Warning, long post (just like last year) lol. Hey, I have a lot to capture!
As many of you may remember, last year my Women's Team "How's My Rack" won this same event. That year on my winning team was with Monica Anderson, Jennifer Pavlovick, Lisa Ellison, myself, and Connie Svoboda. We had to split the team up, due to BCAPL rules, and so Monica and Jennifer started a separate team, as did Lisa and I. Connie did not play BCAPL this year.
Lisa and I picked up Maria Rodriguez, Tracie Voelkering and Nina Stillwell.
Maria would end up being Top Shooter on our all-women's league, Nina was in 3rd place (I was 2nd), Tracie was BCA Texas State Champion, and Lisa and I had experience together on a winning National team.
We were very happy with our team's talent, ability, and mental toughness.
This year, our team name was Born Ready. And it was perfect!
As most teams do, we had superstitions/routines that we carried to each match.
- We HAD to use a pink pen to take scare (we had the same pen at Texas State BCAPL where we won)
- I always picked the Visiting Team if given the choice (we were "visitors" on the scoresheet for every match)
- We had our mascot with us: Duckie!
We get a bye and win our second match against a really nice team, 9-2. They told us they would have preferred to play us in the finals. They were very sweet.
The next team was from California. I know two of the players on this team really well. One is my friend Vicki and she's a fantastic women - always having fun, yet very competitive. She also runs the large APA league in her city and is well known in the pool world. Her blond hair and beautiful smile are tough to miss.
The other player I know well is kinda like my internet twins. Her name is Melinda also, and she has a blog, also. We both frequent (or used to) the AZB forums. People confuse us all the time online, but in person we are pretty distinguishable - she's Asian, I'm white with blond curly hair, she is rail thin, I'm not, and she wears cool heals and I don't. LOL.
We know each other because of pool and blogging and it's cool to run into her; except on the pool table. She is an Advanced BCAPL player and it shows how well she plays.
Here are Melinda (left) and Vicki (right):
Personally, I lose both my matches against Melinda and Vicki. I was still trying to play well again from my bad playing experience from singles, and so I lost those two matches, but they played great on me. My teammates really fought hard and even tho we were down 1-4, they stepped up and next thing you know we were 8-8!
I get to play Melinda again, this time for the hill-hill game.
There were A LOT of people watching. It was right before dinner time and so a lot of people were watching their team because they are well known from California, and we had a lot of support from numerous friends, as well.
Melinda and I have a mess of a table and I capture my stripes right away, as they were not runnable, but better looking than solids. She shot a few times and so did I. Next thing you know, I kinda see a run, altho tricky. I decide this is the time to go for it. I tell myself if I don't win, my teammates will still love me, and that calms me down.
I shoot a ball in side, come back nicely for another side pocket shot in the same pocket; then shoot a tricky shot in the cross corner; somehow NAIL it. Altho, it's a tough shot, at least I can see it, as she has most of her balls still on the table. I decide to try to and cut the next tough ball and hit her 5 ball on the way back so it stops my cueball for the last cute little stripe on the table before the 8. I study it for a while and then cut the ball nicely (tough cut), BUT I don't hit the freaking 5 ball at all!! Ugh! I slip right past the 5 ball. I couldn't believe it. Now, I don't have a pocket for my last ball. Oh wait, yes I do: a long rail bank! I call the bank, don't take a long time to think about the shot, but still freaking MAKE it!!!
The place goes wild! I even had a shot on the 8ball after the bank and smoothly make it. We won hill-hill!!
I couldn't believe it!
OMG!!
A week later, one of my friends from California stated this about the game in the AZB forum: "I was there to witness her in a hill hill match. After getting a shot in a great defensive match she ran the remaining five or six balls. None of the shots were easy. One great shot after another. She wound up with a straight back bank shot on the last ball with perfect shape on the eight. It was one of the best pressure outs that I've seen in a long time. Any miss would have surely been loss of game. Congratulations Melinda on some fine shooting."
Awwww! :) Thank you, DaBarbr!
Then we play fellow friends from San Antonio and I knew it was going to be a tough match because they play so smart and are talented. Sure enough it was a close one and we barely won 9-7.
This meant we were off all day Thursday (that's a scary thought in Vegas, lol), Further, we don't play til 4:30 pm on Friday. Yikes!
We play that 4:30pm match against another San Antonio team, who we all know and are friends of ours. They are super tough, also, and I admit I was scared. And it showed: I played terrible, timid, nervous, and so I didn't help my teammates much. BUT that's what teammates are for and although we were down 0-3, we made a comeback and won 9-5 somehow! Whew - they are such a good team and it was tough!
We then played a team from Tulsa and we all just weren't' really clicking and we lost 9-6. We don't really know how it happened; we felt confident and felt like we were the better team, but we just didn't pull off the win. We were all disheartened. The other team played good (they are solid) but we just didn't play well against them.
