Skill - Determination - Endurance - Prestige
Today I completed my application to compete
in the 2006 US Amateur Championships.
In 2004, I won at the state level (CA),
(click here to read that story)
and competed in the nationals,
but fell short.
In 2005, another setback.
These learning experiences
have made me a better competitor.
There is no money involved,
only a trophy which is butt-ugly,
and a jacket, which they do not show,
and a free ticket to compete in a 2007 Pro event.
Guess which one I'm going for!
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In the never ending pursuit of perfection, last night I went back to basics:Oxygen.Here's how the logic works:Pool is 90% mental (and the other half is all in your head);o)And your mind lives on oxygen(it requires 90% more oxygen than other organs)Thereforethe critical path of pool perfectionmust optimize oxygen delivery to the brain.And so you have it,the reason why I tried 
Oxiathe portable, personal oxygen delivery system.This product was brought to my attentionby a good friend and business partnerwho lives in Australia.I heard about it a couple of months agobut it has taken a while to get hold of a sample.I figured I'd try it in the presence of othersso they would rush me of the hospitalif my brain exploded(I hate when that happens).
Heck, I was concerned thatmaybe the oxygen bottle might explode!
Nothing exploded.I opened it,pushed a button,and breathed through my mouth.No "rush" was sensed,and in fact it seemed like an irrelevant event,so much so thatI was not curious to do more.One, maybe two quick breaths.Unremarkable.
I had been shooting pool before and afterthose insignificant breaths.I won the first race to 5 in 8-ball.But it was not my opponent's best game.
Next we played straight pool, which he prefers. I won the first match to 100 pointsby more than 50 balls,which is good, for me.
It was sometime during that game to 100that I inhaled Oxia for the first time.I didn't notice anything different,but my opponent,who by that time was looking for any excuse,did remark that perhaps that oxygenwas having a beneficial effect to my game. I think his exact remark was"You're shooting good, maybe it's the oxygen."
I continued shooting good thru the end.And then we shot another game to 100.This time I lost by 4 balls,and there is no question in my mind why.In the beginning of the second gameI started to yawn, a lot.I was feeling tiredand started to slouch.I was not feeling as alert.
Would another shot of oxygenat that first yawnhave changed the outcome?Did I get tired because of a sort of chocolate high, then crash,sort of effect?
Obviously more experimentation is needed.However, be warned...If it does what I think it can do,it will be worth every penny.
As I mentioned,Oxia is the product of my Australia friendsso if you want to experiment on your owntell them "Fast Mikie sent me",and maybe,if there's enough interestwe can get them to stock somehere in San Diego.(Mine was shipped in from Las Vegas).
Website: www.oxia.com1-800-OXIA-USA
Remember, tell 'em Fast Mikie sent you!
I happened to be checking out some wood
for a custom-built seating area
next to the pool table,
and I was tipped to go look at
Exotic Hardwoods in Carlsbad.
(click on image above)
Wow!
They've got some serious wood!
There was cocobolo all over the place,
and when I mentioned that I have
a cue made out of that stuff,
they told me that they supply ALL
of the custom cue makers,
and then rattled off a list of names
that was a Who's Who of the best.
Who'da thunk it?
Right in my own back yard!
Of course, I was way out of my league...
I know nothing about these exotic woods,
but I know what I like!
They sure have some beautiful stuff.
So, now you know.
Looking for some awesome material
for your next cue?
Check this place out,
and while you are in town,
stop by Mikie's Fun House
and shoot some pool...
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Today's practice session with El Maestro
produced some extraordinary results.
We played several races to 7 in 9-ball.
He always spots me the break shot
because my break shot is so weak
and inconsistent that I need the practice.
But today, all the planets aligned,
and I must have been doing something right.
I sunk the 9 on the break a LOT.
Tony figures it was 7 times!
That sure is an easy way to win...
Also, I was getting balls on the break,
many times multiple balls,
and giving myself a good chance for
a break and run.
