Dr Cue Tom Rossman Trick Shot Interview

Posted by Eric on November 24, 2006 at 02:21

Dr Cue Tom Rossman is a legend when it comes to trick shots. Check out his accomplishments from the http://www.drcuepromotions.com/company/resume.html page:

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Bio 2006 ESPN World Cup of Trick Shots Champion (Team USA) 2006 ESPN Trick Shot Magic Runner-Up 2006 Masters Trick and Fancy Shots Champion 2006 Masters Masse Champion 2005 WPA World and Masters Bank/Kick Shots Champion 2005 ESPN Trick Shot Magic Semi-Finalist 2004 WPA World Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Champion 2004 WPA Las Vegas Open Runner-Up 2003 BCA North American Artistic Pool Runner-Up 2003 WPA World Champion (3 Disciplines) 2002 ESPN Trick Shot Magic Champion 2002 WPA World Artistic Pool Runner-Up 2001 BCA North American Artistic Pool Champion 2001 WPA World Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Champion 2000 WPA World Artistic Pool Runner-Up 2000 BCA North American Artistic Pool Runner-Up 1998 World TASA Champion 1997 North American TASA Champion 1982 World Masters Trick Shot Champion 1980 BCA National Trick Shot Runner-Up Special Accomplishments 2000 - 2006 Over 21 Artistic Pool Discipline Titles, with wins in all 8 disciplines – “Clean Sweep” 2004 Wing-Shot Personal Event Record - 7 out of 7 at the WPA Las Vegas Open Championship 2005 Wing-Shot Personal Event Record Duplicated -- 7 out of 7 at the WPA World Championship 2006 Wing-Shot Personal High Record – 26 (9’ table – Oakland, MD) & 39 (7’ table – Las Vegas) Over 200 "artistic pool" entertainment shows per year Author of Rack Up A Victory training book, videos, and DVD's Considered “founding father” of modern day "artistic pool" movement Creator of Banks, Tricks, & "Kicks" training products for “artistic pool” worldwide Game Stats 2006: ESPN World Cup of Trick Shots Champion (Team USA), Mohegan Sun Casino, Norwich, CT 2006: ESPN Trick Shot Magic Event – 2nd Place, Las Vegas, NV 2006: Masters “Artistic Pool” Championship, 6th Place Overall, Plus Masters Discipline Champion in: 1) Trick and Fancy Shots and 2) Masse Shots, Hopkins Super Expo, King of Prussia, PA (21 Discipline Champion Titles – Thru March of 2006) Special Note: Set personal best record for most shots/challenges made in a row with fifteen total, which included 5 in Masse Shots Discipline, 5 in Trick and Fancy Shots Discipline, and 5 in Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Discipline, accumulating total points for 3 consecutive disciplines of 116 points 2005: WPA World “Artistic Pool” Championship, WPA World Champion in Bank/Kick Shots Discipline and 9th Place Overall, Southington, CT 2005: ESPN Trick Shot Magic Event – 3rd Place, Las Vegas, NV 2005: Masters “Artistic Pool” Championship, 4th Place Overall and Masters Champion in Bank/Kick Shots Discipline, Hopkins Super Expo, King of Prussia, PA 2004: WPA World “Artistic Pool” Championship, 3rd Place Overall and WPA World Champion in Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Discipline, Bell Gardens, CA Special Note: Made 7 out of 7 “wing shots” in Prop/Novelty/Special Arts, which duplicated personal record for this challenge from the 2004 WPA Las Vegas Open. Set world record score of 244 points overall during this event, only to be surpassed a few hours later by the rising “artistic pool” superstar Lucasz Szywala of Poland, who established a new and phenomenal world record of 270 points our of 333 possible. 2004: ESPN Trick Shot Magic Event – 5th Place, Las Vegas, NV 2004: WPA Las Vegas Open “Artistic Pool” Championship, 2nd Place Overall and Discipline Champion in 1) Trick and Fancy Shots, 2) Stroke Shots, and 3) and Jump Shots, Las Vegas, NV Special Note: Made 7 our of 7 “wing shots” in Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Discipline and completed the “clean sweep” of “artistic pool” championship victories in all 8 “artistic pool” disciplines since its multi-titled format in May of 2000 – by virtue of winning the Stroke Discipline in this event. 2004: WPA Masters “Artistic Pool” Championship, 2nd Place Overall and Masters Champion in Follow Shots Discipline, Hopkins Super Expo, King of Prussia, PA 2004: Northeastern Open “Artistic Pool” Championship, 7th place overall, Southington, CT 2004: BCA North American “Artistic Pool” Championship, 3rd Place Overall and Discipline Champion in 1) Trick and Fancy Shots and 2) Follow Shots, Parsippany, NJ 2003: US Open "Artistic Pool" Championship, 10th Place Overall, New Bedford, MA 2003: ESPN Trick Shot Magic Event – 5th Place, Baltimore, MD 2003: WPA World Champion in following disciplines: 1) Trick and Fancy Shots 2) Prop/Novelty/Special Arts 3) Masse Shots; 4th Place Overall, Kiev, Ukraine 2003: Runner-up BCA North American "Artistic Pool" Championship, Yorkville, NY 2002: ESPN Trick Shot Magic Champion, Baltimore, MD 2002: Runner-up BCA North American "Artistic Pool" Championship, Bellflower, CA and Discipline Champion Jump Shots 2002: Runner-up WPA World "Artistic Pool" Championship, Willingen, Germany and WPA World Champion in Draw Shots Discipline 2001: BCA North American "Artistic Pool" Champion and Discipline Champion in: 1) Trick and Fancy Shots, 2) Follow Shots, 3) Prop/Novelty/Special Arts, 4) Bank/Kick Shots, Las Vegas, NV 2001: WPA World "Artistic Pool " Championship, 4th Place Overall and WPA World Champion in Prop/Novelty/Special Arts Discipline, Las Vegas, NV 2000: Runner-up WPA World "Artistic Pool" Championship, Las Vegas, NV 2000: Runner-up BCA North American "Artistic Pool" Championship, Las Vegas, NV 1998: World "Artistic Pool" Champion, promoted by TASA (Trick & "Artistic" Shooter's Association) of Atlanta, GA 1997: North American Professional Trick and Fancy Champion, promoted by TASA (Trick & "Artistic" Shooter's Association) of Atlanta, GA 1982: World Masters Trick Shot Champion, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1980: Runner-up -- BCA National Trick Shot Championship, Columbus, OH

