Handicapped Tour and Calcutta

As many of you know, I run the Omega Billiards Tour here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

It's a handicapped tour and there are many reasons for this decision:

1. It allows for ALL players to play.  From the lowest (beginners) to the highest (pros).
2. It means the lower players have a better chance against the top players.
3. It means that we don't limit it to just amateur players (master and pros can play).
4. It allows for the beginning player to improve and get experience against better players in a bigger tourney.
5. If it was not handicapped, the sponsor and I felt that many of the beginners wouldn't play as often as they do.  Or even the "middle of the pack" players if the top players always won.
6. We didn't want the top players take all the money - we wanted the middle and lower players to be able to get a chance at the money, too.
7. Handicaps allow for tougher competition for the top players, too.  It's definitely not a gimme.

There are many more reasons, but those are just a few.

While a handicapped tour allows for all players to play, running a handicapped tour causes a lot of complaints lol.

The problem lies in the fact that the handicaps are not always correct.  It's based on KNOWN ABILITY.  I don't care what you are ranked in BCAPL, ACS, or APA, it's based on known ability.

However, I don't know ALL the players and depend on others to give me their opinions.

But, even then, sometimes I'm given wrong info.  Not intentionally!  Never.  Just, they didn't know.

I explained at the last tourney just last weekend how the handicaps work and why some people get moved up or down, and others don't.  Long story short, we don't move players up if they place well a few times.  We don't move players down if they place bad.  Going two and out does not mean you will be moved down.  It just means it's a tough field (and maybe you didn't play your best, lol).  (like I did last time haha.)

I have moved over 15 players up or down because their ranking was INCORRECT.  And I hope that players talk to me about rankings.

HOWEVER!

Most do - BUT AFTER THE  FACT.

I admit I'm frustrated about this part. 

Sure,  I know I will ALWAYS get complaints about handicaps and I know I will ALWAYS hear about this person or that person, but I make decisions based on how they play with my own eyes, and also from opinions of others.

However, if I don't know the player, I can only go by others.  And sometimes I have been given wrong info.  But players don't tell me before the Calcutta that someone is ranked too low!!  Instead, they bid on them because they are low!  Then after the tourney, they complain to me that they were ranked too low.

Omg.........

So, basically, they are abusing the system and taking advantage of the system at the same time!

No one will say anything because they don't want to knock anyone.  And if they can get someone cheap in the Calcutta, all the better for them right?

But then all I hear about is complaints during the tourney and after about these certain players!  Well, if they ranking is WRONG, then tell me, discuss it with me, before the Calcutta.  

PLEASE.

PLEASE.

My goodness this would help out IMMENSELY on the complaints that I get about new players.

/thank you for listening/

My Women's League Stats

The Top Shooter in my women's league, Courtney Evans, (you go girl!) is a statematician and so she got me looking at my stats, too.  Okay, she's really not a statematician (a word I just made up), but she loves to look at stats and keep up with stats and compare stats.

So, thought I would copy cat her and see/share what happened in my women's league comparing my stats this year with last year.

Before I compare my year, I'd like to share Courtney's.  It's her first time to get Top Shooter so she deserves a shout out!  Her percentage last year was 68.7% and she jumped to 78.1% this year to get the top spot in the rankings!  Congrat's, Courtney!  She's da bomb and I'm so happy for her!

Looking at my two years on the league:
 
In 2013 Season, I played 85 games.
Wins:  64
Losses:  21
Break and Runs:  4
Rack and Runs:  4
Five and 0s:  5

Standings in 2013 Season:
Wins/Losses %:  75.3 %:  2nd place in the rankings!
Break and Runs:  1st place!
Rack and Runs:  1st place!
Five and 0s: 2nd place!

In 2014 Season, I played 96 games.
Wins:  74
Losses:  22
Break and Runs:  1
Rack and Runs:  7
Five and 0s:  5

Standings in 2014 Season:
Wins/Losses %:  77.08%:  2nd place in the rankings!
Break and Runs:  Tied for 2nd place (bad year for break and runs)
Rack and Runs:  1st place! (hellava year for rack and runs!)
Five and 0s:  Tied for 1st place (with Courtney!)

Comparatively, what does all this mean?  I guess I'm consistent?  :)

BTW, here is Courtney and I (1st place in the standings and 2nd place in the standings and teammates!)

You Gave That to Me

In the past two weeks I have run across some weird responses after I lose a match.

I realize that no one intentionally hurts others or intentionally says things to be mean, but sometimes things still rub me the wrong way, especially when I'm already upset at other things..

And that's unfortunate.

With all my years of experience you think I could just let these comments roll off my back.  And I'll be honest, normally I would. 

But what I'm noticing lately are these comments come at bad times for me, lol.

So, instead of letting the comments roll off my back and not upset me, instead I AM getting upset and I AM saying something to the other player to kinda of "defend" myself.

Instance One:

I'm at league and my opponent and I miss the 8 ball about 3 times each.  I finally make it but SCRATCH and she says to me, "You deliberately did that!"

WHAT?

I was pretty livid, I admit.  I retorted, "I didn't deliberately do that, I would never do that. Why would you say that??"

What's unfortunate is, what no one else knows, is WHY it upset me so much.  Why I LET it upset me.

It was just bad timing.

I was already upset at a several things before this first match of the night and this just topped it off, unfortunately.  But, I was so upset with the culmination of a lot of things at that point, I almost left!  I finally calmed down and realized because I was playing in a team event I needed to stay for my team no matter how upset I was personally. 

After the match, she came right up to me and apologized.  She said she never should have said that and put herself in my shoes and realized it wasn't right.

I told her that honestly it shouldn't have bothered me what she said.  I told her it really wasn't that bad.  I should never have been upset over that. 

But I explained to her I had just gotten into it with my captain, was frustrated with the league, and was trying to stay in the top 3 for top shooter.  So, it just was bad timing really.  Not her fault at all!  And I felt super bad I showed in my body language that I was upset.  I didn't want her game to be bothered because I was upset.

Further, I also told her that my character is very important to me and I wanted to apologize TO HER for getting upset.  I don't want to be that type of pool player, and I want to be a good representative of the sport.  So I felt bad.

She apologized again (and so did I).

And then we hugged.  

(yep, that's what girls do, lol!)

Instance Two:

Flash forward two weeks later and I'm playing in the Omega Tourney for the first time.  I need only one more game and my opponent needs 3.  I am playing SO good, that I get a little too confident.  I shoot the final 9ball, it goes in, but with these particular pockets, it spits back out!  I'm not worried.  I'm playing good and am the better player.

The next game I have to "come with a shot" and I am about to make the 8ball but the cueball stops it from going in and then the CUEBALL scratches!!  OMg...

Final game, I'm running out but miss a tough 8 ball.  He gets out and says, "You gave that to me."

I stood my ground, "No I didn't."

Now, I know what he's implying - I really do!  But I didn't really give it him.

Yes, I didn't win and yes I missed some shots, but it's really, really unnerving to hear "you gave that me" after you dog it!

He said again, "yes you did."

I replied, "I would never deliberately give you games or miss."  Trying to re-word it, to show how his words could be taken.

He says, "well you didn't give it to me intentionally."

I was upset because I should have won!  I outplayed my opponent, but those 3 misses were too late in the racks and too crucial.

But to say that to me after those misses just kinda rubbed salt in the wound.

Again, the timing just sucked for me.

I should never have gotten perturbed over the words.  Neither one of them meant to bother me.  And let's  face it, *I* let it bother me.  Normally it wouldn't, I just am not mentally strong right now and when I am like this, things bother me more than usual.

I hope to get stronger again ASAP!  This sucks lol.