Busy stretch coming up in the trick shot calendar. Lot's of entertaining pool action to be had, coast to coast and even in between. Get to one in your area!
2010 APA Ultimate Trick Shot Championships
August 24-27, 2010
Riviera Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, NV
2010 ESPN Trick Shot Magic
September 1-2, 2010
Green Valley Ranch Resort
Las Vegas, NV
2010 APA Southeast Classic
September 30 - October 3, 2010
Atlanta Billiard Show - Gwinnett Center
Duluth, GA
2010 World Cup of Trick Shots
October 7, 2010
Mohegan Sun
Uncasville, CT
2010 Dr. Cue Artistic Cup IV
December 2-5, 2010
Side Pockets
Saint Charles, MO
Showing posts with label tournament. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tournament. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Stop #4: Willow Billiards, Hoboken, NJ Recap
Back on July 10, I competed in the Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Stop #4 at Willow Billiards in Hoboken, NJ. It's a nice little pool room with 11 9-ft Gold Crowns, mostly with Simonis, and a couple other tables out front. The tournament itself had a healthy 13 player turn out. We split up in to 3 groups and were guaranteed four matches each. I ended up playing Paul Danno, Dainius Stipinas, Jamey Gray, and Steve Markle.
Paul is a cagey veteran whose results don't justify his skills and our matches are always tight. This one was no different. I had a 4-2 lead heading in to the last three shots, but he persevered and pushed me to the limit. His final pick was a center spot, two diamond draw shot, which made me nervous as soon as he picked it. He made it on his third attempt to bring the score to 4-4. On my turn, I took a few warm up strokes, closed my eyes, and was as surprised as anyone as the cue ball drew back straight to the corner pocket and letting me escape with a victory.
My match against Dainius was only slightly more comfortable. The creativity in some of his shots was bewildering and I only made one of his challenges. Luckily, I made four of mine and rode those to a 5-3 win with one shot remaining.
I figured my match against reigning world champion Jamey Gray was going to be tough. Surprisingly, he only made one of his challenges and looked out of sorts as I thrashed him 6-1 with four shots left. I'm sure he'll use that motivation the next time I have to face him though.
My final match was against an impressive Steve Markle, fresh off a tie with Andy Segal. I didn't quite carry the momentum over from my previous match and had to gut it out at the end for a 5-3 victory on the final shot. Perhaps I got a bit fortunate as Steve missed a couple shots I'm sure he'd usually make 90% of the time.
That preliminary round left me undefeated and atop of my group, getting a quarterfinal matchup against Gil Olsen. He was hosting me for the weekend and we had driven down together, so it was a friendly affair. He shot well making five of his six challenges and I showed my lack of practice with the APTSA book shots. We were tied going in to the final shot, which was my choice, and I picked a double one-handed jump shot (jumping two balls with two cues in one hand simultaneously). I squeezed that one in and his unfamiliarity with even how to hold the cues was evident as I took a 7-6 victory.
That set up a semifinal showdown with Andy Segal, the reigning ESPN Trick Shot Magic champion. The first shot he pulled out against me was an extension of the double one-handed jump, except using both left and right hands and executing it twice with each hand. That was too much for me. He ended up making 5 of his 6 challenges while I made 3 of 5, neither of us making the other persons shots. There was no 3rd place match, so I shared the position with Bruce Barthelette.
All in all I thought it was a pretty good showing from me. I've never placed higher than 3rd though, so I'm still looking to crack the ceiling. Perhaps my downfall was choosing shots against Andy that I hadn't even attempted earlier in the tournament. I caved in to the pressure of picking shots I didn't think my opponent could make rather than just making my own. The next tournament will be the season ending Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Championships in Las Vegas in a few weeks!
Paul is a cagey veteran whose results don't justify his skills and our matches are always tight. This one was no different. I had a 4-2 lead heading in to the last three shots, but he persevered and pushed me to the limit. His final pick was a center spot, two diamond draw shot, which made me nervous as soon as he picked it. He made it on his third attempt to bring the score to 4-4. On my turn, I took a few warm up strokes, closed my eyes, and was as surprised as anyone as the cue ball drew back straight to the corner pocket and letting me escape with a victory.
