There was plenty of drama to be had in the final match of the So Cal Ladies 9-Ball Tour 2010 season. Hiroko Makiyama, a local player well-known in the So Cal pool community, was facing Melissa Morris, a WPBA player well-known across the country. Hiroko was in the hot-seat…having defeated a run of great players…including Melissa in the 2nd round, and Stacy Novack, another WPBA player and winner of the previous 2 SCL9T tournament, for the hot-seat. In previous events, Hiroko’s highest finish was 4th place…so she was already showing considerable improvement with a guaranteed 2nd place finish in her future.
The semi-final match was a rematch of the final matches from the previous 2 SCL9T events. Stacy Novack, who held the overall points lead going into this event, and Melissa Morris, who was only 10 points behind in 2nd place. Stacy had bested Melissa in both those matches…but the Tour Champion title was up for grabs if Melissa could find a win against Stacy this time. Melissa had already played 5 matches on the one-loss side…so was geared up and ready to go. On the flip side, Stacy seemed tired and not at all focused. Her consistent play deserted her…and she left Melissa enough opportunities to win the match and claim the Tour Champion title.
Melissa had one more match to go in order to capture her first SCL9T win. But she had Hiroko standing in her way…and Hiroko had already beaten her earlier in the tournament. The first 3 games of the final race-to-9 were all Hiroko. It looked like the long day was starting to take its toll on Melissa…and Hiroko looked strong and confident. But a couple of missed balls and position errors let Melissa creep back into the match…and the score was tied 3-to-3 in no time.
At that point…the momentum shifted completely to Melissa. She woke up and started to play with complete confidence. Soon the score was 8-4 in Melissa’s favor…and all Hiroko could do was sit back and hope for any opportunity to try and mount a comeback.
That opportunity came at 8-4…when a poolplayer’s worst nightmare came true for Melissa. Before she broke the 13th rack, she realized that the ferrule on her playing cue was cracked and that the tip was close to coming off. She made the decision to switch shafts…and it was a decision that ultimately cost her the tournament.
At 8-4, Melissa had a chance to run out and win the set and the tournament. However, she never looked comfortable over the balls…and she missed late in the rack. Hiroko ran out to make it 8-5. Hiroko broke the 14th rack, pocketed a ball and had a runnable table. She ran 7 balls…then missed the 9-ball but left Melissa a tough shot. Still uncomfortable with the replacement shaft…Melissa missed the 9-ball to give Hiroko another game and bring the score to 8-6.
Here is where it got really exciting. In the 15th rack, the 2 players had a small safety battle on the early balls…and when Hiroko finally got a good shot at the 4 ball, she fired a bank into the side pocket and ran out to get herself only 2 games away from a victory.
More safeties ensued in the 16th rack…and everyone is the room was sweating the action. Hiroko played a terrific safety on the 7-ball and it seemed pretty obvious we were about to go hill-hill until Melissa made a phenomenal kick on the 7-ball and sliced it all the way up the side rail, past the side pocket and into the corner. Unfortunately…she wasn’t rewarded with an easy 8-ball shot. After a few minutes of contemplation, Melissa chose to try and thinly slice the 8-ball…a shot that she clearly wasn’t comfortable with…instead of opting for a relatively easy safety with the bridge. She missed…and Hiroko came with a long table cut on the 8-ball to make the match hill-hill.
Like the rest of match, the hill-hill game had plenty of drama. It looked like Hiroko was going to run out the match, but a surprising miss on an easy 5-ball made all the spectators gasp. She got a good roll and left Melissa without a way to pocket the 5-ball. Her only option was a pretty routine carom on the 6-ball…but she didn’t seem to see it. After a few moments consideration, Melissa jokingly asked if someone could coach her on the shot. She then took the bridge and attempted the carom…but missed it and left Hiroko an opportunity to play safe. Hiroko’s safety left Melissa hooked, but she put the 5-ball near the corner pocket. Melissa kicked one rail and came so close to making the ball that the 5-ball literally hung in the pocket. Hiroko then pocketed the final 3 balls to capture her first women’s tournament title ever!
Congrats to both players for a finely played finale!!!
As always, the SCL9T would like to acknowledge and thank our wonderful sponsors. Tiger Products, Pooldawg, and Delta-13 have all been wonderful in their generosity and support. I could not have made this happen without their help, so I give them big props for their commitment to the pool community. Another big thank you to Ned Morris of Morris Custom Cues who donated additional raffle prizes for the last 2 events.
Thanks also to Andy Chen for providing such a quality live stream for the SCL9T events. He is a pleasure to work with…and I am looking forward to implementing some of his exciting new ideas for next season.
A big, big thank you to On Cue Billiards. The staff was friendly and accommodating and absolutely phenomenal in helping me with whatever I needed throughout the event. The owner has already agreed to a 2011 event…so we will be back next year for sure!!!!
And finally…I would like to thank Jeannie Oshima for arranging to bring some local Marines from the nearby Miramar base. They came out to support the ladies…and the ladies treated them to some challenge matches and some mini-lessons in their down time between matches. It was a great experience for all involved…and Jeannie is the great lady that made it happen.