Late in the practice session
I asked him if he could figure out
why I was getting so "lucky" on the break.
He said it might have something to do
with the conditions of the table.
The door was open and the air
was cooler than normal, 50-52 degrees,
and humidity between 40-60%.
And, the table had been re-leveled
just the day before.
What I noticed is that I was
much more focused on hitting the cue ball
in exactly the right place,
really burning my eyes into a very
specific spot on the cue ball
just before the break shot.
Today's lesson proved beyond a doubt
just how important a strong break shot is.
I won 3 out of 5 races to 7.
I still have work to do
with cue ball control on the break.
My tendency is to hit the ball too high
and it spins forward instead of
stopping in the center of the table.
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Note to "Malve":
I started feeling quite strange last night
and again this morning...
it's something very different,
and I've been giving it a lot of thought,
and have come to the conclusion that
it must be what Losing feels like.
:o(
Congrats on your wins.
I promise it will not be so easy next time...
;o)
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The online reporting of the
tournament in progress
for the LosAngeles IPT Tour Qualifier
has been very well done.
Here's a few improvements
to look forward to:
Audible announcement of Updates
as well as easy to see, changeable banner,
so pool hall players can easily see
on the wide computer screen
from across the room that
the latest news is in.
This is only a substitute until we have
online video for all the matches.
It's coming,
faster than we might think!
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This Professional on-the-scene reporting
of the IPT tournament at Hard Times in LA
spells it "Q-ball" for the white ball.
When did that start?
Who says?
Hasn't it been "cue ball" for 400 years?
The author is an Editor at Inside Pool Magazine
and www.InsidePool.com
If you do a search on "Q-ball" there
only 2 results come up,
both for a website by that name,
but when searching for "cue ball"
there are 25 results.
So that tells me it should be
"cue ball" and not "Q-ball".
I don't get it...
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Sensory Overload!
75 hotshots paid $2,000 each
for a chance at only 2 IPT Tour cards.
I was there!
Got up at 5:30 AM
to drive thru rush hour traffic in LA
and be there early for the 9:30 AM
players' meeting
conducted by Kevin Trudeau himself
(IPT Tour founder).
I tried to imagine what it would be like
to compete at this gathering of eagles.
All I could see is me as a bag of meat
for these carnivores.
Good God! Even Wu was there!
(16 year old Tokyo world champion)
And Oliver Ortman (Mosconi Cup captain)
and CJ Riley, and Dominguez (father & son)
and Moro, and Sambajon
and Mike Sigel...
and of course, some unknown
hopeful but hopeless bags of meat.
Refereed by "Sensei" Roy Yamane
and Ken J.
Some new prizes were announced:
bank the 8 ball and win $1,000
break and run 6 games wins $5,000...
the meat-eaters were foaming at the mouth.
I grabbed a seat in the bleachers
to sweat the first round action:
Dave Hemmah, house pro at Hard Times
is matched against CJ Riley
on the table right in front of me.
And on a table just beyond,
Sambajon is up against some guy Runco.
CJ Riley misses ball in hand...
Sambajon banks the 8 for a grand.
CJ Riley table scratches on straight in...
Sambajon banks another 8 for another grand...
Oscar Dominguez folds in first match.
CJ Riley implodes, and loses.
Sambajon wins easily.
The slow cloth is pilling like a cheap sweater.
I'm on the road back to Del Mar
to beat the rush hour traffic,
contemplating what skill is required
to face such awesome competition...
I need a lot more work!
(for online real-time results, click here)
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On the great rollercoaster of Life,
it is good to remember
that downs invariably follow ups.
In a tournament last night,
humility came quickly
in a 0-2 barbecue.
There's a much higher caliber of player
in this tournament
than at the one I won last week.
I guess I'll just have to keep improving!
;o)
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I had a big win this past Wednesday night.
It was a 9-ball tournament.
Although the prize money was only 100 bucks,
(which goes to charity of course)
what happened during the match
was extraordinary.
(for me)
The whole story can be read
at this link.
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