About me…
“Eric Yow” will not fit in a nutshell, so be forewarned, an autobiography would be quite lengthy. But, many people have asked a number of questions that I wish to answer. We’ll call this FAQ, but really, it’s more of an “about me” section.
What kinds of cues do you own and use?
I have a bunch of cues. Right now my shooting cue is a Joss, Jerry McWhorter special edition, with an OB-1 shaft. I absolutely LOVE the OB-1 shaft. It’s the bomb! My backup cues are a McDermott, Joe Porper “Shotgun”, Lucasi, and a Meucci. My break/jump cue is a Lucasi with a phenolic tip/ferrule combo. I use the shaft to “shaft-jump” but for all other jumps I use my Lucasi Jump Cue. And my masse cues are “Magic Wandzzz” by Dennis Dieckman.
What kinds of tips do you use?
I am NOT sponsored by Tiger products, so I’m not biased when I say that I put Sniper tips on all my shooting cues and masse cues. They’re simply the best, in my opinion.
Will you teach me to play like you?
If you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time. ;)
How do I masse?
See answer to previous question. Also, check out the voluminous articles that I’ve written on my “Masse Instruction” page. And if you really want to learn the masse, consider having me teach you. Email me for rates and availability.
What got you started into trick shots?
Simply put, seeing the players shoot trick shots on television and the rare sites on the internet that hosted trick shot videos got me interested. I wanted to do the amazing things that I saw. Now, the things I used to think were amazing were really fairly simple. I feel like I’ve taken the masse to the next level, and set the standard for that facet of the game. Though, I still have a hero, Semih Sayginer, who in my estimation is the best of the best, though on the 3-Cushion Billiard table.
How old are you and when did you start playing pool?
I was born September 4, 1982, and no, I did not start playing pool when I was seven. Rather, I started playing pool when I was seventeen, in the Fall of 2000, when I started college. It took a mere seven years before making my ESPN debut! Praise God!
How did you excel so fast?
God. I attribute all of my successes to God. Period. When I began learning to play pool, I studied the game diligently, reading as much as I could. And so, I tell my fans, “learn the physics, then the technique.” It worked for me. I would learn as much about the game, conceptually, then apply it to the table after fully understanding it. It wasn’t long before I was the best at my university.
Where did you go from there?
Nearly four years after taking up the game, and after learning only a few trick shots on my own, I was graduating from college. After college, I took a job in Arkansas where I was able to get a table of my own and practice a lot. I decided to get a laptop, a digital camera, and start putting videos on the internet. My trick shots got better, my stroke got better, my videos got better, and God continued to bless me all around.
When did you turn pro?
I turned “pro” when I competed in my first professional trick shot competition, the 2006 Masters Artistic Pool Championship. I was going up against all of my then-heroes, now-friends, in a completely new atmosphere. I took 13th out of 20 and won the Sportsmanship Medal (and McDermott cue). Life was taking off for me as I was doing shows, Eric Yow’s Trick Shot Madness, all over. But, in May 2006, I got in a motorcycle wreck which nearly killed me. It was a hard battle to get back up, but I did, by the Grace of God. Not only that, but that summer I used my newly acquired Dieckman “Magic Wand” Masse Cue to make my video, Masse Insanity, which turned the pool world upside-down.
What happened at the WPA World Artistic Pool Championship?
In December, 2006, I took 3rd place at the WC and won the Masse Discipline. I am proud to say that I defeated one of my friends and heroes, Andy Segal, by a large margin, in the finals. I am prouder to say that in the preliminaries, I was the second highest scorer, outscoring literally every one of my heroes in the game, with the exception of Nick Nikolaidis. And I am even prouder to proclaim that I was the only player in the prelims to make all five masse shots, incidentally, all five in a row, four of which were on their first attempts! And, it was caught on video! Got was certainly with me that day, as He always is.
What other professional events have you competed in?
There has been just one, since then, the Masters 2007 (March). But, during that time, I had also been practicing for the ESPN show I was invited to do, so my practice time was not on the pool table. I finished 8th place, nevertheless, after being beaten out by my now-arch-rival Andy Segal in the finals. As a bonus, though, I won the Jump Discipline, scoring the highest number of points, and am now Masters Jump Champion.
What about this ESPN thing I keep hearing about?
