Dawn Hopkins

Happy Holidays!

 

I hope all of you have had a great holiday time. This is the time of year when the Classic Tour takes a break. It's a good thing because I don't know how I would fit in a tournament!

For me the holidays began around the first of December. I flew down to Florida to do some Christmas shopping with some girlfriends. There were six of us and we stayed right at the Florida Mall. Thats the best way to shop, just fill the bags and walk them back to the hotel room thats connected to the mall and start all over again! Talk about shop till you drop! It was a blast. Then I was able to visit mom and brother Michael for a couple days while I was there. Played some tennis (my new love) with my buddy Diane and then flew back home.

I had some book orders waiting for me. In case you didn't know, I wrote a childrens pool instructional book (you can see it at superbilliardsexpo.com) and it is going real well. There were a lot of lucky kids out there that received a book for Christmas! I was pleasantly suprised when my sister, who works for Rebok headquarters, said they wanted to sell the book in their home office store! That was so cool.

Pictured above is a photo that was taken at the Boston Commons with my sister Peg and Beau. We were in Massachusettes visiting the few days before Christmas and decided to go to Fanuel Hall to have chowder and see the lights at the Common. I really miss Boston, it's such a clean city and there is always something to do. Brings back the days when I went to Berkley School of Music. In between classes a few of us would hang out at the Common for lunch.

Today I went with a friend to see the Phantom of the Opera for the first time. It was playing in Philadelphia. What a great event. If you haven't seen it before I highly recommend it. There is so much talent out there it is overwhelming and such an inspiration.

Well, this is how I have been spending my Christmas vacation so far. I can't wait to see what the new year brings. I'm not really someone who sets a New Years resolution. I believe in making changes I know I need right away, no sense in waiting. But you never know what life has waiting for you around the next corner!

Have a happy and safe New Year

Dawn

Summer of 2006

Wow! It's September already. I just dropped my son Beau off at his first day back to school. The summer just flew by, I was so busy it's hard to pick where to start so I guess I'll do the easiest thing and start from the beginning.

There was the camping trip in June. Yes, we did stay in tents too so it was real camping! I didn't get much sleep thanks to the Loon (and I don't mean the guy in the next campsite). But taking the kyack out on the lake at sunset made up for all that. Beau had a great time with his friends, eating smores around the campfire and all the good stuff you do camping.

Then Beau and I went to Florida for 2 weeks to visit nana, uncle Mike plus all our friends and family (thats where I lived for a while and began playing pool) We try to do that every year. This time we went to Wet and Wild, played tennis, went for a hike on some nature trails, swam, swam and swam some more!

Then we came home and the following two weekends in a row produced the APA Valley Forge Challenge and the Super Billiards 2. We had a great time, was able to play a lot of pool since these shows were first time events and haven't grown to the size of the March Super Billiards Expo. Jennifer Barretta and I had an all around challenge match. She won the 9-ball, I won the 8-ball and straight pool. It was fun playing games that I hadn't played for a long time since the pro tour is all 9-ball.

Then I went to Baltimore's Back To Billiards Expo to promote my new "Kids Learn To Play Pool" instruction book (you can check that out at superbilliardsexpo.com) The show didn't have a lot of visitors but I was able to hang out with some very fun people in my sponsors booth (Viking Cue) and the neighbors across the hall (Cuestix). We managed to entertain ourselves! Barry Hart, whose family owns Viking Cue, his wife Penny came down for a couple days. I hadn't seen her in a long time and it was great to spend time with her too.

Carol Clark put together a charity event for the NY Firefighters Burn Center Foundation at the House of Billiards in Staten Island. Allen, Beau and I went up to help raise money along with Tony Robles, Danny Basavich, Kim White, Karen Corr and Candi Rego. It was a great success, we raised over $10,000. All the people who came were just incredible. And there were more junior players there than I've seen in any poolroom at one time!

And lastly, to close out the summer, Beau and I drove up to Massachusettes to see my family. I was able to see my son Billy , my dad, sister, brother and a few nephews and neices, good friend Jean,  all in one day. My mom was visiting so I grabbed her for a couple days and went over to Rhode Island to the WPBA sanctioned State Championships. Bonnie, the gal that runs the event, did a wonderful job. I'm glad I went to support the event. And I managed to become the 2006 Rhode Island State Champion so that made my day!!!

Billy, me and mom

Dad, Beau and I

Well, thats it for now. Thanks for looking in!

Dawn

Delta Faucet Exhibition

Hey again!

I received a call for an exhibition in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company I would entertain was Delta Faucet (pictured), these were representatives that traveled from all over the country. What was so amazing was that the date and town I would be going was the exact same day and time my husband, Allen, would be going to do some voice overs for ESPN! What a nice coincidence! Of all the towns in the country and all the days, we were able to be together.

The exhibition went great. The venue was beautiful, all the people were so nice. Even though not one of them won a game! I was prepared to do some trick shots since I had been practicing a lot of them for the ESPN Trick Shot show, but we started doing challenge matches and it never stopped! We had a lot of fun. Instant Memories was there to take pictures.

Thanks to all at Delta Faucet!

