Perspective.

slide13

slide13

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I was at the pool hall today and saw someone I'd only seen once before, a while ago. A slightly older gentleman in a powered wheel chair came in with his own cue, got a rack of balls and motored on over to a table. He got his cue out, tossed the the balls out on the table, and proceeded to use the table rails to pull himself up out of the chair and move, very slowly and with great effort, around the table to shoot. It was obviously difficult and challenging but he made some shots. I have a feeling he was once a skilled player and time and health has made it impossible to play at that level again, but he has found a way to play nonetheless.

I've never seen someone work so hard to play this game and I've never respected anyone more for fighting through the hardship to do what they love.

I've seen people talking about loving the game and playing for that reason alone...today I saw it realized.

I was as impressed as I've ever been.
 
My Grandma used to say: "Son, count your blessings."
Of course, the last thing she said to me before she passed away was, "Son, you ain't nothing but bad luck." So, I figure what the hell, who's going to believe anything a crazy old woman has to say. :smile:
 
slide13 said:
I was at the pool hall today and saw someone I'd only seen once before, a while ago. A slightly older gentleman in a powered wheel chair came in with his own cue, got a rack of balls and motored on over to a table. He got his cue out, tossed the the balls out on the table, and proceeded to use the table rails to pull himself up out of the chair and move, very slowly and with great effort, around the table to shoot. It was obviously difficult and challenging but he made some shots. I have a feeling he was once a skilled player and time and health has made it impossible to play at that level again, but he has found a way to play nonetheless.

I've never seen someone work so hard to play this game and I've never respected anyone more for fighting through the hardship to do what they love.

I've seen people talking about loving the game and playing for that reason alone...today I saw it realized.

I was as impressed as I've ever been.
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I love observations like this surrounding the world of pool.

Absolutely agree with how impressive the love for this game can be.

Thank you for sharing with us - I had to sit back and re-read your post to let it sink in a bit. Powerful stuff. We are so very fortunate to have our health and be able to play with the love of a game.
 
My mother in law lives in an assisted living community. There is a card room with a pool table. When I went to visit there was a guy that had a problem walking and standing...He used a walker to get around. He would come into the pool room and set his walker aside and make his way to the table. The grin on his face was priceless as he played.
 
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There's a pool player in Fresno.....a friend of mine.......he collects cues and likes to participate in out of town tournaments.......Lee Silkwood is his name..........he's a he-man......people who know his story should post on this thread.


Now Lee does like to talk a lot about pool cues and knows a lot which he likes to remind everyone, even cue-makers......and yes, he's sometimes off the mark with his top of the noggin' assessments......but Lee has been shooting pool out of a wheelchair it seems like forever and certainly since 1981 when I first met him at the original Diamond Billiards owned by Dan Dadian located on Ashlan Ave in Fresno. I spotted Lee shooting pool in a wheelchair and went over and introduced myself........over the years we've become close pals.

Anyway, in 2012 Lee had to be hospitalized......he underwent mild surgery for a problem but that lead to a staff infection and ultimately, a 2 years stint in the hospital and more surgeries.....much more severe. Lee is out of the hospital now for probably a year or a little longer....maybe 15 months. Lee had already lost the use of his legs long ago but he got around on his own.....he had a special transportation van he drove and lived an independent lifestyle.....until he was hospitalized.......they had to amputate his left leg at the hip in order to save his life because of the staff infection that had caused enormous open wound sores that would never heal.....all those months of hospitalization and they had to remove his leg in order to save his life........he almost died a couple of times while in the hospital fighting that staff infection.

Like I said, Lee is playing pool again and he's getting a new vehicle that will allow him to drive. Lee can be seen in the Fresno pool halls......but now he has to strap himself into his wheelchair to avoid slipping out since he doesn't sit evenly balanced any longer with only one leg...........he used to lift himself up on the rails to shoot some shots like the OP described but he's challenged a little more now than before.

Lee Silkwood is superman as far as I'm concerned and my ailments are not worth even pondering about when I think about Lee.......those of you that know Lee can attest to his love for this crazy game.

Matt B,
 
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slide13 said:
I was at the pool hall today and saw someone I'd only seen once before, a while ago. A slightly older gentleman in a powered wheel chair came in with his own cue, got a rack of balls and motored on over to a table. He got his cue out, tossed the the balls out on the table, and proceeded to use the table rails to pull himself up out of the chair and move, very slowly and with great effort, around the table to shoot. It was obviously difficult and challenging but he made some shots. I have a feeling he was once a skilled player and time and health has made it impossible to play at that level again, but he has found a way to play nonetheless.

I've never seen someone work so hard to play this game and I've never respected anyone more for fighting through the hardship to do what they love.

I've seen people talking about loving the game and playing for that reason alone...today I saw it realized.

I was as impressed as I've ever been.
Click to expand...


Occasionally I'll see older guys come into the pool hall. Some are in wheelchairs, using a cane, or just moving pretty slow. These are guys, who in some cases, I used to play 20 years ago. But now they come in just to watch. Observe a few racks. Keep the game in their lives. I always try and make an effort to greet these guys, maybe talk over old-times.

We're all headed thataway.

Lou Figueroa
 
GoldCrown said:
My mother in law lives in an assisted living community. There is a card room with a pool table. When I went to visit there was a guy that had a problem walking and standing...He used a walker to get around. He would come into the pool room and set his walker aside and make his way to the table. The grin on his face was priceless as he played.
Click to expand...

There is a guy in our Monday night 8 ball league that plays in a manual wheelchair. He never gets out of the chair and uses specialized devices for when he must bridge from far away from his wheelchair. He uses countless different hand bridges from the rail because his hands don't function the way ours do. His concentration is remarkable. I have the greatest respect for this guy because it is such hard work to play the game and he never complains. The league is handicapped and he is a solid B player. We could all take a lesson of determination and concentration from this guy.
 
lfigueroa said:
Occasionally I'll see older guys come into the pool hall. Some are in wheelchairs, using a cane, or just moving pretty slow. These are guys, who in some cases, I used to play 20 years ago. But now they come in just to watch. Observe a few racks. Keep the game in their lives. I always try and make an effort to greet these guys, maybe talk over old-times.
We're all headed thataway.
Lou Figueroa
Click to expand...

Very true, Lou. Some of us on roller skates. :)
 
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