No Joy!

Although no wins, had awesome time here at Atlanta Classic and playing Allison Fischer was a dream! I at least was not afraid or nervous so that taught me a lot! Until next time . . .
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Barracuda vs Allison Fischer!

Your's truly managed to get a spot on the WPBA Atlanta Classic tour! Receiving the last minute invite on my way to vega$$, I quickly arranged a flight home, 2 hrs to get ready and back on flight to atlanta whew!

Now hold on to your cue sticks - my first match is none other than Allison Fischer herself! Pooldawg.com will be streaming but unsure about my match with Allison.

Stay tuned for more!

WINNER'S WIN!

Yours truly had a fantastic tournament in Phoenix, coming in 2nd ONLY because she ran outa steam!  I gnashed my way through the field undefeated until the last match before the hot seat, and got sent to the losers bracket.  The good thing is now I only had one match to win to get into the final two!

My first match was a slam with a 7-3 win, then a grueling hill hill match which I managed to pull off, and another hill hill, and then a 7-5 to get into the finals. A couple of my matches, my opponent was up 4-2 on me and I fought fought fought to come back and win! The player who sent me to the losers bracket was now waiting for me in the finals.  I was OUT FOR BLOOD!  But things started going wrong.  Scratches after brilliant get outa trouble shots, and the table speed was not there for me.  My safeties would roll out too far, or not far enough.  She was shooting well, but I battled to come back.  It was not in the cards and she took me out 9-4.

I learned so much however about stamina, determination, and MOST importantly, that I CAN WIN and take out good players.  A big confidence booster for sure!  Before I started my loser's bracket match, I called HUBBY.  I needed to hear that reassuring lecture and he came through for me big time.  This was a new player to the tour and she was a really good shot, several times running the table.  I had already beaten her in a hill hill match on the winners side.  I just strutted around the table determined to take her out again, and I DID!

Phoenix was hot hot hot - like 111 degrees - omg!  And it's only June!  So I'm a little concerned about Tucson next month at the end of July!  Will it be 120?  Yikes!

Stay tuned for more Barracuda wins cuz I'm sharpening my teeth!

Too darn hot!

And I mean that quite literally! 111 in Phoenix! And the Barracuda hot too!

After 1st day rounds I'm undefeated! Stay tuned for more! 1st match 7-2 then grueling hill hill match with really tough player-but I won so a win is a win!

Semi and finals tomorrow-wish me luck!

Hello Phoenix!

The Barracuda heads off this Friday to the sunny Metro Phoenix area for another women's tour event!  Watch out players cuz the 'Cuda is coming!

After the big win at Hard Times, I managed to come in 2nd at my next tourney, losing ONLY because I pooped out around midnight!  Well at least that was my excuse for blowing a couple of opportunities I had.  (sigh)

Am certainly looking forward to a great road trip with my music as loud as it will go without blowing out the speakers, the sunroof cracked - wind running wild through the hair, and of course a pit stop at the casino along the way.  But of course!  I like to call these, "Hit and runs".  You saunter in, stretch your legs, get some coffee, hit the casino for a grand, then stroll out with a big fat smile on your face!

I feel like this is the most prepared I've been mentally and physically for the next major tourney and am very excited.  My confidence is way better and my pre-shot routine is really getting grooved in.

So watch out ladies, I'za comin ta get ya!  :)

Who's Your Daddy?

Well OK, it certainly COULD be your Dad, but in my case it's my Hubby!  As a lights out pool player himself for many years, he has become my biggest motivator!  Last night I'm at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, home of the tight pockets and really really good players (which is why I like to play tourneys there).  I lose my first match hill hill, and then declare that I will just have to fight my way back on the loser's side.  And FIGHT I do!  6 grueling matches, some hill hill, some a sweep.  It's like 1 a.m. in the morning - I'm starving my guts out - It's hot hot hot in there and I'm dripping sweat onto the cloth - I spent 3 hours earlier that day cleaning the garage, moving furniture, boxes, sweeping, and I'm exhausted - BUT I keep hearing my Hubby's voice.  "Winners figure out how to win somehow".  One match I'm down hill-0.  It doesn't look good.  I sit in my chair thinking - ok - I can come back, I can do this!  He misses the eight ball, then gets lucky and leaves it in the center of the end rail with cue ball at the other end. He chuckles a bit sarcastically about "playing safe" when it was really just a miss.  Now I'm a little pissed!  I think to myself "That's IT!  I've about had enough of this!"  So I quickly get down on the ball and fire it - and I DO mean fire it - banking into the back corner pocket.  My friend in the gallery said "You shoulda seen the look on his face!"  I end up winning the match.

I take breaks, I get air, I go to the little (ahem) girls room.  I plow through my next matches.  I don't get rattled when I miss a shot.  I let it go, I move on, I wait to get to the table again.  I laugh instead of cry when one of my opponents is getting the rolls from the heavens and all I can do is scratch! I just think about one ball at a time.