My match against Dainius was only slightly more comfortable. The creativity in some of his shots was bewildering and I only made one of his challenges. Luckily, I made four of mine and rode those to a 5-3 win with one shot remaining.
I figured my match against reigning world champion Jamey Gray was going to be tough. Surprisingly, he only made one of his challenges and looked out of sorts as I thrashed him 6-1 with four shots left. I'm sure he'll use that motivation the next time I have to face him though.
My final match was against an impressive Steve Markle, fresh off a tie with Andy Segal. I didn't quite carry the momentum over from my previous match and had to gut it out at the end for a 5-3 victory on the final shot. Perhaps I got a bit fortunate as Steve missed a couple shots I'm sure he'd usually make 90% of the time.
That preliminary round left me undefeated and atop of my group, getting a quarterfinal matchup against Gil Olsen. He was hosting me for the weekend and we had driven down together, so it was a friendly affair. He shot well making five of his six challenges and I showed my lack of practice with the APTSA book shots. We were tied going in to the final shot, which was my choice, and I picked a double one-handed jump shot (jumping two balls with two cues in one hand simultaneously). I squeezed that one in and his unfamiliarity with even how to hold the cues was evident as I took a 7-6 victory.
That set up a semifinal showdown with Andy Segal, the reigning ESPN Trick Shot Magic champion. The first shot he pulled out against me was an extension of the double one-handed jump, except using both left and right hands and executing it twice with each hand. That was too much for me. He ended up making 5 of his 6 challenges while I made 3 of 5, neither of us making the other persons shots. There was no 3rd place match, so I shared the position with Bruce Barthelette.
All in all I thought it was a pretty good showing from me. I've never placed higher than 3rd though, so I'm still looking to crack the ceiling. Perhaps my downfall was choosing shots against Andy that I hadn't even attempted earlier in the tournament. I caved in to the pressure of picking shots I didn't think my opponent could make rather than just making my own. The next tournament will be the season ending Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Championships in Las Vegas in a few weeks!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ultimate Trick Shot Tour Stop #3 at Shooter's Billiards
The third tour stop of the Ultimate Trick Shot Tour was this last Sunday. We had a pretty good turn out of 13 players, which made the brackets a bit tricky, but everyone was guaranteed four matches. I got grouped with Gil Olsen, Andy Segal, Bruce Barthelette, Jason Kane, Gordon Hedges, and Paul Danno. Matt MacPhail, Dave Nangle, Jamey Gray, Peyton Thomas, Dainius Stipinas, and Joe Bonge were in the other group.
In my first match, I played Gil. He had some really creative shots including a jump-masse railroad shot. He didn't convert too many of his shots though and I ended up winning 5-1. I played Andy in my second match and lost 7-3. I got close on a few shots, rocking hanging balls, so maybe it should have been closer. After a bye, I played Paul in my third match. We both didn't do so well although I again nudged a couple hanging balls without pocketing them. The final score was 3-2. In my last group match, I went up against Gordon, getting to try out some of his crazy shots, including a splitting triple jump which I failed miserably at. I ended up winning in the end though, 4-3.
That was good enough for third place in my flight and a trip to the playoffs against Matt. The match was tense all the way through as we each made the same shots. He missed my last challenge, but I missed his as well leading to a tie breaker, a five rail kick and lag to a ball on the spot. We both shot it pretty horribly, but after some deliberation and fine measurements, I was declared the winner by less than an inch. That gave me a semifinal date with Andy again. He made most of his challenges and I wasn't able to take advantage when he missed and ended up losing 6-3. Dave lost his semifinal to Jamey, so I had to face him in the third place match. He got off to a poor start and I was able to take a three point lead and held it for the rest of the match, winning 7-4 to take third place. Andy ended up beating Jamey in the final for his second win on the tour.
