Leicester trip part 2 - Three days in snooker heaven
Saturday, 4 January 2025 17:05[Link to part 1]
It's finally time to start writing this post. There's so much to talk about, and even almost a month later, it still feels like an absolute fairy tale. Definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
So, this post is about Thursday, December 5, 2024 to Saturday, December 7, 2024. As in, the last three days of the Shootout tournament.
This was my first time going to see live professional snooker. And let me tell you, even before getting into the arena, the experience was amazing. While we were waiting to be let in, I got into a conversation with some of the other people nearby. It turned out that the very first person I talked to was also the designer of the snooker shirts I've been buying since 2020! My first one was a Ronnie shirt in 2020, then I bought a Mark Selby one in the Summer of 2024. And also a Judd shirt as a gift for![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
gobtastic soon after I got my Mark one. Either way, she was quite excited to see me wearing one of her designs, and I was also excited to meet her and get to thank her in person for the beautiful things she makes.
Turns out she was one half of the Snookergoths duo, who are kinda famous on Twitter and seem to go to a lot of tournaments. Speaking of Twitter, one of the guys who's talking a lot of snooker on there just came up to me and went "Hello!" like we'd known each other for an age, because he recognised me from my userpic, and I also immediately realised who he was. I won't say he's a Twitter friend that I talk to a lot, but he's part of the snooker community there and talks quite a bit, so he's more like someone I know of, rather than someone I talk to privately. Either way, he was really nice, and it was a fun way to meet.
Speaking of Twitter/online snooker people, a few others also came over to say hi and/or give me a hug during these days. It felt so good, suddenly being "physically" part of the community that had only been an online thing until now.
Oh, and I know I've said this already, but I love British people and how open and friendly they are. They just start talking like they already know me... which is very helpful for a kinda shy person like me. That said, it's also wonderful to be in a place where you know that everyone else is into the same thing as you are, so of course talking about snooker immediately meant that we had something in common.
So, as for how the arena was set up, they did a security control/ticket control by the door. If you had all-day tickets, you got a little paper wristband which meant you could go back outside if you wanted to, and still come back in. They also checked my handbag for any illegal items, but I had no problem bringing extra drinks/water, as they just perceived it to be for "medical reasons", as they called it.
Beyond the security control, you got into a sort of waiting area. This place had an area where you could try out various snooker-inspired games. As in, with a real cue and real snooker balls. Much to my surprise, it wasn't overcrowded, but there were always some people playing there. Sometimes I noticed some of the referees coming over to play during the break between sessions, too. That was nice to see. I didn't really go over there to try that out, though. Other than that, there was also a bar/eatery place, which was convenient since I was staying at the arena from around 11am to 11pm every day.
As for the actual arena as you see it on TV, it had stands for the crowd on three sides. On the fourth side were the TV cameras and the referee/marker table. Also, it was interesting to see how they make the "walls" around the playing area. I never really thought of how this is made when I see it on TV, but it's actually just some large blocks/boxes/crates sitting side by side. I saw a couple of people trying to sit on/lie on top of these for photos, but the stewards immediately put a stop to that. During the final trophy presentation and winner's lap of honour, the audience were allowed to come up the the edge of the playing area and lean over the box-walls, though.
Anyway, on the first day I hadn't realised where to stand in order to get a chance to speak to the players as they exited the playing area, so I was further to the right during the first session that day. I learned after that, though, and stayed in the same spot near the exit for the rest of my time there.
That meant that I got quite a few photos with players. I didn't even try to get a photo with most of them; I just went for the ones I love especially much. Or, in one case, I took my chance because things were happening right in front of me for minutes on end.
Want to know which players I met? Five photos under the cut:
( Me and some of my snooker favourites )
Now, as for the most important part of this post:
I met Mark Selby. ❤️
I still have no words for how much this meant. In fact, there's so much to say about this moment, and about everything that happened the day after, too.
One important fact is that my very first live snooker match was Mark Selby vs Baipat Siripaporn. It was the opening match on Thursday afternoon. However, I didn't even try to catch him after that, because I hadn't realised yet how to get close enough to do so. Besides, I was also emotional after having seen him up close for the first time, and also about the fact that he not only won the match, but also thanked Baipat for the game with a wai gesture - a little bow with the palms pressed together. My heart was fluttering so much in my chest at that moment, you can't even imagine.
Then, on Friday night, he had the last match of the evening. I had decided that I would try to get close enough to him to maybe say a few words to him, and ask for a photo. Only, he won his match, but then went straight to a live interview with Eurosport (which was in the opposite direction of where players normally exit after a match) - much to the disappointment of the 20-or-so fans who were waiting for him.
