The Last Rack
In 2002, I played in the U.S. Amateur Pool Tournament in Laurel, Maryland. To get there, I had to be one of the top players in the APA league and one of two winners from a qualifying tournament. Denver was one of only twelve cities in the country to host a qualifier, and ours was held at Shakespeare's pool hall.
The same pool hall I played in after getting laid off from Spiremedia.
The same one, only a few miles from my house.
This tournament would be my last hurrah with pool. I didn't know it yet, but Laurel would be the end.
Up to that point, pool wasn't just something I did — it was something I was. It was baked into me, a family pastime passed down through generations. I watched and played pool with my father, my grandfather, and even my great-grandfather.
This became a chapter in 9 Lives & Counting — out December 2026.
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