Anyone seen a Pool table in High-Shools?

hang-the-9

hang-the-9

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This post http://forums.azbilliards.com/showthread.php?t=291311 had me thinking a bit about schools and the sports they have in their programs.

Tennis, Football, Baseball, some have Golf (like the Jr/Sr High my son goes to in MA), table tennis maybe, I'm thinking even some places have a foosball team.

Anyone run across a High School that has a pool table on campus and a billiards team?

My son plays and is always talking about the sport with his friends and teachers. Who tell him that pool is not that hard of course. Considering how much space the schools have, it's pretty trivial to find a spot to stick a 7-8-9' table somewhere and start a billiards club or team.
 
You might try going to your local school board, hang, and asking them that very question. Or, start with the school Principal, and work up the chain of command. The worst they can do is say no. :smile:
 
Tramp Steamer said:
You might try going to your local school board, hang, and asking them that very question. Or, start with the school Principal, and work up the chain of command. The worst they can do is say no. :smile:
Click to expand...

That's the plan. Want to see if there are other areas with a program like that already to show them. If I say that I would like to see a pool table in the school for the students, they will probably think I'm planning on adding in a bar and having a drug dealer come by to give away samples next. We all know what the outside world thinks of first when it comes to a pool room or people that play pool.
 
hang-the-9 said:
That's the plan. Want to see if there are other areas with a program like that already to show them. If I say that I would like to see a pool table in the school for the students, they will probably think I'm planning on adding in a bar and having a drug dealer come by to give away samples next. We all know what the outside world thinks of first when it comes to a pool room or people that play pool.
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You may want to double-check your assertion that schools have space for a table. In my area, they're using every square-inch and still don't have enough room.
 
My brother's high school has a billiards team, but I don't think they play against other schools. I think they have a few 9 foot tables.
 
krupa said:
You may want to double-check your assertion that schools have space for a table. In my area, they're using every square-inch and still don't have enough room.
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True, not all may have space. I did walk though on a couple of tours of the HS building (have 4 kids with 3 of them that went or are going to that school) and have seen several unused or under-used rooms.
 
Not in my home town. It was always frowned upon, like the plague !

But I did just send an email to the high school here with the links to show them it can be a good thing.

We'll see if they respond.
I doubt it but won't know unless I try.

:cool:
 
Maybe we've been looking in the wrong direction when it comes to reviving the cue sports. Perhaps, instead of looking at the corporate/professional end of things, we look more toward the youth of tomorrow, with the goal of swelling the ranks from the bottom up, rather than from the top down.
Do your best, hang, and report back. :smile:
 
Tramp Steamer said:
Maybe we've been looking in the wrong direction when it comes to reviving the cue sports. Perhaps, instead of looking at the corporate/professional end of things, we look more toward the youth of tomorrow, with the goal of swelling the ranks from the bottom up, rather than from the top down.
Do your best, hang, and report back. :smile:
Click to expand...

I am hoping I can get somewhere with this for my town. First step would be getting space in the school for a table and a teacher or 2 to sponsor the program since I can't be there except to do lessons and oversee competition on the weekends or something.

I am thinking actually buying a table and other equipment would be by far the easier of the two steps. I'm sure OB, Predator, etc.. would not mind having their equipment used by young kids just starting out and we'd be able to gather some goodies from the companies.
 
I would think it is in the best interest of the billiards industry to promote pool in school/city governments. To, me this would be future sales, a whole new market to explore.

Do not forget local city recreation dept. I learn pool back in the late 60's at the towns rec center. My town where I grow didn't and still doesn't have a room.
 
St. Louis University High School

We had a ton of tables in the basement at my highschool. I played after school several days a week. No program though. We also had a shooting range, small bball courts and several other activites down there. I believe they have more tables than any other pool hall in St. Louis.
 
When trying to sell your local school officials on a pool program you might want to emphasize couple of things:

1. Billiards is all about geometry and physics. That doesn't mean you can't play pool without understanding geometry and physics, but that pool will give students an appreciation for why they are good to know. (What's a student's favorite lament about any class? "Why do I have to know this? When am I ever going to have to know Newton's Laws of Motion?")

