C'mon Slacker!!

Okay, okay, I'm sorry this took so long! So in case you have lived under a rock for the past month, you would know that I have done a little bit of traveling. By little bit I mean about 25,000 miles worth!

My trip began with a short little flight to Tokyo, then on to Taipei, Taiwan. By short I mean about 24 hours including layovers!! I flew on Japan Airlines and I have to say that is by far the best airline I have flown on for overseas flights. I caught up on movies and got hooked on a stupid game called Bejeweled. Before I knew it, my flight was over and I hadn't even slept!

The first matter of business when you play in the Amway Cup is a lunch banquet and a live press conference. By live I mean live TV. It is really pretty cool. We all go up on a stage and are introduced by group and seeding. Then they called Xiao-ting Pan, Allison Fisher and Chieh-Yu Chou up on stage. Apparently the website had a vote as to which player was the fan favorite and which type of flower suited their personality. Allison was a rose, XTP a snap dragon, and Chou a carnation. They each got about three dozen of their said flower. Here is a picture of that part of the ceremony...
The highlight of the press conference was the mispronunciation of my last name. I suddenly was turned into Sarah Roozey. Of course that led to a lot of laughs from the fellow WPBA players.

And if you don't think that pool is big in Taiwan, consider this, we were shown live on a major network for 8-12 hours a day. All of the editing was done on the spot and the production was really very cool. Here is the press talking to Ga Young Kim at the end of the press conference...
On to the tournament...My group was pretty brutal. Since I was the fifth seed in my group I had to play the top two players in my group on the first day. My first match was against Akimi Kajitani from Japan. She has been a top player on the international level for a very long time. I played her years ago in Las Vegas and won. This match I had plenty of chances but I just couldn't capitalize. I lost 7-2.

My second match was against the #1 seed, Allison Fisher. Everyone knows my history with Allison. We were scheduled to play at 7pm...directly after the opening ceremony. Well, as pool tournaments go, the earlier matches ran a bit late and all of a sudden our match was bumped to the last of the night and since I was playing Allison, they insisted that we wait to play on the TV table. We started our match at midnight! Again I started out really strong and then fell apart. I had lots of chances but just didn't capitalize and lost 7-2 again.

I finished my day in awful shape to move on in the tournament. I had to win all of my matches the following day to hope to have a chance. My first match was against the qualifier of our group. Of course that is generally the "easy" match. Boy was that untrue in just about every group! The qualifier in my group was 16 year old Siming Chen. She beat Allison her first match. I was trailing in the match 6-3 and suddenly things changed. I made a comeback. I remembered how to play safe and make balls...amazing when that happens! I came back to win 7-6! Chen went on to beat every other player in our group and finish 3/4th in the event! Good start to the day.

My next match was against the fourth seed in the group from Malaysia. Of course I started out shaky and lost the first few games. Typical from me lately. I actually started feeling comfortable and came back to win the match 7-3. Now I was putting myself in great shape to squeak through to the final 24. Going into the last round of the night there were four players of the group with a 2-2 record.

This set up my match with Pei Chen Tsai, winner of the China Open. I played like 100% garbage. I missed so many balls and just crumbled. Tsai and I have the same kind of tournament deal as Allison and I in the states...I tend to draw her in every international event. It is amazing that every time I travel around the world I run right into her! Anyway, I lost the match 7-2..again. My chances were shot of making it to the next round. The players that moved on were Fisher, Chen and Tsai. This is the gift I had for Tsai...
Here is a picture of the venue. We played on the ninth floor of a huge shopping mall. If you got bored you could always stop and buy a speedo!
Since I was out of the tournament I got to hang out and watch a lot of great pool. I'm sure since I am a month late everyone knows that Yu Ram Cha won the event. She really played great. Here is the beautiful trophy she won...
Here are some of my favorite things about the trip. First...soup dumplings!! If it wasn't for these, I would have starved to death!
Second, making new friends (and Heartbackers!) Thanks to Alison Chang for helping out so much with everything!
Third, the wonderful after party that is thrown for us every year...Thanks Mr. Tu!
Fourth, trying to iron in Asia. Good thing my clothes are small!
And the best of all, hanging with this rowdy bunch for a week overseas!
After all the fun it was time to leave. Thanks to the after party, I had a rough ride home. Free Heinekin is bad news! After another very long flight and lots of layovers I made my way to Alpine, CA for the WPBA event. I thought I was planning well going a few days early. I thought I would have plenty of time to sleep and catch up and feel normal. Boy was I wrong! I did the stupid thing and fell asleep very early in the day and it led to a week of either being awake all night or waking up at 3am and ready to conquer the day.