The stewards didn't want a group of fans waiting around, as they were trying to clear the arena after the action had finished for the night. Now, I should probably mention that I had a good tone with some of the stewards all day, because some of them were hanging around the area where I was sitting. So, they weren't angry, but they were just firmly trying to tell all of us to leave. In the end, it was just me and two other guys left, still wanting to wait for Mark to finish up his interview. Eventually the two guys left as well, and I also made the moves to do so - I mean, I'm not a difficult person, and I don't want to make trouble. I could see that they were finishing up in the Eurosport studio, though, so I half-jokingly told the nearest steward that "if you let me stand around for another couple of minutes to wait for him, I'm going to give you a hug afterwards. Okay?" He didn't get angry or anything, just mildly laughed it off. But then the other nearby steward just went over to the Eurosport studio and asked Mark if he wanted to come over... and he did.
Believe me, everything that I knew a moment ago that I wanted to tell him, just disappeared right out of my mind when I saw him coming towards us. I did get to tell him that he's my hero, and that I watch every match, though. He said that "they all say that to my face," very softly, like he didn't want to take in the words completely. I think I said something along the lines of "Well, maybe, but I mean it." Other than that, he asked if I was coming the next day as well, and he said "Nice to meet you," and we took this photo. One of the stewards took it, actually. I completely forgot to congratulate him on his win that night, so I felt a bit silly for that. The moment didn't last long, though, and he went away right after we took the photo.
As I promised, though, I gave a hug to the steward. And then immediately hid my face in my hands because I was so close to crying from emotion. I'm not sure if I actually cried, or if I was just completely overwhelmed. Either way, both stewards came over and smiled and joked and said "don't cry," and such. They weren't angry with me at all.
Now, if you thought that was the end of my Mark Selby story, you have to think again. Because he was still in the tournament for the final day, his wife Vikki and daughter Sofia were at the matches that day, too. Suddenly, I saw them about two meters away from me, so I probably smiled automatically because I recognised them - the TV cameras like to focus on them when he plays, after all. I had no plans to talk to them, though. But Vikki just came right over to me and started talking. She was like: "Hey, I heard you met my husband last night. Because he spoke about you when he got home."
My mind kinda went into shock, and all I could think was: "What?!" for a moment. But Vikki was very sweet and kept talking with me for a couple of minutes, and I got to take a photo with her, too. She also commented on my shirt and said that she loved it, and she was trying to show it to Sofia, too. I got to say hi to Sofia as well, but it was mostly Vikki talking. They actually had their seats just a bit behind me and to the side, but they didn't stay there for most of the "other" matches - when Mark wasn't playing, they just went out to the backstage area, so they were probably with him in the players' lounge or something. I obviously have no clue what's in the backstage part.
Anyway, he won his next match as well. And this time he took time for all the fans who wanted to have photos or autographs, making sure that everyone got it. I stayed back for that, because I had already talked to him the day before. Vikki and Sofia went to wait for him backstage, though, and they said "We'll get him to come over," when they passed me. So, when he had finished signing autographs and posing for photos with everyone who were waiting, he came over to me and I got his autograph as well. Oh, and this time I actually had the presence of mind to congratulate him on his win, and say that it was a good match (which it was! He was playing really well there!), to which he said "I'm glad you're enjoying it." I also saw that he posed for a photo with a woman in a wheelchair who seemingly wasn't able to queue up earlier. Seeing what that meant to her was also absolutely beautiful, and it was very nice to see how he cares about his fans.
Eventually, his run ended in the semifinal, unfortunately. He lost to the Scottish youngster Liam Graham, in a match where neither of them scored that much. Mark stopped on 20, though, and Liam eventually made 38 for the win. It seems he didn't want to stay for the rest of the tournament after losing, so Vikki and Sofia also got up to leave immediately after the semifinal. We said goodbye - but then Vikki came back to me half a minute after and gave me Mark's player pass from the tournament. As in, the access card thing that he had been wearing all week. She said that "he wanted you to have it," and gave me a good, long hug, and asked if I'd be coming to the snooker again soon.
I said that the plan is to go to Manchester in March, and she said: "Good, because then we'll see you there." She sounded so honest, too, like she actually meant that? She just seemed such a warm person, though.
Mark's player pass, btw? This one:
I feel like the whole three days were an absolute fairy tale, and it was magical from start to finish. Being at the snooker was already amazing, but the chance to get close to some of my favourite players was great, too. I can't even begin to say how much it meant to meet Mark and his family, though. It was so much more than I had ever dared to dream of.
