Why?
For me, the reasons I play now are a bit different than when I began over sixty years ago.
Today I spend more time teaching than playing. Largely because there is currently only one no smoking venue in Gainesville. I teach because I really enjoy helping other people and I've promoted the game since '65. And it still feels good when occasionally I play well.
When I started, it had to do with the first time dad took me to a bar with a table, and the thrill of sneaking into pool halls in the afternoons when the age requirement was ignored.
I loved the "clack" of the old clay balls, just as I loved the sound of bowling pins made out of wood instead of plastic. Today those sounds can only be heard on old films.
I loved watching the guys who could play make the cue ball dance around the table, the old-timers who occasionally told stories, and the hustle game of the sharks. The geometry and the physics of the game fascinated me, long before I really new what those two words meant. And I loved it the first time my dad (who was not one to lavish praise) said, "Nice shot!"
As with any sport, I loved the satisfaction of each improvement in my game...my first bank shot, the first time I ran a rack, the first time I won a quarter, the first time I beat a good player, and the first time I won a tournament. Not to mention the first time I impressed a girl with my pool skills. We even had pool and bowling "groupies" back in the day.
Many years later I learned more about why people love the game from Bob Fancher's "Pleasures of Small Motions". I know I'll never outgrow my fascination for, and love of the game.
For me, the reasons I play now are a bit different than when I began over sixty years ago.
Today I spend more time teaching than playing. Largely because there is currently only one no smoking venue in Gainesville. I teach because I really enjoy helping other people and I've promoted the game since '65. And it still feels good when occasionally I play well.
When I started, it had to do with the first time dad took me to a bar with a table, and the thrill of sneaking into pool halls in the afternoons when the age requirement was ignored.
I loved the "clack" of the old clay balls, just as I loved the sound of bowling pins made out of wood instead of plastic. Today those sounds can only be heard on old films.
I loved watching the guys who could play make the cue ball dance around the table, the old-timers who occasionally told stories, and the hustle game of the sharks. The geometry and the physics of the game fascinated me, long before I really new what those two words meant. And I loved it the first time my dad (who was not one to lavish praise) said, "Nice shot!"
As with any sport, I loved the satisfaction of each improvement in my game...my first bank shot, the first time I ran a rack, the first time I won a quarter, the first time I beat a good player, and the first time I won a tournament. Not to mention the first time I impressed a girl with my pool skills. We even had pool and bowling "groupies" back in the day.
Many years later I learned more about why people love the game from Bob Fancher's "Pleasures of Small Motions". I know I'll never outgrow my fascination for, and love of the game.
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