How do you 'give back' to pool?

How do I give back to pool... hmmmm

About $450.00 worth every month in time to my friendly neighborhood poolroom owner!
 
walrus_3d said:
You didn't ask who was "giving enough" to pool, you asked who was "giving back". Putting money into pool halls and tournaments (and sponsors of the same) is giving back. Whether it's "enough" is a completely different conversation.

Incidentally, a couple months ago I was practicing during a league night on one of the pay tables, and somebody bought in. I broke, ran a couple, played safe, he missed, I ran out the rack. He was walking away and I was about to buy back into the table when I heard him tell his buddy, "I don't even know how he DID that!" So I told him I'd show him. I paid in, racked, broke, and played a game by myself, talking through each step in the process of each shot. Then I bought him another game and coached him through each shot, which he almost won. ;) Two weeks later he joined my league and is loving it.

Sometimes it's the little things that have a payback for pool. I think being a worthwhile person in the time you spend at the table can be a huge payback, even if "all you're doing" is going to the pool halls and tournaments whenever you can. Don't belittle people for not giving enough, encourage them to give more.
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I thought I was? :confused:
 
DoubleD said:
That's right (well, double negative aside), nobody is doing anything--not even you, apparently.
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How do you know that? I simply posed the question - it is telling the "what's wrong with pool?" topics garner many more responses than the "how do you give back to pool?" thread.

Do. The. Math.
 
DoubleD said:
I always get confused when I see these 'pool is dying' threads.

What, exactly, is the 'more' that we are supposed to want? How can it be more 'alive'?

Is it more money? Well, of course it is, that is why it is called 'money'. By definition, you can't have too much money, so we always want more.

Am I supposed to want for more competition? The only person in the world who doesn't have enough competition is the best living player.

Am I supposed to want more opportunities to play? I can every day from 10am to 2 am, if I want to. I can play in a tourney every day of the week (I think) within 25min drive. If not, I can start one that people will attend.

Am I supposed to want fame for playing? The only good thing about fame is the women and money. You really only need the money because the women follow that, so this goes back to my first point.

Am I supposed to want more media coverage? I already don't watch dvd's, streaming, two guys at the table, espn23 or any other pool (except for my opponent).

Am I supposed to want more pool professionals? What good have they ever done me? I've learned some from Scott Lee and from Ray Martin's book, but that is about it. The only pro 'player' I have ever seen was Mike Massey who did his exhibition and then shilled himself for $20 to play a single rack of 9 with him. This is the type of person I am supposed to support?

Am I supposed to want more pool movies? All but one I've seen are complete garbage, why would I want more?

So, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me what more pool can offer me.

dld
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You want less pool? :confused:

Get a grip, man.
 
RDeca said:
Nobody here should feel like they have to do anything for the game.
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Whoa there. All of us have a responsibility to the game. Forget that and we might as well pack up and go home for good.

No wonder the game is dying: we don't deserve it. :(
 
Need more teachers at every level..........

RDeca said:
the games been dead for 10 years.

Righteous Hustle is dead.... Gentlemans game is dead.
The money game is full of a bunch of Crooks, Bums and Crybaby's all ripping eachother off, or just trying to take advatage of eachother anyway that they can.

To many governing bodys in the Amature tournament scene. used to be if you wanted to play a tourney you could come off the street and get into it. Not anymore, and now they Punish the better players, Masters, by not letting them play alot of the little local tournaments. So whats the point of becoming a Better Player besides personal love of the game??

What do i do for pool????
I play the game....with my friends and have a good time.
Nobody here should feel like they have to do anything for the game.
i Will say that all these different Govt body's are splitting a dying segment way too thin....BCA, ACS, VNEA...WTF!!!
also theyve killed off all the fun little local bar league's (combination of the above mentioned, the economy, and the policing of .08 bac.).....entertainment/Machine Vendors running the league's ,

the scene is rediculous, at least around here.
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My hats off to all the players that are running these kids leagues around the country. From what I see in my travels these players are for the most part very good role models and treat the kids well. Their unselfish dedication is one of the most important parts of building this pool world up again. The economy is a little tough but these backyard gladiators that we have around the country are quietly honing their skills at home on their own tables or their friends tables.

It's a little tough to justify driving to the poolhall right now, gas money, and pay table time to practice when you have a beautiful pooltable of your own and friends to play. Especially if your trying to raise a family.

The poolhalls that are surviving right now are the ones that are promoting other things along with the pool. Even on the local level here in Appleton, Wi it's a college town and the tables stay fairly busy with the kids here just looking for something to do and socialise. At the Varsity Club in Oshkosh it's the same thing. Those kids just keep the business rolling but the owners are constantly promoting things also.

