2017 Qualifiers - Day 8

We're jetting through qualifiers at a good pace, and today will see us shoot some morning games too. We begin the short morning with...

Twilight of the Central Warriors playing 12-ball with the silver cue to lead off the first group. Twilight had a ball on her break, but that caused more harm than help, as she couldn't spread her shots well and needed 28 shots with three errors to complete the appearance after numerous set-up attempts. Next up, Lionel of the Commerce Tradewinds shoots 10-ball with the red cue. Lionel had a good game, going empty on his break by a slim margin and taking one error over 17 shots in a dominant shooting display. The third player called to shoot today is Hoppy, the Southern Monarchs rookie, who will use the silver cue to play her 10-ball game. Hoppy looked confident in this game, not quite making anything on an iffy break and taking an early error for a scratch, but she settled in and scored 17 in the end with effective shooting and a highlight double deflection of the 5 off the 8 and 9 from a kick to the bottom side. Todavía Stills captain Easter gets the next game, using the red cue for 9-ball in this appearance. Easter made a rare three balls on the break and still managed to take an error in her shooting, but closed with 8 shots on a 4-9 combination to the top right to end the remarkable game. Closing out the group, Easter will shoot again, playing 10-ball with the blue cue. Easter couldn't quite make any magic for this game, ending with 20 shots after an empty break, but she had no errors for the appearance.

Group two leads off the afternoon, and it's headed by the sixth shooter of the day, Swordpoint Blades captain Snowball, who will set the new speed pace with her 15-ball game with the red cue. Snowball had a highlight mid-game, making the 4 and 9 to the top right and the 10 to the bottom right for the triple-pot. Snowball ended with only one error, a scratch, and 19 shots after pinching the 15 on a combination with the 7 at the bottom right. The next game belongs to Shiny of the Web City Spiders, who will use the red cue for 9-ball. Shiny had some tough angles for her shots, and a lot of balls were pinned on the right rail, leading to her only error after an empty break. Shiny finished the game with 17 shots. Following that, Violetta, the Queens Flames rookie, shoots 10-ball with the silver cue. Violetta had some struggles in this appearance, requiring two errors and 19 total shots to finish the game. Freedom Cascades captain Jasmine shoots next, keeping the silver cue at the table for more 10-ball. Jasmine took 18 shots for the game, as well as one error after making a ball on the break for a reasonably strong game. The group ends with Shadow, the Web City Spiders captain, keeping the 10-ball run alive as he'll shoot it with the blue cue. Shadow made a ball on the break but also took two errors to preserve the position of his shots on the table, which sufficed for him to close with 17 shots total.

The third batch kicks off with Nicole of the Capital City Sharpshooters making her second appearance with the team, playing 8-ball with the silver cue. Nicole had a rough break that saw very little scatter, but she calibrated a shot in tight space and went for 19 shots with no errors in the game. Debby Ryan, the Southridge Defenders captain, makes her season debut with the blue cue in 7-ball for the next game, officially restoring her to full playing status in the league. Debby had a ball on the break and needed just 10 shots without an error to finish the appearance in good shape. Next up is Shawn, the Midland Predators captain, shooting 8-ball with the red cue in his second game for the team. Shawn couldn't quite get anything on his break shot, but he did finish the game error-free and in a mark-tying 15 shots. The fourteenth player drawn today is Ice Cream, the Commerce Tradewinds veteran, shooting 12-ball with the red cue in this appearance. Ice Cream got worse in this appearance, needing 30 shots despite making a ball on the break, as she took one error and was generally unable to multi-task with her very difficult shots. Ending the batch, Shannon, the Southern Monarchs veteran, shoots 12-ball with the silver cue. Shannon played very well, getting a good break with one ball scored from that, and she had just one error in 18 shots as she quickly navigated the rack for an impressive outing.

