BCAPL 2009: Special Victims Unit

I'm back from the 2009 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships at the Riviera in Las Vegas.

This was my 12th trip to Vegas and it marked the first time that I didn't stay at the Riviera. Vegas is hurting and prices are very, very cheap, so there are great deals to be had at really nice casinos. I thought it was time to upgrade - then I came back down to earth and remembered that I'm a broke @#$ pool-player and booked a room at Circus Circus (Tower, not Manor, thank you very much.)

I never thought I would miss the Riv quite so much, but I guess a hypodermic needle is still a hypodermic needle, it doesn't matter which pool it is floating in.

The good news? Marc "Spain" Vidal and I tore through the Masters Scotch Doubles' field to win the title. Our match scores are posted here. Let's just say it was fun.




I had a completely unspectacular go of things in the Grand Master singles after my 4th place finish last year. I'm a little riled up by my brain-dead performance and it makes me want to seek out some barbox 8-ball tournaments to prove to myself that I can still play the game.

One of the nicest parts of my trip was that I got a chance to connect with some people...

like my sponsor, Gary Borge DDS...


and fellow blogger Melinda Bailey (aka Trigger) ...


before being abducted by some random lunatic vagabonds (love ya, babies!)


I love being in Vegas, but I must admit that all the card games and sports betting can be a bit distracting.

Will I be back for a 13th installment? Right now, I'm saying "maybe/maybe not." Who am I kidding? I think my track record speaks for itself :)

-LF

April Happenings

I'm back to work on my game after a week of recuperating from the San Diego Classic.

Congrats to Monica Webb for her second straight win! Her steady improvement and will to win have always inspired me, and I am glad to see that those things pay off in the end.

On Monday, I started preparing for the 2009 BCAPL National 8-Ball Championships (May 8th-16th at the Riviera in Las Vegas.) When I lived in Oregon, I spent most of my time playing in bar table 8-Ball tournaments. I have always loved the game, but unfortunately I haven't played it much since I moved to New York. My game as a whole has improved substantially since 2001 so naturally my run-out power has increased, but last year in Vegas I had a little trouble balancing offense and defense to create my best chance at winning. Luckily, Skyline Billiards has a Diamond Smart Table, so I am going to make sure that I am super sharp come May.

I still have some 9-Ball events to prepare for before I head to Vegas. I will be playing this weekend in the JPNEWT tournament at Prime Time Billiards in Sayreville, NJ and next weekend in the Joss tournament at Comet Billiards is Parsippany, NJ.

Lots of work and fun ahead of me...

LIZ

Cream-Crackered!

I always arrive at WPBA events smiling and full of energy and end up leaving like this. Dead knackered.

I had a good run in the loser's bracket with wins over Ming Ng (9-8) and Rachel Abbink (9-6.) I was very shaky towards the end of my match with Ming. That's the price I paid for allowing some frustration and desire for results creep into my brain.

After that, I was determined to stay positive, level and in the moment. I was rewarded with my best performance of the tournament during my match with Rachel.

I ended up being knocked out by Jennifer Chen. Jennifer was playing great and I quickly found myself down 5-0 and then 6-1. I saved myself from a complete dusting by clawing my way back to 6-5 before Jennifer took control again and won 9-6.

I ended up finishing 17th-24th which is great but doesn't mean as much to me as the psychological freedom that I felt during the event. I have worked very hard over the last six months to overcome the extreme self-criticism that has held me back in the past.

Just to let you know how much positive energy that freedom requires: I will probably sleep 12 hours a night for at least two nights once I get home!

Live Stream Update

Just to let everyone know: my 3:15 match with Ming Ng is going to be on the live stream (once Julie Kelly and Tracie Hines are done.)

Monsters Inc.

I lost last night's match to XTP, 9-6. I put forth a very good effort, but girl is a monster.

I was down 4-0 and dug deep to pull back even at 4-4. A missed kick by me let her get ahead 5-4, which she followed up with a break and run. I answered with one of my own. With the score now 6-5, she snapped the nine. My miss on the 3-ball let her get to the hill (it was a side-pocket shot that gives me a lot of trouble and you'd better believe that I'll be practicing it until it's automatic.) She broke and missed the five, leaving me to clean-up. At 8-6, I broke and had to play safe on the one, I left her a sliver of the ball and she came with a match winning shot, back-cutting it the length of the table. This time she made sure that she got out :(

I am proud of myself for making a real match out of what started out as a steam roll. I am also proud that I have been able to maintain the same positive attitude and same consistent play in all variety of situations for the past four months.

My next match will be against the winner of Dawn Hopkins and Ming Ng, at 3:15 this afternoon.

Hiller-Hiller Thriller

I won my match this morning, against Cindy Sliva, 9-8. It was a long, tough match that was close the whole way. I am very proud of myself because I won by staying as positive as I could. My head is very fuzzy from being sick and nothing looked right, so I had to trust in my fundamentals and my funda-"mentals." My decision making and safety execution were not quite up to snuff and I hope to improve on them in my next match. I play the winner of Xiao-Ting Pan and someone whose name escapes my fuzzy little head tonight at 9:30.

Pass the Kleenex

I am heading off to bed - the brackets are up and I am playing Cindy Sliva at 11:30 AM. I have been sniffling and snuffling with a nasty cold all week, but when I got on the practice tables earlier it was all business. Despite the cold meds, I felt that familiar calm focus take over. It was very reassuring. Good times, good times.