In my first match, I played Gil. He had some really creative shots including a jump-masse railroad shot. He didn't convert too many of his shots though and I ended up winning 5-1. I played Andy in my second match and lost 7-3. I got close on a few shots, rocking hanging balls, so maybe it should have been closer. After a bye, I played Paul in my third match. We both didn't do so well although I again nudged a couple hanging balls without pocketing them. The final score was 3-2. In my last group match, I went up against Gordon, getting to try out some of his crazy shots, including a splitting triple jump which I failed miserably at. I ended up winning in the end though, 4-3.
That was good enough for third place in my flight and a trip to the playoffs against Matt. The match was tense all the way through as we each made the same shots. He missed my last challenge, but I missed his as well leading to a tie breaker, a five rail kick and lag to a ball on the spot. We both shot it pretty horribly, but after some deliberation and fine measurements, I was declared the winner by less than an inch. That gave me a semifinal date with Andy again. He made most of his challenges and I wasn't able to take advantage when he missed and ended up losing 6-3. Dave lost his semifinal to Jamey, so I had to face him in the third place match. He got off to a poor start and I was able to take a three point lead and held it for the rest of the match, winning 7-4 to take third place. Andy ended up beating Jamey in the final for his second win on the tour.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
2010 Masters Artistic Pool Championship
The 2010 Masters was a lot of fun, as it always is. Here were some of the highlights of the trip.
1. Players reunion. It's just always fun being amongst all of the trick shot artists and getting to mess around on the pool table. Unfortunately, there wasn't a practice table so there was less of that, but we took over some of the vendor booths to compensate. Actually it was mostly my sponsors booth, Crown Cues.
2. Getting an 8 ball cut in to my hair. Check out my previous post. It surprised a lot of people and ended up being a good talking point.
3. Nick Nikolaidis winning the tournament over Andy Segal. It came down to the final shot which Andy got to choose and had to make within two attempts.
4. Selling four giant 8 balls. One of them even went to a random fan who was there! Oddly, he asked a lot of people to sign it except for me (and Gordon Hedges). I guess I should start pre-signing them.
5. Beating Steve Lillis in a game of Bobble Ball.
6. Making people smile. Whether it was showing off a trick shot, teaching how to masse, or just with my hair cut, the fun and entertainment takes away all the stress of a tournament.
7. Abram Diaz getting his thumb stuck in a Delta rack. No joke. Stacy had to take him to the women's restroom to soap it up so he could get his thumb out. I heard part of it was caught on the live stream too.
1. Players reunion. It's just always fun being amongst all of the trick shot artists and getting to mess around on the pool table. Unfortunately, there wasn't a practice table so there was less of that, but we took over some of the vendor booths to compensate. Actually it was mostly my sponsors booth, Crown Cues.
2. Getting an 8 ball cut in to my hair. Check out my previous post. It surprised a lot of people and ended up being a good talking point.
3. Nick Nikolaidis winning the tournament over Andy Segal. It came down to the final shot which Andy got to choose and had to make within two attempts.
4. Selling four giant 8 balls. One of them even went to a random fan who was there! Oddly, he asked a lot of people to sign it except for me (and Gordon Hedges). I guess I should start pre-signing them.
5. Beating Steve Lillis in a game of Bobble Ball.
6. Making people smile. Whether it was showing off a trick shot, teaching how to masse, or just with my hair cut, the fun and entertainment takes away all the stress of a tournament.
7. Abram Diaz getting his thumb stuck in a Delta rack. No joke. Stacy had to take him to the women's restroom to soap it up so he could get his thumb out. I heard part of it was caught on the live stream too.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
PotShot Pool Tournament at Big City
Today, I competed in a PotShot pool tournament at Big City in Allston. It's a modified Kelly pool (or pea pool) rotation game with five players and a 10 ball rack. We played with pool cash and had to ante up each game. Each player selects a pea (or pill) from a shaker before the game starts and the objective is for you to sink the ball corresponding to the number on your pea, but you have to contact the lowest numbered ball first. If you sink someone else's ball, they owe you pool cash and vice versa. Being essentially a ring game, there was little (purposeful) defense. The game ends when someone sinks their pill. If all ten balls get pocketed without anyone sinking their own pill, the pot remains and the ante for the next game is added.
