How did pool become a part of your life?

Dunno WHY I got into pool, other than the fact that my father played.. (He was an absentee father for most of mychildhood..) I just know it was always something I wanted to play.

I enlisted for the Army in 1993, and went away to Basic Training a few days before my 18th birthday. I remember the night before I was to go into the Army, I was put up in a hotel, and I was calling around trying to find a pool hall, and got a cab to one that would allow underage play.

I am quite sure I had not played more than 10-15 games of pool in my life, but for some reason, I just wanted to play.

I played in AIT (Advanced Training), with a tipless aluminum cue that had peeled back from all the soldiers continuing to play with it after the tip fell off. I got to where I was running 3-4 balls with that cue just based off a stright stroke and some concept of speed control.

I really got hooked when I was exposed some really good amateur players at my first duty station in S. Korea. The best there was Sergeant Major Paul Seto. I told him when I left Korea that I'b be good enough to beat him the next time I saw him. He laughed at me.

A year later, I won the Fort Lewis 8 Ball title by running the last two racks out on him after he hung a ball on the hill. :grin-square::grin-square::grin-square:

Short Bus Russ - C player
 
Well I've been doing a lot of reading the past few days on this site and I figured this is the perfect time to jump into to posting.

I grew up in a semi small town called Manteca, here in the central valley of California. My entire childhood as much as I can remember was sitting on top of a coin operated 7 foot murrey table, rolling balls around (and occasionally trying to hit them) watching my pops knock balls on the 9 foot with his group of friends at the local pool hall. When I say the 9 foot I'm talking THE 9 foot in town, the only one the fellars would gamble on. It was a beautiful Brunswick Gold Crown, and I remembered thinking as a kid these old men were nuts for loving this game so much. The owner of the hall was nicknamed Bucktooth, and I didn't find out until the past few years he was a well known name in the pool world. Him, My pops, and my uncle Gary hounded me and got my case consistently to shoot. I need to learn, practice, Blah Blah and I wasn't having it.

Three years ago I moved to Alabama and started working in a bar, I learned something quick about living in the south. You shoot pool, you drink, and work hard for a living. I immediately took a love to it, realizing I could make balls and possibly win. I joined some leagues and that jump started what would become almost an obsession. I moved back to my hometown in California a bit over a year ago and lost touch with shooting. August 20th of this year my pops passed away from liver cancer, and when cleaning out his house I found a box full of trophys, plaques, and awards, all of which were pool related. I immediately got back in the nearest pool hall, and started shooting. Since then I bought a house, picked up a table and setup a man cave in the garage, I know the old man is looking down smiling, glad to see I finally came to my senses about shooting.

Sorry for the novel everyone, but that's my story.
 
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