OK! Now What?!?

Recently I joined the American Pool Association, or otherwise known as the APA. The first connection with that anagram was three very different words. I had to pay an annual membership fee and I pay table fees every time I play. Currently we play once a week, and if I add everything up for a year it would still be cheaper than the Daredevil #1 in a 3.5 I bought. I have played pool since I was a teenager and have only now realized I wasn?t playing so much as I was hitting balls (when in doubt, shoot them about).

In my first two matches, I lost. I didn?t even win a game (5 total). My third match, in my third week only consisted of two games. I won both, the first one because I sunk the eight ball and the other because my opponent scratched going for the eight. I didn?t care, a win is a win. This group took me in knowing that I?m not that good and still made me part of their team and being a team player means sacrifice. It might mean not being able to hang out with my best friends to watch a television show. It might mean spending more money at a pool hall practicing rather than using it to bid on a comic book. It might mean not going to Wizard World 2011 so I can go to the City Championship?

Wait a second? Did my team Captain actually tell me that the championship will be on Father?s Day weekend? The same weekend as the convention I have been going to since 2007. Yes he did. So what now? How do I take a love from childhood and sweep it aside for something I only just joined? Ok, I am making this more dramatic than it is. I am a team player and being such I won?t let them down, at least by not showing up I won?t. I will be there, but I can?t help if I lose. This of course poses a dilemma on how I can do both. I want to play pool, I do, but I need to get Comic Books.

On the first day (Friday), the tournament doesn?t start till seven so at least on that day I can do both. Saturday I can only shoot pool because it goes all day. If we lose Saturday, there is no Sunday and I can go to the comic book show, but if we win (when we win) then we play Sunday and a chance to advance to nationals, all I have to do is skip the biggest convention in the Philadelphia area?.oh and win.

Thanks for reading

Tnerb