military pool players

[/QUOTE] I did find that if you are a pool addict who has to endure frequent breaks (a month here, 6-12 months there) and want to play at a high level you better spend money for a instructor who can make you understand the fundamentals of a stroke otherwise you start over after every break.

On the plus side the military allows you to play pool in countries you probably wouldn't get the chance. I hear about pool tables in Iraq, but I never saw any. [/QUOTE]

It is tough to stay in stroke (not that I am ever "really" in stroke). Lucky to play a few times a month in between deployments and training. Figured I'd show the rumored pool tables, although this was Afghanistan during a between mission refit.

Winner of the 2004 Afghan Open :wink:

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Eric
 
DTL said:
That's me.
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If you were in Zeiwbrucken, then you won the USAFE (AF European) Championship and not the Armed Forces Championship. I think they stopped doing the multi-service events some years before.

That would also mean that you beat me in the finals of the '83 event at Ramstein, Germany. I was playing out of Torrejon, Spain. You played really well, if I recall. Afterwards, several of us went to a club, or restaurant, or bar and celebrated.

Lou Figueroa
guess I was thinking
of someone else ;-)
 
JG-in-KY said:
IIRC Lou, I played in that tournament at Keesler (1982). I got smoked! I was later stationed with John Vitale (Conn) at Homestead AFB (Miami, FL) who played in the World Junior Championship (14.1) in the early 80s.
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JG-in-KY, I hope it was Pete that beat up on you and not me.

He was a hell of a player. I remember two other things from that tournament: the first was that there was a tall,older, red haired gentleman reffing the event. I can't recall his name, but I took it that he was pretty famous in the pool circles. The other was that right after the last ball dropped, they made us pose for a picture, with Pete shooting and me kinda standing behind him watching. I had just lost, not by much, and I had this tremendous scowl on my face. IIRC, they ran the picture in "The Billiard News" and I took a lot of grief over how pissed I looked :-)

Lou Figueroa
 
DRW said:
Rick Tollus lives in Tucson and in all the years I've lived in Arizona, (11). I've yet to meet anyone that likes the man.
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If it's the same guy, I just remember him being pretty intense -- never got to know him well enough to say otherwise.

I'm curious though, whether were talking about the same guy: did he kinda look like Charlie Sheen looks in :Two and a Half Men?

Lou Figueroa
 
Shooting pool in the military

I shot a lot of pool when I was in the 82nd Airborne Division. We would go from day room to day room on pay day looking for action. The Quartermaster Corp had a "Pool Table Recovering" unit that went from company to company covering tables. That must of been easy duty--I was stuck in a rifle company.
When I wasn't carrying a pool stick around I was carrying a machine gun.
 
lfigueroa said:
If it's the same guy, I just remember him being pretty intense -- never got to know him well enough to say otherwise.

I'm curious though, whether were talking about the same guy: did he kinda look like Charlie Sheen looks in :Two and a Half Men?

Lou Figueroa
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That's him. He didn't like to lose. In '83 you woofed at him to play some 9-ball the day before the tourny started which ruffled his feathers a bit. He doesn't play anymore.........said he found Jesus.
 
It is tough to stay in stroke (not that I am ever "really" in stroke). Lucky to play a few times a month in between deployments and training. Figured I'd show the rumored pool tables, although this was Afghanistan during a between mission refit.

Thanks for the pics. I mention spending money on instruction because I did it for years without any and it made such a big difference it wasn't funny. I don't know about you, but the first place I would hit after a deployment was the pool room. I was (retired 2007) an officer so I wasn't allowed to play the rec rooms. The 'O' club did recover their table and somebody thought it would be a great idea to put a red cloth with a huge Marine corps emblem in the middle (talk about a distraction).

Jay's story about Mizerak was funny I was the fool who would play (not that I had a chance) somebody like that just to see.
 
Mike Davis served in the US Army. I have been proudly serving in US Army for over 5 years now. Hoooah! RLTW!!!
 
accustatsfan said:
Tap, Tap and if that doesn't end the question maybe the caption "Buddy in the army" will seal the deal. "Rags to Rifleman" says he didn't stay long.

I was in the Marines for 25 years and the only player I ever saw that was "pro" quality was Scott Richardson (navy corpsman) in Ca. A few were "A" players, but Scott was the best.

If pool is a passion the military is not the place to pursue it. Unless you have a "skate" job where you never deploy and go home every night good luck on a schedule that permits you to have any time for serious pool.

I will say the bases promoted pool a lot better than they do now. Places with 15-20 quality 9 ft tables and maybe a snooker table weren't uncommon. Now they might have a handful of bar tables and the rest is video games.

I did find that if you are a pool addict who has to endure frequent breaks (a month here, 6-12 months there) and want to play at a high level you better spend money for a instructor who can make you understand the fundamentals of a stroke otherwise you start over after every break.

