Bay Area team finishes ninth in the World Pool Championships

OLDSMAR, Fla. - Every Monday night at Stix Billiards in Oldsmar, the patrons are busy. 

"Just a bunch of friends who play pool," Mike Bakogiannis said.

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That's not all they do to occupy their time. 

"It is all just fun because we drink," David Cobb said. "We buy each other shots and just have fun."

The backstory:

They had so much fun hanging out and shooting pool, they decided to create a team. They call themselves: "Chalk Dirty to Me." 

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"We all agreed to get serious to become better players and put the work in," Bakogiannis said.

The work built a bond.

"It is not about shooting lights out," Bakogiannis said. "It comes down to the team and the camaraderie."

The camaraderie of this team is second to none.

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"It is a really meticulous sport when you think about it," Victoria Parker said. "Having the community, that is the biggest thing I would say about pool is, having the community that we have, everybody is here to help each other."

Big picture view:

That sense of community created something even more special. "Chalk Dirty to Me" finished ninth in the World Pool Championships in 8-ball in Las Vegas with more than 1,800 teams competing. 

"We are just playing some pool, and then you find out you are ninth in the world, and then you are like, 'Wow, all of the work we put in is worth it,'" Bakogiannis said. "Once in a lifetime experience for sure."

Out in Vegas, there were so many pool tables they lost count. 

"It was just absolutely incredible," Cobb said. "I was at a loss for words when I first saw it."

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But, it was their play that spoke volumes. 

"We took it one game at a time," Parker said. "And after each one, we would look at each other and go, 'Let's go one more. Why not? Let's keep having fun. What's the worst that can happen.'"

That mentality has them playing as one of the best teams on the planet. 

"To see a team like this that really just started to hang out and have fun, to reach the pinnacle of success and go out there in the world championships in Las Vegas against these other countries and finish Top 10 in the world, I couldn't be more proud," Tampa Bay APA league operator Anthony Spano said.

And, they'll bet on themselves to get back to that stage and do it all again.

Their Goal:

"That's not the last time we are going to be out there," Bakogiannis said. "It's not the best we can do. All of us are going to improve as players and make a run at it for sure."