Instead of playing another match that Friday night, our next match would be at 9am Saturday morning. As I sat at the Crazy 4 Poker table game in the Rio casino before heading to bed, teammate Maria asked me so innocently and yet with strength in her voice, "so, how matches do we have to win tomorrow to make it to the finals?" I looked at her surprised and yet SO pleased with her mental toughness and desire, "Just 3 honey, just 3."
"Okay, let's do that."
"Okay," I said, as I gave her a hug.
The next morning, I could already tell I was going to play better this day than on Friday. On Friday, I was still trying to recover from the great out I won for the team and had a lot of invisible pressure on me. It was stupid, but that day was over with and I could already tell THIS day I woke up feeling much more confident and ready!
As I get to our table about 8:40am for our 9am match, teammate Lisa says to me in front of the entire team, "You know, of all the teams I have ever been on, I know that this is the one that can get to the finals."
I was so impressed with her attitude as well! And glad she said that in front of the entire team so they could all hear.
However, I had to tell the team that I would be watching players and if anyone was struggling, I would have to pull them (including myself) and send in reinforcements. I discussed it with everyone and everyone was fine with it, "Do what you got to do to win, Melinda." I think they were all happy with that decision as the previous days I had not pulled players I might have should.
We play yet ANOTHER Texas team, this time from Houston. This is for 5th place at 9am on Saturday. They are a really good team and super sweet, but deadly on the table. I play the Advanced player first and she runs out on me! I knew we were in for it, lol. She was playing so good!
Lisa came with a real tough win her first match, making tough shots after another after another. She asked before the next round, "Did she take me out?" asking to our team in general. I laughed, I told her, "hell no, that was a nice run!"
"I didn't want to be pulled," she laughed, lol.
We found ourselves down again, I think about 1-3 or so, and we already knew we had come back before from a worse deficit, and we just kept at it and found ourselves in a another close one as we inched back 7-7. At this point in the tournament (on Saturday), we use three (3) tables instead of 2 and it is tough to get used to, because we play back to back, but that's what happens on the final day - 3 tables, fast play. It does make if difficult for the smokers who are used to be able to smoke during the "long" break which is now not even a short break, as we have to call the matches back to back.
And we win 9-7!
Woo-woo!
We then play for 4th place, against a team from the Oklahoma City area. I have tunnel vision and all I can see on the team is Liz Lovely, a REALLY good player that just placed 3rd in the Advanced singles division. She is pretty much a pro player; maybe not even 21, if that, and she has a very strong game (and she is actually very lovely).
I play her first and I somehow freaking defeat her! Man, I'm on cloud nine, lol. The score goes back and forth for both teams and next thing you know we are in the same predicament: 7-7. This time, Nina wins to put us on the hill, and teammate Maria is still playing while I play Liz again. Liz takes no prisoners and squarely defeats me; she ran out impressively well.
This means 8-8. And Maia is in the hill-hill game. It's an extremely long safety game. We are all pacing, watching, sweating, as the two players keep playing safe after safe as there is not run at all with balls tied up with the 8.
Eventually, her opponent has a shot on the 8abll, and we all hold our breath, and she barely misses it. It's so close, the 8ball is sitting in the hole, such a tough miss. Maria now has only one option, as no safe is available. She has to long rail bank her last stripe. She gets down, takes her time, and NAILs it! The place goes wild! We all run to hug her and we congratulate the other team for a great match and strong finish. Then we all run to hug Maria again! She's shaking because her adrenaline is so going so fast, but she is so happy! It was awesome! There were several people watching before they had to take their flights and one even videotaped it. Check this out!
So now we are playing for 3rd place!
At this point, Tracie on our team now has decide what to do about her flight. Her and Hubby (Mike) were waiting it out to see what would happen - I suggested not to change the flight until they knew for sure because changing a flight can cost up to $500. I also mentioned the obvious - we had 4 players - but I could tell Tracie wanted to stay and be apart of the team. It was SO awesome to see that in her! We would be playing next at 1pm and their flight was shortly thereafter. Turns out Lisa and hubby were driving back, so they offered to drive them back as well. It all worked out! No change fees, staying til the end, and getting back safely.
Team spirit!
As we take our things over to our next set of tables to play on, their Captain asks me if we can just use 2 tables, since 3 would be difficult. I kinda thought with that question we might an edge - means we had been playing all morning and this would be their first match of the day (and worried about tables). I reassured her that 3 times wasn't tough at all.
I wasn't looking at the score sheet too much this match, but at one point everyone clapped louder than normal when I made an 8-ball; turns out we won the match with that win! I was like, "Oh, I had no idea we were even close to the hill!"
We won smartly, 9-5 :)
WE ARE IN THE FINALS!!
OMG!
After that win, we walk over to our next table assignments (yes, they kept us moving around), and as the Captain, I continue to turn in our winning score sheets, and pick up the next score sheet a that Tournament Director podium on the other side of the large conference room.
We walk up to the table and our opponents are waiting for us. It's 2:50pm, match starts at 3. The Captain of the other team (this is the team that put us in the loser's bracket the night before from Tulsa), walks up to me and immediately wants to flip a coin. I reacted a little funny, and said, "we have ten minutes still, but we can flip so we can start working on filling out the scoresheet," and she shares, "Sorry, we have some players who have flights." I return and share, "well, we just got finished and I have to let my players at least go to the bathroom and smoke a cigarette. And she was fine with that and understood completely.
