New Start



The beginning of January is full of resolutions and promises to self to make a new start, to do more of the right stuff and less of the naughty stuff (or in my case, in case Her Ladyship Indoors is reading,no naughty stuff at all.....and to do more stuff around the house).

I get bored with the whole new year resolutions thing.  I set off with only a bit of tepid enthusiasm on New Year's Day and have broken most of them that very evening, never to resume giving them any attention again.  Hence why I still can be described as....ahem....portly.  But 2016 looks set to be a big year for my game of pool, so I am going to have to focus.

Firstly, I was hugely relieved to have come through the rankings in 2015 to make the national squad and be invited to play in this year's international tournaments.  It was a tough call because I missed a number of games during the summer months when I was away spending time with family and supporting my wonderful Mum who was diagnosed with cancer.  The catch up was hard.  Not only was I terribly out of practice, but I returned to the rankings at a time when everyone else was playing hard and determined to get through.  I scraped it, but I'm there.



Which means that in 2016, I feel obliged as well as determined to work my hardest to make every shot count.  In April, I will be playing in the European Championship, then the World Cup in the autumn and finally later in the year, in the Nations Cup.  I know from 2015 that the standard is extremely high.  So if there's just one thing that I do this year, it will be practice, practice, practice.

But pool isn't just about me.  It is above all, a sociable sport, a game that draws in players, entertains them, teaches them new skills and creates a forum for making friends.  There are few better ways of lifting your spirits than taking part in the banter around a table during friendly practice matches. So I want to use this year to introduce at least one person to the sport.  Just one person who will discover a game that they enjoy and a community of players who will soon become friends.

Photo "Ball and snooker player" by Toa55 courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Just one last thing.  I love playing pool.  I want to play at my best this year, and do my best for the Gibraltar National squad.  But my first love is snooker.  2016 will be the year I return to playing that game too.  I've had a small taster this month already.  I had almost forgotten the thrill of the challenge.  Not too many more days will pass before I pay my joining fee and take on those tables.  Now that will be an interesting resolution to keep.

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