On the plus side the military allows you to play pool in countries you probably wouldn't get the chance. I hear about pool tables in Iraq, but I never saw any.
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I was stationed at Camp Pendleton back in the late 70's and there was a guy that used to play at the mainside bowling alley who wore wire-rimmed glasses that had ears that stuck out, way out, and he could flat out play, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. I only met him because another guy in my unit loved to play and he would end up racking for this guy all night long. He made shots on a 9 footer that simply amazed me back then, and would amaze me even more now because I actually remember the shots and know how hard they actually are to make.
 
I do know they can take instruction seriously. Here's a photo of me and one of my students today after a lesson. The best part was when he asked if he should hit the cueball at "Fourteen Hundred." Thanks Mitch!

Mitch_Lesson_Jan_10_2010.jpg
 
RackRunner said:
I was stationed at Camp Pendleton back in the late 70's and there was a guy that used to play at the mainside bowling alley who wore wire-rimmed glasses that had ears that stuck out, way out, and he could flat out play, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. I only met him because another guy in my unit loved to play and he would end up racking for this guy all night long. He made shots on a 9 footer that simply amazed me back then, and would amaze me even more now because I actually remember the shots and know how hard they actually are to make.
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Was his last name Alcantar?
 
RackRunner said:
I was stationed at Camp Pendleton back in the late 70's and there was a guy that used to play at the mainside bowling alley who wore wire-rimmed glasses that had ears that stuck out, way out, and he could flat out play, but for the life of me I can't remember his name. I only met him because another guy in my unit loved to play and he would end up racking for this guy all night long. He made shots on a 9 footer that simply amazed me back then, and would amaze me even more now because I actually remember the shots and know how hard they actually are to make.
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What unit were you in?

Before my time (70's) I was stationed there at different times 80's-90's. I do remember they had a snooker table we would practice on with the pool balls before we hit the bars.

There was a black female who worked the counter no telling how many years (first saw her in the 80's). She was still there in 2006 (said she was retiring).

The whole pool scene fizzled out. They removed the snooker table and a lot of the 9 footers and made a good part of the room into a arcade.

Seems bowling is the big thing now. I don't care for bowling I always view it as something to do when you are to drunk to play pool.

Apologize for the rant, but the same people who can't run 3 balls are happy to see a pin any pin fall in bowling and think they're big time.
 
Matt_24 said:
I've been in the Air Force for 12 years and have been stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL for a few years and then in DC. Never heard of/saw any big tournaments at either location.

There was a CMSgt at Hurlburt fancied himself a pool player QUOTE]

His name wasn't Herbert (Herbie) Pennington by any chance, was it?
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DTL said:
Buddy was in the Air Force.

I did 24 1/2 years in the military.....retired Oct '06. My first 4 years were in the Air Force. I did 2 years in Germany and was the Armed Forces European Straight Pool Champion '82 & '83........ran 74 balls in the '82 finals against Rick Tollus. My last 20 years were in the Navy. I lived in the Norfolk, VA area for 12 years and competed in several U.S. Opens.....best finish was 13th in 2001.

DTL
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I was in Germany from 76' to 79' then again from 80' to 83'. In 82 Tim "Perk" Perkins won the all Military Europe 14.1 championship. In 83 they played 8 ball rather than 14.1. I was in the Army during that time...just saying;)

Glen
 
Matt_24 said:
I've been in the Air Force for 12 years and have been stationed at Hurlburt Field, FL for a few years and then in DC. Never heard of/saw any big tournaments at either location.

There was a CMSgt at Hurlburt fancied himself a pool player until I beat him pretty good. From there he would call my office and find all of these different Airmen from around the base to come play me. I beat them all....but he loved trying to find someone to beat me. Now.."off" base in Ft Walton Beach, FL was a different story as there were tons of champions, LOL.
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His name didn't happen to be Herbie Pennington did it?
 
DTL said:
Buddy was in the Air Force.

I did 24 1/2 years in the military.....retired Oct '06. My first 4 years were in the Air Force. I did 2 years in Germany and was the Armed Forces European Straight Pool Champion '82 & '83........ran 74 balls in the '82 finals against Rick Tollus. My last 20 years were in the Navy. I lived in the Norfolk, VA area for 12 years and competed in several U.S. Opens.....best finish was 13th in 2001.

DTL
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That sounds pretty good and if you were good enough to play in the US Open that speaks volumes for your game.
 
service

Clyde Childress was service champ in the army ,used to be a tourn. named for him.In the mid 60,s there was a marine sgt. at oceanside cal called pineapple tony that played swanee and lil dave leblanc . a sailor on the uss providence played all of them caint remember his name.I learned as a 17 yr old anew pool term from those players at 7 seas in san diego. (we didnt know in iowa) DUMP,
 
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