TCL's Faces in the Crowd

I recently wrote a blog mentioning J.D. Thompson and hinted that I would be writing about different players and Directors. This little write up is about a player...or 2, or 3..well actually it's going to mention several and I hope you all enjoy it!

The 1960's in America were known as one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. There were assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. The Vietnam War, Civil Rights protests and a Cuban Missile Crisis before ending the decade on a good note when the first man landed on the moon. It was also in the 60's that NOW was organized focusing on Women's rights and by the early 70's Title IX was passed. This forced all male schools to open their doors to women and athletic programs to sponsor and finance female sports. A long time pioneer and advocate for equality, Women's Tennis great Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match in 1973. At the age of 14, Nadia Comaneci was awarded the Olympic Games first perfect score in gymnastics on her way to 5 Gold Medals. Babe Didrikson was another athletic sports pioneer as were Nancy Leiberman, Wilma Rudolph and Althea Gibson. Just like all of these ladies, there are some women that play in TCL that have made and continue to make their marks in a sport that typically has more men players.

Starting with Christina Espinosa who has been TCL's Female Player of the Year a few times and with her unique style she is always one of the top players. Espinosa, who plays out of the East Dallas Region is one of very few players who throws from a bent over position. With her silky smooth delivery and super flat bag, she can almost always gets her low flying bag to find the hole. Following her outstanding performance at Signature 2 in Mesquite, you can certainly expect Espinosa to be one of the favorites in any event she enters.

Veronica Vinson is another standout female player who has had lots of success in her years playing in TCL. Vinson has been playing since around 2012 and when she is on, she's as tough as any one on the boards! A five time TCL Female Player of the Year winning four straight years from 2012-2015, Veronica is as cool as they come. In the heat of a match she seldom shows her intensity but trust me, the Kaufman resident is fierce! Vinson has been throwing well here of late and I expect her to continue to be a player to watch. 

One of the more impressive young players is Isabella Surprenant who at 14 years old became the youngest player to win a Signature Open Singles title. She also was the first female to do so and I don't see her slowing down any time soon. The Lawton Oklahoma native plays several nights a week and her arsenal of shots is a indication of just how much she plays. She has only been playing a short time but has developed a smooth right foot leading throw that can be lethal when she's at her best. Bella will be a tough out for anyone as I can only see her getting better and better.

There are several other ladies who have been playing in TCL and making names for themselves including Jesusa Rodriguez who can flat out put you in the truck! Taylor DeLeon, Betty Seymour, Leeanna Hartline, Toni Cranford, Amy Valdez and Brittney Arrington are all ladies who have been around for a few years who can prove to be hard outs at any time. Some of the newer players who are coming on are Jennifer Thompson, Megan Meaux, Desirae Cruz, Jodi Meredith, Vanessa Henderson and Cassie Kramer.

With the sport growing like it is, I expect more and more ladies to step up their games and become house hold names. I'm certain there are others that I failed to mention and I know there will continue to be new players rising up in the future. Keep throwing those 12's ladies!

Throw 'em straight y'all!

Texas ACE Signature Series #2 Recap - Mesquite

As I reflected on the Open Doubles final match, a phrase came to mind that was as fitting as it could be to describe the 4 players who were playing. The phrase "Long in the tooth" can often be related to the idea that someone is older or been around a while. Perhaps someone that is experienced in something. It also is an expression alluding to a horse's gums receding with age making the teeth appear to be longer. With TCL's ACE Signature Series event being held in Mesquite right next to the Mesquite Rodeo, I just had to use this phrase!  

Open Doubles has always been TCL's headlining event and typically the finalists are players who have been there a time or two. This time was different as Justin Fowler and Christina Espinosa defeated Chris Gardner and Jim Abdella to win their first Signature Open event. These are all really good players who haven been around for more than 8 or 9 years including Chris Gardner who I've heard rumors that he helped Noah with constructing the Ark!! Naw I'm kidding but Chris, Jim, Justin and Christina are seasoned veterans who put together some very impressive runs this weekend.

In getting to the finals, Gardner and Abdella beat Adam Utz and Matt Zonker in a hard fought opening round match then got past Grant Upchurch and Johnny Seymour. They went on to beat J.C. Nekuza and J.D. Thompson, Zeke Gutierrez and Zeke Sr., and Matt Ball and JR Reyes to get to the finals. They started out using Krakens bags but changed to the suddenly popular Yetis and what a run they went on winning most of those 2 out of 3 matches in just 2 games.

Fowler and Espinosa both haven't been at the top of their games the past year or so, but this weekend they simply were on another level. After winning their first two matches they ran into Ernest Herrera and Matt Longoria and lost to go to the losers bracket. That is when they decided to make a couple strategical changes which obviously helped as they went on one heckuva run. They beat Grant Upchurch and Johnny Seymour, Brandon Gregor and Daniel Vinson and redeemed themselves by beating Herrera and Longoria. Then they beat Matt Ball and JR. Reyes to get back to Abdella and Gardner. In the finals Espinosa was steady and down the middle while Fowler was stupid, hitting some huge airmails to win the 2 out of 3 match forcing a deciding game.  In that game Fowler and Espinosa clearly had the momentum and went on to get the win securing their first ever Signature Series title. 

Matt Ball and JR Reyes played well all day finishing 3rd while Ernest Herrera and Matt Longoria came in 4th. Brandon Gregor and Daniel Vinson tied with Zeke Gutierrez and Zeke Sr. to round out the top 5. 

