SPEED POOL AND BILLIARDOLOGY ENTERTAINING THE WORLD (Malaysia Trip)

Dave “Ginger Wizard” Pearson, and Tom “Dr. Cue”® Rossman put together a “tandem” comedy routine, combined with their “artistic” pocket billiard skills, several years ago in Las Vegas, NV. Prior to this unique mixture of “fast paced shooting” styles and “tabletrotter” presentations, each professional player performed solo world tour engagements, encompassing over 50 countries throughout the international billiard marketplace. Focusing on artful and perfectly timed “cover lines”, this dynamic duo has given special meaning to their “table” cry:

“Laughter is the Essence of Humor”

Missing and/or making select shots in their routines becomes a matter of most audience members wondering if the “make” or “miss” was done on purpose…just to get a playful laugh or the thunderous roar of amazement. Making the impossible possible and the possible impossible is the central theme in a “must see” performance by these “masters” of excitement on the green felt…as they travel the globe.
The “Ginger Wizard” hails from England and currently resides in Las Vegas. He is famous for his Speed Pool Guiness Book world records. He holds 4 of them in shooting pool balls faster than anyone on the planet. His record for running 15 balls with the 8-ball being pocketed last is truly amazing, as it stands at an incredible 26.3 seconds. His other 3 world records are for the fastest time in running a rack of balls on each of 2 tables placed side by side, pocketing the most balls in 24 hours in the fastest time, and making 10 racks disappear as quickly as possible with 2 tables next to each other. Dave is in high demand for his demonstration of Speed Pool, not only in an attempt to break another record, but also to conduct Speed Pool challenges for players throughout the international marketplace.
“Dr. Cue”® is known as the “Doctor of Billiardology” internationally. “Billiardology” is the study of projectiles (cues), spheres (balls), and planes (tables), and has become a recognized “moniker” to pocket billiards, after it was created in 1989 by this World Masters Trick Shot Champion and “artistic pool” guru. What is most unique about a “Dr. Cue”® presentation is the application of comedy to pocket billiard skills. Audiences sometimes laugh so hard they do not know what they are laughing at, as the “doctor” explains to them that he gets paid for “missing pool balls”. What a job!!! The primary focus of his highly spirited shows is in the college/university venue, competing mostly with the jugglers, comedians, and magicians of the entertainment profession, but a “free lancing” to the billiard/corporate industries has continued to grow year after year. Marty “Ms. Cue” is his wife/agent and driving force behind his busy tour schedule. They “go home on vacation” to Cloverdale, IN…when not driving down that “road to victory”.
In a series of international tour stops over the next couple of years, the “Ginger Wizard” and “Dr. Cue”® hope to bring a “bit of joy and excitement” to many people around the world, and put a smile on each face they meet. Their first encounter to accomplish this mission took place in Malaysia from April 23rd to May 3rd. Jimmy Lim, owner/promoter of Expressions Entertainment and a charter member of the VNEA (Valley National Eight Ball Association), plus Mild Seven, an international corporate giant, arranged for the “tandem travels” of Dave and Tom to Malaysia in a 12 show tour of this Far East culture. Lucasi Cues, plus Cue and Case provided sponsor support in this effort.
“Dr. Cue”® joined the “Ginger Wizard” in Las Vegas for a short flight to Los Angeles. Shortly after midnight on April 24th Malaysian Airlines Flight 095 left Tom Bradley International Airport with 2 pool-playing entertainers aboard a plane capable of holding 500+ passengers. The flight took over 20 hours, plus time zone changes, traveling at 39,000+ feet, minus 70 degree “outside the plane” temperatures, and over 500 miles per hour. Across the Pacific Ocean, Japan, Okinawa, and many East and South China Sea Islands, plus a passenger deplaning stop in Taipei, Taiwan, and, finally, landing in Malaysia at the Kuala Lumpar International Airport around noon on April 25th!! Other than a lost (later found) passport in Los Angeles, and lost luggage (not ours) in Taipei…causing a major delay…our aerial experience was smooth and restful.
A one hour drive to the Dorsett Regency Hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpar allowed us to check in, have our first taste of Malaysian cuisine, interview at the “Hard Drive” radio studio, and prepare for our 2 evening shows. The hotel accommodations were first class, and the food was themed around seafood and Chinese selections…only in the spicy style of Malay preparation. Jimmy Lim provided professional drivers to take us to not only the show locations, but also wherever we wanted to go for souvenirs and/or sightseeing options. Day 1 in Malaysia finished with 2 evening shows…one at a billiard room called The Matrix, and the other in our hotel, which had a pool table for the customer enjoyment, plus for Irwin, the manager, who loved “pool”. The “Ginger Wizard” amazed the audience members by pocketing 15 balls in less than 4 seconds…in a special “artistic pool” challenge called the “waterfall shot”. “Dr. Cue”® mesmerized those in attendance with his famous “wing shot” routine, making ball after ball on the move, which mimics shooting skeet or trap…while talking a “mile a minute” with comedic overtures. English is normally understood and spoken here due to it being a standard of study in the education systems, so the “humor” made sense to almost everyone.
Day 2 started with a press conference at Breakers, which was Jimmy Lim’s billiard room, a combination of pool tables and other entertainment. A half dozen media contacts embraced this session…asking questions galore and receiving answers in rapid fire succession. 2 shows once again were on the menu of activities, starting at 9:00PM in a tropical forest setting outside an upscale nightclub/billiard room called The Atmosphere. “Dr. Cue”® thrilled the audience with the “starburst” shot, making 15 balls in 3 pockets in less than 3 seconds. In addition, Jimmy Lim asked him to try a variation to an old shot. In this presentation 15 balls are jumped off the side cushions of the table, rebounding back to an audience member, who has volunteered to catch each one in flight. The final ball is “popped into the air” off the far cushion into an awaiting hat being held by the same person. The special effect of this new shot brought a roar from the audience. Dave shot in his usual “audience appealing” fashion and enchanted all with his Speed Pool skills. A second show at a nightclub called The Modesto replicated the same shots and skills to the excitement of the audience.
