We're back to start the regular Tournament season, and what better way to do that than with the individual trials known as Qualifiers. All players will participate in eight events, battling for seeding, and this year, there's a benefit. The top 4 players on each cue receive a bye in the first round of the once again one-tiered Tournament. We'll do each set of players in groups of five for easier reading. We begin today with...
Fluffina, the centerpiece of a big trade, as she debuts in 7-ball for the Infinity Torpedoes. Fluffina started with a pair of balls on the break with the silver cue, and then she made another four before needing three shots to pot the 7. She ended with a score of 7 and no errors. Next, the sophomore from the Atlantic Pirates, Isabella, shoots with the red cue. Isabella did not do as well, getting one ball on the break but struggling to find her shot for the game. She had one error for missed contact and closed the game out in 14 shots. Going third, the Terrace City Knights veteran Oreo will also use the red cue. Oreo didn't pot a ball on her break, and she had an early error for missed contact, but she left the 7 in an easy position and closed the game in 12 shots on a 6-7 combination to the top right. The first rookie to debut goes fourth, as Briana Livilotti of the Queens Flames takes on 7-ball with the red cue as well. Briana had an excellent debut, failing to make anything on the break but picking the rack clean in 9 shots with no errors to make the right first impression. Rounding out the group, the Todavía Stills' Bells starts her campaign with the silver cue. Bells settled in nicely despite the empty break in her game. Bells made her shots well late in the game with nice cuts, and finished on 12 shots with no errors.
Group two sees the red cue come back into action as the Everton Eagles' Kirstin begins a new year. Kirstin made quick work of her appearance, getting nothing on the break but making the 7 on a deflection off the 1 just 2 shots in. Kirstin took no errors in the quick game. Dani, now with the Viewpoint Sound Meteors, is the next player drawn, and she plays her 7-ball with the silver cue this year. Dani pulled off the first break shot finish in Qualifiers this year, hammering the 7 into the bottom side to score 0 shots officially with no errors. The reigning MVP, the Everton Eagles' Blizzard, steps up next to shoot 7-ball with the silver cue. The games continue to be fast and furious, as Blizzard went empty on the break but managed to double-kiss the 1-7 combination into the bottom left to finish in 2 shots with no errors. Going ninth on opening day is Sugar, who opens her second stint with the Web City Spiders in 7-ball with the silver cue. The good fortune the league enjoyed ran out with Sugar, who stayed calm amid an awful performance of 19 shots, one error, and an empty break from the start. The batch ends with a rookie, the Commerce Tradewinds' Rosemary, who will give the blue cue its first action in 7-ball. Rosemary was slow to start, but opened up later, and despite her one error on a scratch, she ended with a solid 12 shots for her debut.
Leading off group three, the Oceanside Waves rookie Josie keeps the blue cue at the table for 7-ball in her career debut. Josie made a ball on the break, but she didn't get great shots for the rest of the game, with one error and 11 shots to her credit this time. The Victoria Spurs captain Spice gets the next game, also using the blue cue in 7-ball. Spice played well given the brutal distribution from her break. She took no errors on the turn, remarkable amid the 14 shots she needed to clear the table in a difficult turn. The legendary Everton Eagles captain Goldy plays the 13th game today, shooting her 7-ball with the blue cue as well. Goldy had some dynamic shots, but also suffered some bad leaves after an empty break. Goldy would take three errors, including two on an illegal contact and scratch on the same shot, and she ended at 14 shots for the game. Sparkles follows her mother, making her Golden Pilots debut in 7-ball with the blue cue. Sparkles had a highly favorable distribution after making the 4 on the break, and she needed just 7 more shots to clear the table in an error-free performance. The Archtown Arrows veteran Dusky wraps up this group, debuting for the year with the silver cue. Dusky made a ball on the break, getting the 4 in the top right, and while she had an early error on a scratch, she settled in to finish with 9 shots in a positive outing.