2. Billiards develops strong hand/eye coordination...it's just like basketball, golf and soccer, but on a smaller scale. It demands strong physical and mental focus.

3. Billiards teaches strategic thinking. The easiest shot isn't always the best one to take. Again, it gives the student an appreciation for knowing probability, statistics and thinking ahead.

4. Billiards enforces strict rules of fair play and sportsmanship. Just like the pros, students shake hands before and after every match. And most important they must sit quietly while the opponent is shooting.

5. Any student can play and excel at billiards. One can be 6'4"/220 lbs or 5'3"/105 lbs, male or female. A pool table is a great equalizer.

There are probably a bunch of other good reasons that other AZers can come up with.
 
To me, that's the wrong approach. Start with the students. When it is something the majority of students desire, then the principle/school board can be approached. That's how it's done in the real world. Get a petition going...get enough signatures to provide a basis for a need...and then work your way up the 'chain of command', using the petition as ammunition. You better also have a ready answer on where the funds for tables, balls, sticks, chalk, etc. (not to mention upkeep and teachers) are going to come from too. School budgets are being drastically cut across the board, and across the nation. Earl Munson has done a fantastic job in Dallas...but it had to start somewhere, and it has taken many years to "show a profit" with the student bodies involved. BTW...KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK Earl! Your program is one to showcase the nation!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Tramp Steamer said:
You might try going to your local school board, hang, and asking them that very question. Or, start with the school Principal, and work up the chain of command. The worst they can do is say no. :smile:
Click to expand...
 
Greg...Please pay more attention to your typing. Your post here makes you look and sound like another frequent poster who types in incompete sentences...just sayin' LOL

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

duckie said:
I would think it is in the best interest of the billiards industry to promote pool in school/city governments. To, me this would be future sales, a whole new market to explore.

Do not forget local city recreation dept. I learn pool back in the late 60's at the towns rec center. My town where I grow didn't and still doesn't have a room.
Click to expand...
 
I agree with krupa here. I just heard the other day that one of my friends, who runs an after school program is in danger of losing his "space"...which would be a real shame.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

krupa said:
You may want to double-check your assertion that schools have space for a table. In my area, they're using every square-inch and still don't have enough room.
Click to expand...
 
Scott Lee said:
To me, that's the wrong approach. Start with the students. When it is something the majority of students desire, then the principle/school board can be approached. That's how it's done in the real world. Get a petition going...get enough signatures to provide a basis for a need...and then work your way up the 'chain of command', using the petition as ammunition. You better also have a ready answer on where the funds for tables, balls, sticks, chalk, etc. (not to mention upkeep and teachers) are going to come from too. School budgets are being drastically cut across the board, and across the nation. Earl Munson has done a fantastic job in Dallas...but it had to start somewhere, and it has taken many years to "show a profit" with the student bodies involved. BTW...KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK Earl! Your program is one to showcase the nation!

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com
Click to expand...

Also,
Contact the local Goodwill stores and the alike, they pick up and throw away at LEAST one bar table per yr. Then talk the local table repair shop into fixing the coin mech, redo the cloth, have ea game a quarter and that alone will pay back the school for its costs and upkeep, + the table guy can create future income on the cloth replacement. Heck, you may get enough coin drop to payoff the install guy in 3 mths, the rest is for the program from then on. If there was enough left over, it could subsidize a retail cue area.
 
Pool in High School

Bart Mahoney, House Pro at Hard Times Billiards in Sacramento has classes at Hard Times a couple mornings a week for local High School students that has been going on for a few years.

It has been very successful and took some time to work out with the schools involved, but some of the early students now participate in the weekly tournaments. Great program and one of the things pool really needs.
 
Brendan...Do you know if the tables were A E Schmidt? That would seem logical, since they are manufactured right there in St. Louis.

Scott Lee
http://poolknowledge.com

Brendan Sulliva said:
We had a ton of tables in the basement at my highschool. I played after school several days a week. No program though. We also had a shooting range, small bball courts and several other activites down there. I believe they have more tables than any other pool hall in St. Louis.
Click to expand...
 
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