Sarah Ellerby Chat Session
Sarah Ellerby Chat Session
The following is an excerpt of the chat session held by Sarah Ellerby at 9 PM EST on Tuedsay, June 19, 2007. Sarah Ellerby will aslo be publishing a billiards Q A section at InsidePOOLMag.com that is inspired by the chat sessions there.
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:21 pm: Jake, I think I will win, maybe we play for a pint
[jjinfla] 9:21 pm: two out of three?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:23 pm: dirtypool – meditation and yoga. Bikram is fantastic and I recommend all pool players allowing time for Bikram at least once a week. This will improve your focus, concentration, flexibility and make you feel like you can do anything
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:23 pm: great color, matches your eyes
[pushitpullit] 9:23 pm: for an intermediate player, which is more important, working out or practicing?
[Ktown] 9:25 pm: Sarah, I have never had the pleasure of seeing you play in person but I was impressed when I saw you on TV. I hope to see more from you in the future. Do you try to make any of the regional events or do you ust mainly play the WPBA schedule?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:25 pm: TW – I was on slim fast for 2 1/2 yrs, I lost over 50lbs. Then, I worked out with weights for the first time and completly changed my diet. It’s a tough diet but the results are great. Anyone can accomplish anything if you set your mind and have a good support system
[cheeseroller] 9:26 pm: Am I too late?
[Ktown] 9:27 pm: Patience grasshopper
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:27 pm: You have to remember I’ve been playing for 20 yrs. I worked very hard early on and worked hard on my technique and fundermentals. I would suggest you work very hard on these and incorporate a four day a week work out routine with one of those days being yoga, you will see a big difference in your game
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:29 pm: Ktown – thanks for your kinds words but all my TV appearances here have not been Sarah Ellerby! They’ve been someone who has been scared to win and has bowed down to the Karen Corr’s and A Fishers
[jjinfla] 9:29 pm: What went wrong when you played the other Sarah? I have seen her play and she is good but I really thought you would win easily.
[jjinfla]: thepavlos has left at 9:30 pm
[TWHartman] 9:30 pm: did you find that as you gain agility in certain areas while strenght training that you lost muscle memory in your game? I know that would be a HUGE worry for the people in the chat.
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:31 pm: I’m actually disgusted with myself for doing this. I’ve just realized lately that I have a HUGE mental block and a fear for winning which is strange when I’ve won so many titles. I don’t enjoy 9-ball, it’s such a lucky game. My game is 8-ball. There’s more skill. I may play some men’s events here in FL but it will depend on my product launch and another project that I’m hoping to announce soon
[jjinfla] 9:33 pm: Harry, and me too, wish your mum a happy birthday. She must be about 39?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:34 pm: Jake: I really don’t think America has seen the real Sarah Ellerby and that’s my fault. I just don’t enjoy 9-ball. I feel there’s a massive disconnection with the fans out there watching and I just can’t get excited about it. But, I’ve noticed that I have some demons and they talk me out of shots. I’m working on this and it’s working but it needs to be more consistant for me to break through
[cheeseroller] 9:34 pm: Do you think that it is good to play other games while trying to improve your pool game?
[cheeseroller] 9:35 pm: Sorry, I didn’t realize everybody had different colors. Do you think that it is good to play other games while trying to improve your pool game?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:36 pm: TW I haven’t felt any lost muscle memory but I can’t say whether someone else would. The thing is, if it’s already in your head, you may blame that if and when you don’t perform, so I try not to think or feel that way. Tiger was the first to work out before and after her round and people thought he was crazy
[dirtypool] 9:36 pm: Do you think that it is better to just play at the beginning when you’re playing pool or should one take lessons when they start playing?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:38 pm: Jake – thanks, I’ll pass on your wishes. She’s 56 yrs young. She’s going through a little rough patch right now. Keep your fingers crossed, we will get her MRI results next Friday
[ipool] 9:38 pm: how about lessons. Do you think that better pool players automatically make better pool teachers?
[jjinfla] 9:39 pm: Too bad about the IPT. You would have done well there. I have been playing just about nothing but 8-ball lately and have come to realize that there is a lot more skill and strategy in 8-ball as compared to 9-ball.
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:39 pm: cheeseroller – I grew up playing 8-ball and that’s what I played, day in and day out. I’ve never practiced with anyone and it’s been good to me. You have to decide and determine what works best for you
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:41 pm: lessons arre great. I worked with Frank Callan and it helped me so much.But he changed my game into a more analytical player from my fast paced shot making
[jjinfla]: BoisdeRosie has entered at 9:42 pm
[Ktown] 9:42 pm: I remember checking out the stats at the IPT and if I am not mistaken you beat Matlock among a few other good players while advancing to the 2nd round. If I am mistaken I apologize.
