Playing The Name

What I find interesting is when we go to big tournaments a lot of us check out the chart to see if someone that is well-known is in our bracket or not.  And naturally we might get a little nervous at times.

Not a lot of people know this, but about 10 years ago I was married for a few years and my last name was Hinojosa.

I was playing in a tournament in Vegas for BCAPL Nationals and I'm sitting there next to my table with the score sheet waiting for my opponent.

A girl comes up and she's looking around and she sees the scorecard but she walks away.  She comes back about 5 minutes later and she looks around again kinda confused and she finally asks me (because I'm sitting there right in front of the table in front of the score sheet), "do you know who's playing at this table?"   And I reply, "I am."

And she looks at me real funny and she says "no, I'm playing some good Japanese girl."

And I am really confused, "I'm Melinda Hinojosa, who are you suppose to be playing?" 

It's funny because Hinojosa is actually a Hispanic name, not a Japanese name!  Little did I know I was already making my opponents shake a little in their shoes before they even got to the table just by seeing my last name on the tournament chart LOL.

Oh, and yes, she beat me.  Back then I wasn't a decent or seasoned player (yet!).

Giving Lessons, But Why Me?

I mentioned a couple of times that I am giving lessons, and have given lessons.

It's a very weird thing, though.

Who am I to think I can give lessons?

What's also weird is that's how people feel about me (and I presume others who want to teach, too).

WHO AM I?  And why would I be good at it?

I posted on FB several months ago I had some openings for lessons and someone commented, "you?  why you?  haha."

I don't blame them, really. 

I am the first to admit some people have no idea how many state and national titles I've won, or hill-hill matches I've cinched for my numerous teams in numerous playoffs, state and national events, or how many trophies I have, or that I've been playing pool for over 25 years, or that I actually know strategy and position very, very well, or that I was ranked 2nd on the OB Cues Ladies Tour, or that have a great temperament to teach, or that I have already excelled people's game with just a few lessons....

So, without knowing all of that, it makes sense why people don't understand why I would give lessons or why players would want to take lessons from me.  I get it.

Plus, some players see me not finish high on the Omega Tour, and I don't play on the OB Cues Ladies Tour anymore so players new to knowing me are really thrown for a loop, lol.

But, most people are aware that even famous athletes have coaches that don't play like the top pro's they are helping.  So, at this point, luckily I have word-of-mouth. 

If I didn't think I was making a difference I wouldn't even tell anyone I have given lessons and just move on to other things.  But I love making players happy with new knowledge of strategy and position.  I love it when players love the game even more because they see the table differently and get more wins.  I am so very lucky to be able to contribute in this arena!

First Impressions Go a Long Way

As in anything in life, customer service is key.  Respect for customers is key.

The other day a friend of mine recommended me for a pool lesson.

By the time I got the player's contact information, he already had a set time for a different instructor (he was eager for lessons).  I told him I understood and so we set a date/time to meet about 2 weeks later.

Then a few days later he calls me back.

He shares that he hates to go back on his word, but the guy he was suppose to meet up with that week had not called him back in days, when he did call initially he didn't respect his time, he over-talked him on the phone, and he just didn't seem very cordial at all.  The player decided that since I was more courteous and responsive, he cancelled the appointment with the other guy and met up with me instead. 

As the quote above states, "First impressions last."  And that can be a positive first impression or a negative one.

First impressions are so important.  This was very evident in this situation - the instructor lost the chance to provide lessons because of that.  Normally when we think of first impressions we think of what we might wear and how we will act and our body language, etc.  Remember, though, the very first contact (phone call, text, email, etc) - that's crucial, too.