Three shows on Day 3, April 27th, took place in Penang…on the west coast of West Malaysia. NOTE: Malaysia is actually divided into 2 parts (East and West) in more of an island style layout. A 5-hour drive from Kuala Lumpar and subsequent check in to the Park Royal, a beachfront resort hotel, initiated these engagement venues. Penang is beautiful and a tourist’s paradise. We ate at a seaside seafood restaurant called The End Of The World. A short walk to the fishing boats on a long dock explained the huge selection of seafood specialties available to customers at this world famous eatery. We sampled over a half dozen items and found the Squid most delectable. Passing THE NO EYE DEER store (we had no idea what they sold), on our way to our shows was an interesting side note to our drive. Show 1 was at a pub/bar called Liverpool’s. Dave made all his masses and left many fans spellbound. Our 2nd show was at the hotel we had checked into just a few hours before, and our last show of the day was to a packed house in an entertainment billiard club named Estafan’s. We both started to get in stroke and “talking form” with our duel act, as was evident from audience reactions at all three locations. A little bit of American culture was had on the way back to the hotel with a stop for some ice cream. Yum!! Yum!!
Day 4 was spent in Penang also. Before our evening schedule of shows, Dave went jet skiing with “Dr. Cue”®. Jimmy Lim drove and “Dr. Cue”® held on for dear life, while Dave drove himself. Then Dave flew though the air in a parasailing experience. He looked great up in the air. After a rather rough landing, he came back to earth, and we headed for an evening of venue stops to amuse and edify. Show 1 was at 20th Street Leheigh, Show 2 was at a place called The Pool Club, and Show 3 at a well-known nightclub named Senior Senioritis.
All performances were done in typical tropical fashion; that is, after a night of rain (monsoon type) and damp cloth features. An “oddity of oddities” occurred at our second stop. I have read about it, heard about it, but have never seen it happen. Then it did!! Dave took the large Texas style stick many of you are familiar with and shot a 10 ball very hard into the side pocket. Smack…and then…the miracle!! The ball came out of the other side pocket nearly “clipping” Dave in the process. What was more amazing is that the audience must have thought it was part of the show, as they took it in stride with the other shots we were performing. The odds of this happening must be “one in a million” or higher. We were on a Murray 9 foot table with a return track system. We both will never forget this “blooper” in billiards. It happened in Malaysia!!! A short stop at McDonalds on our drive back to the hotel reminded us once again of 21st century marketing, amongst small individual food huts serving Malaysian specialties.
On Day 5 we flew back to Kuala Lumpar for a day of brief sightseeing and shopping. Our short one-hour flight went smoothly, and we noticed the coconut and palm trees that adorned the mountainsides of this tropical country. Beautiful landscapes and green foliage were obviously the mainstay of Malaysian topography. Our 2 evening shows were at Breakers in Kuala Lumpar, and Breakers in Ampang. Both of these sites produced great audience response, as Speed Pool and Billiardology embraced the hearts of those in attendance.
April 30th (Day 6) was a day of rest and relaxation for the most part, but “Dr. Cue”® did some teaching for Irwin at the Dorsett Regency Hotel, which we had checked back into. In addition, a clinic of instruction in “diamond systems” and private player analysis was done at Breakers for Jimmy Lim. In the evening we went to a special restaurant specializing in food from India. Spice (curry) was the main ingredient of this Far Eastern lifestyle.
Dave and I took Day 7 (May 1st) in stride and prepared for a special promotion of Speed Pool and “Artistic Pool” Challenge. This would take place at Breakers in Kuala Lumpar. Preliminary rounds of competition with the Malaysian players started at 4:00PM. TV and other media sources were present to cover the action. The fields of both competitions were reduced to 16 players for a second day of finals on May 2nd. In the evening we went to the “Chinatown” section of Kuala Lumpar. It was totally awesome and many souvenirs were purchased in our visit there.
Our last full day in Malaysia would witness the final rounds of Speed Pool, Artistic Pool, and an opportunity for several players to win $125,000.00US. If a player during the finals of “artistic pool” made a set of 4 select “artistic” shots, he or she would win $25,000.00US. If a player then made a bonus 5th shot, he or she would win an extra $50,000.00US. An additional $50,000.00US could be won if someone were to break Dave’s one rack Guiness record. Everyone tried, but no one won the money!! After this “test of skill” for the players, the “Ginger Wizard” would attempt to break his 2-table/10-rack world record. The audience members drew quiet waiting for this special moment. Then a burst of energy, a 1, 2, 3, go signal, and Dave was off and running. “Dr. Cue”® took the mike to create excitement and instill an encouraging chant from those in attendance. This would prove to be the sustaining force for Dave, and the electrifying catalyst to help him set another record time. And set he did!! When the “smoke” had cleared from his fast-paced movements, the new record time was posted – 9 minutes, 18.4 seconds. He had beaten his old record by 1.3 seconds. Remarkable!! This was the 3rd time “Dr. Cue”® had witnessed his record breaking and setting attempts – Moscow, Las Vegas, and, now, Malaysia. Great job…Dave!!!!! A super time was had by all.
A sightseeing visit of the Petronis Twin Towers, the highest buildings in the world, concluded our visit to Malaysia. On May 3rd, the return flight home began and ended, safely arriving back in the good old USA. Thanks to everyone for making this a special journey. For other world tour stops visit Dave at www.poolsensations.com or Tom at www.drcuepromotions.com.