The fourth batch starts with Jack, the first returning player to debut, as he represents the Web City Spiders while shooting 7-ball with the red cue. Jack made two balls from the break, and started off pretty well. He slowed down late in the game but still finished with 8 shots and no errors. A highly anticipated debut is next, as the Victoria Spurs rookie Sage uses the silver cue for 7-ball. Sage did excellently, making a pair of balls on the break and never missing a shot in the game. Sage took no errors and finished with 5 shots to her name. The Harrison Specters veteran Lexi Woode steps in to shoot 7-ball with the red cue next. Lexi made a ball on the break but also scratched for her only error of the game. She would work quickly after this, making all of her shots to end at a score of 7 for her seasonal debut. Sparkles returns for the first game of 8-ball, under revised rules that require runs to be shot in-suit. The Pilots newcomer uses the silver cue in this event. Sparkles did wonderfully, making a ball on the break and closing out the appearance in 18 shots without an error. The group ends with the Capital City Sharpshooters rookie Pauline, of the Mario Universe, debuting in 7-ball with the silver cue. Pauline's debut was quite forgettable, as she made nothing on the break and struggled on the 2 until her first error. She would follow up quickly with a double-error, and she ended at 19 shots and three errors.
Opening for batch five is the Midland Predators captain Shawn, who plays 7-ball with the blue cue. Shawn managed to control his temper as he struggled through an empty break and an error-free 18 shots in his first game of the year. Stinky of the Freedom Cascades was drawn 22nd for today, using the silver cue in 7-ball. Stinky had no trouble in his appearance, making two balls on the break and finishing the rest of the rack in 7 shots with no errors in a strong performance. Strawberry is next to play, also using the silver cue for 7-ball. Strawberry had a hot start with a ball on the break, and she got lucky early on, but the luck ran out when she had missed contact for her only error. Strawberry soon closed the game at 13 shots, a decent mark for the Spurs newcomer. Cobalt leads off his sophomore season with the Stonebridge Wolves using the silver cue in 7-ball. Cobalt didn't get anything on the break, and his first shot was a scratch, but he recovered as the game went on, ending with just one error among his 9 shots. Rounding out the group is the Web City Spiders veteran Shiny, who plays 7-ball with the blue cue. Shiny made a ball on the break, but the difficulty of making the 2 induced a scratch before she could get to a strong finish. She ended with 12 shots and just one error.
Shaggy gets group six going as she starts her second year with the Whitewater Shores by playing 7-ball with the silver cue. Shaggy had nothing on her break, and she took a scratch in the middle of the game, but she held on to score 11 shots with just one error. Gabe is called 27th to shoot today, and makes his return to the league and the Maplewood Lumberjacks by playing 7-ball with the red cue. Gabe did manage to make a ball on the break, although a tough distribution didn't make it any easier in the long run. He finished on 11 shots, but gets credit for staying error-free. Following that, the Commerce Tradewinds captain Tigerette debuts in 7-ball with the blue cue. Tigerette looked fearsome as always, cracking a ball in on the break and missing just once in her 7-shot game, while also taking no errors in the clean effort. Dustin, the Central Warriors superstar, gets the next game, playing 7-ball with the blue cue as well. Dustin had an impressive effort, making a ball on the break and shooting out of troublesome positions on half of his 8 shots. Even better, he avoided an error to show his true dominance in a spectacular first game for the veteran. This group closes with the Todavía Stills rookie Anton shooting 7-ball with the blue cue. Anton made two balls from the break, but slow play at the start and end of his turn led him to take 9 shots with no errors to complete the performance in strong form.
Leading off for group seven is the Central Warriors captain Twilight, who has the red cue in hand for 7-ball. Twilight had nothing on her break, and she struggled to get clear shots, taking two errors amid her 15 shots in poor debut for the year. Going next, the Pacific Volcanoes' Leonette brings the blue cue back for her 7-ball game. Leonette had a disastrous effort to start, taking four errors before potting the 1. Leonette would end with 21 shots in a hot finish, but the arctic start puts her deep in last place. Bandit will try to break the funk in his sophomore year debut for the Swordpoint Blades using the blue cue for 7-ball. Bandit shared in some of the frustrations, as he took two errors, but his shooting was much crisper, and he finished the game with 11 shots in a decent outing. Bandit's Blades teammate and captain Snowball is next up, using the silver cue for her season debut. Snowball couldn't break the break shot funk of this group, but she did show some skill in making early shots before a late fade to 11 shots total, with no errors. The Archtown Arrows veteran Sally closes this group with her 7-ball game, using the blue cue. Sally wasted a good start despite an empty break, taking a penalty for an error after putting herself in an impossible shooting position behind the 5. Sally closed the game out on 12 shots, a good mark given the early trouble.
