Putting Education on the Table

J

Jumping Jerry

New member
I have started a petition to put billiards in schools as an elective and varsity sport.
Please read, sign and pass on.
Also please share any pool experiences good or bad.

Thank you, Jerry

Access petition on this site https://c.org/yNHzzZ2kGm
or QR code below
 

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Jumping Jerry said:
I have started a petition to put billiards in schools as an elective and varsity sport.
Please read, sign and pass on.
Also please share any pool experiences good or bad.

Thank you, Jerry

Access petition on this site https://c.org/yNHzzZ2kGm
or QR code below
Click to expand...
Used to teach a course in pool at a junior college that we did at a local bowling alley. You would have to have a place to do it. Seeing that most pool rooms serve alcohol I doubt that would work out.
 
Yes in the beginning it will take some coordination. I am also looking into non profit status to build pool specific locations in general areas. I'm hoping the reward for the juniors will prevail
 
Good luck.
Hope you get somewhere.
Not being negative, just been down that road with a H. S. in my town with my two girls in my school district.
Only way I think it can be done is come in thru the back door.
Your dealing with Prejudice, not intention but those parents/teachers in their lifes Visual journey have seen/Scenes that don't Jive with HS teacher, faculty thinking in any larger numbers.
You have to create a path thru the back doors in life. often to Succeed.
Good luck, I feel this path is not different than Black/White and MLK.
But times can be different.... you have a hell of allot of work ahead of you.... to Preach your cause to adults then succeed.

best to your EFFORTS.... your intentions are on track.
 
my opinion will not be popular
to have a pool course as an elective is just OK for me
to have it as a varsity sport would be a terrible idea
the time spent practicing would be better spent studying
whats a degree in pool going to get you in the USA
might as well major in philosophy or art history
i understand you are not making pool a degree option
but my point is
the students are better off long term to put their efforts into more productive things
jmho
icbw
for the record i love pool but it was not my career choice
 
It looks like a form letter not a petition.

Who is the undesignated letter directed to? Are you suggesting if someone "signs" this you are just going to mass mail it to unidentified schools across the country? Or where are you sending it, specifically?

How is "nonprofit status" going to facilitate anything and what do you mean by that?

Not seeing the plan here that would have anyone "sign" it without asking questions other than just a "Go Pool!" point of view.
 
jeephawk said:
It looks like a form letter not a petition.

Who is the undesignated letter directed to? Are you suggesting if someone "signs" this you are just going to mass mail it to unidentified schools across the country? Or where are you sending it, specifically?

How is "nonprofit status" going to facilitate anything and what do you mean by that?

Not seeing the plan here that would have anyone "sign" it without asking questions other than just a "Go Pool!" point of view.
Click to expand...
Here it is in case no one actually read it. It's a real word salad

The Issue​

Dear [School Board Members / Superintendent / Principal / Athletic Director],

I am writing to formally propose the introduction of Billiards/Pool as both an elective course and a varsity sport within our schools under the initiative titled Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.).

Billiards is far more than a recreational pastime—it is a strategic, inclusive, and academically enriching activity that supports cross-curricular learning while promoting focus, discipline, and sportsmanship.

Why Billiards Belongs in Schools

Cross-Curricular Learning

Mathematics: Geometry (angles of incidence and reflection), physics (momentum, friction), statistics, and probability.
Physics & Engineering Concepts: Force transfer, spin dynamics, energy conservation.
Psychology & SEL: Emotional regulation, patience, resilience, and decision-making.
Business & Entrepreneurship: Tournament organization, event marketing, budgeting, and sponsorship management.
Inclusive & Accessible
Billiards is an all-inclusive sport that welcomes students of varying physical abilities, learning styles, and athletic backgrounds. It offers competitive and recreational pathways without the physical barriers found in many traditional sports.
Mental Performance & Academic Benefits
Participation enhances concentration, strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and long-term planning—skills directly transferable to academic success.
Varsity & Scholarship Opportunities
Competitive billiards is a growing field with structured leagues and scholarship pathways. Establishing a varsity program would position our school as a leader in innovative athletic programming.
Safe & Structured Environment
With proper equipment standards and supervision, billiards programs can be safely implemented in designated school spaces with minimal risk compared to many contact sports.
Proposed Implementation

Pilot elective course integrating math and physics applications.
After-school club transitioning into junior varsity and varsity teams.
Partnerships with local billiards organizations and community sponsors.
Hosting inter-school tournaments to build community engagement.
Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.) is more than a sports proposal—it is an opportunity to modernize extracurricular offerings while reinforcing academic skills in an engaging and innovative way.