OK, logistically it may sound a bit confusing, but that wasn't the worst part. Many players there didn't even know the rules or even some of the more general pool rules. I had decided not to bring my own cue and out of the twelve people I played against, I think only two had their own. Everyone else was playing with Wallabushkas. There were 20 players all together. Sometime during the first match, there was a mix up on how much we were supposed to ante up, so we had to reverse calculate everything to even it all up. The overall skill level wasn't that great, but the game ends up evening out the handicaps with some luck. First of all, there's five players, so there's no guarantee a good defensive shot will get you back to the table. Second, if you draw a low number pill, you'll have a higher chance of winning strictly because there weren't many people there that were running more than two balls at a time, so you were likely to get a shot on your game ball. Third, slop counts.
Anyway, I managed to win two games out of five in the first round where the antes were $200 pool cash. On one of them, I lucked in my 7 ball trying to bank the 2 cross corner. I also won two games the second round with $300 antes, one off the break and one off a double pot. That was enough to earn a spot on the final table with $500 antes. My kick shots were ridiculously off and I jawed a carom which would have kept me at the table for at least another shot and didn't win a game. I don't really know where I started, but ended up finishing 4th place, enough to win back my entry fee and then some. But not enough to cover the food...
Big City's not my favorite place to play. Certain tables get some glaring sunlight depending on the time of day which makes it difficult. Most of the tables seem to play pretty slow too and the rails are inconsistent. I met some nice folks though and the tournament might be worth another whirl. Next one's up on Feb 21.
OK, logistically it may sound a bit confusing, but that wasn't the worst part. Many players there didn't even know the rules or even some of the more general pool rules. I had decided not to bring my own cue and out of the twelve people I played against, I think only two had their own. Everyone else was playing with Wallabushkas. There were 20 players all together. Sometime during the first match, there was a mix up on how much we were supposed to ante up, so we had to reverse calculate everything to even it all up. The overall skill level wasn't that great, but the game ends up evening out the handicaps with some luck. First of all, there's five players, so there's no guarantee a good defensive shot will get you back to the table. Second, if you draw a low number pill, you'll have a higher chance of winning strictly because there weren't many people there that were running more than two balls at a time, so you were likely to get a shot on your game ball. Third, slop counts.
Anyway, I managed to win two games out of five in the first round where the antes were $200 pool cash. On one of them, I lucked in my 7 ball trying to bank the 2 cross corner. I also won two games the second round with $300 antes, one off the break and one off a double pot. That was enough to earn a spot on the final table with $500 antes. My kick shots were ridiculously off and I jawed a carom which would have kept me at the table for at least another shot and didn't win a game. I don't really know where I started, but ended up finishing 4th place, enough to win back my entry fee and then some. But not enough to cover the food...
Big City's not my favorite place to play. Certain tables get some glaring sunlight depending on the time of day which makes it difficult. Most of the tables seem to play pretty slow too and the rails are inconsistent. I met some nice folks though and the tournament might be worth another whirl. Next one's up on Feb 21.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Ultimate Trick Shot Tour - Big Shot Billiards
Andy Segal won the Ultimate Trick Shot Tour stop at Big Shot Billiards on January 24, beating out Jamey Gray in the final and Dave Nangle in the semifinals. Jamey Gray made it in by beating Matt MacPhail. The tournament had a strong showing of 12 of the most creative trick shot artists in the region. After the preliminary rounds, Dave bested Joe Bonge in the first quarterfinal while Jamey ousted Danius Stipanis. The rest of the players included Bruce Barthelette, Tim Chin, Gerry Woodlief, Gordon Hedges, Gil Olsen, and Paul Danno.
