I WAS WRONG!
And what a harsh reality it was for me, lol.
I played in a tournament this past Saturday. It was basically a tournament where if you were rated a 6 or under on the Omega Billiards Tour, you could play. I wanted to play because it was a nice change of pace instead of playing a lot of players better than I was, and it was cool to be thrown into the mix of playing players my own level.
The night before, I located my cue stick out from the back of my closet and put it together for the first time in about 6 months. I wanted to see if I could even make a bridge comfortably with my mower-strickened hand. And of course I found out it was extremely painful to play pool. The two fingers of my bridge hand that I need to put on the felt are the two fingers that my lawn mower blade cut right into.
But that didn't stop me from going, as I envisioned my heyday of pool playing springing out of my body and I was going to play spot on like I did without practicing all these past years. Plus, I was going to show up Saturday morning as planned because I wouldn't want to cancel on that Tournament Director (I know from first-hand experience how cancellations cause so much extra work).
Also on that Friday night, I prepared myself mentally. Since I didn’t have time to physically practice, I still imagined the many, many instances of staying down, following through, looking at the cue ball last, and trying not to think of my surroundings. You see, in this particular pool room, it's very close quarters and it feels like all eyes are on you, so it’s a tough environment to play in.
But alas, Saturday was a harsh reminder of why I simply don't want to play pool anymore. I guess you could say I’m finally growing up. Awww! You see, I'd rather walk through a new lush park on a beautiful day with a great friend or my dog than be in a smoky pool room dealing with pressure, emotions, conflict, mental toughness, etc.
I went through years of that very successfully! And I'm very proud of those successful years and titles. But now I just want to take it easy, lol.
I'll be honest - I wasn't laughing, I wasn't smiling, I wasn't having fun on Saturday. And yet there I was, trying to play pool from my golden years, lol, in an environment that I'm trying to stay away from, even with hurt fingers. lol.
And I also found out Saturday I turned into the person that has learned the hard way that playing pool is definitely not like riding a bike. The few times that I competed last year I competed very well with still not practicing. Even when someone asked me, “it's not like riding a bike, is it?” I countered with, “what are you talking about? I don't even notice a difference - I'm still playing gooooood.”
But what I want to say right here and now is that I'm a hundred percent wrong. One does need to practice. One does need to hit balls to stay competitive. No matter how many times I tried to pontificate that I have such solid fundamentals that I didn't need to practice, I was completely wrong. I lied to myself. I lied to anyone who would listen. And it turns out I'm just like everyone else after you take a break - you're just not the same competitive pool player that you were before.
You may think - then go practice!
Uh, sorry. My pool playing days are over with. And I’m extremely content with that! It's time to find out what is beyond the smoke-filled pool room walls out there. I can’t wait!
I was very frustrated and disappointed about Saturday, but it was also a great reminder that my new focus on life really is away from the pool room and away from competing (read more about this here). And I want to be around things that give my heart and soul peace. Competing in pool gave me that happiness before, but my goals have shifted away from that. And again - that's okay!
So I'm glad Saturday happened. Sure, I'd rather of been getting a massage or walking in a park, but having a great reminder of your goals for your heart in life is not a bad thing.
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