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"I
started playing Air Hockey in local tournaments in my hometown of Antioch,
CA. We usually had about 8-12
people participating and I was fortunate enough to win
an events which "sent me" to my first National
competition. The owner of the establishment [Golf
'N' Games] directed me and my friend Joe Cain (another current
California Professional) to attend the 1991 USAA sanctioned event --
the Nationals in San Jose at Keystone Entertainment Center.
I quickly
realized that I was no match for the
extremely talented players who
demonstrated control, power, endurance,
agility and accuracy.
In 1994, I began to participate in
weekly professional tournaments held at Keystone
in Santa Clara. Although I lived
two hours away in Sacramento, I rarely
missed an event. I knew that the
best players in the State would all be
there to challenge my skills and improve
my game.
During a
National tournament in Houston, I was
again amazed at the level of play.
In Texas, there is a much larger number of extremely talented players. When I
left (defeated), I
again knew that I needed to crank up my
skills to "the next level".
In the 1998 Nationals which
were held at Santa Cruz, CA, I reached a personal goal
of finishing in the top 30. A relatively simple
goal, but still a "met" goal. I was
eliminated by #2 Wil Upchurch (4-1) and #8 Phil Arnold
(4-2). It was at that tournament which I felt much
closer to reaching the level of skill that I wanted.
Since then,
I've endured heavy practice sessions,
weekly tournaments and long challenge
matches.
I currently run this
Nationally based Air Hockey website called
simply: "AHN" which is an acronym for
"Air Hockey News". Initially, it was
here that I wanted California players to learn about
what's going on in Air Hockey news, know where they
stand as individuals and as a team and see how the
sport is growing in our wonderful state. The
site expanded in November, 2000 to accommodate a more
National flavor.
I tend to get
involved heavily with the sport and speak
with players across the country on a
regular basis. We share advice and
continue to grow our skills. I've
learned to play hard, play serious, stay
focused and strain to score every point
on every shot -- or capture the puck when
my opponent is attempting to do the
same. My drive is charged with
experience, passion, adrenaline and the
desire to learn from mistakes while
playing the best that I can.
Air Hockey is truly a strategic game, more so then a
"hit it and hope" game as a
casual on-looker may initially
perceive. My personal feeling is
that Air Hockey is a combination of
speed, accuracy, deceptiveness,
intuitiveness, sheer control and a solid
trust in one's own abilities. At
the same time, it can be 100%
entertainment."
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