Stay in School and Play Pool

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
Just imagine, being a varsity billiards player subject to academic requirements? That changes everything.;)

About 8 years ago, during a press conference, top Filipino champions Warren Kiamco, Francisco Bustamante, and Dodong Andam said the Philippines has lost its edge in the sport, and they were hoping one government agency would help in regaining it. :)

They mentioned Chinese Taipei which at that time was having quite a run in major tournaments, even having the youngest world 9-Ball champion in the then 15-year-old Wu Chi Ching. Ching, who eventually moved to China, beat countryman Po Cheng Kou in an all Taiwanese final, heralding the rise of the country as a pool powerhouse. The secret to Taiwan’s success was the inclusion of billiards in their public school system, making the learning of the sport systematic. :cool:

In the case of the Philippines, players who learn billiards at a young age are those who skip school a lot, and normally, those who become good at it are those who are no longer in school. :(

Alex Pagulayan, the year before, lost in the final to Thorsten Hohmman and said that was because he didn’t treat it seriously. He stayed up all night drinking and was even hung over on the day of the final.:o

A year later, he got his act together and stayed sober and slept early and became the world champion. :grin-square:

And what is that one advice the Lion has for aspiring pool players?

The jokester suddenly turned serious and told Sun.Star Cebu in a 2005 interview, "To focus on this sport is important, but they should never forget that being in school and having the knowledge is more important because it is something that no one else can take away from you."

Well, there's new developments in Pool Paradise (Philippines): Manila has started a tournament for college players, hoping to discover the next pool legends. You see, there's an Efren Reyes wannabe in every pool hall. What these guys lack is an avenue to showcase their skills; the college league wanted to change that. And now, there’s even a greater development. Billiards is now a demonstration sport in the Palarong Pambansa, a tournament run by Department of Education. This is the start.

Source: Billiards Gets Major Push [Retrieved 11 May 2013]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be pool players unless they live in the Philippines. :grin-angelic:
 
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Hi Jam,

Actually, pool is fairly relevant in the collegiate ranks here in the States. I do a small weekly radio show on pool. A few weeks ago we had Mark Wilson on the show. Sorry to say due to a technical glitch that show wasn't recorded :(

Mark is the head coach/instructor for Lindenwood University's billiard program in their Student life sports programs. They offer scholarships to play pool! Mark said that there over 150 colleges that offer some form of billiards competition. It was very informative. I wished the show was saved.

My recipe for promoting pool is quite simple (in theory) but hard to implement. First, have a legitimate pro tour. Second, have a qualifying process to play in said tour. Finally, develop the sport at the grass roots level and have access to the sport for kids.

Darryl
 
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A lot of colleges do have pool teams that play a handful of competitions per year and it's great, but it's a club sport and pretty far from being varsity level. I hope that some day it evolves into that. I also remember being in high school and wishing there was a pool team. High school bowling teams are common so I dont see why pool isn't possible some day.
 
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StraightPoolIU said:
A lot of colleges do have pool teams that play a handful of competitions per year and it's great, but it's a club sport and pretty far from being varsity level. I hope that some day it evolves into that. I also remember being in high school and wishing there was a pool team. High school bowling teams are common so I dont see why pool isn't possible some day.
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Believe it or not, we were offered karate in high school for our gym class. I still remember a little bit of it.

I remember reading in Texas, they were trying out pool in a high school setting. Haven't heard much about it since then, though.
 
JAM said:
Believe it or not, we were offered karate in high school for our gym class. I still remember a little bit of it.

I remember reading in Texas, they were trying out pool in a high school setting. Haven't heard much about it since then, though.
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As I was thinking about it it seems like there are 2 obstacles to starting such a program. The first and probably the most difficult is convincing schools or high school athletic associations that pool should be an offered sport. The second is the equipment and logistics. Ideally I think each school could have a table to host matches, but as we know tables aren't cheap and they require a lot of space. If matches were hosted somewhere it would have to be a place where high school kids could go. In this era of pool room scarcity no small task. Wish I was a billionaire so I could make some donations and try to start a pilot program heh.
 
If Pool were to become a major sport , recognised through out the world, it would be through such as stated above. Taught to the children, who would then grow into the sport and bring it along with them as they age. Then the Olymipics would follow,,,that is something I thought would have happened by now,,,when I was young.. If that were to happen, I think it would be from the avenue of teaching the young how great the game really is.
 