It's finally time to start writing this post. There's so much to talk about, and even almost a month later, it still feels like an absolute fairy tale. Definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life.
So, this post is about Thursday, December 5, 2024 to Saturday, December 7, 2024. As in, the last three days of the Shootout tournament.
This was my first time going to see live professional snooker. And let me tell you, even before getting into the arena, the experience was amazing. While we were waiting to be let in, I got into a conversation with some of the other people nearby. It turned out that the very first person I talked to was also the designer of the snooker shirts I've been buying since 2020! My first one was a Ronnie shirt in 2020, then I bought a Mark Selby one in the Summer of 2024. And also a Judd shirt as a gift for
gobtastic soon after I got my Mark one. Either way, she was quite excited to see me wearing one of her designs, and I was also excited to meet her and get to thank her in person for the beautiful things she makes.Turns out she was one half of the Snookergoths duo, who are kinda famous on Twitter and seem to go to a lot of tournaments. Speaking of Twitter, one of the guys who's talking a lot of snooker on there just came up to me and went "Hello!" like we'd known each other for an age, because he recognised me from my userpic, and I also immediately realised who he was. I won't say he's a Twitter friend that I talk to a lot, but he's part of the snooker community there and talks quite a bit, so he's more like someone I know of, rather than someone I talk to privately. Either way, he was really nice, and it was a fun way to meet.
Speaking of Twitter/online snooker people, a few others also came over to say hi and/or give me a hug during these days. It felt so good, suddenly being "physically" part of the community that had only been an online thing until now.
Oh, and I know I've said this already, but I love British people and how open and friendly they are. They just start talking like they already know me... which is very helpful for a kinda shy person like me. That said, it's also wonderful to be in a place where you know that everyone else is into the same thing as you are, so of course talking about snooker immediately meant that we had something in common.
So, as for how the arena was set up, they did a security control/ticket control by the door. If you had all-day tickets, you got a little paper wristband which meant you could go back outside if you wanted to, and still come back in. They also checked my handbag for any illegal items, but I had no problem bringing extra drinks/water, as they just perceived it to be for "medical reasons", as they called it.
Beyond the security control, you got into a sort of waiting area. This place had an area where you could try out various snooker-inspired games. As in, with a real cue and real snooker balls. Much to my surprise, it wasn't overcrowded, but there were always some people playing there. Sometimes I noticed some of the referees coming over to play during the break between sessions, too. That was nice to see. I didn't really go over there to try that out, though. Other than that, there was also a bar/eatery place, which was convenient since I was staying at the arena from around 11am to 11pm every day.
As for the actual arena as you see it on TV, it had stands for the crowd on three sides. On the fourth side were the TV cameras and the referee/marker table. Also, it was interesting to see how they make the "walls" around the playing area. I never really thought of how this is made when I see it on TV, but it's actually just some large blocks/boxes/crates sitting side by side. I saw a couple of people trying to sit on/lie on top of these for photos, but the stewards immediately put a stop to that. During the final trophy presentation and winner's lap of honour, the audience were allowed to come up the the edge of the playing area and lean over the box-walls, though.
Anyway, on the first day I hadn't realised where to stand in order to get a chance to speak to the players as they exited the playing area, so I was further to the right during the first session that day. I learned after that, though, and stayed in the same spot near the exit for the rest of my time there.
That meant that I got quite a few photos with players. I didn't even try to get a photo with most of them; I just went for the ones I love especially much. Or, in one case, I took my chance because things were happening right in front of me for minutes on end.
Want to know which players I met? Five photos under the cut:
( Me and some of my snooker favourites )
Now, as for the most important part of this post:
I met Mark Selby. ❤️
I still have no words for how much this meant. In fact, there's so much to say about this moment, and about everything that happened the day after, too.
One important fact is that my very first live snooker match was Mark Selby vs Baipat Siripaporn. It was the opening match on Thursday afternoon. However, I didn't even try to catch him after that, because I hadn't realised yet how to get close enough to do so. Besides, I was also emotional after having seen him up close for the first time, and also about the fact that he not only won the match, but also thanked Baipat for the game with a wai gesture - a little bow with the palms pressed together. My heart was fluttering so much in my chest at that moment, you can't even imagine.
Then, on Friday night, he had the last match of the evening. I had decided that I would try to get close enough to him to maybe say a few words to him, and ask for a photo. Only, he won his match, but then went straight to a live interview with Eurosport (which was in the opposite direction of where players normally exit after a match) - much to the disappointment of the 20-or-so fans who were waiting for him.
