Alex, I've never gotten a message like this before, and I only noticed it by chance. Please use PM in the future to communicate with me. I tried to reply once, but not sure I did it right.

Path A is much tougher. Path B is best, but unless Ruslan's top priority is 14.1, Florida, which counts Thorsten Hohmann, Tony Crosby and Darren Appleton among its European transplants is a better choice. If you know any of them, I'd suggest making contact to discuss this. There is a decent regional tour in Florida and a decent amount of action. Several pros, Rodney Morris among them, practice ot of a room called Capone's in Spring Hill, Florida.

As for finding a stakehorse, it seems every single one of them can be found at Derby City, contested every January in the Louisville area. If he's there, I'll do my part to point him in the right direction.

Stu

hi Stu, it's Alex Lely from the Netherlands. i hope u r well as the pool scene in NY.
i coach the Russians sometimes per year. a great group of talented and hard working players. 19-year old Ruslan Chinakhov continues to marvel with his skills.
Ruslan would like to (and needs to) go to the States. i think there are two options.
A. hardcore on the road, but needs a bonafide stakehorse. he plays good and long hours since his 12th
B. stay at someone's house in New York. minimize expenses and play a lot of 14.1 and local tournaments
what do you think about possibilities, best option?
thanks, bye Alex
ps i forgot the name of that redheaded girl, she quit pool and started to study political science (like me), you still see her? say hi