S. I'm looking forward to the new U.S. Open venue, even though it may pose a challenge for those of us who are working there. I think the proximity to the pool room may add a little spice to the week as well.
 
Last edited:
It should be interesting to see how the new venue works out. Like Jay said, with Q Master within walking distance, maybe the late nite dynamic might change.

I've been going to the Open since the late 90's, and 9 of the last 10 years. All I know is the Convention Ctr. It's a great venue. The big open arena, with center court/ the TV table, bleacher seating all around, gives it a much bigger feel vs just having a row of tables. If the new place can duplicate the set up, to a certain degree, then it might offer the same experience.

Regarding having tables in 3 separate ballrooms, I don't think this will take that much away. With the old venue, the floor was basically segmented in thirds; the TV table and surrounding bleachers in the middle and groups of tables to the left and right. Honestly, with the exception of a few seats, there wasn't any way to watch everything. Even if you had a clear view, you would need binoculars. And be ADD.


Eric
 
The 1st Open I went to was the 1st one at the convention center back in 97. It is a nice venue but very expensive im sure. Hats off to Barry. You have to be abe to adapt as a promoter and having the longest running event in pool is a huge feat. I have always had a great time at the Open and Im sure it will be a 1st class production where ever it is. Barry and his staff work hard all year long to promote this event!
 
JB Cases said:
I don't know that it's a mistake to believe that if you do but also it's not something that I did.

I just have certain attachments to certain venues because of my own first experiences with iconic events in those venues.

I can't know what The Rack in Detroit was like. But my friend knows. I can't know what Johnston City was like.

But I know what the US Open at the Chesapeake Convention Center was like. I know what the DCC at the Executive West was like, I know the big events in Vegas at the Riviera and all those places evoke very good memories for me. As a vendor you get to know a place and its people from going there year after year.

Sometimes you walk into a venue and it's just magic, the way things are set up, the way people are milling around, the conversations happening, it just all gels. I am sure that the US Open will be great no matter where it goes but for me it was a thing where that building at that time was the right spot.

I didn't think of it as good or bad particularly. I just am kinda sad that I will never again go to that tournament and see it in the same way as when I first got to see it.
Click to expand...


Right, I'd agree with most of that. I know I have fond memories of the US 1Pocket Open when it was held at The Playground in Kalamazoo.

Lou Figueroa
I just agreed
with John?!
 
As was stated earlier the Open has been in 5 locations over the years but it has always been moved before to get to a larger and better venue. This change really seems downhill from the Chesapeake convention center and the seating layout kinda sucks. I wonder what has caused this move. I will be there as I have been since it was at lake Wright but I'm afraid I'm going to be sadly disappointed.
 
Holiday Inn

It was at the Holiday Inn in Chesapeake in the early to mid 90's. Is it going back to the same place? I was there when Buddy and Tommy won it in 91 and 92. I always liked that place. Great memories.
 
Sam at TAP said:
It was at the Holiday Inn in Chesapeake in the early to mid 90's. Is it going back to the same place? I was there when Buddy and Tommy won it in 91 and 92. I always liked that place. Great memories.
Click to expand...

No -- a different Holiday Inn. This one is in Virginia Beach, apparently pretty close to Barry's pool room.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top