Batch four gets going with a game of 15-ball for Paps, who shoots with the silver cue as he rejoins the speed pace. Paps again had a tough game, but better than his more recent effort, as he took 30 shots with four errors after going empty on the break to complete the last hard game of his qualifying season. Moving along, Viewpoint Sound Meteor newcomer Dominic shoots 9-ball with the red cue. Dominic did make a ball on the break, and he charged through the game early on, but his late struggles, including an error, pushed him to take 15 shots to finish the appearance. Mario, the Central Warriors rookie, plays the next game, using the silver cue for 8-ball. Mario got through his game well, going empty on his break but then taking no errors and clearing the table in 19 shots, a very strong outing from the rookie. The nineteenth player called today is Delila, the Atlantic Pirates captain, who will also use the silver cue for 8-ball. Delila had nothing on her break, and she took a late error with the hopes of setting up her last two shots well, but it went awry, and she needed 22 shots with the single error to end the game. Rounding out this group, Viewpoint Sound Meteors rookie Nibbles shoots 8-ball with the red cue. It was another game with an empty break, a common theme today, but Nibbles did well to avoid any errors and finish with 19 shots in a strong outing for the rookie.

The fifth group opens with Dani of the Web City Spiders shooting 9-ball with the blue cue. Dani has played very impressively so far with her new team, as she completed this game with a ball on the break, two amazing kicks to avoid any errors, and just 11 shots in the end. The 22nd player drawn today is Patches, superstar captain of the Boston Swifts, shooting 12-ball with the blue cue. Patches did alright in this appearance, getting a ball on the break but making two simple errors during the turn, and she ultimately finished with 24 shots in a middling outing. The next game belongs to Easter, as the Stills captain is back in action for 12-ball, also using the blue cue. Easter tried the rarely-used behind the rack break, which did net a ball for her, but she struggled to corral the 12 at the end, avoiding taking an error but needing 26 shots to finish the game as she chased the shot to the top side. Continuing along, Leonette of the Pacific Volcanoes uses the blue cue in her game of 9-ball. Leonette didn't make a ball on the break, but it didn't slow her down, as she had no errors in the game and took only 10 shots before ending with the 9 in the top right after a deflected shot off the 7. The last player in the group is Spice, the Victoria Spurs captain, who shoots 9-ball with the red cue. Spice also had an empty break, and took two errors during the game, but still came out with a reasonable 16 shots for her score this time around.

Group six starts with Oceanside Waves rookie Dewey shooting 8-ball with the blue cue. Dewey couldn't pot a ball on the break, and he faltered a bit early before locking in to shoot 19 shots with no errors in a solid performance for his second career game. Princess, the Tysini Hummingbirds superstar captain, gets the next game, as she'll use the silver cue in her 9-ball qualifier. Princess required 18 shots with three errors after an empty break in her appearance, and the oddity of the tip of the silver cue coming partially apart during the game. Roxy will have to make do with the silver cue, as she'll be playing her 9-ball game with it, flaws and all. Roxy didn't have any difficulty with the shooting process, but she did take two errors after an empty break, and needed 17 shots in total to end the appearance. Next up, Jake of the Royal Crowns plays 8-ball with the red cue. Jake didn't seem doomed for a bad game until he got going in it, taking three errors and a massive 29 shots to complete a terrible outing after an empty break that didn't seem all that bad. Going 30th today, the last player before the mid-afternoon break is Panda, the Southern Monarchs captain, who uses the blue cue for 10-ball. Panda couldn't make anything on the break, and took three errors quite unexpectedly for illegally potted balls, but still closed with 17 shots with the productive errors he took.

After the break, the seventh group begins with the Crowns' Jake, who will play 9-ball with the blue cue. Jake needed 16 shots for the game, making a ball on the break and taking no errors in the process of shooting a slightly below-average score. Next up, the Spiders' Dani is back at the table to shoot 10-ball with the red cue. Dani did alright in her appearance, getting a ball on the break and needing 20 shots to finish the game, also taking one error for a late scratch as she faded from the pace established earlier in the event. Following that, Everton Eagles captain Goldy shoots 9-ball with the red cue. Goldy showed off her plethora of skill in the game, using fancy kicks and banks to keep an error-free outing after her empty break. Eventually, she lined up the 5-9 combination to the bottom left and sank it, scoring 13 shots for the game. The 34th player of the day is Leandra of the Tysini Hummingbirds, shooting 8-ball with the blue cue. Leandra narrowly missed potting a ball on the break, but she stayed calm, taking no errors in the game. She struggled in the middle with shot placement, which did cause her score to inflate to 22 shots. Ending the batch, Niki of the Eastside Sharks plays 8-ball with the red cue. Niki continued the trend of nose-diving for 8-ball scores, getting nothing on her break and committing two errors via scratches before finishing the difficult rack with 26 shots.