Chip Roberson said:
If Pool were to become a major sport , recognised through out the world, it would be through such as stated above. Taught to the children, who would then grow into the sport and bring it along with them as they age. Then the Olymipics would follow,,,that is something I thought would have happened by now,,,when I was young.. If that were to happen, I think it would be from the avenue of teaching the young how great the game really is.
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I agree, except that teaching young players should be left up to the derelicts in he pool halls, not the government sponsored schools.
By the way, pool is a group of games, not a sport. :)
 
I always considered it a form of art combined with the science of math--but then again we'er splitting hairs--dead horses don't , or shouldn't be whipped that way--The pool hall's have gone about the same way of the dead horses and the time when every small town had one has left the scene also--wish it wasn't so, but it just about has--
 
My son complains a bit about this. I'm sure he's the best pool player in the school, probably the best in town and the surrounding area for his age. But he does not get the recognition or same opportunities as the kids that play the "regular" sports like football, baseball, etc... He's the only kid his age that I see in tournaments, playing against the adults (well, because I bring him probably also LOL).

Imagine the attention the best player in school gets if the sport is football or baseball or even golf or tennis? They had an announcement over the PA when he qualified for the Jr Nationals, I asked him if kids were recognizing him or asking about it, he said "not really". That's a tournament that about 120 kids nationwide go to. Pretty exclusive, it's like playing in the Little League World Series.

There really should be more national clubs for sports like pool, but it's seen as a bar game like darts.



JAM said:
Just imagine, being a varsity billiards player subject to academic requirements? That changes everything.;)

About 8 years ago, during a press conference, top Filipino champions Warren Kiamco, Francisco Bustamante, and Dodong Andam said the Philippines has lost its edge in the sport, and they were hoping one government agency would help in regaining it. :)

They mentioned Chinese Taipei which at that time was having quite a run in major tournaments, even having the youngest world 9-Ball champion in the then 15-year-old Wu Chi Ching. Ching, who eventually moved to China, beat countryman Po Cheng Kou in an all Taiwanese final, heralding the rise of the country as a pool powerhouse. The secret to Taiwan’s success was the inclusion of billiards in their public school system, making the learning of the sport systematic. :cool:

In the case of the Philippines, players who learn billiards at a young age are those who skip school a lot, and normally, those who become good at it are those who are no longer in school. :(

Alex Pagulayan, the year before, lost in the final to Thorsten Hohmman and said that was because he didn’t treat it seriously. He stayed up all night drinking and was even hung over on the day of the final.:o

A year later, he got his act together and stayed sober and slept early and became the world champion. :grin-square:

And what is that one advice the Lion has for aspiring pool players?

The jokester suddenly turned serious and told Sun.Star Cebu in a 2005 interview, "To focus on this sport is important, but they should never forget that being in school and having the knowledge is more important because it is something that no one else can take away from you."

Well, there's new developments in Pool Paradise (Philippines): Manila has started a tournament for college players, hoping to discover the next pool legends. You see, there's an Efren Reyes wannabe in every pool hall. What these guys lack is an avenue to showcase their skills; the college league wanted to change that. And now, there’s even a greater development. Billiards is now a demonstration sport in the Palarong Pambansa, a tournament run by Department of Education. This is the start.

Source: Billiards Gets Major Push [Retrieved 11 May 2013]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be pool players unless they live in the Philippines. :grin-angelic:
Click to expand...
 
hang-the-9 said:
My son complains a bit about this. I'm sure he's the best pool player in the school, probably the best in town and the surrounding area for his age. But he does not get the recognition or same opportunities as the kids that play the "regular" sports like football, baseball, etc... He's the only kid his age that I see in tournaments, playing against the adults (well, because I bring him probably also LOL).

Imagine the attention the best player in school gets if the sport is football or baseball or even golf or tennis? They had an announcement over the PA when he qualified for the Jr Nationals, I asked him if kids were recognizing him or asking about it, he said "not really". That's a tournament that about 120 kids nationwide go to. Pretty exclusive, it's like playing in the Little League World Series.

There really should be more national clubs for sports like pool, but it's seen as a bar game like darts.
Click to expand...

You recently got the AzBilliards patch. If he were my won, I would purchase a plain varisty-type coat, the type football players wear, and then sew on the patches. Get one for BEF and as many other pool organizations as you think think of.

In fact, contact Predator, Diamond Tables, Simonis Cloth, and other pool industry members, letting them know about your son. They not only could send you patches, but they might be willing to sponsor him with product and/or funds.

When your son struts his stuff wearing his pool varsity jacket, he just may get noticed, and then he can share his pocket billiard achievements.

I recently watched this great movie, Friday Night Lights, about a high school football team in Texas who was trying to maintain their record of winning the State Championship. Billy Bob Thornton was the coach. GREAT MOVIE!

