Players, a Call For You to Play in a Great Event

If you live anywhere in the Southeastern USA you know all about August. It's hot. Too hot for golf, too hot for just about anything. Except playing pool. So AZBilliards wants you to have a lot of fun and punch your game up a notch or two as well.

Take the weekend of August 14-15th and play in the Seminole Pro Tour event at Diamond Billiards in Cape Coral, Florida. This gorgeous room (check it out at http://diamondbilliardroom.com/about/) is set to host the Seminole Pro Tour players and it is still not too late to get your name into the field. You can register online at http://semprotour.com/register and the entry fee is only $150 for an event that carries $7,000 in added money!

Even if you have absolutely no hope of cashing in this event there are a lot of great reasons to play. When I first played in a pro event my game got a huge push. Watching how the pros responded to my tactics was a real eye-opener. They play quite a bit differently from your league buddies. And sure, I was able to watch, close-up, how they stroke, stand, grip, etc; but it was the mental part of the game that was the huge education. How they plan the results of their safety play. How they set up two-way shots. How they always capitalize on your errors. In truth, just knowing that all of the pros could do these things, repeatedly, raised my expectations for my own game and really gave it a lift. This aspect alone is worth the entry fee. Consider it a great lesson at a bargain price.

There is also the very pleasing aspect that you will be spending the weekend indoors in a very cool room (did you check out the link above?) where beautiful waitresses are eager to bring you whatever ice-cold thirst-quencher you wish. And you get to watch your favorite sports on flat-screens that are all over the room.

But above the learning, above the cool good time, above being able to go back home and tell your buddies how Archer or WIlliams or Deuel or one of the other heavies mopped the table with you, there is another HUGE reason for you to participate.

Playing makes you a positive force for the sport. Participants grow the pastimes in which they participate and we need all the growth we can get. Plus, you are showing your support for the Seminole Tribe of Florida, a group that has been tirelessly supporting pool for twenty or more years now. They have added as much or more money to the game of pool in the USA than anyone and they frankly deserve the support of anyone in the area who loves the game.

If you are anywhere near Cape Coral please go play in this event. If the field fills up before you get your entry in then go watch the event and tell the Seminoles there how much you appreciate everything they have done and are doing for the game.

It really is time that we, those who love pool, began to pull pocket billiards up by our bootstraps. And one of the best ways to do that is to partner with the promoters who work so tirelessly to provide events to play in, a vehicle for the pros to earn a living, and media exposure for our sport.

Support the events and promoters in your area. Put all else aside and realize that the Seminoles, CueSports International, all of the regional tours, Matchroom Sport, Barry Behrman and his US Open 9-Ball Championships and other events, Dragon Promotions, the Reno Open, the APA, TAP,  BCAPL, USAPL and all of the other leagues and tournament promoters are the fulcrum on which our sport is supported. Most of these folks have events that you can play in. The leagues let you play all the time.

Let others lament that General Motors does not host a million-dollar tournament. Those laments do nothing to grow the sport. But you can by just participating in the tours and tournaments and leagues that are available to you in your local area. It cost very little to play and there is no doubt that your participation makes the game more appealing to those sponsors who may come into the fray in the future.

If you live in the Southeast you can begin by playing in Cape Coral and showing the Seminoles that what they do is important to you. Besides, if you are at Diamond Billiards that weekend no one can ask you to fade the heat and mow the lawn.