Qualifing Tournament

Yesterday was the first qualifying tournament for the CMPPA. 47 people were eligible by placing in the top 10 over 12 weeks at some of the local bar games. I was very surprised that only 31 showed up with a chance to win $1000. I drew a what I thought to be a very good table. Overall very solid players. I played a bit tighter then my normal bar game really wanting to make the top 10 to advance. After the first hour was down about 2000 in chips but still in good position. It was an interesting hour as players were slow playing all their hands but were getting paid off for doing it. Limping aces or jacks usually is not a good play, but it was getting paid off.  During second hour, I look down to pocket 9's. Player right in front of me raises about 5 times the big blind. I call. Maybe should have reraised but in the end it wouldn't have mattered. Small stack on the table pushes in with just under 3000 more. Initial bettor calls. I think for a while and decide to call for about half my stack in the pot thinking I would probably get a check down. Flop is A-J-J. Not so good. The river is a 9. Bingo! I didn't see any reason to bet, so I check and turn over my full house. All in turns over AA and I was basically drawing dead after the flop.  I did manage a triple up later in tournament, but evey time I raised I seemed to have the second best hand. It was just one of those days. Knocked out around 20th. I took over running tournament and it was an interesting down to the wire drive to the final 10. One of the players had a huge stack with about 8 players to top 10. A friend of this player was spectating and I made a comment to him that the player should get up from table and just fold way to top 10. You get nothing for finishing with more chips in qualifying tournament! He agreed, but said you know that I can't say anything. This player continued to play the same way that I would guess got them the big stack. Called several all ins with what I would call marginal hands and was slowly leaking away chips until stack was one of the shorter ones on table. Then ended up raising a pot, that was then reraised all in by one player and then reraised all in by another player and called with A-Q. Turned over was A-Q, A-K and A-7. A queen comes on the flop and this player is saved by hitting a 3 outer and makes to final 10. After the tournament was over I asked why hadn't you just folded to get to the top 10 especially calling off most of your chips to a raise and a reraise. The answer was they felt that as the big stack it was their obligation to try and take the smaller stacks out. I agree with this to a point, but you have to protect yourself from not making the finals by playing too aggressive. They was nothing to gain in this tournament except to advance to the finals where all the money will be paid. As I will be on the rail watching as this player is playing, maybe I don't know what I am talking about! LOL!