The stewards didn't want a group of fans waiting around, as they were trying to clear the arena after the action had finished for the night. Now, I should probably mention that I had a good tone with some of the stewards all day, because some of them were hanging around the area where I was sitting. So, they weren't angry, but they were just firmly trying to tell all of us to leave. In the end, it was just me and two other guys left, still wanting to wait for Mark to finish up his interview. Eventually the two guys left as well, and I also made the moves to do so - I mean, I'm not a difficult person, and I don't want to make trouble. I could see that they were finishing up in the Eurosport studio, though, so I half-jokingly told the nearest steward that "if you let me stand around for another couple of minutes to wait for him, I'm going to give you a hug afterwards. Okay?" He didn't get angry or anything, just mildly laughed it off. But then the other nearby steward just went over to the Eurosport studio and asked Mark if he wanted to come over... and he did.
Believe me, everything that I knew a moment ago that I wanted to tell him, just disappeared right out of my mind when I saw him coming towards us. I did get to tell him that he's my hero, and that I watch every match, though. He said that "they all say that to my face," very softly, like he didn't want to take in the words completely. I think I said something along the lines of "Well, maybe, but I mean it." Other than that, he asked if I was coming the next day as well, and he said "Nice to meet you," and we took this photo. One of the stewards took it, actually. I completely forgot to congratulate him on his win that night, so I felt a bit silly for that. The moment didn't last long, though, and he went away right after we took the photo.
As I promised, though, I gave a hug to the steward. And then immediately hid my face in my hands because I was so close to crying from emotion. I'm not sure if I actually cried, or if I was just completely overwhelmed. Either way, both stewards came over and smiled and joked and said "don't cry," and such. They weren't angry with me at all.
Now, if you thought that was the end of my Mark Selby story, you have to think again. Because he was still in the tournament for the final day, his wife Vikki and daughter Sofia were at the matches that day, too. Suddenly, I saw them about two meters away from me, so I probably smiled automatically because I recognised them - the TV cameras like to focus on them when he plays, after all. I had no plans to talk to them, though. But Vikki just came right over to me and started talking. She was like: "Hey, I heard you met my husband last night. Because he spoke about you when he got home."
My mind kinda went into shock, and all I could think was: "What?!" for a moment. But Vikki was very sweet and kept talking with me for a couple of minutes, and I got to take a photo with her, too. She also commented on my shirt and said that she loved it, and she was trying to show it to Sofia, too. I got to say hi to Sofia as well, but it was mostly Vikki talking. They actually had their seats just a bit behind me and to the side, but they didn't stay there for most of the "other" matches - when Mark wasn't playing, they just went out to the backstage area, so they were probably with him in the players' lounge or something. I obviously have no clue what's in the backstage part.
Anyway, he won his next match as well. And this time he took time for all the fans who wanted to have photos or autographs, making sure that everyone got it. I stayed back for that, because I had already talked to him the day before. Vikki and Sofia went to wait for him backstage, though, and they said "We'll get him to come over," when they passed me. So, when he had finished signing autographs and posing for photos with everyone who were waiting, he came over to me and I got his autograph as well. Oh, and this time I actually had the presence of mind to congratulate him on his win, and say that it was a good match (which it was! He was playing really well there!), to which he said "I'm glad you're enjoying it." I also saw that he posed for a photo with a woman in a wheelchair who seemingly wasn't able to queue up earlier. Seeing what that meant to her was also absolutely beautiful, and it was very nice to see how he cares about his fans.
Eventually, his run ended in the semifinal, unfortunately. He lost to the Scottish youngster Liam Graham, in a match where neither of them scored that much. Mark stopped on 20, though, and Liam eventually made 38 for the win. It seems he didn't want to stay for the rest of the tournament after losing, so Vikki and Sofia also got up to leave immediately after the semifinal. We said goodbye - but then Vikki came back to me half a minute after and gave me Mark's player pass from the tournament. As in, the access card thing that he had been wearing all week. She said that "he wanted you to have it," and gave me a good, long hug, and asked if I'd be coming to the snooker again soon.
I said that the plan is to go to Manchester in March, and she said: "Good, because then we'll see you there." She sounded so honest, too, like she actually meant that? She just seemed such a warm person, though.
Mark's player pass, btw? This one:
I feel like the whole three days were an absolute fairy tale, and it was magical from start to finish. Being at the snooker was already amazing, but the chance to get close to some of my favourite players was great, too. I can't even begin to say how much it meant to meet Mark and his family, though. It was so much more than I had ever dared to dream of.
