What's pool to you?

Pool is a way of life. I would compare it on the same level as surfers and motorcycle gangs or if those are too strong of an analogies, then golf. In my life of 52 yrs, pool has been a connection to a past that isn't around anymore, old school poolrooms; pool in my younger life was a way to earn a living that offered as much danger as a young man can take. Pool has been a mistress that provided a brief respite of the times when i was seeking to support my family and became a professional in the real world and pool wasn't respected by my fellow professionals. Pool was my partner in crime when i left the professional world of a fulltime job and family when it all fell apart. Now pool is like an old lost friend where magic can be found once again on the green felt. Maybe the magic doesn't appear as often but when it does show itself it is just as alluring as it was when i was a young man many yrs ago seeking the same magic. What is pool? i haven't a clue, but if pressed for a short answer; well it's been the world to me.
 
Pool to me is One Pocket in the afternoon with the guys at the pool hall. Very little action, anymore, and when there is it's cheap action.
There are no new players coming down the pike, either. On a good day here there may be fifteen regulars show up. On a bad day maybe five. Next year there will be less, and the year after that who knows. I don't expect our pool room to be in business five years from now.
But, on the bright side...
 
It's what I'm good at. Everyone should have something they're really good at (pool, guitar, cross-stitch, fixing cars, etc.) and take pleasure in their mastery of it. It's kind of an ego trip also when you're sure you're the best in a room full of people. You don't even need to hit a ball, it's nice just knowing.

Pool is also my social outlet, and without it I'd probably be a lot more sheltered. For years I spent too much times on the internet chatting and doing forums, probably still need to cut back. I simply didn't get out much. Pool has provided me with friends I wouldn't otherwise have, pretty much all of my girlfriends, maybe a job or two also.
 
Perfect Game

To me pool is a combination of what Creedo and Just A Dub said. To escape and do somthing that I happen to be good at. It is also a chance to actually compete at something, where age, size and strength dont matter. There arent many sports where you can match up, one on one, with some of the best players in any given region. I know I couldnt beat Tiger in a round of golf, or LeBron one on one but maybe, just maybe putting together a near perfect set against a ranked pool player for a $50 tourney entry, thats is what makes it my favorite game. I honestly think that competition like this what helps keep me mentally sharp. There is also the teaching aspect of the game. Most of the guys I play with get just as much satisfaction from a break and run as they do from seeing the light go on when they show a young inexperienced player how to execute a shot. Man I love this game!:grin:
 
Pool is a challenge.

My physical limitations make it more challenging than normal, but that's part of the fun. Lots of people would be frustrated by it, but I'm challenged by it.

I only play for fun so it's not like I'm losing a $100 in an afternoon...that would make it frustrating. But I did win $14 last week! (I guess my playing comrades are even more limited than me....)
 
To me it's meditation. I can forget about all the bullshit in the world and just focus on the physics and geometry of the game.
 
What pool should mean

Matching up, grinding it out and finding out who is Mas Macho. Lately I don't know what it's become. Handicapping, sandbagging, ect is just killing what this game used to mean. Lots of people talk big game, but never put a thing at risk to show others what they have.
 
To expand on my earlier reply, pool to me is like many of you, an outlet. Something to while away the hours at least three days a week, sometimes more.
I don't gamble so it must simply be a hobby. :smile:
 
The perfect way to relax without letting your mind go to mush.

When the wife is crabby or the kids or grandkids are getting on my nerves I just shoot a few balls, beats getting aggravated.
 
The only sport I can actually play and improve (regardless of age or physical strength).

The only sport that gets more complex, the closer you look.

The only sport that gets more and more simple, the more you know.
 
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