The Beauty in Broken Mirrors

  Today I have been blessed with such a beautiful opportunity! I was blessed to meet an equal in billiards skill and the least honorable person I have ever met. The individual's team had the least amount of sportsmanship I have ever witnessed personally. All of this while playing against the team whose captain is our Division Rep.

  So I arrived at the pool hall, and through our app, I already knew of the individual's skill because we had the same rating. So I was looking forward to the match. This individual has known one of my teammates for years, and my teammate spoke highly of this individual; my whole team did as well. The match started; the individual won the Lag. I noticed the individual was missing easy shots, which is normal when nervous; it happens to everyone. The individual should have won that match, but scratched with the 8 ball, so automatic win for me. 0-1 I, no pool player likes winning like that! Neither do I!

  Game 2 Winner breaks LOSER RACKS! At this point, the individual racks it correctly, front ball on the spot! I break and make a ball on the break and continue to shoot. I was playing decent, slightly better than the individual was, as the individual was missing more shots than I was, and I managed to win the game. After this game is when things went funny; the individual's team was acting like you expect, quiet as is standard. 0-2 I

  Game 3, the individual racked the balls so blatantly incorrectly that the spot sticker was so clearly in front of the lead ball! I thought ok the individual is nervous; the individual couldn't have done that on purpose! I walked over to my teammate, who spoke of the individual, and I was like I don't have to accept that rack, right? My teammate looked at it from 10' away and was like, "Hmmm, no, you can ask the individual to fix that." Of course I knew this, but I didn't want my teammate to think I was overreacting. So I walked by, told the individual, pointed at the rack, and said It's not even close! The individual's response: "Yeah, I know I did it because I couldn't get the lead ball to stop moving." I gave the individual the benefit of the doubt, being that I only racked when I lost the lag. I didn't have this issue, but ok. I broke and won again this time. 0-3 I. The individual's teammates at this point were quiet as expected.

  Game 4, the individual does it again, but more subtle this time: the bottom of the lead ball is on the individual's right spot sticker edge, not the center as it should. I was like, hmm. I was like ok I don't want to make a big deal again. So I broke, and nothing fell, and this was the first time tonight I broke dry. I get it; I only broke 2 times prior; however, both times a ball fell, and I continued and won. I walked over to my teammates, and I was like, the individual did it again; the individual was more subtle about it, and I told them how. This is when the individual's team cheered the individual on like the individual was the MVP of the Super Bowl. That behavior continued the rest of the night, as I no longer won.

At 3-3, I should have won that match, but as happened to the individual, I made the 8 and scratched. I was like, I owed you one; I wasn't intending to pay you back; however, fair is fair!. Smiling the whole time. A few minutes later, one of the individual's teammates yelled, "That person has such bad sportsmanship; that person scratched and lost just like the individual did." The individual defended me at this time! However, it is easy to have integrity when things are going your way! I walked to my teammates and said, "Can you believe that individual's teammate said I have bad sportsmanship while grinning!"

  4-3, the individual's on the hill. The individual wins, and just as throughout the match, they cheer and celebrate as they had been doing. Only this time the individual's partner walks over to our team captain and apologizes for the way they celebrated after the 5th win, as that is unsportsmanlike conduct! I laughed inside until the partner left. Once the partner left, I leaned over to our team captain. The partner apologized for the last celebration at the end!  Didn't mention anything during all 5 matches the individual won.