Here’s looking forward to a bigger and better 2011.
News
World famous Hard Times Billiards in Bellflower, CA was the venue for the most recent SCL9T event, Sept 18-19. Attendance was lighter than normal with the US Amateur Qualifier drawing several ladies away from the SCL9T tournament, but there were still 26 ladies who came out to play.
Some notable names in the field were Tina Pawloski – winner of the inaugural SCL9T event in April, Melissa Morris – WPBA Exempt player, Stacy Novack – WPBA player, and Emilyn Callado – one of the top players from the WCWRT.
Melissa Morris came out strong on Saturday...never allowing an opponent to get past 3 games on her march to the winners-side quarter final. By the end of play on Saturday, Melissa and 3 others – Jenny Lee, Stacy Novack and Hiroko Makiyama – were still undefeated. And the 4 players who were still alive in the one-loss bracket were Lauren Ward, Emilyn Callado, Jauslinn Arnold, and Vicki Wade.
On Sunday, the matches resumed at noon…but missing one player from the one-loss bracket. Unfortunately, Emilyn Callado had received a call from her family late Saturday night and had to return home to San Francisco to deal with a family crisis. The other players were clearly disappointed for her and kept her and the whole Callado family in their thoughts for the day.
In the one-loss bracket, newcomer Jauslinn Arnold fro Bakersfield defeated Vicki Wade. Vicki had a big win on Saturday night over Tina Pawloski…so she was a little disappointed that she couldn’t keep the winning streak alive. She finished tied for 7th/8th….an improvement over her 9th place finish at the Mr. Pockets event in April.
On the winners side, Stacy Novack defeated Hiroko Makiyama in a tight battle, while Melissa Morris continued her strong winning streak with a 7-3 win over Jenny Lee. Then Stacy and Melissa battled it out for the hot seat…with Melissa emerging victorious…again with a 7-3 win.
While Melissa cooled her heels waiting for the finals…Jenny quickly and neatly disposed of Jauslinn, while Lauren and Hiroko fought a tooth-and-nail battle to decide who would stay and who would go home. Once again, Lauren came out on top…extending her streak on the one-loss side to six straight matches won. But her streak would end there as she was not so fortunate in her next match against Jenny in the one-loss semi-final bracket.
So…the one-loss finals was set…with Stacy Novack and Jenny Lee set to duke it out. Both players were tired…but Stacy seemed to have a little bit more in the tank than Jenny. She took advantages of several of Jenny’s errors to take an early lead…and she never looked back. Jenny couldn’t seem to get things rolling…but was in good spirits throughout the match, often joking with the commentators and the live stream camera.
Stacy’s victory set her up for a rematch with Melissa Morris in the single race-to-9 finals. Melissa’s long wait for an opponent seemed to have cost her some momentum, while Stacy was in cruise control from her previous two matches. Both players had some terrific moments, but Stacy played a more consistent match and took the win and the cash with a 9-5 victory.
The SCL9T would like to thank our title sponsor, Tiger Products, for providing a brand-new Icebreaker cue to raffle…and for their support this year. We would also like to thank our host venue, Hard Times…and our associate sponsor Pooldawg.
Photos of Frank the Pooldawg hanging with the players can be found in the gallery section of the SCL9T website.
Thirty-two women descended upon Mr. Pockets Sports Bar in beautiful, sunny Manhattan Beach, CA this weekend for the inaugural event of the Tiger Southern California Ladies 9-Ball Tour event. Melissa Herndon, a professional player on the WPBA and a long time supporter of women’s pool, started the SCL9T tour to fill a gap in women’s pool in southern California and to provide an outlet for the vast talent in the region. A very successful first event with a great turnout and $700 first prize!
Tina Pawloski from San Diego would remain undefeated for this event, winning over Lauren Ward from Los Angeles in the hot-seat match and the race-to-9 final match. No stranger to the finals, Tina was overheard to say that she was happy to finally take another first place after so many second place finishes at the USBTC and the BCA Masters last year. Her stellar play throughout the event was admired by many of girls ...and she is definitely an inspiration to up-and-coming players and the members who had only experienced APA or BCA league play previously.
Lauren posted wins over such notable players such as professional player Melissa Morris, Stefanie Boch, who came out of semi retirement to place a very respectable third place, and Emilyn Callado, a rising young talent from Daly City. Lauren said that she ran out of gas a little in the finals…but she was quite happy with her play throughout the tournament. She took home a sizeable $470 second place prize.
Thanks to Tiger Products for signing on as title sponsor of the SCL9T tour. They provided an Icebreaker jump/break cue for raffle…and part of the money raised was used to extend the payouts from 1/4 of the field to 3/8 of the field…and to slightly pump up the payouts at each level. Thanks also to PoolDawg.com for stepping up to support and sponsor this tour. Both Pooldawg and Tiger provided some goodies that went into welcome bags for all the players in the event…which really made the event special to the ladies who had never played in a big event before.
