Dan also saw success in open tournaments at this time and proved that he could hang with some of the toughest player in the Tri-State area. With his continued improvement and visibility, he began to garner sponsorship interest. In 2010 Dan joined up as a player representative for Kamui Tips and recently gained sponsorship from On The Snap Billiards in Sayreville, NJ, as well as Dunkel Custom Cues of Trenton, NJ. The end of the 2011-2012 season marked another turning point for Dan, as the Tri-State Tour moved him to the open class. While this designation meant that Dan no longer qualified to play in amateur events on the tour, it was also significant for another reason: Dan had become the first person in the tour’s history to ever begin at the ranking of D and move all the way up to the open division after having played on the tour over a span of fifteen years. help Dan re-learn the game, but taking so much time away had dropped his abilities considerably. But, as Dan would learn, there were some hidden benefits to be gained from his hiatus. Dan had gained some major life experiences that helped him become a more well-rounded player. “Getting married and having a child helped him mature and take the game more seriously,” said Todd Fleitman. After having dealt with the death of his uncle, his marriage and divorce, having a child, and moving away, Dan’s mental toughness had also intensified. As a result, Dan’s consistency in tournament finishes became high during this time. After his long break from the game, he had been lowered to a B+ on the Tri-State, but he rose back to the A+ level within nine months. In the 20082009 season Dan won five out of sixteen tour events and cashed in thirteen of the sixteen. Subsequently, Dan Cintron was named Player of the Year in the A+ Class, and was also given the season’s award for Most Improved. From that point forward, Dan’s level of play and overall involvement in pool continued to increase. In the following two seasons of competition on the Tri-State Tour, Dan repeated as the A+ Player of the Year and was also voted Sportsman of the Year for the 2009-2010 season. It is from that player-to-player perspective that Dan Cintron has become respected as a competitor with class and as a person with a genuine love for the game.
22 InsidePOOL Magazine ◊ May/June 2013
During the 2011-2012 end-of-season awards ceremony, Dan was given a special award for his career achievement, and it
was also announced that he would be the first player to be inducted into the new TriState Tour Hall of Fame. Today Dan Cintron continues to take on bigger challenges in his pool career, including making his first appearance as a competitor at the U.S. Open 9-Ball Championships in October 2012, with his entry being part of his career achievement award from the Tri-State Tour. With a new job and his continued role as a father to his now six-year-old son, Jonathan, there is still much more to life for Dan than just pool. “For me, Jack Colavita was always an inspiration,” said Dan, “as he was a working family man and also played world-class straight pool.” Dan now wears different hats both inside and outside the world of pool. It seems that now things have come full circle for him in many ways. While many people may think that pool can enhance one’s life, it also seems that one’s life can also enhance pool.