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:43 pm: I also worked with Stu Mattana on strategy and growing my knowledge, I owe alot to him
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:44 pm: top pool players don’t normally have time to teach but can be great teachers it just depends on the individual
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:45 pm: Jake, there’s so much more strategy and skill in 8-ball. It’s a game that is played by the masses globally and what most people play at home or recreationally
[jjinfla] 9:46 pm: Most of them play it but they don’t know it
[pushitpullit] 9:46 pm: what do you think is th ehardest pool game to play? includuing snooker and billiards
[BoisdeRosie] 9:47 pm: i’m a bit late arriving, but hello sarah….and i, too agree that there really is a lot
more to 8 ball than people give credit to
[TWHartman] 9:47 pm: hi Boise
[TWHartman] 9:48 pm: oops forgot the d
[BoisdeRosie] 9:48 pm: i liken it to trying to manuever through rush hour traffic…lol
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:48 pm: snooker is the hardest. We call ourselves cueists but they’re the real cueists. I had a full size table at home in England. It’s a great game. That’s the only game that helped me at 9-ball
[BoisdeRosie] 9:48 pm: hey tw
[pushitpullit] 9:49 pm: what makes snooker the hardest game?
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:49 pm: a question for all of you…what would you prefer to watch the women play, 9-ball or 8-ball?
[jjinfla]: pushitpullit has left at 9:49 pm
[jjinfla]: pushitpullit has entered at 9:49 pm
[Ktown] 9:49 pm: 8 ball
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:50 pm: 12 ft, very tight pockets
[pushitpullit] 9:50 pm: yeah those curved pockets always seem to spit the ball back out
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:50 pm: Ktown, can you elaborate a little more
[TWHartman] 9:51 pm: me personally, anything with women is good TV
[BoisdeRosie] 9:51 pm: i would have to say i would rather see 8 ball….after a while, the 9 ball becomes
a bit too predictable to watch
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:51 pm: LOL
[ipool] 9:51 pm: women’s 8-ball
[jjinfla] 9:51 pm: I’m burned out on 9-ball so I would enjoy watching them play 8-ball for a change of pace
[dirtypool] 9:52 pm: TW, you must be single
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:52 pm: plus the fans can then connect more and learn more about the game they play at home or
in their local league
[BoisdeRosie] 9:52 pm: but the thing i think does a great disservice is that we do not often get to see the
‘mistakes’
[BoisdeRosie] 9:53 pm: i want to see it all
[TWHartman] 9:53 pm: DP, for the longest time in my adult life, 18 weeks
[TWHartman] 9:54 pm: (4.5 months)
[BoisdeRosie] 9:54 pm: even the boo-boos
[jjinfla]: gator has entered at 9:54 pm
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:54 pm: on TV there really isn’t many matches that I’ve seen many mistakes. The pockets need to be tighter, a lot tighter. This will change the game. I like watching Matchroom Sports Events because the comentators discuss the strategy and it makes it interresting and exciting
[Ktown] 9:54 pm: I wouldn’t mind trying you some 8 ball myself. I think that 8 ball is a much more strategic game and the ladies can compete at a high level due to their intelligence and knowledge of he game. I hope you don’t take this badly but the ladies aren;t the shot makers tha tthe guys are but they certainly have the knowledge of the game to make it a great game to watch. 8 ball makes you come with shots but also makes you think your way through the game.
[dirtypool] 9:55 pm: now your’re getting into the Full-Contact pool aren’t you Boisde?
[gator] 9:56 pm: I’ll catch up with you all in a second
[BoisdeRosie] 9:57 pm: lol….no, but i beleive that one can always learn from mistakes…and it is always
interesting to see how each player chooses a particular path to acheieve the final outcome
[Sarah Ellerby] 9:57 pm: I agree, the guys are mostly open offensive play. I did something really stupid in my second IPT event….I changed my break and game plan to try and play like the guys, big mistake. I realized this after a conversation with a really good friend of mine who was about to enter a role that has been dominated by men
[jjinfla] 9:57 pm: Is the WPBA considering playing some 8-ball?
[Susan1964] 9:57 pm: Hi Sarah, thanks for coming. What do you do to get ready for a match?
[BoisdeRosie] 9:58 pm: exactly ktown…i love the fact that you really have to use your noggin’ to play a
game of 8 ball well
[str8hooter] 9:58 pm: Hi Sarah. Do you have any tips for somebody trying to get a teenager into the game?
[BoisdeRosie] 9:59 pm: and there are so many more variables to 8 ball, than say 9 ball, but that is just
MHO
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:00 pm: Jake – I hope they are! I’ve been working on a committee and we’ve made some great changes that point us in the right direction. All the board are doing a great job and Linda has been working hard on increasing the tour visibility through talking to our clients and introducing them to pool. This is an exciting time for pool and we have the right people working on making it better for everyone
[Ktown] 10:00 pm: Sarah, I am going to pack it in for the evening but I wanted to thank you for taking the time to participate in the chat with us. Good luck in the future.