Tom Rossman wrote:

I believe the single most important and unique trait is the “entertainment” characteristic I have acquired and applied to my work for the last 20 years. In 1987 I became a professional entertainer on the pool table…filtering in the skills of my professional play game in that mission. That concept is very similar to what the Harlem Globetrotters did with basketball, by taking “pro” skills and making it an art form via the “entertainment” medium of expression. I became a “table trotter” of sorts in the development of my career work, while audiences both “inside and outside” of the billiard industry found a growing attraction to that approach.

Tom Rossman wrote:

As an entertainer first…acting as “Dr. Cue”…I enjoy “making people laugh” during my “artistic pool” performances and exhibiting “gifts and talents” with passion and a “special joy” for our game. Even from the more serious side of teaching in group and private formats, I find that when you can blend in the “magic of humor” into the presentation, people go away with a good feeling inside and are likely to “enjoy the roll” in more of a highly spirited fashion. From the play side…as Tom Rossman…I believe I enjoy the “oddities” that happen when you designate pockets for a ball or balls and they go somewhere else. That still fascinates me, so I fully expect to see those things happening; consequently, I simply “enjoy the roll” myself.

Tom Rossman wrote:

My wife, Marty (“Ms. Cue”) and I have been blessed with over 20 years of a special journey together in our show travels, teaching, producing products, promoting, and running “artistic pool” competitions in not only the billiard industry, but also a far more expanding entertainment industry for us. She has been the “key” in “getting me to the table on time” and our overall success, so whatever we do we pray that God allows us to do it together. A few of the long term goals are to: A. Write another book – this time on our “journey/tour experiences” and the special moments in billiard/personal history for us. B. Develop special projects of education, entertainment, and competitive challenge for the sport of “artistic pool” internationally, so players and fans worldwide can “enjoy the roll” and “enter the artistic pool” arena on equal footing with others. C. Promote encouragement to others in this industry to follow their billiard dreams via the RACK Room visionary and ambassadorship principles…which deal primarily with healthy stewardship concepts for the “gifts and talents” in the billiard industry and for those things in life that we are “just watching over”. D. Witness to others the “special joy” this game can bring and the “victory” we all can experience in life with that special “Spirit” guiding us along the way…in thanks of knowing where it all came from and keeping in mind a proper “order” to all that is done.

Tom Rossman wrote:

Each day I see another “mountain” to climb and another joy to experience in that climbing. Once I understood what life and this game was all about, I realized that “peaking” is a relevant term that mostly refers to pool players and performance…normally making balls and doing well in events. Since my focus is more from the “entertainment” viewpoint, I look for ways day by day to fulfill the purpose to it all and not necessarily to “win or lose” on paper.