Before I know it, I'm in the finals match.  My opponent is stellar - I have watched him play between my matches.  BUT, I think - it's 1:15 a.m. AND he just went to get something to snack on and is eating during the match.  Aha!  I hang in there.  I get to the hill first, but he gets another game.  I think - "I gotta close this out now"!  He uncharacteristically misses a shot and leaves me right on the end rail, my last object ball for the win over halfway down the table at a back angle.

I draw a huge deep breath.  I get down on the ball.  I stay VERY VERY still, and the last thought before I let go is "I gotta win this one for my Hubby".  When I feel it's good, I let it go - WITH AUTHORITY and wham - it goes straight into the corner pocket for the tourney win!  OMG!

The owner of Hard Times shows up at the table a few minutes later congratulating me.  WOW!  And I owe it all to my mentor, motivator and best friend, my Hubby!  I have to tell you - what a difference it makes if you have SOMEONE in your life that is a positive influence!  I have had many many people help me with my game.  But NO ONE helps me mentally like him.  What you need is positive reinforcement, not what's wrong with your game or your mental outlook.  You need someone who can tell you how good you are and that they know you can do it. Winners just figure out how to win!  So true!

So Who's YOUR Daddy?

Wowie Zowie at Hard Times in Bellflower

OMG is all I can say about the fabulous Mezz open 10 ball tourney at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA this last weekend!  The Barracuda did NOT play as she felt just a wee bit intimidated by the likes of Thorsten Hohmann, Mika Immonen, Rodney Morris, Efren Reyes, Roberto Gomez, Max Eberle, Rafael Martinez, Ronnie Wiseman, Lee Van Corteza (the big winner I might add), Ernesto and Oscar Dominguez, Marcus Chamat Stevie Moore, and a host of amazing local Hard Times players, and well, you get the idea.

However, the Barracuda towed her camera to the event to capture some of the amazing action!  Talk about some stellar play on tight tables - Whew!

Here are from Top to Bottom right, Rodney "The Rocket Morris, Efren "The Magician" Reyes, and Lee Van Corteza, the tournament big winner!

The spectacular award winning Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA was host to this Mezz Cues 10 ball event.  By Sunday night finals, the place was packed and all had an up close and personal view of the matches, thanks to the great stadium seating.  The player field was powerpacked with some of the most recognized champions from around the world.  What a treat!  The final match was between Rodney Morris and Lee Van Corteza.  Talk about some shots!

The Barracuda could hardly contain herself meeting the likes of Rodney Morris!  It's a good thing I'm not 20 years younger and single, or . . . well, er, um, what a fabulous guy!

All the Philipinos did quite well as some of the local favorites!  Mezz cues raffled off a gorgeous cue which The Barracuda did NOT win (sigh).  Big $$ was added to this event and the top 16 went home with $$ in hand.  Most all are now heading to Vega$ for the yearly BCA events!  Good Luck to all!

I sure hope they do this again next year - you can bet your pool cue I'll be there!

What a Coach!

So even though the Barracuda didn't deliver all the goods in Phoenix, the trip was so well worth it!  On Sunday, Mr. Jerry Briesath who did the original BCA training film on "How To Play Pool Right" worked with me for about 3 hours and wow wow wow!  He is a master teacher!  I came home with a fabulous drill!  Take 3 or 4 balls and toss them on the table randomly.  Take ball in hand - Any positional error must be re-shot until perfect position on all balls.  No hard shot positions allowed.  You MUST get easy shape on all balls or you have to start over. What a fabulous drill.  Jerry says you will learn more shots faster with this drill than any other method and it is the only drill that makes you CORRECT your errors!  You can bet I will be at the table for awhile on this one for sure!
My first match in Phoenix was with one of the top players.  I won the lag, then busted the 9 on the break - woo hooooooooooie!  I then won the 2nd game.  The 3rd game I messed up and she got one.  We went back and forth the next few games, then I get on the hill first.  I failed to close it out and she caught up!  At hill hill now, we go back and forth, some safeties etc. and she's on the 9.  I'm thinking "this is over", but she misses the 9!  HOWEVER, she leaves the 9 in no man's "tweener" land.  I've got a really hard back cut into the corner pocket and playing safe from this spot would be just as hard, so I go for it.  I have a natural scratch in the side if I pocket this 9, so I put draw on the cueball to avoid that side pocket.  I execute perfectly and the 9 drops.  I then watch in horror as the cue ball, having been "let loose" now, goes 2 rails and heads straight into the OPPOSITE side pocket.  OMG!  And that is ALL I'm gonna say about matches this trip!  LOL!
I highly recommend you check out Jerry's video which you can find on thepoolschool.com.  It is one of the most informative videos and covers a LOT of information. I watch it often, then go work on key points.  I only wish he lived in California!  But if any of you in Southern Cal would like to "go in" with me, we could get him out here for coaching!  Just let me know!
Until next tournament, shoot well and have fun!

Phoenix Here I Come!