I got a chance to do something really cool on the Tuesday before the event. Along with Laura Smith, Dawn Hopkins and Allison Fisher we set out for the 32nd St. Naval base to do challenge matches. There was an awesome turn out and I got a chance to meet so many cool people. The entire crowd cheered when Allison finally lost one game...the whole day! Here is just about the whole group. Thanks to Ashi Fachler for the picture.
After the trip to the Navy base, Laura, Dawn and I head to Miramar for another few hours of challenge matches. I had a great time and got to meet more great guys and girls there. I didn't get a group picture but I have to say, some of those Marines can play! Stay safe everyone and thank you for serving our country!

On to tournament number two. I wasn't really sure what to expect in this event. I usually have a little trouble playing after traveling a long distance and adjusting back to life in the United States. My first match was against Dana Aft from Atlanta. I played alright, not great but not horrible. Dana was still a little nervous and you could tell. She is making great progress and I think she will be playing in a lot more pro events in the future. I won the match 9-5.

My next match was against RTC qualifier Lisa Marr. Lisa is a good player from Arkansas who played in quite a few pro events in the past. She played really well and we were neck and neck up to 5-5. A couple of mistakes on her part luckily gave me a couple of games. I finished out the match and won 9-5 again.

The next match was against Karen Corr. I have never had much luck playing her and I don't even remember a time that I was close to beating her. I have so much respect for her game that it nearly paralyzes me. I can't lie and say that I didn't have some chances, I just didn't have many! I made a little come back but it was way too little, way too late. I lost the match 9-4.

Saturday morning I had my match to get to the Final 16 redraw against Brittany Bryant. I had never played her before but I have a lot of respect for how she plays. I knew I had to play well and play smart. The match was back and forth until 5-5 again and she missed a 9ball. That kind of gave me a glimmer of hope and I ran with it. I made my way to the final 16. Who would I draw???

None other then the only person I draw in the redraw...Allison Fisher. Seriously, how many times does this have to happen!!! I was reminded by someone as I drew that I shouldn't be upset about drawing her because that is what you prepare for. You prepare to come to a tournament and play the best. Then I remembered that I had won before, why not do it again. And that I did. I was down in the match 4-1, then I had some life thrown back into me and I ran with it. Suddenly I was up 6-4. That is when my mind started racing and I starting thinking about winning the match. Just for that, it was 6-6 as soon as I blinked. I got to the hill first, 8-6. Then I made a mistake and it was 8-7 with Allison breaking. All I could think was "great, here we go, hill-hill. She is going to break and run." Well she did just that...down to the nine and missed! Holy crap she missed! Here is where I should mention that I am a nervous person. I tend to shake when I get nervous. I had to get up from my shot a couple of times because I was convinced that everyone could see me shake! Finally I calmed myself and made the winning 9ball!

Now if only the tournament ended right then and there. The emotional rush of a match like that does not have a good end result or beginning result of the next match rather. My next match was against Xiao-Ting Pan. Again, I had my chances and just couldn't get it together. Everything I did went wrong. I hooked myself. I scratched. I missed. Then I decided when I was down 8-3, maybe I should put up a fight. I did just that for a few games but the alternate break format got me. She broke and ran out when the score was 8-6. Oh well, so close, yet so far away.

All in all, I am very pleased with how things went. I know there is room for improvement, but I also know that I don't give up without a fight. It was great that my Dad and sister could be there to see me do well in a tournament. My dad said that the match with Allison is the best pool match he has ever seen. Obviously, he hasn't been to enough tournaments!

I got to hang with some cool people as always. It was great to make some new friends and hang with these crazies! Justin from TAR, thanks for the stream and part of the Asian invasion, trying to see how many of us fit in Justin's sweatshirt.
After a couple weeks away I thought I was going to have a smooth trip home. Think again. My flight was at 6am. I got to Chicago at 12pm. I then got to sit there until about 9pm waiting for Jason's flight from Toronto. Customs sucks sometimes! After that we had a two hour bus ride home. What a day! I got to sleep in my own bed for about 12 hours then it was in the car for the 14 hour drive to King of Prussia, PA for the Super Billiard Expo.

Hopefully everyone knows that I am sponsored by Mezz Cues. I got a chance to work at the booth along with Caroline Pao, Mika and a whole slew of others. I really like to work so this type of stuff is great in my opinion. I got to meet so many people! Here is the best part...I got my own poster! It was so awesome and nearly life size! Here is a look at team Mezz...
There was also a small women's tournament that Allen Hopkins added some good money to. It was sixteen players, single elimination, 10-ball. My first match was against My-hanh Lac. I actually played okay for working a lot and multi-tasking all weekend along with Caroline. I won the match 9-5 if I remember correctly. My next match was against Amy Chen. She made some errors but I really started feeling comfortable and won the match 9-3. This put me into some decent money and the semi final match.

My match was against Brittany Bryant. I was playing great and was way ahead in the match...6-1 to be exact. Then I started thinking. My head is a huge problem with my pool game. I started thinking about the next match, thinking of what I would do with the extra money, thinking about how I needed to get back to work, thinking of the weather, thinking of everything...so stupid!! I missed a 9ball to go ahead 7-1. After that the flood gates opened and I couldn't do anything right and she started playing incredibly well. Next thing I know, it is 7-6, and not in my favor! It has been a really long time since I have done that to myself. It is a snowball that starts rolling and doesn't stop. I lost the match 9-7 and I was very disappointed. I absolutely hate losing, but I hate losing even more when I self destruct in the middle of a match. Ugh..so I finished 3/4th.

