Photo courtesy of David Thomson -Mediumpool.com
At the impressionable age of 11 years old, I had the pleasure of witnessing the showing of a movie that I have never forgotten to this day – it was the blockbuster of 1957 called “The Greatest Show on Earth” starring Charlton Heston.
It was the story of a circus and life under the big top, highlighting all of the exciting acts being performed under one roof – Believe me, the excitement was electrifying!
Now fast forward 59 years to the Derby City Classic, the brain child of Greg Sullivan, (the owner and founder of Diamond Billiard Products) and let us look at the dynamics of this unique event – Greg decided back in 1999 that he wanted to run an event that catered to many disciplines, using the premise that the Bank Pool players would probably not show up for a One Pocket event, and likewise the One pocket guys would not show for the Bank Pool, and the 9 Ball players would certainly not show up for either of the other two disciplines.
But, if he offered all three disciplines under one roof (A stroke of genius) then maybe the Bank guys would brush up on their One Pocket game and likewise the One Pocket guys would start practicing a little more on their Banking skills – and even the 9 Ball Players would maybe reluctantly have a go at the other two.
The DCC started out in 1999 in its fledgling state at the EXECUTIVE WEST in Louisville, KY for its first 10 years, before moving on to its present location at HARAH’S HORSESHOE CASINO, IN, for the next 8 years, making this year the 18 th Annual DCC.
To give you an idea of how the event has gained popularity through the years, the entries for the Bank event last year was 411 – for the One Pocket 350 and for the 9 Ball 310. That’s a lot of serious players!
Well, there has been more than a few tweaks to the format of this event since its conception, but Greg’s second stroke of genius was the introduction of the prize for THE ALL AROUND TITLE, given to the player with the best score in all three events. This certainly got the players attention from the get go, especially the Bank's and One Pocket players, who honed their games ten fold.
They say “MONEY TALKS AND PLAYING ONLY ONE GAME WALKS”! (I made that up, but you know what I mean)
It has the three disciplines mentioned in detail above, and a few years ago added the BIG FOOT 10ft Table event to the proceedings – A $1,000 entry 16 man field (with $16,000 added) and a prize of $16,000 going to the winner!!!
Plus, for a few years now, the DCC also includes a high run Straight Pool event that goes on all week, with the top three high runs each day earning money, and the top eight high runs of the week playing a single elimination to find the winner!!
To witness all of these disciplines going on under THE BIG TOP that is supplied by Harrah’s, is electrifying to say the least – FIVE DISCIPLINES all captured by the professionalism of ACCU-STATS VIDEO PRODUCTIONS, and streamed around the world to eager fans that rarely see most of these disciplines.
THE DERBY CITY CLASSIC IS UNQUESTIONABLY “THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH” there is no other event that offers such a diverse array of disciplines. I am so excited about returning again this year, that I am getting there two days early to soak in the atmosphere of this fantastic venue and all that it offers.
Please note that all of the above events are PERFORMED WITHOUT A NET!
Below is a link to an interview that Greg Sullivan did a few years ago, where he talks about how he started his Diamond Table Company and his thoughts on how he came up with the concept for what is now known as the Derby City Classic.