[gator] 10:01 pm: Howdy Sarah, it’s a pleasure. How fast do you break? Do you work on your break often? How important do you consider it in pool in general?
[BoisdeRosie] 10:01 pm: oh, this has been a hotly debated subject, but i thought i would ask, what is the
general feeling towards jump cues, or other ‘specialized’ equipment amongst the pros
[jjinfla] 10:02 pm: The WPBA is the best thing going for pool but why all of a sudden the big secret as to how much money is won?
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:02 pm: Susan: I try and stay in the same routine every time. I will normally leave for the arena about 1 1/2 hours before my match. Feel the arena out a little before heading into the practice room. The length of time I spend there really depends on how I feel. Once I feel I’m ready, I’ll sit somewhere quite before my match
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:02 pm: Thanks for coming Ktown
[BoisdeRosie] 10:03 pm: i am of the school of thought that learning to play without the benefit of a jump
cue makes one a more well-rounded player overall
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:03 pm: Your break for 9-ball is really important. I always leave the event telling myself I need to work on my break. It’s a massive factor in why I haven’t won on tour, so it’s really important
[jjinfla]: Ktown has left at 10:04 pm
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:04 pm: Jake, I was apart of that change and I want to share with you all the reasons
[jjinfla] 10:05 pm: Go over to Hammerheads and get Corey to show you his soft break.
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:06 pm: During my time in the USA I’ve come across some difficult circumstances where I’ve been negotiating as a professional player with a corporation and have requested a certain dollar amount inre turn for certain services
[ipool] 10:07 pm: In 9-ball I like to break from an inch or 2 off the left rail on the headstring with high left english(spin), is this a good 9-bal break strategy? (I know kinda remedial question, I just wanna know!)
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:08 pm: Several times I’ve lost leverage with such negotiations because they have looked online and seen who much I earn on tour and this has lost me several deals and leverage because of the earning potential as a professional pool player. This has been the case when my company has talked with potential sponsors from outside the industry. We pitch them and they research out prize money and see that are purses are low, so they don’t take us seriously and try to use that against us in the negotiations
[jjinfla] 10:11 pm: That is a good point. Unfortunately.
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:11 pm: this hurts us so much. We decided that we would only publish the points and make the points greater and more align with other sports properties. This way we have made this touch point an easier transition for a new fan. This is a critical time for us right now and we need the media’s, fans support with this. We didn’t want to lose leverage with negotiations and once we feel the prize money is where it should be, we will shout it from the skies
[jjinfla] 10:12 pm: The men will be jealous
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:12 pm: Jake, just stay with us and support the changes. Trust the changes and know that the game is in good hands and that change can be a scary thing but you need to change to grow
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:13 pm: ipool, I will try it and let you know
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:13 pm: sounds interesting
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:14 pm: Jake, do you play golf?
[jjinfla] 10:14 pm: Of course the Florida Tour is pretty good. You should enter a couple matches later in the year. then play in the Championship match
[jjinfla]: ipool has left at 10:14 pm
[jjinfla] 10:14 pm: No
[jjinfla] 10:15 pm: I could never hit a wood
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:15 pm: any more questions?
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:15 pm: Jake if you come and cheer me on, I may play
[jjinfla] 10:16 pm: That was a fast hour
[jjinfla] 10:16 pm: I’ll be your caddy
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:16 pm: sure, Harry made a good caddy
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:16 pm: I’m sure you will
[jjinfla] 10:16 pm: What is your handicap
[admin] 10:16 pm: looks like we’re getting near the end.
[BoisdeRosie] 10:17 pm: thanks to sarah and jr
[pushitpullit] 10:17 pm: thanks Sarah!
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:17 pm: Well, thanks for having me and thanks for all your support, I really appreciate it.
[dirtypool] 10:17 pm: yeah, thank you Sarah!
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:18 pm: Let me know if I can help with anything else. Just post in forum and keep supporting Insidepool
[cheeseroller] 10:18 pm: no, Thank you Sarah!
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:18 pm: OK, off to watch some telly. Thanks everyone. Talk soon and take care
[Sarah Ellerby] 10:18 pm: lol
[jjinfla]: Sarah Ellerby has left at 10:18 pm
[jjinfla]: BoisdeRosie has left at 10:19 pm
[str9hooter] 10:19 pm: very cool. Thanks Sarah
[jjinfla]: jjinfla has left at 10:20 pm
[jjinfla]: EmptyPockets has left at 10:20 pm
[TWHartman] 10:20 pm: thanks Sarah