Senior Proms. Pool.

[sunnyone]

Dear Gentle Readers,

The last few weeks I’ve noticed several teenage prom-goers out on the town in NYC and SF. Achingly-young. So earnest, so adorable.

Careful posture, careful outfit-awareness. Trying so hard for something … insouciance? If not sophistication, at least some semblance of whatever masquerades as cool these days.

A question for you pool players. Was there a similar billiards moment when you tried to pass from childhood to … well, something higher? Or at least something different? A rite of passage, poolroom version?

Perhaps a triumph over the former king of the pool hall? A wager that you couldn’t afford to lose? A tipping point where you realized you really had elevated your game? A fight? A parental confrontation?

As Bob Frost noted, ‘Two roads diverged …’

What was your fork in the boulevard, pool-wise?

Nostalgia is my life,

Sunny

P. S. I would wager, based on their demeanor, that most of the NYC kids were from Connecticut, Jersey and Long Island. SF? Marin, East Bay and the Peninsula. Just a guess.

P. P. S. So, okay, I, personally, was between boyfriends for my prom years. Big deal. I had a blast with my girlfriends. End of story. Case closed.

P. P. P. S. Bite me.

P. P. P. P. S. No, I’m not bitter. Not after all these years. That would be silly.

 

[Blue Hog ridr]

P. P. S. So, okay, I, personally, was between boyfriends for my prom years.

Seems lately Sunny that you are always between boy friends. Is there a reason for this?

If a person spends too much time in between boy friends, do you actually ever get to have a boy friend or are you perpetually single.

 

[Celophanewrap]

Geeze, there are so many but to what degree? In so many ways I'm still waiting to make that leap. I can remember the first time I realized that I was no longer the weakest player in the world, when someone actually asked me how to do something, someone asked me for advice. I must have puffed up something fierce but was deflated fairly quickly thereafter by one of the child prodigies that used to frequent that place. I remember realizing that there were easier ways to play than to make the cue ball go 7 rails for shape. I think what was most influential for me though was the first time I cashed in what I considered a big guy tournament. I didn't win, but I cashed. Enough for beer and burgers for me and friend that took me there. Best beer and burgers we ever had

 

[JoeyA]

Lol. Sunnyone, you always impress. :smile:

The first right of passage that I think of when it comes to pool, is the bestowing of a nickname on one.

Mine came after a few years of taking regular whippings at the hands of the hustlers from the infamous Sport Palace in New Orleans.

Hope you are well! Come pass a good time in New Orleans, one day when you have time.

JoeyA (Joey-with-a-Tie)