To watch the interview click the attached link or you can just read it below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfrK6qDjpJs
After an initial objection, it didn't take much to get Billy Bob Breeden hooked on a sport. A friend asked if he wanted to play in a croquet tournament. The lure? A T-shirt, band playing and beverages - all for $12. It was fun. Next time out, he placed second in a field of 400. And 30 years later, he's still at it.
The Gallatin, Mo.,-based local manager is the United States Croquet Association Missouri-Nebraska district president, a role in which he promotes croquet at all levels and answers rules questions. He plays about eight tournaments annually and has competed in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas.
"I'm a very competitive person and I play every chance I get," says the third-place finisher at 9 Wicket National Croquet Tournament three years ago. "I compete in four 6 wicket tournaments and four 9 wicket tournaments in the spring, summer and fall. The district also has hosted the 9W National the last four years in Kansas City, Kan.
He doesn't play with just any mallet, either. Billy Bob's is a $500 graphite model (36 inches long with an 11-inch mallet head) imported from Australia. The one-pound balls are from Africa and run $40 each.
"The money is well-spent," Billy Bob says. "I can't believe there's not more people falling all over themselves to do it." He says all ages can learn and benefit from a game that's played the world over.
It's also a family sport for Billy Bob and wife Debbie, who competes with a mallet made in New Zealand.
"It gets young people outside and older adults don't have to be athletic to compete," says the game's ambassador. "Not everyone can swing a golf club or can run to return a tennis ball, but everyone can swing a mallet," he points out.
Like any sport, the key to success is "it takes lots of practice. Practice, practice and practice," he emphasizes. When the weather is bad, Billy Bob practices in the basement of his Cameron, Mo., home with specially made portable wickets.
"I have a dry erase board on the wall that I uses to draw out different scenarios, like you would if you were playing football."
The basement also is the place for his growing display of trophies. Practice is a stress reliever for Billy Bob and keeps him focused on a personal goal of winning a national championship. His goal is to play in the 6W Nationals at West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2012.
What's That Thing You Do?
White at 9W Nationals in 2010Troy White of Rockville, Missouri, passed away April 23, 2013. He was 49 years old. Troy lived in Rockville, Missouri most of his life. During his life, he worked for JLS Coal Company and also Wilson Plumbing. Troy loved the small town life and especially enjoyed being outdoors. Some of his favorite outdoor passions were deer hunting and mushroom hunting, but his favorite passion was playing croquet. Troy started playing nine-wicket cutthroat croquet in the early 1980’s and started playing in tournaments around this same time.