These kids have made it possible for poolhalls like Sharks Club Billiards And the Varsity Club to survive which is great.

My hats off to anyone that is teaching players how to improve their games. Everytime a player improves their game their interest peaks a little more. The players they can compete against just widens because their skill level just increased a little bit.

My hats off to the league operators that organize things so the average player can compete on a local level. Then the ones that want to go further can go to bigger tournaments to try their skills with many others around the country and world.

I gave a few lessons to some of the kids and their interest increased about 10 fold. I see them in there everytime I go in there now. They are playing better and want to play with their new found skills. They go from just poking to actually shooting.

There is an old saying; You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime.

When a players skill level goes up their interest usually goes up also. Bowling,horseshoes,soccer,tennis,golf it doesn't matter. When the skilll goes up so does the interest.

We need more players with higher skill levels everywhere. Almost everyone can get better with good professional instruction. And it all starts with the kids.

Imagine if everyone in the world got one friend that didn't play pool to start playing with good equipment and proper instruction so they could compete at a fairly higher level rather quickly.

In about 4 months I will be back on the road again teaching and doing my part for this wonderful game. I will have my new video done at this time and I will have a motorhome to travel in from poolhall to poolhall. This is my dream so I can do what I enjoy doing the most in life. Teach players how to improve the game they love also.

They say if you are doing something that you enjoy you will never work a day in your life. Teaching pool for me is not work but is very rewarding personally.

I'm only one person and can only do so much but there are so many other people out there doing their part teaching and organizing. There is more going on out there than anyone can imagine.

Thank you everyone for helping make this game of pool a better place in our world and give us a reason to make those balls go in the hole.

Have a grreat day geno............
 
TheThaiger said:
Firstly, how do you work that out?

Secondly, do you chase other people around this board, or is it just me? I'm flattered, obviously, but you strike me as being a little too stupid for my tastes, Mr Toilet.
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I don't follow people around. I lash out at people who write stupid things and who offend members like you do. You just tend to write more stupid things than most so you get the most attention. People support companies that support pool events and you then said they are doing nothing. People go to their local pool rooms and pay time, buy food, drinks, and equipment and you say they're doing nothing for pool. That makes you a dick. No further explaination should be needed.
That's a J in the name you lisping catnancy. Like JolietJake from the Blues Brothers. That's where I live. Come visit some time and we'll work this out.
 
DoubleD said:
Answer some of the effing questions. You start this, don't tell us what you are doing, and when I tell you that I am content with pool, you try to deflect it into me saying there is too much pool.

PocketPoint much?

dld
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Your questions were risible.
 
TheThaiger said:
The game is dying. I contend it's dying because few if any put the game ahead of themselves. Players are selfish and greedy, taking what they can and giving nothing back.

So, what do YOU do to help the long term health of the game?
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I own a room in Washington State, I offer discounts to students, free instruction to anyone who asks, and I also sponsor the only APA Junior's League in the state. My main focus from the opening of my room in 2004 has been to expose children to the sport. I do not think enough has been done to do this, and like they say the children are our future.

JIMO
 
JolietJames said:
I don't follow people around. I lash out at people who write stupid things and who offend members like you do. You just tend to write more stupid things than most so you get the most attention. People support companies that support pool events and you then said they are doing nothing. People go to their local pool rooms and pay time, buy food, drinks, and equipment and you say they're doing nothing for pool. That makes you a dick. No further explaination should be needed.
That's a J in the name you lisping catnancy. Like JolietJake from the Blues Brothers. That's where I live. Come visit some time and we'll work this out.
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Oh dear!!!
 
manwon said:
I own a room in Washington State, I offer discounts to students, free instruction to anyone who asks, and I also sponsor the only APA Junior's League in the state. My main focus from the opening of my room in 2004 has been to expose children to the sport. I do not think enough has been done to do this, and like they say the children are our future.

JIMO
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Nice one...
 
genomachino said:
My hats off to all the players that are running these kids leagues around the country. From what I see in my travels these players are for the most part very good role models and treat the kids well. Their unselfish dedication is one of the most important parts of building this pool world up again. The economy is a little tough but these backyard gladiators that we have around the country are quietly honing their skills at home on their own tables or their friends tables.

It's a little tough to justify driving to the poolhall right now, gas money, and pay table time to practice when you have a beautiful pooltable of your own and friends to play. Especially if your trying to raise a family.