One line is said in the movie struck a cord with me. His character Gaines the coach explained, "There ain't much difference between winning and losing, except the way the world treats you."

It would be a good movie for your son to see. It more or less lets you know not to put all your eggs in one basket, and that winning a championship is not the end-all/be-all, as some seem to believe. It's more the process is being the best that you can be, and even if you lose, if you have given it your all, then you should still feel okay. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks, as long as you feel good about yourself!? ;)
 

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JAM said:
You recently got the AzBilliards patch. If he were my won, I would purchase a plain varisty-type coat, the type football players wear, and then sew on the patches. Get one for BEF and as many other pool organizations as you think think of.

In fact, contact Predator, Diamond Tables, Simonis Cloth, and other pool industry members, letting them know about your son. They not only could send you patches, but they might be willing to sponsor him with product and/or funds.

When your son struts his stuff wearing his pool varsity jacket, he just may get noticed, and then he can share his pocket billiard achievements.

I recently watched this great movie, Friday Night Lights, about a high school football team in Texas who was trying to maintain their record of winning the State Championship. Billy Bob Thornton was the coach. GREAT MOVIE!

One line is said in the movie struck a cord with me. His character Gaines the coach explained, "There ain't much difference between winning and losing, except the way the world treats you."

It would be a good movie for your son to see. It more or less lets you know not to put all your eggs in one basket, and that winning a championship is not the end-all/be-all, as some seem to believe. It's more the process is being the best that you can be, and even if you lose, if you have given it your all, then you should still feel okay. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks, as long as you feel good about yourself!? ;)
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He is actually having a cue made for him by Bishop, from Ohio I think, to use at the Nationals. He also wears his BEF shirts from last years nationals and some shirts from the NEUSAPL league we are in.

I was looking for some more stuff for him, but it's tough to find a shirt without some reference to gambling or a naked woman fondling a pair of balls (8-balls that is) on it hehe.

He's not quite to the skill level for major sponsors, he's good for his age, but not quite in the top half nationally. He tends to do what he dad does, dog the easy shots after making a really tough shot to get good position LOL
 
dardusm said:
Hi Jam,

Actually, pool is fairly relevant in the collegiate ranks here in the States. I do a small weekly radio show on pool. A few weeks ago we had Mark Wilson on the show. Sorry to say due to a technical glitch that show wasn't recorded :(

Mark is the head coach/instructor for Lindenwood University's billiard program in their Student life sports programs. They offer scholarships to play pool! Mark said that there over 150 colleges that offer some form of billiards competition. It was very informative. I wished the show was saved.

My recipe for promoting pool is quite simple (in theory) but hard to implement. First, have a legitimate pro tour. Second, have a qualifying process to play in said tour. Finally, develop the sport at the grass roots level and have access to the sport for kids.

Darryl
Click to expand...

They are also building him a facility just for his pool team. Don Wardell has more and better info on this but from what I know - Landon Shuffet and possibly that kid from California (who's name escapes me right now but is another Junior Champion) are set to play with Mark.
 
watchez said:
They are also building him a facility just for his pool team. Don Wardell has more and better info on this but from what I know - Landon Shuffet and possibly that kid from California (who's name escapes me right now but is another Junior Champion) are set to play with Mark.
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The kid from California, is it Austin Murphy?
 

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It would be great if someone (calling Dr. Dave....) wrote a high school entry-level geometry and physics textbook entirely based on pool.

The best way to learn is when you can see theory in practical application. It would introduce lots of kids to the game...but more importantly, it would introduce lots of kids to geometry and physics.
 
No JAM - just got the FYI. It is Brendan Crockett

And Brianna Miller will be going to this college along with playing pool on Mark's team.

Hopefully Don will post in this thread. I'll steal one of their stories and hopefully I get most of the details right but you will get the gist of it. Mark was taking his team to Michigan for a match. They were driving thru Indiana and some of the players said so you really know Jeanette Lee? Why don't you prove it? So Mark calls Jeanette, they stop in a pool room in Indy and she comes down to hang out with the players. Then Jeanette decides that she will ride the rest of the way with the team and fly back home after the match because she had another commitment.

I guess when you do things right like Mark Wilson always has, things come back to you. What Mark Wilson is doing is really going to be something.
 
A lot of schools would be willing to add Billiards as a PE activity. Look at all the bowling alleys that provide lanes for students.

The problem I see is the availability of an instructor to run the classes every week. How many decent shooters are there out there that meet these requirements:
- Available during school time hours
- Nearby pool hall (with transportation from and to)
- Able to handle 10-20 kids for 45 minutes.
- Willing to track every student's progress, test scores, and grades
- Able to pass a background check
 
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