These are good answers.
1. How long have you played the game of Pool?
I started playing around the age of 5, but really got serious around 17. I am now 41.
2. What interested you about pool when you began playing?
As a child, I started playing it because all my relatives had a pool table in their basement... The game was fascinating to hit the balls and watch them go into the pockets. As I got older, I started to learn how to play and I realized how much I just enjoyed competing.
3.What is your favorite game within pool?
One pocket by far is my favorite game. I play all variations of "pool" games including billiards, snooker, Russian pyramid, as well as every game played on a standard pool table. One pocket is the only game in pool where I feel you are playing against the opponent versus against the table as in other games. What shots you choose is largely dependent on your assessment of your opponent's skill level and a combination of your strengths and weaknesses. One pocket uses every aspect of the game of pool whereas other games are limited to only particular areas.
4. Compared to other games, what stands out in pool to you?
Pool is a mental challenge more than anything else. I was always a good athlete so performing well at a given sport was merely learning the rules and strategies, and applying myself. In pool there is so much to learn and then perfect, and even when you have gotten to a high level, you still have to contend with your mental game. Also, pool is such a beautiful game when played by a skilled "performer"... Making the balls go exactly where you want with amazing precision is an art form often overlooked.
5.Explain the moral values one learns or sees while participating within this culture of people?
There are many good things you can learn within the pool culture as well as the stereotypical "bad" things. There are those who choose to hustle and deceive others to try and take their money, and to those individuals, its not about the game of pool, rather they use pool as the vehicle in which to carry out their plans. Those people have lost the real satisfaction gained from excelling at something. If you are involved with most of the people in the pool world, its more about friendship, diversity and about becoming a better player. Most of the better players help out the beginning players in an effort to give back to the sport and to try and grow the interest. Professionals do make money off pool, but there is a lot of self satisfaction developed knowing that you have succeeded in something so difficult as pool. Personally, I am always learning new things in pool and I do my best to teach them to others. No one taught me to play and most of what I learned was by trial and error so I feel almost a duty to try and give my knowledge away. It is very satisfying to see those you have helped excel.
6.How has pool affected your life?
I have met a lot of people from many walks of life and have made some great friends in the process. It makes no difference what your skill level is or where you are from, when you are in the pool community, everyone can be your friend. I could have taken many different paths and I chose this one. Sometimes I feel the money aspect is poor and perhaps I should have taken up golf or poker or some other more lucrative field, but I do have many other streams of income so I don't have to rely on pool as a sole source. Not all professionals have this option or haven't pursued it as an option, but in the current state of pool, I think anything helps.
7. Does the effort put forth by you in pool show in your everyday life?
I strive for excellence in pool and I have a strong mental game. This does transcend to other areas of my life as I want to do the best I can in everything I do. I don't think pool made me this way, but its more of a personality trait that I have garnered for use in my "pool world".
8.Overall, describe the kind of people one encounters while playing pool?
There is no one specific kind of person you meet in the pool world. I have come across every single type of personality, occupation, degree of education and race. Pool halls are a huge melting pot of people all gathered in a single place for the express purpose of knocking colored balls around an enclosed table with a stick, in an effort to sink them before their opponent. Its a medieval game that has captured the hearts and minds of all who play it.
9.What, to you , is the most important thing to know, mentally, in the game of pool and does it affect your everyday life?
As they say, pool is 10% skill and 90% mental... This is a little exaggerated but it shows a point. Even if you are finely honed in the skill set of pool, you may have a difficult time executing properly if you cannot control your mind. I've learned that you have to reduce and even, eliminate any negative thoughts and really just calm your mind as you play. If you have practiced enough, all the thousands of calculations necessary for fine motor controls will be there if you just let them. The problem is that people fight the sub-conscious and let negativity rule their world, especially when things go awry. Everyone misses and everyone loses, but its how you deal with it that will set you apart from everyone else and allow you to excel and prevail. This will help you in life more than you know.
10. Given the chance and the power to, would you change anything about the game and the people in pool.
I would not necessarily change pool except maybe try to standardize playing conditions and equipment a little more. Its hard enough to try and play good pool without having to adjust to the myriad of constantly changing conditions. There are many structural changes that need to be made to create a unified governing body that will grow pool in our youth and continue to support it as it reaches the professional level. Presently, people are too greedy and no one has stepped up who is willing to present a plan that will unselfishly benefit all.
The people in pool are just that. We all gravitated to this game for different reasons, but stayed because of something magical that only pool can give you.
Thanks for the amount of effort you put to this interview.