It has been in my plans to compete in Artistic Billiards on the 3-Cushion Billiard table one day. But, I had no idea it would be this soon in my career. God’s plan was different from mine. (I liked His better.) Ira Lee, of HighRock Productions, was planning a 3-cushion billiard exhibition/competition to be filmed for ESPN, centered around my hero, Semih Sayginer. Originally it would be two episodes, 30 minutes each, with Semih in both, challenged by two artistic pool players – Tom Rossman and Andy Segal. However, after the show was booked it had to be rescheduled, and consequently, neither Tom nor Andy were able to make it. So, Ira Lee had to find two more capable and entertaining trick shot artists who could transfer their skills adequately to the billiard table. As I had recently won the title WPA Masse World Champion, Ira Lee asked Andy Segal about the young gun Eric Yow, and they decided I was the right replacement. And so, upon the invite, I gladly accepted and started practicing 3-cushion trick shots. I fell in love. As for the filming of the show, “3 Cushion Grandmaster,” it took place in Vegas, May 16, 2007. I performed for the first time in front of tv cameras, alongside a live audience full of big names in the pool and billiard industry, and wasn’t nervous at all. I don’t get nervous, I just perform. And perform, I did. I gave the people exactly what they came to see – some of the most amazing artistic stroke shots on the 3-cushion table that they have ever seen, and most of which, that they have never seen. And the best part was that I got to work with my hero, Semih Sayginer. He is simply amazing. And I held my own. I’m so proud. Praise God.
So tell us about the rest of Eric Yow.
I have my B.A. in Biblical Studies from Freed-Hardeman University. I have my J.D. from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (Univ. of Memphis). I am a preacher for the Church of Christ, hence my nickname. And at the time of this writing, I am studying to take the Bar Exam in July 2007, so that I can be a practicing attorney in the Fall. I currently have plans to take a job at The Kennedy Law Firm in Clarksville, Tennessee.
I am single and looking, though my busy schedule hasn’t given me much time to find the right woman. But it’s been fun along the way. My religious convictions have me focused on holding out for a Christian woman who will help me get to heaven. And when I find her, rather, when God shows her to me, I hope to make her happy for the rest of my life.
In the meantime, I enjoy performing my exhibition, Eric Yow’s Trick Shot Madness, whenever possible, and hold myself out for hire, both for the show and for instruction.
Where have you been recognized?
I write for the bi-monthly publication of “Professor Q Ball’s National Pool and 3-Cushion News,” and have been featured therein for each of the articles covering the championships I’ve played in. I was in the “Daily Helmsman,” the University of Memphis newspaper. I have been featured in Billiards Digest, Pool and Billiard Magazine, and Inside Pool. Most recently, I made front page news in the “Commercial Appeal,” the largest circulation newspaper in the midsouth, based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was an article about 3 graduates with an “Unusual Desire to Excel.” Therein, the author highlighted my achievements, namely graduating law school, despite being a fulltime pulpit minister for the Church of Christ in Brinkley, Arkansas, during my 3 years of law school, and all the while chasing this dream of becoming a great pool player. And there I was, on the front page, in my pool-playing tux, sitting on a pool table. Praise God, for He is Wonderful!
How has your faith played a pivotal role in all of this?
I attribute all of my ambition and dedication to God. Just as we did not choose before birth to have blue eyes or green, brown hair or blonde, God made us just the way we are. It is God that blessed me with my personality, dreams, aspirations, and the unusual desire to excel, and abilities to reach those goals. And so, by virtue of Colossians 3:17, I do all things in the name of, and to the glory of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father, through Him. Some may mock and say, “you play pool for Jesus?” I answer, “yes!” God gave me this gift. I plan to use it in the fullest, to the best of my ability, so that people everywhere can see what God has done for me in my life!
You play pool. Does that mean you gamble?
I am glad people have the decency to ask, rather than to assume the answer to this question. No, I do not gamble. I never have. I never will. To make this beautiful game, this gift, about money, is to debase and profane something inherently enjoyable. So many gamblers have told me that the money, particularly the hustling, takes all the fun out of the game, and to never even start. When it becomes about the money, it’s never more about having fun or achieving greatness. I hope to be the best one day and I’m not going to waste my time worrying about winning five dollars or five thousand dollars of some unlucky shrew who was foolish enough to gamble with me. My God told me to work for my money, not hustle. He also told me to be a good steward of the money he blesses me with, not to waste it away, losing it to a better player on a bad wager. Gambling, in principle, is a sin, and it violates the best known command in the New Testament, the Golden Rule.
What are your plans for the future in your pool/billiard career?
I want to learn to play 3 cushion billiards on the side. But, I plan to dominate the artistic pool world in one form or another. I anticipate competing in more APTSA tournaments and WPA world championships. My primary goal right now is to land more media spots, particularly future events like the one I did with Semih Sayginer, and to fulfill dream of being on Trick Shot Magic. I know if Matt Braun, the producer of TSM, gives me a chance, I will impress him and every member of the audience. I hope and pray that I’m next in line for a spot on TSM 2008. We’ll have to wait and see.