Moving Coins Hill-Hill

During the Omega stop earlier this month I saw a match go hill-hill. 

One of the players takes his coin out from under the rail and slides it on the felt towards the center of the bottom rail.  Then he walks over and does the same thing to his opponents coin.

I've been playing and watching pool for over 25 years and don't recall this before.  You mostly see it when the score is 8-8 in gambling, but not 6-6 in a race to 7 in a tourney.

I can't even fathom that this would be normal because I've personally been in over 100 hill-hll matches myself and witnessed SO many hill-hill matches all these years, that I know it's not "normal."

Makes me wonder why he did this.  Did he do this so people would not see the score?  Did he do this so he wouldn't be distracted by the coins shouting at him, "it's hill-hill!"

And what if I am his opponent and I don't want my coin moved?  lol.

I will try and remember to ask him next time I see him at the Omega Tour Finale in November why this is his preference.

Being The Clutch

I can recall distinctly a team event I was in at a State tourney in 2010 where I had only 3 balls left on the table.  And yet I was SO nervous!

We needed this win to move on.  Otherwise, it would be hill-hill and another teammate would have to play it for us and be put under the pressure.

I so desperately wanted to win, but I was SO nervous!  And I dogged the 8ball.  An easy cut, too.  I was mortified.  I jumped up and down and said out loud, "I was so nervous I spun the ball!"  I tried to explain why I missed it because I was so embarrassed. :( 

That was a pivotal point in my pool career.

Pivotal.

That shot has cropped into my mind a thousand times when I play my team events now.

I didn't stay down, I didn't breathe, I didn't take my time; I let the pressure get to me for sure.

But, I LEARNED from that mistake.

The very next year, same event, I had to play a hill-hill match in the team event and stated in that blog recap, "I am glad I played that nervous game last year full of anxiety and stress.  Because it allowed me to NOT let that happen in this clutch game.  :)"

And since then, I have come a LONG way.

A LONG WAY!

What I find interesting, is that I don't mind being the clutch at all.  I now welcome it and enjoy being the hill-hill person.  I think it's a combination of several things:  I'm playing better than I ever have, I have a lot of experience now in those situations, I don't mind being put in that position for the team, and I am fairly successful at it because I'm playing so well.

Clutch
n.
the crucial moment that comes between winning and losing

adj.
being able to perform under extreme pressure

Since 2012, I have probably played 15-20 hill-hill matches for my team in team events.  Most were in large tournaments on big stages:  ACS and BCAPL Texas State tourneys, and BCAPL and ACS National tourneys.

Just a couple of weeks ago my team had "the comeback of the year" (that's what they keep calling it, lol) at the ACS Texas State tournament.  We were down 1-5 in a race to 10, then 6-9.  But my teammates and I am kept fighting and we found ourselves still in it at hill-hill! 

"Melinda, you're up."

"Okay, cool.  Am I breaking?"

lol.  I knew I wasn't breaking, haha, we were the "visiting" team.  But I asked that for effect.  :)

After several innings and many safety battles, I ended up winning the hill-hill match for the team!!  High fives and hugging all around - it was awesome. :)

 (Click photo to Enlarge)

Just at Nationals in July I had to come with a great out hill-hill there too.  In May prolly 5 hill-hill matches for those team events.

It's amazing to me that that one single game in 2010 where I dogged it, has propelled me to being comfortable in this position for my teammates now.

But I learned SO much from it!

Do I still get nervous?  ABSOLUTELY!

Do I win every hill-hill match?  NO (but most of the them lol)

Do I wish I would have made that 8ball in 2010?  HECK NO.

Do I like being in this position?  I am comfortable taking the heat, YES.

Obviously, it has helped in my single matches, too.  Pretty much all pressure matches.  I now breathe better, stay down better, remember a smooth stroke, take more practice strokes, etc.

I'm not successful all the time, but I have such a MUCH better handle on my adrenaline and have the tools to tame it.

"Melinda, You're up."

:)