*****
I finished with one victory and five losses, having been paired with Andy, Dave, Bruce, Jamey, and Gerry. Talk about your group of death. The tournament was on Valley bar boxes, which I didn't quite get the hang of like I did in Vegas. I actually went down to Gil's place on Friday night and spent the weekend there practicing on his 9-ft Brunswick Gold Crown 3. Much of our time was focused on the program though preparing for the Masters. It was a fun time at least and I got to see a lot of new shots in the rapidly evolving world of trick shots.
*****
I finished with one victory and five losses, having been paired with Andy, Dave, Bruce, Jamey, and Gerry. Talk about your group of death. The tournament was on Valley bar boxes, which I didn't quite get the hang of like I did in Vegas. I actually went down to Gil's place on Friday night and spent the weekend there practicing on his 9-ft Brunswick Gold Crown 3. Much of our time was focused on the program though preparing for the Masters. It was a fun time at least and I got to see a lot of new shots in the rapidly evolving world of trick shots.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Ultimate Trick Shot mini tournament - Big Shot Billiards
Around the inner email circles, another Ultimate Trick Shot mini tournament has been announced for Sunday, January 24 at Big Shot Billiards in East Windsor, CT. Come watch some of the creativity of some of the best trick shot artists on display! Or forget about watching and join in yourself! Players meeting starts at 10am at the pool hall.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Live stream of Dr Cue's Artistic Cup III
Check out the live stream from Dr Cue's Artistic Cup III. If you want to know what a trick shot tournament is like, now's your chance
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/drcue2009
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/drcue2009
Monday, August 31, 2009
Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge Recap
Here's my article fully recapping the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge:
Twelve of the top trick shot artists in the world descended on Las Vegas from August 24-28, 2009 for the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge. Their talents were on full display for this freestyle trick shot tournament held at the APA National Team Championships, providing free entertainment to the APA players between their matches. The preliminary rounds consisted of round-robin play in two groups of six, with the top four in each group advancing to the playoffs. One point was awarded for a win and one half point for a tie. Group one was headlined by Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman and Bruce Barthelette, perennial Trick Shot Magic and World Cup of Trick Shots contenders. Also in the group was Sal Conti, Gordon Hedges, Jason Lynch, and Stefan Mendrick. Group two saw the past two World Champions together, Andy Segal (2007) and Jamey Gray (2008), along with Tim Chin, Paul Danno, Mark Dimick, and Dave Nangle.
Skill and creativity ran rampant throughout the tournament with the unveiling of some ridiculous shots, including a quadruple jump, massive fouettes, lighting speed shots, and no-look wing shots. Racks, ball trays, chalks, and cues also found some incredible uses, from building pyramids to creating obstacles for the balls. When the chalk dust settled, Bruce Barthelette and Andy Segal found themselves undefeated in group play. Tom Rossman, Stefan Mendrick, and Jason Lynch followed Bruce into the playoffs from the first group, rounded out by Gordon Hedges and Sal Conti. Jamey Gray, Mark Dimick, and Tim Chin squeezed into the playoffs from the second group, trailed by Dave Nangle and Paul Danno. Tim narrowly beat out Dave on a tiebreaker to decide the fourth playoff spot as they tied on points and in their head-to-head match up. Tim won out based on overall shot make percentage, earning him a shot at Bruce Barthelette in the quarterfinals. The other matchups included Jamey Gray vs Stefan Mendrick, Mark Dimick vs Tom Rossman, and Andy Segal vs Jason Lynch.
Tim Chin managed to overcome Bruce Barthelette in their quarterfinal match, while Jamey Gray held off Stefan Mendrick. Mark Dimickand Tom Rossman's semifinal went the distance to a tiebreaker shot - a five rail lag to a target ball on the spot, closest ball wins. Each player had promising practice attempts, landing inches from the target. Mark went first for the real thing though and came up about a diamond short. Tom didn't fare much better, but his cue ball crawled just a couple inches closer letting tournament referee Gil Olsen easily declare him the victor. In the last quarterfinal, Andy Segal defeated Jason Lynch. In the semifinals, Jamey and Tim couldn't quite replicate their spectacular preliminary round match as Jamey pulled away for the victory. Andy and Tom battled neck-and-neck through their semifinal match, but Andy won it at the end as Tom missed some key shots. The final between Jamey and Andy looked to be a great matchup as Andy barely won their preliminary round match on the final shot. The match stayed close towards the end, but Andy took a late lead. Needing to make his remaining shots (and hope that Andy missed them), Jamey pulled out a high jump, trying to jump the cue ball out of stack of two racks and two balls. He was unable to connect though and Andy came out victorious, surviving the entire tournament undefeated.
