True Tales from the Derby City Classic

Young gun Dechaine logged a surprise fourth-place finish. (Photo by Nicholas Leider)

Plans of Action

The grind of a single tournament can test the mental and physical stamina of the most seasoned pros. Augment that strain with a few late-night action matches, and you can see why the lobby couches in the Executive West routinely cradle napping players.

Burning the candle at both ends is almost the norm, with players, railbirds and backers filling the action room at all hours of the day. Heck, anyone who kept an eye on Shane Van Boening had to be left wondering if that kid ever slept. Apparently not, since he won the Louis Roberts Action/Entertainment Award, based on voting through online pool forums. He also snapped off the grueling, $18,000 10-ball ring game that helped kick off this year's Classic.

Two of the biggest surprises of the nine-day event - Michael Dechaine and England's jack-of-all-games Darren Appleton - took the tough route.

A first-timer in Louisville, Dechaine, a 20-year-old from Waterville, Maine, attacked the action room with ferocity, admitting he had "won a couple of bucks" in late-night matches. But the aspiring full-time player has a limit.

"I'm actually really beat right now, I think that's why I lost," he said, moments after dropping a hill-hill match to Bustamante in the 9-ball division. "I'm extremely tired. Staying up until 4 a.m., then waking up at 10. I can only take so many days of this in a row."

Straight-pool neophyte Appleton got the hang of the game quickly, winning the 14.1 Challenge.

Likewise, Appleton took a kid-in-a-candy-store approach, playing in every event he could and staying up late to either gamble or ogle the action - and usually with a few beers along the way.

"You don't want to miss something," Appleton said. "It's hard to be disciplined, there is so much going on."

Appleton entered all three major divisions, and then took a flyer on the $10,000-added Straight Pool Challenge - produced and financed by 14.1 fanatic and BD columnist Bob Jewett. With one day left in the qualifying rounds, Appleton figured he could top the low run of 68. On his last of 12 attempts, he squeezed out a 73.

Although he had never before played against a live opponent in straight pool, Appleton went on an eye-popping tear in the eight-player Challenge, topping world-class straight-pool talents Mika Immonen and John Schmidt to reach the final with Niels Feijen.

Appleton caught a break, as tuckered-out Feijen played below normal speed and frequently found himself in awkward positions. Appleton overcame a few strategic blunders and ground out a 150-89 victory.

"If I can learn the rules better, I think I can compete against anyone," Appleton said. "It's similar to playing 8-ball, really. You have to work around the break ball, which is like an 8 ball to me."

Likewise, Dechaine had the opportunity to get big-time experience against more savvy players. His run to an impressive tied-for-4th finish in 9-ball was capped by the Bustamante match.

Tied at 5-5 against Bustamante in the 11th round, Dechaine called out the Filipino legend for tilting his rack. Obviously irked by his unheralded opponent's protest, Bustamante broke dry. Dechaine ran out to get on the hill, but let Bustamante back to the table to take the next two racks for the match.

Emboldened, Dechaine figured he might have a future in pool.

"Right now, I'm going to give [pool] a shot," he said. "If this doesn't work, I am going to go to college in 6 months."

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