I know that Danielson doesn't do well in a tournament when I have to ask him how it went. Otherwise, he reaches out to me right away with excitement to share how he did in the tournament.
This time, I had to reach out to him, so I already knew it probably wasn't going to be a "happy report."
I want to share something that many pool players go through. Sometimes when we have a really good year, and yet still don't see that we can be one of the very top players of a tour (for example), we get discouraged. Hear me out. Basically, if we have several years of no success, you'd think that would make one want to quit. Well, sometimes that does happen, but more so, the lack of success makes people WANT to play more and keep fighting.
Using me as an example, until I was successful in my mind and with my goals, then it was the right time to step away. It was surprising to myself I was successful as I had become, but I was also realistic - I'm not pro material and my day job pays my bills anyway. So, while other people questioned my decision to not compete anymore on regional tours, it made perfect sense to me. Had I not had those few successful years, I know I'd still be competing to try to win that coveted title or be more successful in my game. But because I had been successful, I was able to easily step away. Further, it felt like a natural time to do so.
Danielson is at this crossroad. After his latest tournament, I had to pry out of him what was going on so I could write this blog post. You know, it's all about this blog lol. And the Danielson fans needed an update on how he was doing! And what he finally confided was he was glad he scratched hill-hill his last match so he could go home, and not come back on Sunday. This was two-fold. One because it was past 1am and it would be a short turn around and the other was he is not excited right now about playing.
Sure, he had a very successful last year, but he's also thinking realistically right now (or, he just had a bad tournament experience and is venting lol). He shared in his grumpy message, "I'm wasting money. And even with the success I had last year, it's evident it's not near enough to be in the top 10. With the money it cost me this weekend, I could have played in that 10-ball event in Austin. If I'm buying an experience, I could be getting more for my time and money."
He continued to vent, "It's a lot of time to and from the tournament location and an average of $200 to go play these tournaments... and at my skill level I have little chance of getting half of that money back. Even the top 6 at every stop last year the average Fargo was 640...I might be wasting my time."
(Danielson's Fargo is around 565).
I asked him about the cost, to break it down for us. Here is how he figures around $200-$250 cost a stop:
- $50 entry fee
- 1/2 Calcutta ($20-$60)
- Eating twice ($20)
- Twice raffle tickets ($40)
- Gas ($20)
- Drinks ($50)
And that's if he doesn't buy anyone in the Calcutta but himself.
So, he's starting to recognize that playing on a tour may not be the best for him right now.
However, he's STILL very much so eyeing other tournaments and events, and still enjoying the new team he's on. So, he's not considering quitting competing at all, it's adjusting his options of where he wants to play that would be more advantageous either money-wise, experience-wise, or distance close to home.
I had to pry this information from Danielson, and the reason why is honestly because we feel kind of sad/embarrassed/ashamed of these thoughts. But let me shout out to you now, IT's NORMAL!
So, if you are feeling the need to step away from a tour, or league, or "expected" event - realize that these are normal, natural feelings. You aren't going far, though, rest assured. Just maybe taking a different path to your next pool table. :)
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