On Saturday evening and into the late night, for ten hours my boyfriend matched up against a guy he has played off and on for the last year and a half. We have played him so many times, I would consider the guy a friend of ours. If we run into him at any time, we always stop to say our hellos. It's pretty obvious they respect each other.
However, they are still both very fierce competitors. Friends aside, they fight tough and enjoy battling for hours on end, playing the game they love while also trying to earn some extra spending cash.
On Saturday evening, instead of the sets going back and forth, my boyfriend won the first 3-4 sets right off the bat. His opponent was struggling, while my boyfriend was playing very well. Further, his opponent was getting some bad rolls... along with unfortunate shape. While he accepts the bad rolls uncommonly well (he hardly ever shows negative or upset emotions), the combination of bad rolls and exceptional play by my boyfriend was forcing a bad night on the opponent.
As usual, I watch every set, every game, giving sneaky fist pumps to my boyfriend after his great outs. I say "sneaky" as I don't like to be the loud, obnoxious cheerleader, but I do like to show my boyfriend I'm being supportive, watching his great shots, and trying to keep up with his high confidence.
After the 2nd set, I recognized the dynamics of the evening where my boyfriend was very confident and playing well while his opponent was struggling and frustrated. However, they each have so much heart, I knew neither would give up. And so was the case that night.
I was whispering encouraging words to my boyfriend and rooting for more wins and wanting more winning sets. However, after the 3rd to 4th set, I became... I dunno... kinda uncomfortable.
You see, I'm a typical female. I don't have a natural killer instinct. And I have struggled with that my whole competitive life.
Also, if I happen to see a boxing match or UFC fight, I always feel bad for the dude getting beat up. I'm the type of girl who will cover her face, because I get upset seeing someone get pummeled. I wont even watch any TV show that shows any harm to animals! So, Swamp People and American Hoggers are off limits in my house while I'm in the same room.
Back to pool, yea I still sometimes feel bad for my opponents when I might be winning by large margins and sometimes still let up a little.
So, it was completely against my nature to keep cheering for more wins. It sounds so stupid, especially since I am in on the $100 sets, but I still don't like to kick a man who is already on the ground bleeding.
It was painful to watch. I'd rather them both play exceptional and we come out on top!
But, I kept up my support and I was vocal to my boyfriend about his wins, but in my heart, it felt uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong, if we would have taken much money home, I wouldn't feel bad. But, I guess at the time, I felt like I was rooting against a friend who was struggling bad.
It's just not in my nature to do that at all. I kinda felt like I was rooting for pain on someone.
I know we are suppose to go for the juggler. I know that.
I also know it's just a game.
Even though there was money on the line, I should feel NO REMORSE. But, I admit it didn't feel "natural" for some reason.
I have never felt this way before though when they have gambled. So not sure why this night was different.
Further, my boyfriend has even played other guys for much more money and won many more sets and I had never felt this way before. I am not sure if it's because the guy is a good guy and now a friend, or what.
I know when we compete with our friends and/or fellow pool players that we aren't friends at the table. So you can imagine... if it's tough for me to WATCH, how tough it is for me when I PLAY. lol.
And for the diehards out there - after about ten hours and roughly ten sets, they broke even!
However, they are still both very fierce competitors. Friends aside, they fight tough and enjoy battling for hours on end, playing the game they love while also trying to earn some extra spending cash.
On Saturday evening, instead of the sets going back and forth, my boyfriend won the first 3-4 sets right off the bat. His opponent was struggling, while my boyfriend was playing very well. Further, his opponent was getting some bad rolls... along with unfortunate shape. While he accepts the bad rolls uncommonly well (he hardly ever shows negative or upset emotions), the combination of bad rolls and exceptional play by my boyfriend was forcing a bad night on the opponent.
As usual, I watch every set, every game, giving sneaky fist pumps to my boyfriend after his great outs. I say "sneaky" as I don't like to be the loud, obnoxious cheerleader, but I do like to show my boyfriend I'm being supportive, watching his great shots, and trying to keep up with his high confidence.
After the 2nd set, I recognized the dynamics of the evening where my boyfriend was very confident and playing well while his opponent was struggling and frustrated. However, they each have so much heart, I knew neither would give up. And so was the case that night.
I was whispering encouraging words to my boyfriend and rooting for more wins and wanting more winning sets. However, after the 3rd to 4th set, I became... I dunno... kinda uncomfortable.
You see, I'm a typical female. I don't have a natural killer instinct. And I have struggled with that my whole competitive life.
Also, if I happen to see a boxing match or UFC fight, I always feel bad for the dude getting beat up. I'm the type of girl who will cover her face, because I get upset seeing someone get pummeled. I wont even watch any TV show that shows any harm to animals! So, Swamp People and American Hoggers are off limits in my house while I'm in the same room.
Back to pool, yea I still sometimes feel bad for my opponents when I might be winning by large margins and sometimes still let up a little.
So, it was completely against my nature to keep cheering for more wins. It sounds so stupid, especially since I am in on the $100 sets, but I still don't like to kick a man who is already on the ground bleeding.
It was painful to watch. I'd rather them both play exceptional and we come out on top!
But, I kept up my support and I was vocal to my boyfriend about his wins, but in my heart, it felt uncomfortable.
Don't get me wrong, if we would have taken much money home, I wouldn't feel bad. But, I guess at the time, I felt like I was rooting against a friend who was struggling bad.
It's just not in my nature to do that at all. I kinda felt like I was rooting for pain on someone.
I know we are suppose to go for the juggler. I know that.
I also know it's just a game.
Even though there was money on the line, I should feel NO REMORSE. But, I admit it didn't feel "natural" for some reason.
I have never felt this way before though when they have gambled. So not sure why this night was different.
Further, my boyfriend has even played other guys for much more money and won many more sets and I had never felt this way before. I am not sure if it's because the guy is a good guy and now a friend, or what.
I know when we compete with our friends and/or fellow pool players that we aren't friends at the table. So you can imagine... if it's tough for me to WATCH, how tough it is for me when I PLAY. lol.
And for the diehards out there - after about ten hours and roughly ten sets, they broke even!
1 comment:
Let's try this: person steps to the table, they are an opponent, & an opponent deserves no mercy.
lol.
But seriously, look at it this way, letting up is actually insulting your opponent. Why? You are suggesting that they are not good enough for your A-game, and that hurts. Try thinking about that next time you start feeling sorry for someone.
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