Ten players returned on Sunday for the second chance tournament which featured a round robin format race-to 2 for a $10 buy-in.
Lila Woodland went undefeated throughout the whole round robin...and she got $60 for her efforts. Nellie Del Rosario won 6 matches, and got $30 for 2nd place. Rachel Dickenson and Lisa Gonzalez tied for 3rd with 5 wins, each getting their $10 back.
Many thanks also to Andy Chen who provided the live stream, to the wonderful staff of Mr. Pockets, and to all the fans and supporters who stopped by the event or watched the live stream.
Click the link to watch the live streaming of the first SCL9T event of the year! Streaming will begin at 10:30 am on Saturday, April 17th.
Pro pool player Melissa Herndon thinks both on and off the pool table.
By JORDAN IKEDA
Rafu Sports Editor
Billiards, more commonly called pool, has remained a sort of outcast activity, more game than sport, moving around the edges of cultural acceptance and never quite finding a broad pocket to call home. Thanks to movies like “The Hustler” and “The Color of Money,” pool has become synonymous with gambling and the shady dealings that go down in smoked-filled bars where people drink and play cards. Yes, it emotes the essence of “cool,” but it has yet to tap into the mainstream sports world.
Even cards, thanks to ESPN’s coverage of the World Series of Poker, has emerged as a viable “sport,” while billiards, an activity that includes balls and sticks and, you know, activity, remains in the shadows.
One player, Melissa Herndon, has been working to change these misconceptions and shed light on the sport she loves by using billiards not only as an outlet for her competitive juices, but as a means for outreach and giving back.
Herndon, who is half Japanese, has been playing pool since she was 18 when she accompanied her father to the local poolroom.
“Basically,” she explained to the Rafu Shimpo with a laugh, “there was a really cute guy so I kept going back to look at him.”
In addition to the eye candy, she also began to pick up the nuances of billiards and was told she had a natural talent for it. A few years later, Herndon met a really good player, started dating him and transformed her game. She won her first amateur qualifier in 1999 and played in her first pro event, the Los Angeles Classic, a year later. Her career accomplishments include winning the 2002 BCA Open and twice representing the United States at the World Championships in Austria and Taiwan.
“Pool in Europe and Asia is different then here in the States,” Herndon said. “A lot of European countries pay to train their athletes. They have coaches. In Asia you are a superstar—mostly in Taiwan and Korea and a little bit in Japan. In Taiwan, they even know the American players because the WPBA gives their broadcast to international stations to play. We had people run up to us and ask for our autographs. In the U.S., nobody knows who I am.”
To be fair, pool hall junkies and watchers of ESPN2 most likely know Herndon, as do hundreds of under-21-year-old troops down at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.
Despite bearing the nickname “the Dragon Lady,” her present actions are far removed from the impetuous and easily frustrated player that birthed the stereotypical moniker during her younger playing days.
For the past three years, Herndon and Jeanette Lee (the “Black Widow,” who according to a recent Sports Illustrated article, is the most recognizable pool player in the world) along with several of the other top WPBA players have been going down to the base at Miramar to hang out and play pool with the troops.
“We shoot pool, take photos,” Herndon said. “Some of the girls put on trick shot exhibitions. We just keep going back. It’s really a lot of fun and they’re really appreciative.”
The now annual visits to the base were a direct result of the San Diego Classic held at the Viejas Casino in Alpine, CA. Since being elected three years ago, WPBA President John Rousseau began purchasing tickets for the troops—a nice gesture for sure, but one not completely thought out since over half of the troops stationed at Miramar are under 21, thus not allowed into the casino.
When Lee and the other players heard that the troops wanted to meet them, they went down to the base. They’ve been going back ever since. Herndon, in particular, has a longstanding passion for military men. After all, her grandfather, who was a naval officer situated in Japan, found her abandoned Japanese mother outside of a U.S. Naval bar, adopted her and brought her back to the States. Herndon even had a military pen pal who was an avid pool player who shipped out to Iraq a few years ago.
“My grandfather was in the Navy, my uncle too,” Herndon said. “I find what they do so unbelievably brave and heroic so anything I can do to help, I do.”
This week, beginning Thursday at the Viejas Casino, the San Diego Classic, for the 14th year, will feature 64 of the world’s top pool players competing in head-to-head matchups. Women from Norway, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines will join Herndon, Lee and several other American stars to see who can last until the semis and finals, both of which will be broadcast on ESPN.
“It’s one of my favorite tournaments,” said Herndon. “Being from Southern California, the fans are really behind me. When I’m here, I get a lot of love and support and cheering. It’s one of my absolutely favorite events.”
Perception is all in the mind and can be changed through a variety of means. Herndon has gone from the Dragon Lady to a top-50 pool player and a woman who is very conscious of the positive impact she and the sport she loves can have on others.
“There’s just something about [pool],” she said. “It’s zen for me. It’s me versus the table. It’s like a logic problem to figure out. There are times when it is very simple and then there are times when you really have to play strategically. Offense. Defense. It’s hard to explain, but I feel very calm on the table—nowadays anyway…”
- RAFU.com
