Junior Pool Is a Complicated World

JAM

JAM

I am the storm
Silver Member
On one side, you have junior players who are still young, growing up in the poolroom environment, and figuring out where the lines are. On the other, you have tournament promoters and organizers who are trying to protect the image of junior pool, attract families and sponsors, and create opportunities for these young players.

I can honestly see both sides. And when two sides become divided, social media can make an already difficult situation even more difficult. Once something gets posted, commented on, shared, and debated, it can take on a life of its own.

Sometimes the smartest move isn't to keep explaining, defending, or responding. Sometimes it's to go radio silent. A certain German pro comes to mind. He was absolutely barbecued on social media during a controversy, but he didn't engage. He didn't keep feeding the fire. He stayed quiet, went about his business, and eventually found himself right back on top again. There's something to be said for that.

Maybe this is one of those situations where both sides would benefit from laying low, taking a breath, and going radio silent for a while. In pool politics, everybody gets their turn to talk. Sometimes silence really is golden. I hope everyone involved can take a step back, find a way forward, and keep the bigger picture in focus.

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Take a deep bow for an excellent post.

The issue in junior pool is not entirely different from that which has pertained to pro pool at the highest level for decades. If gambling winnings are needed to sustain wide participation in the sport, difficult choices must be made. The real problem, for both adult pros and juniors, is that far too few are able to comfortably finance wide participation in competition.

The incomparable, and highly respected, Ra Hanna has worked wonders for the juniors, whose prospects remain on the rise, but while junior pool may prepare youthful competitors for participation in top level pro pool, it may not fully prepare them financially. That's why they will do what they must to supplement their income, and that often means through action matches.

You are 100% right in suggesting that, especially at the junior level, the management of the tenuous balance between competition and action pool is best left behind closed doors. It's a puzzle that must be solved by every young player (and more than a few adult ones, too) and they should all be allowed to act freely as they plot their respective courses.

PS Austin Axe won the junior event at the US Open 9ball about a month ago.
 
The second picture says pretty much everything. They are spitting in the face of someone who is trying to take junior pool in a direction which was well said in your opening paragraph. One prize for this event is sponsorship. They can have a say in who they think will represent their brand well. Probably not a teenager with highway robbery on his shirt holding a brick of cash.
 
Hey Jen,
I’ve been a supporter of Ra Hanna for quite some time. Initially he was about the only person promoting junior pool.

IMO he deserves all the accolades for what junior pool has become to this point.

Hopefully it will not flounder like both men’s and women’s professional pool seems to have done, at least here at home.

America seems to have lost more than it has gained in pro pool over the last ten years or so. Hopefully junior pool will not follow the same pattern…

I hope Ra Hanna can keep junior pool going he’s put in a lot of effort!!!
 
Don't know exactly what is this about, but it sounds like a domestic American issue.
And again it falls on the same issues that American pro pool is facing.
a. the majority of Americans see pool as a bar pastime game
b. the majority of Americans see pool and gambling tied to one another
c. the majority of Americans don't see pool as a sport
d. the governing body of pool in the USA is not doing it's job
Those who care should unite and shake the BCA, replace it's personal and start doing thing as they should be done.
Really, just look how it works everywhere else on the planet....
 
JAM said:
On one side, you have junior players who are still young, growing up in the poolroom environment, and figuring out where the lines are. On the other, you have tournament promoters and organizers who are trying to protect the image of junior pool, attract families and sponsors, and create opportunities for these young players.

I can honestly see both sides. And when two sides become divided, social media can make an already difficult situation even more difficult. Once something gets posted, commented on, shared, and debated, it can take on a life of its own.

Sometimes the smartest move isn't to keep explaining, defending, or responding. Sometimes it's to go radio silent. A certain German pro comes to mind. He was absolutely barbecued on social media during a controversy, but he didn't engage. He didn't keep feeding the fire. He stayed quiet, went about his business, and eventually found himself right back on top again. There's something to be said for that.

Maybe this is one of those situations where both sides would benefit from laying low, taking a breath, and going radio silent for a while. In pool politics, everybody gets their turn to talk. Sometimes silence really is golden. I hope everyone involved can take a step back, find a way forward, and keep the bigger picture in focus.

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In a perfect world Jenn.
People love to talk. Getting them to shut up has been one of the hardest things to do. Everybody wants their opinion know bcuz they're special and the world needs to know this.
How to silence that is the 23 dollar question.
 
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