Some of the cool new things I picked up at the Expo are the Magic Rack (available through MezzUSA) and some +Spot clothing. The rack gives you a perfect rack every time. It is a cool invention and is very affordable. The shirts are fashionable and new. Definitely check them out!

The best part of the whole Super Billiards Expo is meeting people and catching up with old friends. I especially love hanging with my friends from JimboArmy! Here are a few of my favorite people. Don't worry, the scared face is just acting!
I have to give a huge thank you to everyone that became Heartbackers at the tournament. I greatly appreciate it! You guys are so awesome and I can't believe how generous people are! It also helped to position the t-shirts near the beer cooler and thanks to my enforcer Paul!

The coolest part of the whole deal was going to dinner with a pretty diverse group. Mezz owners, Mika Immonen, Shane Van Boening, Caroline, Robert, Jason, Eric Crisp, Justin and myself. Shane won the tournament so he was on cloud nine. He and Mika someone got seated right next to each other. The dinner consisted of them making a game. Perhaps we have a big match coming up!! Stay tuned. Here is a picture of that side of the table...
So the Expo was over and I thought I would be heading home for a few days before moving on to Omaha, NE for a small tournament. Then I was kidnapped. Here is a picture of the happy group after dinner. They all look so pleasant. Who knew they were going to force me to visit New York City!! Of course I kicked and screamed the entire way...haha.
New York is absolutely my favorite place to visit. I love it there and would move there in a heartbeat if I suddenly became rich. I was pretty sad that I could only stay for two days. Of course the first place we had to go was Joe Shanghai in Chinatown! More soup dumplings. These are a little different then the Taiwan version. These take some skill to eat. Clearly I have not perfected it!
****TRIVIA ALERT****
The food tour didn't stop, the next meal was at a Korean Barbecue place. I have never had this and little did I know what I was eating. Here is your PoolDawg TRIVIA for this week. What am I eating in this picture.... All I have to say is this was my reaction to it...
I got to do a driving tour of Manhattan...scary thing, I was the driver! Thanks to Caroline for giving such a good tour and thanks to Jason and Justin for taking pictures. Here you have a foggy view of the Empire State Building, the New Years Eve dropping ball, the Late Show, and the World Trade Center rebuild...



I also stopped at my favorite NYC pool room, Skyline Billiards in Brooklyn. I've been lucky to make a lot of friends there and also run into some great competition. I absolutely love this pool room. From the action to the banter to the tables...even the burgers are good! They also have an awesome Tuesday night Open tournament. Race to five on the winners side, race to four on the losers side. Usually there are a lot of top players there. Lucky for me, they all must have been worn out from Valley Forge! I got lucky and won the tournament..woohoo! Thanks to Rob and Sammy, owners of Skyline.

My trip to New York was cut short by an invite to play in the Omaha Classic, an invite only tournament for 8 players that with the Omaha Home Show in Omaha, NE. Of course, me being me, I decided to push it until the last minute to get from New York City to Omaha, NE. Just a short 1241 miles to drive. Yes, sometimes I do think that I am insane!

Along the way we stopped at another Man vs. Food spot, Quaker Steak and Lube. They have some of the hottest wings ever made. I am a big sissy so I didn't try them, but Jason tried the level below the hottest and lived through it. I tried a very tiny amount and thought I would die!
After the long drive I arrived in Omaha an hour before I had to play. The tournament was an eight player, double elimination, race to 7. My first match was against Helena Thornfeldt. It was an ugly match that went hill-hill. A miss on the six ball left me a shot and I ran out. Next match was none other then, Allison, again. I lost 7-4. Then came another breakdown moment. I played Laura Smith and I was leading 6-3. Again my stupid head got in the way. I started thinking and I didn't close out the match. Another missed opportunity. Oh well....it happens. Thank you to Dick Johnson and Brian Hamburger for bring us back to Omaha!

If you ever get a chance to visit Omaha, it is really a cool city. You wouldn't expect anything to be so modern and also in the middle of nowhere! There are tons of restraunts, bars, galleries and specialty stores. My favorite thing to see was the construction of Ameritrade Park, the future home of the College World Series!

Finally, after a month of traveling, I am home! I get to sleep in my own bed and that definitely makes me happy! The next adventure is the BCA extravaganza in Vegas!

Remember, I put a trivia question in this post. The winner gets a $10 PoolDawg gift code!! Also remember, even if you don't win, you can still receive 5% off all of your purchases with PoolDawg by using the discount code ROUSEY! Good luck everyone.

Thank you everyone for checking back and waiting around for another dose of me. Sorry it took so long!