Get a Cue

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 19:00

A sea of green felt, bright lights and highly polished wood is everywhere you look. And bobbing up and down in the midst are dozens of players, each one intently working a table, gauging where and how hard to hit the cue ball to sink the current shot and set up the one after that, and the one after that.

Welcome to the world of serious pool in Gainesville, where players practice intently, compete in leagues and even test themselves in nationwide tournaments. To get a better sense of this growing pastime, we talked to some local pool stars and checked out the best venues around town—the opportunities may be greater than you think. From traditional pool halls to underground student venues, pool is making its mark here.

By Molly Bruce
Photos by Sean Kelly

Many of the better players in area tend to congregate in a handful of spots around the city (see below). Some of the largest pool halls host weekly leagues and promote regular tournaments. Main Street Billiards, which just relocated downtown, has an 8-ball tournament on Mondays that boasts a $200 prize, while Art of Billiards hosts an open 9-ball tournament monthly with a first prize of at least $500.

Art Rogers, who owns Art of Billiards with his wife, Dana, says pool is a great game because “anyone can play— male, female, young or old.”

And they should know. Dana recently took fifth place in the American Poolplayer’s Association’s Singles Championship in Las Vegas for her division. Art won fifth place in a 9-Ball Classic in Las Vegas in 2002.

He says the APA is a good starting point for players looking to get serious about the sport. Florida, he says, has a larger APA membership than any other state.

The local APA chapter has about 1,200 members, says Claudia Strange, who runs the chapter with her husband, Chuck. Claudia says beginners shouldn’t be intimidated about joining the association. “The APA is designed for everybody.”

Along with sponsoring national championships, the 30-year-old APA promotes local league play that is designed to help new players develop their skills. This is how it works: Players form teams and play once or twice a week at the venue of their choice. Each player is ranked based on scores, and each team sends up a player of their choice to face-off against a member of the opposing team. Because teams choose who goes up against whom, Claudia says, teams try to create the most beneficial pairings. But, teams that go head-to-head cannot exceed a certain playing level, which gives everyone a chance.

“The handicap gives the more novice player the chance to win every time he or she comes to the table,” Claudia says.

CASH IN

Another good idea for beginners is to take a few lessons. Experienced pool players and instructors offer inexpensive lessons in Gainesville, and many players feel much more confident after lessons.

“It took me, like, two years to figure out how to hold a stick, because I was never taught by anyone,” now-pool pro Monica Fox, 35, says.

Monica, a Gainesville native, recently finished her master’s at the University of Florida. She qualified to play for UF in the Associate College Union International’s 9-Ball National Championship in July as the No. 1 player on the women’s team, where she tied for fifth with Heather Platter, the other UF women’s player.

Books like Picture Yourself Shooting Pool can help newer players improve, too. It’s written by Matt Sherman, vice president of business affairs at UF, a billiards expert on About.com and an accomplished pool player.

Monica says pool is completely addictive, and she has admitted to playing for 10 hours a day on more than one occasion.

A GATOR TRADITION

Monica likes to play at the Game Room at the Reitz Union where the level of talent and the passion of the players is high, Sherman says. “Being competitive, being young, having lots of energy—college students are made for playing pool,” he says. “A lot of students get bitten by the pool bug in college.”

Charlotte Dare, manager of the Game Room, says that more than 53,000 visited the facility between May 2008 and May 2009, and about half of those visitors played pool.

Monica says, “I started coming to the Reitz when I was 16 because it wasn’t a bar, so my parents were like, ‘OK,’ and my friends and I were like, ‘Ooh, college guys.’ ”

Charlotte says UF sends players to Nationals so often that there used to be a rumor that UF gave scholarships to pool players. The rumor, of course, is false.

Monica weighed in on the subject: “We’re Gators. It’s expected.”

Whether you try out pool on campus, at one the top halls around town, or by joining the APA (where the motto is “No player left behind”) you’re sure to find picking up a cool sport in Gainesville has never been easier or more fun.

Best Places to Play in Gainesville, A-Z

Art of Billiards: 4251 SW 13th St., 225-3535
Dugout: 3501 SW 2nd Ave, 375-1008
Gator City: 1728 W University Ave, 377-7333
Joe’s Place (Panama Joe’s): 5109 NW 39th Ave., 377-7665
Main Street Billiards: 108 S Main St., 378-5081
Silver Q: 225 W University Ave, 371-4644
UF Game Room: G50 Reitz Union, 392-1637