Twelve of the top trick shot artists in the world descended on Las Vegas from August 24-28, 2009 for the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge. Their talents were on full display for this freestyle trick shot tournament held at the APA National Team Championships, providing free entertainment to the APA players between their matches. The preliminary rounds consisted of round-robin play in two groups of six, with the top four in each group advancing to the playoffs. One point was awarded for a win and one half point for a tie. Group one was headlined by Tom "Dr. Cue" Rossman and Bruce Barthelette, perennial Trick Shot Magic and World Cup of Trick Shots contenders. Also in the group was Sal Conti, Gordon Hedges, Jason Lynch, and Stefan Mendrick. Group two saw the past two World Champions together, Andy Segal (2007) and Jamey Gray (2008), along with Tim Chin, Paul Danno, Mark Dimick, and Dave Nangle.
Skill and creativity ran rampant throughout the tournament with the unveiling of some ridiculous shots, including a quadruple jump, massive fouettes, lighting speed shots, and no-look wing shots. Racks, ball trays, chalks, and cues also found some incredible uses, from building pyramids to creating obstacles for the balls. When the chalk dust settled, Bruce Barthelette and Andy Segal found themselves undefeated in group play. Tom Rossman, Stefan Mendrick, and Jason Lynch followed Bruce into the playoffs from the first group, rounded out by Gordon Hedges and Sal Conti. Jamey Gray, Mark Dimick, and Tim Chin squeezed into the playoffs from the second group, trailed by Dave Nangle and Paul Danno. Tim narrowly beat out Dave on a tiebreaker to decide the fourth playoff spot as they tied on points and in their head-to-head match up. Tim won out based on overall shot make percentage, earning him a shot at Bruce Barthelette in the quarterfinals. The other matchups included Jamey Gray vs Stefan Mendrick, Mark Dimick vs Tom Rossman, and Andy Segal vs Jason Lynch.
Tim Chin managed to overcome Bruce Barthelette in their quarterfinal match, while Jamey Gray held off Stefan Mendrick. Mark Dimickand Tom Rossman's semifinal went the distance to a tiebreaker shot - a five rail lag to a target ball on the spot, closest ball wins. Each player had promising practice attempts, landing inches from the target. Mark went first for the real thing though and came up about a diamond short. Tom didn't fare much better, but his cue ball crawled just a couple inches closer letting tournament referee Gil Olsen easily declare him the victor. In the last quarterfinal, Andy Segal defeated Jason Lynch. In the semifinals, Jamey and Tim couldn't quite replicate their spectacular preliminary round match as Jamey pulled away for the victory. Andy and Tom battled neck-and-neck through their semifinal match, but Andy won it at the end as Tom missed some key shots. The final between Jamey and Andy looked to be a great matchup as Andy barely won their preliminary round match on the final shot. The match stayed close towards the end, but Andy took a late lead. Needing to make his remaining shots (and hope that Andy missed them), Jamey pulled out a high jump, trying to jump the cue ball out of stack of two racks and two balls. He was unable to connect though and Andy came out victorious, surviving the entire tournament undefeated.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge
Just got back from Vegas where I took 3rd place at the Ultimate Trick Shot Challenge held at the APA National Team Championships! I started out on fire beating reigning world champion Jamey Gray 13-12 while hitting all of my challenges. It might have been the most exciting match of the whole tournament. I couldn't sustain the momentum though, losing to Mark Dimick. On the second day, I ended up tying Paul Danno and Dave Nangle. In my final preliminary round match, I lost to Andy Segal. I finished fourth in our group based on a tiebreaker, beating out Dave for a spot in the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, I met the top seed from the other flight, Bruce Barthelette. He was undefeated at the time, but I managed to pull out a victory 9-4, hitting the vaunted Triple Jump along the way. I met Jamey again in the semifinal, but couldn't replicate my initial performance, finishing tied with "Dr. Cue" Tom Rossman in 3rd. Jamey ended up taking 2nd with Andy finishing 1st. So I was the only person to beat Bruce and only one of two to beat Jamey and finished behind the last two World Champions. Not too bad...