I respectfully request that the board review this proposal and consider forming a committee to explore feasibility, budgeting, and pilot program development.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this initiative further.

Sincerely,
Jerry Mister

razingjessica@yahoo.com

PBIA certified pool instructor
Report a policy violation
avatar of the starter

Jerry Mister
 
Last edited:
middleofnowhere said:
Here it is in case no one actually read it. It's a real salad

The Issue​

Dear [School Board Members / Superintendent / Principal / Athletic Director],

I am writing to formally propose the introduction of Billiards/Pool as both an elective course and a varsity sport within our schools under the initiative titled Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.).

Billiards is far more than a recreational pastime—it is a strategic, inclusive, and academically enriching activity that supports cross-curricular learning while promoting focus, discipline, and sportsmanship.

Why Billiards Belongs in Schools

Cross-Curricular Learning

Mathematics: Geometry (angles of incidence and reflection), physics (momentum, friction), statistics, and probability.
Physics & Engineering Concepts: Force transfer, spin dynamics, energy conservation.
Psychology & SEL: Emotional regulation, patience, resilience, and decision-making.
Business & Entrepreneurship: Tournament organization, event marketing, budgeting, and sponsorship management.
Inclusive & Accessible
Billiards is an all-inclusive sport that welcomes students of varying physical abilities, learning styles, and athletic backgrounds. It offers competitive and recreational pathways without the physical barriers found in many traditional sports.
Mental Performance & Academic Benefits
Participation enhances concentration, strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and long-term planning—skills directly transferable to academic success.
Varsity & Scholarship Opportunities
Competitive billiards is a growing field with structured leagues and scholarship pathways. Establishing a varsity program would position our school as a leader in innovative athletic programming.
Safe & Structured Environment
With proper equipment standards and supervision, billiards programs can be safely implemented in designated school spaces with minimal risk compared to many contact sports.
Proposed Implementation

Pilot elective course integrating math and physics applications.
After-school club transitioning into junior varsity and varsity teams.
Partnerships with local billiards organizations and community sponsors.
Hosting inter-school tournaments to build community engagement.
Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.) is more than a sports proposal—it is an opportunity to modernize extracurricular offerings while reinforcing academic skills in an engaging and innovative way.

I respectfully request that the board review this proposal and consider forming a committee to explore feasibility, budgeting, and pilot program development.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this initiative further.

Sincerely,
Jerry Mister

razingjessica@yahoo.com

PBIA certified pool instructor
Report a policy violation
avatar of the starter

Jerry Mister
Click to expand...

That's why I asked the questions. It's not a petition, it's not directed to anyone in particular - it's a draft form letter. Without more information there's really no point to it at all. More of a one hitter to take advantage of an audience that might click and "sign" and then gets to be used for whatever the purpose is - he doesn't say.

Few schools in the U.S. have pool halls nearby, or even in the same county, lol, where kids could arguably get together on a formal basis for a class, let alone practice if it was a varsity sport (which is pretty far fetched) and I'd guess it's pretty doubtful that very many school boards are going to be allocating ever scarce school resources to finding/building space for pool tables, let alone purchasing them. If kids want to have a billiards "club", no doubt, schools would allow it within whatever guidelines they have. But a dedicated class? Ignores realities. Varsity sport? No, and good luck getting a state athletics union behind that, but maybe it's happened here or there in the past decades but exceptions by far, if so, not the rule. Maybe a few days of attention in P.E. class - we used to go to a bowling alley for P.E. for a "unit" on bowling in the winter which was fun - but not much more in it. Pool just doesn't carry that kind of weight, educationally or otherwise. Would love to see kids get exposure, but it's not going to find its way into curriculum or attract the necessary investment into making it an actual varsity sport, in general.

There's already an established non-profit, the Billiards Education Foundation via the BCA.
 
middleofnowhere said:
Here it is in case no one actually read it. It's a real word salad

The Issue​

Dear [School Board Members / Superintendent / Principal / Athletic Director],

I am writing to formally propose the introduction of Billiards/Pool as both an elective course and a varsity sport within our schools under the initiative titled Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.).

