Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have made a lot of difference to my audience that I'm as bald as a billiard ball!
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Baldness is visually enough of a stigma as it is without a big sweaty bloke on stage pointing it out.
It was fantastic when I came into snooker, when tobacco was throwing lots of money at it, and even when they fell away we thought others would come in because of all the TV exposure. But it didn't happen.
There is a special sensation in getting good wood on the ball and driving a double down the left-field line as the crowd in the ballpark rises to its feet and cheers. But, I also remember how much fun I had as a skinny barefoot kid hitting a tennis ball with a broomstick on a quiet, dusty street in Panama.
The tennis ball doesn't know how old I am. The ball doesn't know if I'm a man or a woman or if I come from a communist country or not. Sport has always broken down these barriers.
Never having played Chess before, it was most interesting to be playing the game with no pieces in front of me. But I still knew how to stroke my hair when I won.
Performing in front of a live audience can be pretty intimidating, so having a full head of hair was important to me.
I'm going bald. I'm having a major problem with it.
I decided to grow my hair out during college, and it's kind of stuck ever since. Even when I thought about cutting it or trimming it, common sense kicks in, and I don't think the fans would recognize me; people wouldn't know who I am. It would almost be like Santa Claus losing his powers.
I stuck out like a sore thumb when I came on, just by the fact that I looked so different. I think that adjustment for the audience was a hurdle for me.
That's the problem with having a bald head. It exaggerates the shape.