Adieu, Dawn

trick shots and golf

Well, summer is officially over. I can tell because the golf league has come to an end. The trophy I'm holding is from winning the "Presidents Cup". Golf is so much like pool in the sense that it's an individual sport. You and the ball. The only difference is that if I hit it behind a tree, my opponent doesn't have to shoot from behind that tree! We have a lot of fun, the women I played with are great. I can't say it's good exercise, riding in a cart all day, but the fresh air is wonderful. Except for playing once a year, last year was the first year that I played about once a week. I started shooting around 102-110, and after one lesson I brought it down 10 strokes. I even broke 90! So I figure by about the year 2025 I'll be playing in the high 70's! (ha, ha)

Tennis has really been my new love though this summer. Rather than go to the gym or walk on the treadmill, I play tennis which is more fun. I play with some good friends when we have time and also there is an awesome clinic once a week. Now that is exercise! Allen, my husband gets out there sometimes too. And our son Beau has been taking lessons, he's really getting good at it. I can see some Aggasi in him!

One thing about these sports and pool that I have realized. They are all life sports. It doesn't matter what age you are, you can still play it. Baseball is a great sport and all, but after you are out of school, how easy is it to strike up a game with some friends? But you can play pool, tennis and golf all your life. And you can learn them at any age.

I played in the Trick Shot Championships a few weeks ago. It was very fun. I have not done trick shots very much but since I qualified last June for this event, I had a crash course of shots over the summer. I did not win, but I have to say it was a great experience. I learned a lot of shots that I never realized I could make. It was a whole different feel than playing in the 9-Ball tournaments. I had an exhibition a couple weeks after and felt very confident about making all the trick shots. (of course everyone just wanted to challenge me instead!)

But now I have to go and practice pool since I'll be on my way to the WPBA Nationals next week!

Adieu,

Dawn

fishing trip

Let me introduce you to our son Beau. His grandma was up visiting and she loves fishing so we took her out on the boat. We caught 3 keepers and this was Beau's first flounder catch! It was a great day, a little windy. As you can see the wind was blowing us into the reeds and after moving the boat about a hundred times, we decided to just stay put and let it bash us into the reeds! Thats the only place all day we caught fish.

After fishing we went to the house and while I was doing dishes my mom and uncle played a game of pool. I could watch them through the pass through by the sink. She said "Boy, this table is crooked Cookie (thats my family nickname). The cue ball just took a big circle around the 3 ball". I told her that it had settled slightly and we were planning on getting it leveled soon but it shouldn't be that off. Again she said how the cue ball was really taking some turns. I went over to the table and watched, sure enough the cue ball was doing donuts around the table. I started cracking up and told her she was using a trick cue ball!! She played half a game without even realizing it!

Which reminded me of when my sister Patricia was in Vancouver, Canada with her daughter. They decided to go play pool which they never do. They grabbed a rack of pool balls and the guy told her to take any table. After about a half hour of not making ANY ball, the two noticed there were older gentlemen looking at them and laughing. They went to the counter and asked what the deal was and he told them they were playing on a snooker table with pool balls! For those that have never tried it, the pockets are just big enough for a pool ball to go in so it's almost impossible to make a ball! The family always have a good laugh about that one.

Well, it's time to log off. It was Beau's first day at school and he got to tell his big fish story, but we have to go buy the long list of supplies the teacher has given him!

Au revoir!

Dawn

my first entry

Hi All,

I have finally figured out this blogging thing and have come to realize that it's so easy!! You know, when there is something you don't understand and it seems so overwhelming that you put it off. How silly of me!

Anyway, I just got back from our last event in Peoria, Illinois. I finished 17th (well tied for 17-24 but I always like to say the best number). Every time I get home from an event I am all pumped up to practice. I feel like I am so close to doing well, that if I just practiced a little more, worked on those things I had problems with, I'll win the next event! It was fun even though I wasn't in the finals. My friends, Carol Clark and Candi Rego, went to the riverfront and had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. That place is always good for a laugh. And then later at the hotel, a few of us hung out in the lobby at the grand piano and played some songs. It always amazes me how these pro players have so many other talents. Belinda Campos played a song on the piano(she says it's the only one she knows but I don't believe her!) then her husband Jay played a bunch (another humble one), then Ga Young Kim jumped on and taught me a song, then I played a song while she sang in her own language. That was so cool! I had no idea what she was saying but it was beautiful! Then I played while Melissa Herndon sang. It was great!

I am having a great summer. Allen (my husband) and I have a 10 year old at home, Beau. We took him to DisneyWorld, Universal Studios, the water park about 5 times, not to mention seeing Spy High 3 times and my house is like a daycare with all his friends coming and going! Our 10 month old puppy, Crystal, doesn't know what to do with herself with all the commotion!

I am also practicing my trick shots. Four of us (Alison Fisher, Gerda Hoffstatter, Ewa Laurance and myself) have qualified for the ESPN Trick Shot event. It will be held in Las Vegas on October 4th. Trick Shots are a lot of fun to do. I am really looking forward to playing in that event.

And then the week after the WPBA will be in Albuquerque, NM for the prestigious U.S. Open. Romona Biddle (a fellow WPBA player) has invited some of the other players to compete in a golf tournament for charity the day before the pool tournament starts. It should be a lot of fun!

Well, I should finish this now and get some housework (yuck!) done. Until next time....

Dawn