A glimmer of hope
You mentioned Danny Medina, in your earlier post reply to JAM, did you frequent tournaments in the Denver area in the mid eighties? The reason I ask is, during that time there were small clusters of players and people that had GOALS for pro pool. If you were around then, perhaps you remember some of the pro players response's, to those different ideas. Usually a discussion began with what tables should these tournaments be played on. If you were from the South, most likely your answer was 7' bar boxes. From the North east or Ohio, Wisconsin, or Michigan, 9ft. Gold-crowns. If you were from out West, 'cause of Richie's tournaments, Golden West 8ft'ers. My point is that in the mid-eighties no one would agree on anything, and certainly not for (Your statement I've labeled) reason (3).
In any sport, IMO, this is the beginning point for ALL lasting organizations that help promote 5, 10, and 20 year plans for the growth and development of their chosen sport. Hence the abundance of experiences in the pro pool world that resemble statement (1).
Your (IMHO) perceptive statements (2 and 3) leads us to what little hope exists today, for the future of pro pool existing at all, in the near future. I hope there are others like you, that can and will, pick-up this kind of insight, and carry the pieces of what's left of this sport across "the finish line." Chanting the mantra as they do so, "for the good of the sport and the next generations success!"
The sad part of my post is, I quit this sport, that I do truly love, in 86. For all the reasons about everyone else does. My parting thoughts to my friends was, "the women will go farther than the men, cause they look better and there are so few of them, they'll have to stick together or disappear entirely! These (expletives, referring to a vast majority of top male pro's) would rather shoot themselves in the foot, than DO something good for the future of this sport! This whole thing is going nowhere! "C-ya!"
However, in 1998, both of my parents were diagnosed with terminal diseases at the same time. I moved to Tn. to help take of them at that time. When the stress for me became overwhelming, I went back to the one thing that always relaxed me, hitting balls. I had no intention to returning to the pro pool scene, but in shot order I found myself at the inaugural DCC and around a lot of my old friends and associates. For me, my fate was sealed at that moment. I adopted an attitude I had never possessed before, take pool as it comes, LOVE THE GAME, forget the personal politics. And I must say, for those like Pat Flemming and Gregg Sullivan who stuck to their original visions, there seemed, a new "LOOK" surrounding this sport. Unfortunately, as time has gone on, I've seen the skeletons are still in the closet of pro pool. I believe they'll be there until more folks believe as you've written, in those 2 excellent observations you've expressed in statements 2 and 3.
I truly wish, we could just add those beliefs to the cool-aid and give it to everyone involved in pro pool and pool in general, to drink!
Very insightful Post's!
:joyful:
...I don't know you but, I sure do think your a very perceptive individual!
You mentioned Danny Medina, in your earlier post reply to JAM, did you frequent tournaments in the Denver area in the mid eighties? The reason I ask is, during that time there were small clusters of players and people that had GOALS for pro pool. If you were around then, perhaps you remember some of the pro players response's, to those different ideas. Usually a discussion began with what tables should these tournaments be played on. If you were from the South, most likely your answer was 7' bar boxes. From the North east or Ohio, Wisconsin, or Michigan, 9ft. Gold-crowns. If you were from out West, 'cause of Richie's tournaments, Golden West 8ft'ers. My point is that in the mid-eighties no one would agree on anything, and certainly not for (Your statement I've labeled) reason (3).
In any sport, IMO, this is the beginning point for ALL lasting organizations that help promote 5, 10, and 20 year plans for the growth and development of their chosen sport. Hence the abundance of experiences in the pro pool world that resemble statement (1).
Your (IMHO) perceptive statements (2 and 3) leads us to what little hope exists today, for the future of pro pool existing at all, in the near future. I hope there are others like you, that can and will, pick-up this kind of insight, and carry the pieces of what's left of this sport across "the finish line." Chanting the mantra as they do so, "for the good of the sport and the next generations success!"
The sad part of my post is, I quit this sport, that I do truly love, in 86. For all the reasons about everyone else does. My parting thoughts to my friends was, "the women will go farther than the men, cause they look better and there are so few of them, they'll have to stick together or disappear entirely! These (expletives, referring to a vast majority of top male pro's) would rather shoot themselves in the foot, than DO something good for the future of this sport! This whole thing is going nowhere! "C-ya!"
However, in 1998, both of my parents were diagnosed with terminal diseases at the same time. I moved to Tn. to help take of them at that time. When the stress for me became overwhelming, I went back to the one thing that always relaxed me, hitting balls. I had no intention to returning to the pro pool scene, but in shot order I found myself at the inaugural DCC and around a lot of my old friends and associates. For me, my fate was sealed at that moment. I adopted an attitude I had never possessed before, take pool as it comes, LOVE THE GAME, forget the personal politics. And I must say, for those like Pat Flemming and Gregg Sullivan who stuck to their original visions, there seemed, a new "LOOK" surrounding this sport. Unfortunately, as time has gone on, I've seen the skeletons are still in the closet of pro pool. I believe they'll be there until more folks believe as you've written, in those 2 excellent observations you've expressed in statements 2 and 3.
I truly wish, we could just add those beliefs to the cool-aid and give it to everyone involved in pro pool and pool in general, to drink!
Very insightful Post's!
:joyful:
