College Pool Rooms

[Tony_in_MD]

I spent the last few days at Bloomsburg University as my daughters laptop took a turn for the worst. While I was there she and I went to the rec center to play a few racks of pool. I remembered the pool room from my days at the same college in the late 70's. There were 14 Gold Crown 1 tables with the ashtray corners in classic white and orange. Along the far wall of the room were pinball machines and arcade machines. I remembered that at nearly all times of the afternoon and evening that room would be filled with students both playing pool and the games.

When we arrived at the room the entire center of the 'pool room' was setup with computers that students could use at at that time Thursday @ 6:00 p.m. the entire computer lab was full but no one was playing on the tables. No game machines existed, and I truly felt out of place seeing how the entire gameroom became a computer lab, with pool tables along one wall. (some combo huh)

To make a long story short we play a bit on a table at the end, and I notice ever rail was dead on this gold crown. I grabbed a cushion to see if it was loose and the whole rail moved. Looked under the table to see the rails held with one rail bolt! I checked a few other tables and saw the same thing.

Seeing how these days it is difficult to keep pool rooms open I began wondering if this is typical of other college pool rooms. I first fell in love with the game in that room, but I am afraid that what I saw of the condition of the tables would not let the game be enjoyable to anyone.

Anyone else with experiences or first hand knowledge of what college pool rooms are like today? Is what I experienced typical in other places too?

 

[stuckart]

Wow, that sucks that they haven't had anyone try and keep the room going.

I recently stopped into UW-Milwaukee's pool room and it was the exact same as it was 10 years ago when I was last there. They have 20 gold crowns and are kept in great shape. They have a few players that actually work there and I got some free table time. They had posters for pool tournaments coming up, but mostly for students only.

Hope that we don't hear about more rooms going bad like yours.

 

[skip2134]

SUNY Potsdam in New York has a small hall called Pete's Place. There are 4 9' tables. I don't know what they used to be like, but they are in ok shape today. I wouldn't expect that John Shmidt would agree, but minus the couple dead rails, they are still tables and a place to play. In case anyone is confused, the answer is technology. Kids are more focused on video games and can't appreciate the physics that pool brings. People would wrather upgrade computers with the newest software than put new simonis on. It is a lost appreciation for the self control and mental awareness that pool can bring at an advanced level. I would love to know a way to re revolutionize the sport. Frankly, I still have a question mark floating above my head.

MD

 

[PoolBum]

Anyone else with experiences or first hand knowledge of what college pool rooms are like today? Is what I experienced typical in other places too?

What used to be UCLA's pool room (with 5 Diamond Smart 9-foot tables) is now a Jamba Juice, and the former manager of the gamesroom is now gone having had his job eliminated.

UCLA has absolutely no interest in providing a pool room for its students, and there wasn't much interest among students when they had one anyway.

 

[rossaroni]

Even though the tables were real bad, at least they were still Gold Crowns. My college had about 4-5 tables total. One in most dorms and two in the biggest dorm. They probably were not even slate tables. I probably played on them less then 10 times the whole 14 years I was in college.:wink:

 

[matthew]

Even though the tables were real bad, at least they were still Gold Crowns. My college had about 4-5 tables total. One in most dorms and two in the biggest dorm. They probably were not even slate tables. I probably played on them less then 10 times the whole 14 years I was in college.:wink:

Yeah, they were pretty rough. I played on them fairly often though, only because it was close by. I'd play at the Met every once in awhile, but that's about it. Not having a car really sucked.

 

[mosconiac]

Unfortunately, this is probably a common trend among colleges. In the heyday of my University's rec center (Iowa), they had a bowling and billiards center. This was long before my time, but I am told the room was impressive. They held the ACUI nationals there too...these were the days of 14.1.

That room went away (its now a computer lab) and the alleys were lost. A few tables remained. Those 4 tables were moved into a little room with some arcade games. That room would be where I fell in love with the game. That room became my home for several years. I would be waiting in the morning for that room to open and would leave only to go to class and go home for supper, homework, & sleep. Those tables in that small room gave me great memories and several good friends that I maintain to this day. THAT is why this game (a social game) should be maintained at the University level.

A few years later the room was converted to a copy center and the tables were moved into a dining area. My friends & I made the best of it, but it was never the same. A few years later, the tables were gone altogether...outside of one that was crammed into a little room that is so small that the table is unusable.

Sad.

 

[ShawnD]

Not sure about our hometown college. The University Of Southern Mississippi. Go Eagles... I will check it out and let you know

 

[chefjeff]

Unfortunately, this is probably a common trend among colleges. In the heyday of my University's rec center (Iowa), they had a bowling and billiards center. This was long before my time, but I am told the room was impressive. They held the ACUI nationals there too...these were the days of 14.1.

That room went away (its now a computer lab) and the alleys were lost. A few tables remained. Those 4 tables were moved into a little room with some arcade games. That room would be where I fell in love with the game. That room became my home for several years. I would be waiting in the morning for that room to open and would leave only to go to class and go home for supper, homework, & sleep. Those tables in that small room gave me great memories and several good friends that I maintain to this day. THAT is why this game (a social game) should be maintained at the University level.

A few years later the room was converted to a copy center and the tables were moved into a dining area. My friends & I made the best of it, but it was never the same. A few years later, the tables were gone altogether...outside of one that was crammed into a little room that is so small that the table is unusable.

Sad.

