Just returned from the extravaganza that was the 2007 BCA event; my very first time.
It was regrettably more of a "non-pool" vacation for me; as my wife was along and insisted that dinners and shows were a MUCH higher priority than pool. I was fortunate, however, that a couple of the pro's and sjm took me under their wings to show me some of the inner workings of the event.
Here's what I found:
#1 - BCA is freaking big. There were a lot of tables, a lot of players, and a lot of vendors. I would love to play in the event sometime - there was something for everyone.
#2 - The 3-cushion trick shot event was profoundly entertaining. Sayginer is a big-time personality and big-time performer. Massey and our own Eric Yow (psykoyow) were not far behind. Great shots, good company (sjm, Mike Panozzo, Ewa Laurance, Lou Butera.....he's one of my heroes); can't wait to see it on television - I think you'll like it. My wife who hates pool even enjoyed it (one of the pro's talked her into attending).
#3 - AZB has a LOT of players and true students of the game. As at DCC, meeting the AZB'ers was a bunch of fun. SJM, TheSingle, rackmsucker, psykoyow, JCIN, COLLECTION GURU; these guys know a lot about pool and were great to hang around with for the short time I was able. I believe AZB truly attracts some of the greatest people in the game.
#4 - The Peppermill is a fantastic hangout. I thought the Splash Bar was supposed to be THE place to be; but was more impressed by The Peppermill. Great food, nice bar, more comfortable volume. At breakfast one day you could turn your head and see sjm, Jeanette Lee, COLLECTION GURU, Allison Fisher, Gerda Hofstatter, Kim Shaw, Kristi Carter, John Schmidt, and Thorsten Hohmann.
#5 - I never saw Vagabond. He was reported to be there, but I never saw him. He knows a lot (??everything??) about professional pool, and I'm sorry I missed the chance to pick his brain.
#6 - Separating the men's and women's tour in the 90's was a HUGE mistake. The cachet of this professional event was huge. With the men and women competing side by side there was something for EVERY FAN. What a GREAT format. Such events could only help both genders. In the main bar table room, there was Dennis Orcullo playing at the Predator table (with 2 fans watching), and Jeanette Lee at another table (Robin Dodson's booth) with 20-50 people at all times vying to pay for memorabilia and challenge matches for 4 hours straight. Perhaps the men would do well to try to attach themselves to the women's events. Perhaps the IPT missed the boat by excluding JL (DEFINITELY the highest recognition factor of anyone in the rather large building).
#7 - Vegas is a great vacation destination, but maybe not for pool. There were so many other things to see in the city that pool was not an acceptable option for the boss (my wife). When you've got pool in Louisville, what else is there to do???
My thanks to sjm, rackmsuckr, and COLLECTION GURU for making my all too short pool time very enjoyable.
It was regrettably more of a "non-pool" vacation for me; as my wife was along and insisted that dinners and shows were a MUCH higher priority than pool. I was fortunate, however, that a couple of the pro's and sjm took me under their wings to show me some of the inner workings of the event.
Here's what I found:
#1 - BCA is freaking big. There were a lot of tables, a lot of players, and a lot of vendors. I would love to play in the event sometime - there was something for everyone.
#2 - The 3-cushion trick shot event was profoundly entertaining. Sayginer is a big-time personality and big-time performer. Massey and our own Eric Yow (psykoyow) were not far behind. Great shots, good company (sjm, Mike Panozzo, Ewa Laurance, Lou Butera.....he's one of my heroes); can't wait to see it on television - I think you'll like it. My wife who hates pool even enjoyed it (one of the pro's talked her into attending).
#3 - AZB has a LOT of players and true students of the game. As at DCC, meeting the AZB'ers was a bunch of fun. SJM, TheSingle, rackmsucker, psykoyow, JCIN, COLLECTION GURU; these guys know a lot about pool and were great to hang around with for the short time I was able. I believe AZB truly attracts some of the greatest people in the game.
#4 - The Peppermill is a fantastic hangout. I thought the Splash Bar was supposed to be THE place to be; but was more impressed by The Peppermill. Great food, nice bar, more comfortable volume. At breakfast one day you could turn your head and see sjm, Jeanette Lee, COLLECTION GURU, Allison Fisher, Gerda Hofstatter, Kim Shaw, Kristi Carter, John Schmidt, and Thorsten Hohmann.
#5 - I never saw Vagabond. He was reported to be there, but I never saw him. He knows a lot (??everything??) about professional pool, and I'm sorry I missed the chance to pick his brain.
#6 - Separating the men's and women's tour in the 90's was a HUGE mistake. The cachet of this professional event was huge. With the men and women competing side by side there was something for EVERY FAN. What a GREAT format. Such events could only help both genders. In the main bar table room, there was Dennis Orcullo playing at the Predator table (with 2 fans watching), and Jeanette Lee at another table (Robin Dodson's booth) with 20-50 people at all times vying to pay for memorabilia and challenge matches for 4 hours straight. Perhaps the men would do well to try to attach themselves to the women's events. Perhaps the IPT missed the boat by excluding JL (DEFINITELY the highest recognition factor of anyone in the rather large building).
#7 - Vegas is a great vacation destination, but maybe not for pool. There were so many other things to see in the city that pool was not an acceptable option for the boss (my wife). When you've got pool in Louisville, what else is there to do???
My thanks to sjm, rackmsuckr, and COLLECTION GURU for making my all too short pool time very enjoyable.