Jayson Shaw at the pre event player’s meeting
Ask any instructor what they suggest as a method to play your best during a big tournament and you will get answers reminding you to focus 100% on each match you are playing and maybe try to get away from the tables in between matches so you can spend some quality time clearing your mind from any distractions.
As the owner of US 1 Billiards in West Haven Connecticut, where the US 1 Billiards February Pro Am was held on February 6th – 7th, Jayson Shaw had a few other things to worry about. Shaw found himself busy with a whole list of responsibilities including running the tournament, cooking, serving customers, cleaning up, shoveling snow, stopping mid match to take pictures with fans and even dealing with unexpected interruptions like his wife Ara announcing over the loudspeaker “Jayson, Shaw, I need you at the front desk … NOW”. Somehow, he was able to focus through all of this and win the $1,500 added event.
Looking back on the weekend, Shaw admitted to how tough it was. “I was not really 100% in on playing the event as I knew it was going be a packed house and I needed to help out. I played well in parts, but my head was completely on winning the event. I was happy go deep but I have not played pool since Mosconi I think that’s the second time I had my cue out my case”.
Shaw ran through his first three matches with a combined score of 27-1, sending Kyle Manuel, Joey Korsiak and Sam Traygis to the one loss side. He had his first real challenge in the 4th round where he defeated recent DFW Tour Stop Co-Winner Jalal Al Saresi 9-5. The first real hiccup of the day was in round five when Shaw ran into a buzz-saw named Mike Dechaine. Dechaine took a quick 2-0 lead before Shaw won a rack to get back to 2-1 down. From there, it was all Dechaine as he won the next seven racks for a 9-1 win, sending Shaw to the one loss side.
The win over Shaw sent Dechaine to the hot-seat match to face a hobbled Kevin West. West was noticeably limping all day on Sunday as he had fallen early in the day. Had it not been for the snow on the ground in Connecticut, West might have not stuck around for the hot-seat match. “I did consider forfeiting, but I couldn’t go anywhere because of the snow storm, so I just decided to keep going” said West. Even with what would turn out to be a fractured foot, West maintained the high level of play he had been displaying all weekend and held a 5-2 lead over Dechaine midway through the hot-seat match. Dechaine fought back to within one rack multiple times, but West held on and defeated Dechaine 9-7.
To no one’s surprise, it was Shaw and Dechaine facing off in the semi-final match. While it was Dechaine with the dominating win over Shaw earlier in the day, this time it was Shaw getting his revenge with an 8-3 win, sending Dechaine home in 3rd place.
The final race to 13 match went back and forth early, with a tie score at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 before Shaw took control for an 8-5 lead. Shaw stretched that lead to 12-7 and looked to be out in the 20th rack before finally succumbing to a distraction on the final two balls. West took full advantage and clawed back to a one rack deficit at 12-11. West had a chance to tie the match at hill-hill but a jawed 2-ball was his last trip to the table as Shaw ran out from there for the 13-11 win.
For West, even with the fractured foot, the tournament was a great example of the level of play he is capable of and a testament to a recent equipment change he had made. “My friend John Moody Jr. let me try his Cuetec carbon shaft 14 months ago and I was very impressed. I ordered one immediately and haven’t looked back” said West. Pairing the new shaft with his Anthony Milanesi butt made a lot of difference in his game. “I had to make a couple minute adjustments but carbon is much more consistent than wood and that’s why I switched. Everything seems easier for me now.”
For Shaw, the win didn’t mean he had a chance to relax and celebrate. It meant that he had more work to do. He quickly led the last group of rail birds to the door, so he could get to work cleaning the pool room and getting ready for another day as a pool room owner on Monday.