	Tom Rossman wrote:
	I have a strange answer for you on this one. Since I am in the “entertainment” field, I guess it would be to become a professional 3 cushion player in the billiard industry. That is my favorite game of all the billiard disciplines. I would love to average 2.0 like some of the international players. Outside the billiard industry I would probably have a professional lawn care service.

Tom Rossman wrote:

From the competition side -- Winning the 2002 ESPN Trick Shot Magic event. I also believe that completing the “clean sweep” of “artistic pool”, which is winning each of the 8 discipline titles at least once since 2000 parallels that accomplishment. From the personal “specific skills” side of “artistic pool” it would be making 26 Wing Shots in a row on a 9 foot table and 39 Wing Shots in a row on a 7 foot table. I also bowled a 300 game in college, so I guess that would have to be one more highlight in my “bag of tricks”.

	Tom Rossman wrote:
	One of my very best friends in college had a father that loved trick shots. His name was Harvey Edwards. He showed me my first trick shot in 1967.

Tom Rossman wrote:

Many refer to it as the “surrounded shot”. It involved an 8 ball being placed on the foot spot with 6 balls surrounding it in 2 semi circles. The object is to make the 8 ball escape from this cluster in one of 4 different pockets called. It includes the concept of “manufacturing a shot” via combination “clearance” principles. It is a really neat shot and works beautifully. That shot really got my attention and fueled my interest in the “artistic” side of the game.

	Tom Rossman wrote:
	I think the greatest challenge I have in the field of “artistic pool” is Mike Massey. We are both brothers in Christ, so our friendship has grown over the years in many special ways. Mike’s skills are awesome and he always seems to display them in the competitive arena at the right time. I consider it a great blessing to know him and to be on the same “team” in life, so to speak.

Tom Rossman wrote:

I really enjoy watching one of our special “artistic pool” players and “entertainers” by the name of Rick “The Barber” Hawkinson. He has created some of the most unique “artistic pool” shots and concepts of anyone I know. His billiard performances include bowling balls, candles, darts, balloons, juggling, special music, and even a unicycle. His pioneering efforts in our sport have taken it to the next “entertainment” skill level and beyond, as many of the top players are using his creational ideas to develop their own shots for both “sport and show”.

Tom Rossman wrote:

I understand you are using “trick shots” generically in your question, but in the more all inclusive world of “artistic pool”, which includes all 8 disciplines of our sport, I believe the discipline of Prop, Novelty, and Special Arts would be my specialized focus. I also specialize in banks, kicks, jumps, and masse, for which I have developed many techniques in teaching others via my Rack Up A Victory book, video, and DVD series of products.

	Tom Rossman wrote:
	Up until 2000 most of my shots come from “past” creations, but for the last 6 years I have modified many of them and created probably close to 100 of my own. Keep in mind when I add the “entertainment” factor to each shot (new or old), that shot reveals a “hidden” treasure of presentation that makes it special and “new” to many that view it.

Tom Rossman wrote:

I think this would have to be the “Starburst Shot”, which the great Japanese trick shot player Kumura invented. I gave it this name when I saw it, since it had no name and it looked like the “grand finale” of a fireworks demonstration to me…with 5 groups of 3 balls each “bursting” into select pockets in less than 5 seconds. I do this magnetic challenge as the final shot in my shows, and I have yet to see anyone not enjoy its “artistic” beauty.

Tom Rossman wrote:

Whenever I see a new product or something as simple as a “paper bag”, coin wrapper, or coin, my mind looks at it as a potential show “prop”. I try to figure out how I can use it from the “entertainment” amenity side and how the audience might react to it during my shows. If it is well received, I will spend hours trying to “compose” a new shot with it that has a special skill challenge to it and that would be valuable in the competitive arena. The first time I saw the “big ball” in the Aramith booth at an industry trade show years ago, I know I would someday come up with a special shot for it. The shot you saw is just one of what I believe will be many more using it in the execution process, maybe combining it with a handkerchief or some other “simple” prop designed to entertain the fans of our sport and challenge my fellow competitors.

Tom Rossman wrote:

I don’t really have a favorite room per se. I do however enjoy a little private club in Little Falls, NY called the Carom Club. It has 2 carom tables and 1 pool table. Whenever our tour heads that direction, I make it a point to chalk up my carom cue and stop in for a friendly game of 3 cushion billiards with my “carom” friends and fellow members. Favorite Restaurant: I like any restaurant that has great chicken! Favorite Song: Amazing Grace and A Closer Walk With Thee Favorite Sayings – Success is finding your calling and passion in life, and pursuing it regardless of financial gain. Rack Up A Victory in your game…and life!!!