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Vegas practice
I got some practice in for the Ultimate Trick Shot tournament in Vegas next month. I found an 8 foot table to try to work on, but it wasn't quite level. The cushions were good at least. I was also testing out a new jump shaft from Chilton Cue, but it was difficult to gauge as the slate was a lot thinner than what I'm used to. I picked up at least one more shot for my playbook and refined a couple others. I'll really have to find a good 7-footer to practice on before heading down though.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Ultimate Trick Shot Championships
I got invited to the Ultimate Trick Shot Championships in Las Vegas the week of Aug 24! It's part of the APA National Team Championships at the Riviera. Andy Segal called me up a few days ago to confirm since Ewa Laurance (the Striking Viking) dropped out. I'm gonna have to practice hard for this one. It's freestyle, so I can make stuff up too. But it's also on 7 foot tables. I haven't found many of those around here to practice on, so it could be tricky.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Herbert's Billiards Ultimate Trick Shot Mini
I got back late last night after finishing in the 5th/6th slot with Gordon Hedges from Herbert's Billiards Ultimate Trick Shot mini-tournament. Andy Segal won defeating Dave Nangle in the final. Jamey Gray and Nick Nikolaidis took 3rd/4th. I started off slow in the opening rounds, tying newcomer Joe Bonge 2-2. I took Nick down to the final shot, but he ended up winning 3-2. I finally got some shots to go against reigning world champion Jamey Gray, but couldn't hold on to my lead and lost 7-5, again on the last shot. I took that momentum into my last group match against Danius Stipinas and won 5-2. Playing four matches in a row was brutal though. I got into the playoffs by finishing 3rd in the flight and faced Dave Nangle in the "quarter finals" (the top seeds had a bye). I lost 6-3, I think.
Being a freestyle tournament made it interesting. I guess my main go-to shot ended up being the Jump Rainbow Masse. Dave actually made it against me to seal his victory. I couldn't get Just Showing Off Extreme to fall, unfortunately, barely hanging one ball on a couple of my attempts. Out Of My Way proved too easy. I still got a few things to work on though, especially some of the other players' shots.
Being a freestyle tournament made it interesting. I guess my main go-to shot ended up being the Jump Rainbow Masse. Dave actually made it against me to seal his victory. I couldn't get Just Showing Off Extreme to fall, unfortunately, barely hanging one ball on a couple of my attempts. Out Of My Way proved too easy. I still got a few things to work on though, especially some of the other players' shots.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Practice
I've gotten some decent practice in over the last few days trying to warm up for the Ultimate Trick Shot mini tournament coming up in a couple weeks. It's freestyle, so the shot selection is wide open. I've been trying to figure out how to re-do some of the shots on my website, but it hasn't been easy. I was hoping to pull off Follow It Up and Hustler Bank Plus 3 Rails. My practice tonight got cut short because some other guys needed it. I guess that's the downside of playing in a dorm.
Otherwise, I've been focusing on jump shots some more too. One-handed, left-handed, two-handed, and everything in between. It's probably one of my more glaring weaknesses. Not to mention Dave Nangle's Triple Jump scares the snot out of me! Hope I don't have to match up against him.
Otherwise, I've been focusing on jump shots some more too. One-handed, left-handed, two-handed, and everything in between. It's probably one of my more glaring weaknesses. Not to mention Dave Nangle's Triple Jump scares the snot out of me! Hope I don't have to match up against him.
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