Batch eight is led by Taylor Swift of the Eastside Sharks, as the star player makes her season debut in 7-ball with the red cue. Taylor also went empty on her break, and she ended up with one late error for a scratch, giving her a total of 13 shots in a mediocre start to her qualifying season. Another debut comes next, as Bear, the Whitewater Shores captain, plays the last 7-ball game for the red cue to lead off his own season. Bear made his game count, failing to pot a ball on the break but then ending it at 2 shots with a 2-7 combination to the top left, taking no errors during the appearance. That's a tough act to follow, and it's up to Victoria Spurs rookie Wario to try by shooting 8-ball with the red cue. Wario came up empty on the break, a typical occurrence today, but rallied with a twelve-ball run before fading to 20 shots and no errors late in the game. The 39th player drawn to shoot today is Stealth of the Swordpoint Blades, who keeps the red cue at the table for more 8-ball. Stealth was very efficient in his game, taking a ball on the break and then finishing the game in only 16 shots, with no errors included due to his precision shots. Wrapping up the group, Watermelon, the Pearl Surfers co-captain, is the first to try the temporary fix for the silver cue, playing Rotation. This fix has the former shaft for the red cue that disintegrated at the screw-in part attached, with the hopes that it can hold shape well enough to act as a fix. Watermelon traded early luck, with nothing on the break but fairly favorable shooting positions, and received a tough ending, needing 29 shots and three errors to close out the appearance in still relatively good shape.

The ninth batch starts with Eastside Sharks captain Chelsea shooting 8-ball with the modified silver cue. Chelsea couldn't find any good fortune on her shot, needing 24 shots after an empty break to complete the game, although she took solace in recording no errors for the outing. Up next, Jennifer Livilotti of the Terrace City Knights plays her game of 9-ball with the red cue. Jennifer started the game very strong, not quite making a ball on the break, but the 4 slowed her down and she ended up at 16 shots with no errors in the end after chasing the 8 and the 9. The 43rd player to come to the table today is the Crowns' Jake, who returns to action to play 10-ball with the blue cue in this appearance. Jake looked very comfortable for this game, failing to pot a ball on the break and taking three errors as the sloppy side of scoring a strong 15. Moving along, Spirit, the Lighton Prestige star, shoots 9-ball with the silver cue. Spirit dominated her appearance, recovering from an empty break to conclude the game in 11 shots with no errors, picking her shots very efficiently. At the back of this group, Spirit's Prestige teammate Twinkie I keeps the silver cue at the table for 8-ball. Twinkie I had a very poor break with little shatter and no balls potted, and she had one error on missed contact, but she took only 19 shots for the game, a good score to close things out.

The final group gets going with Caitlin of the Oceanside Waves playing 9-ball with the blue cue. Caitlin had a rough outing this time, getting nothing on the break and committing one error on a late scratch, which caused her to falter to 17 shots to clear the table. The 47th player of the day is Wings of the Pearl Surfers, who will use the red cue for his 9-ball qualifier. Wings had two balls on the break and didn't take any errors in a fairly confident outing, as he needed an average 14 shots to clear the table once he got going. Going next, Prism of the Stonebridge Wolves shoots 9-ball with the red cue in her third appearance of her career. Prism went empty on her break, and she had a single error when she stuck herself in a bad position, but she managed to end the game on 14 shots, a reasonable score. Following that, Boston Swifts star Puff II shoots 8-ball with the blue cue. Puff II had a scratch around midway through the game, after getting no balls to fall on the break. She ultimately needed 23 shots to complete the game, an iffy outing for a player of her caliber. The day ends with Monarchs rookie Hoppy shooting 12-ball with the silver cue. Hoppy had a ball on the break, and shot fairly well during the game, but had two errors and needed 23 shots to complete the outing.

With the cue status as it currently is, I expect qualifiers will come under some fire for not being standardized this year. My apologies to players who have used the previous silver cue shaft that are feeling cheated currently, particularly in 8-ball, 9-ball, and 10-ball. I don't foresee this causing any unusual slowdown, and I'm exploring options for a permanent solution.