Geezer Pool - 2nd place, 8-ball with 11 balls

I played in a new tournament yesterday, for "seniors" only, at the Encinitas, CA Community and Senior Center. The place is really first class, brand new and even has automatic toilets that flush themselves and automatic sinks that turn on the water when you hold your hands under the faucet. What a wonderful world we live in!

I had heard about this tournament about 6 months ago, but didn't get around to checking out the event until the day before yesterday. I drove up there to play a few racks on the tables and see what kind of players I might be up against. There were only two tables, smaller than regulation 9-footers, but bigger than barboxes. And they had that nappy cloth. But the room was deserted, so I just hit some balls on both tables to get the speed, and had to leave early because they close at 4 in the afternoon! What is up with that? What do seniors do at 4pm?

The next day (yesterday), I went back for the tournament, which started at noon. This is one of the better tournaments I have ever played. No fee to enter, free lunch, and if you win you get your name on a plaque on the wall and a gift certificate for a free dinner at a local restaurant. No money, no prize for second place, but hey... didn't cost anything to enter either.

When I walk into the place, there's already about a dozen people, all "seniors", shooting pool and watching. Of course, I'm the stranger in this tight group who has been getting together for this event probably since Noah parked his ark at the beach. So there were a few comments about whether I was really old enough to enter, because I had all my own hair, etc. I assured them I could prove my age, and we all kinda laughed it off in good humor.

We got started soon enough, with 19 players in all, which was a lot for this event. Because they absolutely had to finish before 4pm, the solution they developed was to remove 4 balls from the rack, 2 stripes and 2 solids. It's a funny-looking setup... a ten-ball rack with an extra ball on the bottom, center. So we're playing 8-ball with 11 balls. Ok, I'm flexible, I can work with that.

I lost my first match because I knocked the 8 in early, so I was pretty cautious and focused on my next match because I sure didn't want to go 2 and out in my first attempt here. The good news I won all the rest, right up to the finals, which was a best of 3 match with all 15 balls, against Paul E. who I had played earlier in the tournament (I won). But this time he got the best of me, playing some nice pool, and won the tournament. He was real happy about that, as it seemed like he had been trying for a long time and this was his moment in the sun. I'm almost kinda glad that he won it, and I didn't just waltz in to this tight little group of good guys and steal the tournament in my first outing.

Next time!

Congratulations, Paul...

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