The Barracuda is leaving town!  It's off to Phoenix for the first Arizona Women's tour event of the year.  Having come in second at a tourney at Hard Times in Bellflower, the confidence is coming back!  It is really unbelievable how "mental" the game of pool is.  You can know all the technique you need and what to do, but execution and staying mentally focused is key.  Playing the table instead of your opponent is also a key factor.  However, knowing their weakness can be vital - like playing safe by leaving bank shots when you realize they suck at banks!  Or knowing that if you miss, they will probably run out, so HIDE THAT WHITE BALL and hope they don't kick it in!  Ha!
After having endured about 2 months of scratching, miscues, bad rolls etc., I am finally starting to purge the "curse".  And boy - that kind of bad luck can REALLY mess up the mental aspect of the game.  So off to Phoenix for me and as LUCK would have it - I will be able to spend some time with one of the greatest pool coaches in the world - Jerry Briesath, who created the "How To Play Pool Right" video for the BCA some years back.  This guy not only knows all there is about the game, he communicates it simply and can get you doing things at the table you never thought you could do, and quickly!  Best coach I have ever worked with!  The entire trip will be well worth it due to this impending "lesson"!
Stay tuned for the tourney results!

Taking a Break!

There comes a time in all pool player's lives when it's time to just take a little teensy weensy break from the game.  Having been playing about 5 tournaments a week to get ready for the last "big one", nothing else was getting done for sure!  Now mind you, I DON'T mind other things not getting done when it comes to pool.  HOWEVER, this last Saturday's tourney sent me quite over the top, into the abyss, and I had a complete MELTDOWN!
You see, any pool player will tell you that there is a thing called the "luck" factor of the game.  There are "rolls" and either YOU or your OPPONENT are getting them.  This is when you dog a shot, but the cue ball hooks itself nicely behind some other ball, snookering your opponent.  This is when you try for a long shot, miss, but it goes two rails around the table and lands perfectly in a corner pocket.
Well, the last couple of weeks, the Barracuda has NOT, and I repeat, NOT had ANY rolls of any kind!  Not only that - what rolls I HAVE been getting have been just horrendous!  Now I don't mind an occasional match where the rolls don't go my way.  It happens, you deal with it and move on.  But after two weeks of "bad luck"  scratches, bad rolls, mis-cues, you name it - Saturday was the straw that broke the proverbial back!
So there I am, actually stroking quite well and pocketing balls nicely.  Then WHAM, here come the scratches.  Here comes the safety shot that rolled out 1/8 inch too far and left my opponent an open shot.  It went on and on the entire match.  I am now spewing all over the pool hall, sputtering, mouth open, disbelief, talking to myself.  I just can't believe that this could continue for this long, match after match.  I almost forfeit the day and leave.  But I just couldn't do it, oh no, not the Barracuda.  So I stay.
The next match, I just flat try not to care.  Now you have to get the picture here - I have been reduced to trying to outsmart the pool Gods.  Lo and behold, it actually worked!  I won the match!  Wait a minute, don't get too enthused - this could be a fluke!
So next match I try the "not caring" attitude.  Didn't work out so well this match.  In fact, after one roll, my opponent says "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that happen as long as I've been playing pool!"  Okay, that did it.  More meltdown!  I then proceed to tell most of my player friends "That's it - I'm done - I'm takin a break". You see, I must have really pissed off the pool Gods somehow for them to be so flippin angry with me!  Geeeeeeeeeeeeez!
Now normally I would be at a tourney, but what am I doing?  Telling you how I'm taking a little break - and boy is it hard!  But I actually think this is going to be a good thing.  Gives me time to adjust my attitude and viewpoint on the game.  Gives me time to just practice quietly at home.  Gives the pool Gods time to settle down and maybe pick on someone else!  Now - if I can just hold out the rest of the week!

Sharks in the Water!

This is the UPDATE to my previous post!  Yes, the Barracuda got Sharked!  The 1st day of tourney play, the Barracuda "stroke" was on vacation in Siberia. After the 3rd match, I called Hubby to of course "get some sympathy" and lucky for me, I found NONE!  He slapped me up side the head a bit, so I promptly went back in and bit my opponent big time 6-1.  Next match I SHOULD (ahem) of won - it went hill hill.
Now to today, day 2.  Played pretty well.  The "stroke" had finally found its way home from Siberia, HOWEVER, the pool Gods as they are, were BRUTAL.  Safeties would end up 1/4 inch short or long, when my opponents missed, they would accidentally hook me, and when I missed, they'd have a wide open shot!  Now mind you, I'm not bitter - no really I'm not!  I am looking at all this as a big fat learning experience (sniff sniff).  The truth of the matter is I just didn't deliver the goods when I had the opportunity!
Next year (and I WILL make it into this next year), I will NOT be sick the 2 weeks before the event and I WILL be in tip top shape physically AND mentally)!!! So there all you contenders - watch out next year, cuz the Barracuda is gonna sink her gnarly teeth into all of you!  :)

Here I go!

Ok all you pool loving followers!  This is the weekend of my LIFE!  I have made it into the Regional Tour Final Championships at Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA. The top 9 finishers get spots onto the WPBA Pro Tour for 2010!  Here's my chance to deliver the goods!  Please do whatever you do (chant, pray, or anything) that might help send me the good pool vibes!  Hard Times is a terrific hall and I've been busy with tournaments there all Jan and Feb!  I'll try and keep everyone posted as to updates during the tourney!  Thanks in advance for all your good thoughts my way!