NW student dispels shtick about stick
by Matt Skates, nw news editor

     There’s still trouble in River City, as far as the perception of the game of pool is concerned.
     Trouble in River City, a famous song from the musical, The Music Man, warns city folks about the potential dangers of young men playing pool.
     However, pool has become the number one pastime in the United States with over 40 million estimated participants.
     Although the sport has a large following, there is social microcosm within the pool halls that is often perceived as shady and reclusive by the general public.
     “Even if the Pope himself went and blessed every pool hall in America, there would still be a stigma around it,” Laura Foster, competitive pool player and NW Campus freshman, said.
     Foster is an insider in the illusive underground world of pool.
     She began playing as a child but didn’t get serious about the sport until she began working at her local pool hall.
     Although she plays competitively, Foster does not bet on games—not to say it doesn’t happen though.
     “I’ve heard stories,”she said, “but the most expensive game I’ve ever seen was a 16-hour game of nine-ball for $3,000.”
     Probably one of the things that keeps pool a somewhat underground sport is its complex and often humorous slang.
     Unless a person is familiar with pool lingo, conversing with an experienced player is like trying to hold a conversation with someone from a different country.
     For example, the word Boston doesn’t refer to the city, but denotes a specific pool table size, either 8.5’ x 4’, 9’ x 5’, 8.5’ x 4’ or 9’ x 5’.
     A Jaw isn’t the lower part of a person’s mouth, for instance, but the corner or pocket of a pool table.
     Baulk, stun, frozen, English, force and giving weight are just a few of the words a person would need to know before stepping foot in a pool hall.
     And if a person is female, be warned; she will be treated differently from the men, Foster said.
     “Pro women always make less money than the men,” she explained.
     One hall owner told her she couldn’t play there because she was only 18, and then he proceeded to let a boy of the same age play at the same establishment.
     Foster has no problems finding a place to play though.
     Before school started, she would often participate in nine ball tournaments at local halls.
     But since school has begun, the young woman has spent most of her time on her studies, even heading up a history study group, which has helped her immensely, she said.
     She is, however, looking to get on with a team so she can go to the national pool tournament in Las Vegas May 12-20.
     “The national tournament in Vegas is like a pool mecca; everywhere you go there are famous pros, venders and cue makers (for those unfamiliar with the lingo, a cue is a stick),” she said.
     In preparation, Foster will take private lessons to help fine tune her game.
     Casual players who look to become more competitive often hire a mentor or tutor to help them train so they can get started on the pool circuit.
     “A lot of times, a mentor will send a student out on the road with $1,000 and see how they do,” she said.
     But for those who just hit the ball hard and hope it knocks something in, pool will remain an underground sport. And, the most serious players probably would not have it any other way.