Tier 1 Open Doubles had Grant Upchurch and Johnny Seymour beating Bella Surprenant and Austin McCuistion. Tier II winners were Damren Kuykendall and Roel Salinas who beat Justin Winschel and Brian Weimer.

In Competitive Doubles, Joel Infante and Misa Gomez beat Payton Lopez and Michael Howard to get the win while Jerrod Sisson and Andrew Rainey finished 3rd. Jamie Willoughby and Allen Hooten came in 4th and Nomar Garcia and Brycen Diaz tied for 5th with Anthony Hudson and Chris Langston.

Social Doubles had Jay Humphrey and Joey Gonzalez taking the title as they beat Cody Hughes and Michael Hughes. Anthony Elliot and Kyle Monroe finished third and Al Uhse and Brandon Uhse came in 4th. Tied for 5th were Dennis Davis and partner Nick Aven and Skip McCain and Derek Paul.

There were many great matches and some outstanding new players from what seems like everywhere. I know the West Texas group put on a show and certainly have put themselves on the map.

In Open Singles Bella Surprenant held off Brandon Gregor to get the win. Justin Fowler, Ernest Herrera came in 3rd and 4th respectively while Christina Espinosa and Braiden Fink tied for 5th.

Tier 1 Open Singles had JC Nekuza beating Kenneth Johnston and Tier II was won by Matt Zonker who beat Angel Cruz.

In Competitive Singles, Joel Infante got past Logan Baker for the win with Michael Gomez finishing in 3rd. Fourth place went to Jeff Henderson while Daniel Rodriguez and Zeke Gutierrez Sr. tied for 5th.

Brent Holly won the Tier 1 Singles beating Eric Smith and in Tier II it was Jaime Willaby defeating Dino Reyna.

Social Singles had Jason Price beating Michael Hughes for the championship. Josh Davis came in 3rd and Dustin Sprague finished 4th. Tied for 5th were Skip McCain and Armando Jimenez.

In Social Tier 1 Singles Braeden Bomer beat Jesus Pando and in Tier II it was Chase Robinson beating Eric Nichols.

The Signature Series #2 Mesquite Texas Ace Points Event was about as good of a event that I've been to. The competition continues to strengthen and there are more and more players showing up. With over 600 players playing in several divisions, it's clear TCL has a really good thing going. Next up will be the most intense tournament of the year, TCL's Ryder Cup. Every year this event gets bigger and bigger and I look for that trend to continue in January.

See y'all in Denton, throw 'em straight!

TCL Signature 2 Preview - Mesquite

It seems like it's been a long time since J.C. Nekuza drained a tournament ending airmail at TCL's Signature Event in Bryan/College Station. Since then there have been many players stepping up and improving their games with hopes of making similar splashes at this week's Signature Event #2 - Texas ACE Points Series in Mesquite, TX.

Signature Events are big and they always require players to be throwing their very best in order to make the podium and get a snapshot with a hand full of cash! Speaking of cash, this event features a guaranteed $20,000 payout and could have more than 500 players vying for some Benjis and hardware.

Mesquite is known as the Rodeo Capital of Texas and since 1986 when the Mesquite Arena opened, it has been home to the Mesquite Pro Rodeo. In 1998 the facility expanded to include an exhibition hall, convention center and a Hampton Inn. The Convention Center is where the bags will be flying this weekend and this won't be the first time a TCL event will be held here. A season opening Signature Event was held there in 2015 and it is where I played in my very first Signature Event. I played some guy named Reagan Choate and he must have felt bad for me and let me win giving me the opportunity to play Jason Andrews. I knew he was good because he wore a jersey and back then only players who made the Top 60 had jerseys. He beat me but my most vivid memory I have of that match was how bad my hands were shaking as I tried to move the clip. Had to two fist it a few times!! The Convention Center also hosted the TCL Ryder Cup the following January which included several players from all over the country who competed in a Super Division. That was also the Ryder Cup that went into Sudden Death with East Texas and East Dallas battling it out late into the night. Arguably one of the most exciting finishes many had ever seen...and not one video from it!!

This Signature Event will no doubt be loaded with many talented players including the usual top players like Brandon Gregor, Stuart Foster, Daniel Vinson and Grant Upchurch. Other standout players who will be there include Ernest Herrera, Ernest Monarca, Frank Stockton, Matt Longoria, and Christina Espinoza. Folks, I could do this all day...add Bella Surprenant, Shane Creek, Bobby and Braiden Fink to the list of strong players. Not to mention all the young studs like Preston Peacock, Austin McCuistion, Logan Baker, Ryan Ancil, Stephen Furhman, Angel Cruz and Jon White. All of these youngsters have been throwing really well and can't be overlooked. Speaking of players throwing well, Jim Abdella, Justin Fowler, Donnie Greer, Matt Ball, Grant Duffy and Roel Salinas also have been playing well here of late. There are many others that are throwing some serious heat and I'm certain some will make their names known this weekend. I don't know many of the players from West Texas but I have a feeling we all will soon! The Competitive and Social Divisions will have several new up and coming players trying to establish themselves and as was the case in Bryan/College Station, these two Divisions should have a record numbers of players.

It's going to be exciting y'all and certainly not an event you will want to miss out on. I look forward to seeing you all this weekend and I hope you all are safe in your travels. 

Hold on tight and squeeze...my bad, I slipped into Rodeo mode...Throw 'em straight y'all!