The poolhalls that are surviving right now are the ones that are promoting other things along with the pool. Even on the local level here in Appleton, Wi it's a college town and the tables stay fairly busy with the kids here just looking for something to do and socialise. At the Varsity Club in Oshkosh it's the same thing. Those kids just keep the business rolling but the owners are constantly promoting things also.

These kids have made it possible for poolhalls like Sharks Club Billiards And the Varsity Club to survive which is great.

My hats off to anyone that is teaching players how to improve their games. Everytime a player improves their game their interest peaks a little more. The players they can compete against just widens because their skill level just increased a little bit.

My hats off to the league operators that organize things so the average player can compete on a local level. Then the ones that want to go further can go to bigger tournaments to try their skills with many others around the country and world.

I gave a few lessons to some of the kids and their interest increased about 10 fold. I see them in there everytime I go in there now. They are playing better and want to play with their new found skills. They go from just poking to actually shooting.

There is an old saying; You can give a man a fish and feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you can feed him for a lifetime.

When a players skill level goes up their interest usually goes up also. Bowling,horseshoes,soccer,tennis,golf it doesn't matter. When the skilll goes up so does the interest.

We need more players with higher skill levels everywhere. Almost everyone can get better with good professional instruction. And it all starts with the kids.

Imagine if everyone in the world got one friend that didn't play pool to start playing with good equipment and proper instruction so they could compete at a fairly higher level rather quickly.

In about 4 months I will be back on the road again teaching and doing my part for this wonderful game. I will have my new video done at this time and I will have a motorhome to travel in from poolhall to poolhall. This is my dream so I can do what I enjoy doing the most in life. Teach players how to improve the game they love also.

They say if you are doing something that you enjoy you will never work a day in your life. Teaching pool for me is not work but is very rewarding personally.

I'm only one person and can only do so much but there are so many other people out there doing their part teaching and organizing. There is more going on out there than anyone can imagine.

Thank you everyone for helping make this game of pool a better place in our world and give us a reason to make those balls go in the hole.

Have a grreat day geno............
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Thank you and good luck. :clapping:
 
TheThaiger said:
Whoa there. All of us have a responsibility to the game. Forget that and we might as well pack up and go home for good.

No wonder the game is dying: we don't deserve it. :(
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We should all go kill ourselves. We suck...
 
DoubleD said:
I'm not laughing.

Okay, smart guy, why don't you answer these two questions:

What more am I supposed to want from pool?

How can pool be better?

dld
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1. For it to flourish. You're coming across as someone who doesn't want the game to grow. You may be happy with how it is at present, but you appear to be in the minority around here.

2. How can it be worse? Either we TAKE RESPONSIBILITY and act to save it, or we put it out of its misery once and for all. It seems we are all good at saying what's wrong with it (you excluded, of course...), but few of us stand up and DO SOMETHING.

For the record, I find those that are genuinely giving back inspiring, particularly when it comes to getting kids involved.
 
DoubleD said:
You are coming off as someone who has no idea what it is that you want.

What do you mean by 'flourish'? Specifics, now. Shouldn't be that hard, you've given it a lot of thought.

It could be worse by not existing at all. It could be worse by not having open venues to talk about it, discuss it, play it. It could be worse by having a bunch of people whining about how bad it is and how nobody does anything about it.

I am really trying to get some examples of what you want to better about pool. This could actually help you with your goal--you can't get somewhere if you don't know where you are going.

Think about it, you could tell me that my car (1974 el camino) could be better. I'd surely agree with you. When you tell me that my car should have a smaller engine, get better gas mileage, be shortened, be quieter, have leather seats and air conditioning, I will surely disagree with you.

Right now, you haven't given us anything that you define as 'better'.

So, I ask again, what is it you want?

dld
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I want more people to 'give back' to pool. Clearer?
 
manwon said:
I own a room in Washington State, I offer discounts to students, free instruction to anyone who asks, and I also sponsor the only APA Junior's League in the state. My main focus from the opening of my room in 2004 has been to expose children to the sport. I do not think enough has been done to do this, and like they say the children are our future.

JIMO
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Seems like a great room go play at :) I think we think the same in that kids need to be exposed to the game, but would parents let their kids go to a room filled with hustlers, degenerate gamblers, and alcohol? I don't think so. Really, there's a need for "cleaner" rooms.
 
TheThaiger said:
We suck, but we shouldn't kill ourselves - we should think about the good of the game instead of ourselves once in a while, that is all.
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I am perfectly happy with the state of pool right now. What are you saying is so bad about it? I will never make my living playing pool, so I stick to the amateur stuff.

All of the amateur tournaments that I have gone to in the past few years have lasted well into Sunday night, any more players and I would like it considerably less. I think things are pretty good right now.
 
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