Billiards is far more than a recreational pastime—it is a strategic, inclusive, and academically enriching activity that supports cross-curricular learning while promoting focus, discipline, and sportsmanship.

Why Billiards Belongs in Schools

Cross-Curricular Learning

Mathematics: Geometry (angles of incidence and reflection), physics (momentum, friction), statistics, and probability.
Physics & Engineering Concepts: Force transfer, spin dynamics, energy conservation.
Psychology & SEL: Emotional regulation, patience, resilience, and decision-making.
Business & Entrepreneurship: Tournament organization, event marketing, budgeting, and sponsorship management.
Inclusive & Accessible
Billiards is an all-inclusive sport that welcomes students of varying physical abilities, learning styles, and athletic backgrounds. It offers competitive and recreational pathways without the physical barriers found in many traditional sports.
Mental Performance & Academic Benefits
Participation enhances concentration, strategic thinking, pattern recognition, and long-term planning—skills directly transferable to academic success.
Varsity & Scholarship Opportunities
Competitive billiards is a growing field with structured leagues and scholarship pathways. Establishing a varsity program would position our school as a leader in innovative athletic programming.
Safe & Structured Environment
With proper equipment standards and supervision, billiards programs can be safely implemented in designated school spaces with minimal risk compared to many contact sports.
Proposed Implementation

Pilot elective course integrating math and physics applications.
After-school club transitioning into junior varsity and varsity teams.
Partnerships with local billiards organizations and community sponsors.
Hosting inter-school tournaments to build community engagement.
Putting Education on the Table (P.E.T.) is more than a sports proposal—it is an opportunity to modernize extracurricular offerings while reinforcing academic skills in an engaging and innovative way.

I respectfully request that the board review this proposal and consider forming a committee to explore feasibility, budgeting, and pilot program development.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this initiative further.

Sincerely,
Jerry Mister

razingjessica@yahoo.com

PBIA certified pool instructor
Report a policy violation
avatar of the starter

Jerry Mister
Click to expand...
As a PBIA certified instructor, I think he'd benefit by creating a more professional email address. I had a lady apply for a job with me once and her resume was put together very well. It was tough to get over the header though because her contact info was "flipflopsarefun@yahoo.com".
 
middleofnowhere said:
Used to teach a course in pool at a junior college that we did at a local bowling alley. You would have to have a place to do it. Seeing that most pool rooms serve alcohol I doubt that would work out.
Click to expand...
What about bowling alleys? They serve alcohol and as far as I know underage people were always allowed in them, heck, they even have junior leagues.
 
fastone371 said:
What about bowling alleys? They serve alcohol and as far as I know underage people were always allowed in them, heck, they even have junior leagues.
Click to expand...
That was my point, you have to have a place to do it. I don't see a school installing pool tables. I don't think introducing kids to pool outside of the family is a good idea in general.

I was at a juniors tournament a few years back. The kids of all ages were trying to gamble with each other. The stigma around pool is a real thing. It is not just some bad underserved imige.

I can't imagine this coming up in a school board meeting and not getting voted down.
 
middleofnowhere said:
That was my point, you have to have a place to do it. I don't see a school installing pool tables. I don't think introducing kids to pool outside of the family is a good idea in general.

I was at a juniors tournament a few years back. The kids of all ages were trying to gamble with each other. The stigma around pool is a real thing. It is not just some bad underserved imige.

I can't imagine this coming up in a school board meeting and not getting voted down.
Click to expand...
I should have explained it better. Why are underage folks allowed in bowling alleys but not pool rooms??
 
fastone371 said:
I should have explained it better. Why are underage folks allowed in bowling alleys but not pool rooms??
Click to expand...
In Florida years ago it was against the law for a minor to be in a pool room. The exceptions were, if they were with a parent, had a notarized card on file in the pool room signed by the parent, on active duty in the military, or and this was strange, were married.

I was one of the group that got this changed in Florida. Part of the argument we presented was bowling alleys. There was actually an exception written into the law for bowling alleys. I guess if you were Brunswick it's ok.

The law had nothing to do with alcohol by the way, it was pool rooms. Oddly enough a pool table was defined as a gaming device by Florida law and every public table was licenced. May still be I don't know.

I bet if you checked around the country even today you will still find a lot of laws still on the books pertaining to pool and pool rooms that are crazy and discriminating. In some towns it is almost impossible to even open a pool room.
 
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