The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

DARIO Woodside and Duran Wilson have slowly been building a name for themselves on the local pool tables.

The duo returned from Grand Bahama where they dominated the third annual Bernie Russell Memorial Pool Tournament. While Woodside emerged as the individual champion, carting off the cash prize of $1,000, he also teamed up with Wilson to secure the doubles title.

Woodside, who has been competing in the sport for the past 17 years at age of eight, said after he followed his uncle Desmond ‘Dancy’ Burrows, his goal to become the best pool player in the country. In 2010, he went to Las Vegas where he finished 17th out of a field of 1,200 players.

But over the weekend, Burrows said he was really impressed with his performance in Grand Bahama.

“It was great. We had a lot of fun. They introduced the ten-ball, so it was a good experience,” Burrows said. “The competition was alright. The only pressure I felt was in the championship against Tyler Russell. He really gave me a push, but I managed to overcome him.”

Burrows, a former softball player, won 6-4 to clutch the title over Russell from Abaco.

“I feel like I could get better if I shoot under a lot more pressure,” he said. “If the pressure was more higher, my game will improve. I believe I have to go abroad like I did in Las Vegas in order to get the competition to push me further.”

Burrows and Wilson will be hoping to duplicate their feat in Grand Bahama when they compete in the final of a local tournament at Chesapeake, off Market Street, starting at 8 pm. The tournament is expected to serve as a tune up for an international tournament in Sarasota, Florida that Burrows and Wilson hope to compete in April.

For Wilson, the older brother high jumper Jamaal Wilson, said despite the fact that he didn’t perform as well as Burrows individually (placing ninth), he anticipate that their victory will only serve as the impetus for further success as a team.

“Everybody over there take it very serious seriously, very professional,” Wilson said.

“The only difference here is that we have three times the amount of players that they have in Freeport. But they take it very professionally. So it was good for us to go over there and win.”

There’s always the argument about who’s the best, but not one to sound their own horn, Wilson said they both consider themselves to be among the top five.

“The two of is together is like putting Superman with Superman,” he insisted.

Wilson said he hope that their performance will encourage the “powers that be” to take the sport more serious because it should not just be considered a “bar room sport” and they should recognize it more for the competitiveness that they produce as a “gentleman” sport.

Jamaal Wilson, also a highly respected pool player in his spare time away from track and field, said he want to help to “raise the awareness of the sport. He said the trip to Grand Bahama has certainly given the local players a boost of confidence, especially after watching Burrows perform.

“Luckily for him, I didn’t get to meet him in the championship,” Jamaal Wilson said. “If I was in it, it would have been double trouble for him. But I’m proud of him and my brother for their accomplishment. It was a good environment. I think they all competed very well.”