Did you know Froschle (sp)? When he died/retired, I heard the place took a dump.

Jeff Livingston

 

[Scott Lee]

As someone who makes his living teaching and doing exhibitions in the college market, I can tell you with certainty that pool is not dying in colleges. While it is true that some schools have replaced gamerooms with computer labs, etc., that was mostly because of outdated facilities. MANY schools have built (or are currently building) new student unions, and there is almost always a place with at least a couple of pool tables, for students to enjoy.
There are still hundreds of colleges with large gamerooms (15-20+ tables).

I can relate to the Bloomsburg gameroom. I used to do shows there in the mid-90's, and it was a poorly managed room even then. Sad to hear about UCLA. I turned them on to Diamond, and helped design the gameroom (I definitely did not agree with the dozens of video games, though...way too much noise). I did exhibitions there for several years.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[gregoryg]

Marquette University...

Next time I am in Milwaukee, I will have to stop and see if the game room in the old student union still exists. They have done a lot of new construction since I attended there, so I have no idea what has changed. When I was a freshman there, back in fall '78/spring'79, I entered a pool tournament for the first time in my life. Just a small one, eight ball, maybe 16 players. I was fortunate enough to play well and win it by running the case game after my opponent broke and didn't sink a ball. I'll never forget shooting at that last eight ball and wondering how I left myself such a hard shot! Still have the trophy, my very first tournament win, one day before my birthday that year.

 

[Tony_in_MD]

Scott I wish you could have seen that room when I was there from 78-82. It was nice then. There were straight pool tourneys and league play that were run out of that room.

No more...so sad.

As someone who makes his living teaching and doing exhibitions in the college market, I can tell you with certainty that pool is not dying in colleges. While it is true that some schools have replaced gamerooms with computer labs, etc., that was mostly because of outdated facilities. MANY schools have built (or are currently building) new student unions, and there is almost always a place with at least a couple of pool tables, for students to enjoy.
There are still hundreds of colleges with large gamerooms (15-20+ tables).

I can relate to the Bloomsburg gameroom. I used to do shows there in the mid-90's, and it was a poorly managed room even then. Sad to hear about UCLA. I turned them on to Diamond, and helped design the gameroom (I definitely did not agree with the dozens of video games, though...way too much noise). I did exhibitions there for several years.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

 

[Frankenstroke]

Bgsu

I went to Bowling Green State University (Ohio). The student union had bowling alleys and pool, 9 8-footers and 3 9-footers, all Brunswick Anniversary's. I attended there 1971 - 1975. Jack White gave an exhibition every year and Cicero Murphy did one once during that time. Table time was $1.00/hr. and I got a job in the union so I could play for free sometimes.

The campus champ when I was a freshman was Mike Nadler (?). Anybody know him? From New Jersey, and I guess his dad was pretty good, too.

Soon after I graduated they tore down that building. I don't know what happened to the tables. I think some AMC tables were scattered around here and there in dorms, etc., but there was no more "pool room" on campus.

I also recall a small room off the pool room that was a barber shop. As these were the "hippie" years, the barber shop became a pinball arcade.

 

[barrett9ball]

Millersville U. of Pa (Lancaster)

class of 96... I was amazed when I first discovered the rec room. Had 8 or well taken care of 9 footers. They had the nappy cloth but were still nice. Student rate was $2.75 per hour (not per person.... per table). I missed some classes

 

[Bob Jewett]

Unfortunately, this is probably a common trend among colleges. ...

Compared to 40 years ago, I think student unions have changed a lot. In the 1960s, both Cal and Stanford had nice game areas with billiards and bowling. At Berkeley, the student union had two snooker tables, two carom tables and 13 pool tables. The manager got new cloth every year, had Jack White do an exhibition and ran the ACU-I qualifier himself. He retired, the pool tables were put under the bowling manager -- who never seemed to make it up stairs to see how badly the cashiers were ripping off the till -- and before long the pool room was closed for lack of revenue and about half the tables were moved downstairs with the bowling alley. Later they took out a few more tables, got rid of the last carom table -- the manager didn't care for the foreign students who tended to use it -- and eventually tore out eight of the 16 lanes and moved the remaining tables to that level in what felt like a concrete bunker with the lights way up on a high ceiling. Later they closed that section and put two tables back on the original level with lots of video games and red cloth! Now those tables are gone and there is no university sanctioned place to play for 30,000 students.

At Stanford the progress was similar. In the early 1970s I went by and Dorothy Wise happened to be running the ACU-I regional on about 15 tables in a nice carpeted area of the student union. By 1984 they were down to three tables in a room with concrete walls and a tile floor and lots of video games and air hockey. The tables were out of sight of the guy who rented the balls and they were treated accordingly, resulting in smashed-in sides and pockets and bizarre cushion action. They changed the tables out to a couple of coin-ops, and then to nothing.

Many student unions no longer provide for student recreation. At Berkeley they seem to be much more interested in selling cute knick-knacks to visiting alums and text books at outrageous prices to students.

 

[muttley76]

I started playing pool at age 17 at the pool/gameroom at Auburn University. It was about 1993. The room had 8-10 Gandy big Gs and video games and ping pong. It was always fairly busy, but closed around 98 or 99. It made/makes me sad to think that no other young people will get their start there like I did. They used to have exhibitions by Jack White once a year and yearly tourneys for both students and faculty. On a lighter side, I know that FSU, UGA, and Ga Tech all had poolrooms as of a year or so ago.