The eighth group starts with the reigning Rookie of the Year, the Queens Flames' Violetta, shooting 7-ball with the blue cue to open her sophomore campaign. Violetta was going to complain about a bad break, but it led her to make the 1-6-7 combination to the top right, ending her game in 1 shot with no errors. Shelley returns to action for the Infinity Torpedoes as the 37th shooter today, using the red cue for 7-ball. Shelley nearly made a ball on the break, but she was smart with her shots throughout the game, finishing with 12 of them and no errors to add up. Missy gets the next game of 7-ball, as the Capital City Sharpshooters veteran brings the blue cue back to action. Missy also went empty on the break, but had two strong bursts of play to sandwich a scratch for her lone error in the 12-shot effort she put forward. Following that, Max makes his Atlantic Pirates debut with the red cue in 7-ball. Max brought some excitement to the game, making two balls on the break and ending early with a 5-7 combination to the top right to seal his performance at 4 shots and no errors, a great debut with the new team. Blizzard will end the group with her 8-ball game, using the silver cue. Blizzard couldn't make a ball on the break, but a couple of big runs in the middle helped her keep the score reasonable. She took no errors among her 21 shots, a solid performance from the Eagles' reigning MVP.
The ninth batch begins as Brownie starts her second year with the Tysini Hummingbirds using the silver cue for 7-ball. Brownie was cautiously excited when the 1 fell in the bottom side off the break, then unabashedly jubilant as the 7 also dropped in the top left for a score of 0 shots and no errors. Noelle will have quite the challenge living up to the previous game in her return to the league for the Central Warriors, using the red cue for 7-ball. She didn't match it, but Noelle made a ball on the break and stayed error-free in 8 shots for a strong performance in her own right. Going 43rd in the order today is the Southridge Defenders captain Debby Ryan, who will keep the red cue at the table for her 7-ball game. Debby didn't make a ball on the break, but she excelled in getting good positioning for herself, taking a game that could have gotten ugly and ending it in 9 shots with no errors. Dusky returns to action for the Arrows with her 8-ball game, using the silver cue. Dusky started off alright, but accrued three errors before illegally sinking the 8 to take another five penalty strokes on her score. She ended on 30 shots with eight errors in the poor outing for the veteran. Wrapping up the group, Twilight takes her crack at 8-ball, using the blue cue. Twilight looked incredibly comfortable, from potting two balls on the break to a long early run and an error-free finish in 17 shots at the end for a much better second game.
The final group gets going as the Pacific Volcanoes' Chicky Phil steps in for 7-ball with the blue cue. Chicky Phil couldn't get anything on the break and also took an early error for missed contact on a masse attempt, but he finished at 10 shots and just the one error in a good outing. A strong rookie last year, Spot hopes to grow even more for the Pronger Tridents as he leads off his sophomore campaign with the blue cue in 7-ball. All in attendance agreed that mission was accomplished as he simultaneously potted the 2 in the bottom side, the 5 in the bottom right, and the 7 in the top left on the break for a score of 0 shots and no errors. Terrace City Knights rookie Melissa Benoist debuts next, keeping the blue cue in action for 7-ball. Melissa couldn't squeeze anything out of the break, and despite a strong first two shots, she would err twice in the game, ending on 12 shots in total. The 49th player drawn today is Shaggy, as the Shores veteran returns for 8-ball with the red cue. Shaggy didn't get anything on the break, but her early runs were good and she was able to avoid any errors in 21 shots as she wrapped up a solid performance. Slinks, the Westside Rockers veteran, closes out the day with 7-ball and the silver cue. Slinks made a ball on the break and missed just once after that, ending with 7 shots and no errors in a well-played finale to the season's opening day.
As for pacing, we should play 40-50 games a day 5-6 days a week. I anticipate that this will take 29-36 game days to complete the 1440 games, and with rest factored in, I expect completion around the new year.
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