I would hear later that one of the players who needed us to rush was upset and thought we were deliberately not playing right away. Her Captain told her, "we played them last night and they were all very nice, they aren't doing this on purpose." Glad she defended us. If we had finished 30 minutes earlier, I would have started early to help them out for sure, but as Captain I have to let my players take a small break before the finals. We still had 10 minutes before Go Time. I didn't think 10 minutes was a make or break situation.
Nina comes up to me and tells me, "I see a Brahms in the future." Meaning, double dipping. I loved all my teammates confidence!! I was so impressed with them!
Their best player is really good and she is tough to beat. I lose to her the first match. Ugh. But, I already knew she was tough and my other teammates were winning their games.
Toward the end of the first set, one of our opponent's teammates gets real upset. Turns out a ref told her she had to sit inside the playing area. I was like, "are you serious?" She was very mad at the ref. I couldn't believe it, as we were all doing that (we pace a lot, lol). The ref said another ref noticed it and so he had to say something to her. We were so confused and miffed we were interrupted during our Finals for that.
Anyway....
Next thing you know, after some good play by both teams, we freaking win 9-5!!!! We won the first set. OMG, we won the first set!
We all take a quick break, as I have to turn the sheet in anyway and wait for the next print out. When I come back, one of our friends rushes up to me and tells me one of the teammates from the other team left.
What?
What do you mean left?
"She had to catch a flight and so she left."
What?
Really?.
I spoke to their Captain and she explained that everyone knew the situation about when the finals were and everyone made rearrangements or adjustments to their flights, except this one player. The whole team was very, very upset she left them. We could hear them discussing the situation even after the match began; they were just so.... mortified...... if I can speak for them.
This meant a very different second match.
I want to state up front that Born Ready was ready - and my whole team fought with all their might and huge hearts and talented play to win the first set. WE won the first set; we positioned ourselves to even be in the second set.
However, as a friend said who was watching,. "the second set it didn't even seem like the finals."
And, it didn't.
She was right.
The other team didn't play as well; didn't play as hard. I personally think they were so upset at their player leaving, that they didn't play the same for some reason.
Luckily, they had a 5th player, but the other girl that left them high and dry had been playing the entire 4 days in the team event and this girl didn't even know she would be playing (in the finals no less!) and wasn't prepared. I have to say, though, that she played her little heart out for her team!
As I was playing my 3rd match of the 2nd set, I turned to ask our lovely scorekeeper, Michelle, what the score was. She said, "8-1." I was like, OMG, really? We are on the hill??
I start tearing up and I have to FORCE myself not to cry. I was already getting emotional. "Don't do it, Melinda, it's not over yet," I tried to tell myself so I wouldn't cry at the possibility we might be National Champions.
But I was so emotional that we were on the hill.
I look around and see who is gonna win the match for us. But we lost the next two games, and I was in a safety match. I see an out, but get bad on my planned bank on the 8 and miss it. My opponent is running out, but she missed the 8ball. It hung in the hole. I felt bad, as I knew this win wouldn't be quite like last years win when I ran out for the close win; this was literally just a tap-in on the 8ball.
I made it and we shook hands and then we all hugged and smiled!!! All our fans (who were watching) were clapping for us and we were elated! WE DID IT!
One of the players on the very first team watched us in the finals. She said she was pulling for us so she could tell people, "well, we lost to the team that won it." She was really sweet to support us!
This year was much different from last year, as we had double dipping duty, but we did it! Nationals Champs!
I was SO excited for Maria, Tracie, and Nina most - they were now National Champions! Lisa and I were two-time champs! And this year Born Ready won BOTH BCAPL Texas State and BCAPL Nationals. Woo-woo!
After we take photos at the pool tables, I walk to the podium to turn in the final scoresheet. And that's where I truly lost it. I walked back crying and told my teammates, "don't go anywhere alone, it makes you cry!" I share weeping. Lol.
We then took the "official" BCAPL pics (below if the fun pose!) and collected our monies (a whopping $760 each - yea, don't worry, we aren't quitting our day jobs)
And then we toasted to our win!
BORN READY, I am SO freaking proud of you ladies! You kept on plugging away and capturing wins and you all stayed so positive about winning. I was impressed with your mental toughness - every single one of you! I didn't play up to par every match, but we are a TEAM and each of you proved it!!
Later on, I would celebrate with Michelle, Nina and Brian at Martorano's (Italian restaurant in the Rio) and at the biggest shrimp I've ever had in my life!
Then we went to the strip, visited Planet Hollywood one more time, and tried to sleep as newly crowned National Champs. ;)
Thank you to BCAPL and CSI for making dreams come true and holding this awesome event! And thank you to Carl at Diamond Jim's for sponsoring us!
1 comment:
lol, shoulda went to the seafood buffet. the crab legs were awesome. Congrats on the team win and you will get that singles title one day, just you wait.
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