Wednesday, July 31, 2002

Taking a cue from pool, kids rack up success in school

School is back in session. Time to put away the toys of summer and pick up the tools of learning, such as books, pencils, paper, pool cues.

Pool cues? Yes, pool cues!

A unique school program in Sacramento, Calif., takes high school students from the classroom to the poolroom to learn skills that will help them at school and throughout life.

The program, part of Del Campo High School's physical education curriculum, just may set the standard for schools nationwide. The course, "Billiards I: A Lifetime Sport," was started by a high school physical education teacher and a billiard instructor.

According to PE instructor Marcie Davis, it came about one day when she was teaching a class outside and it started to rain. One of the students suggested they shoot pool. She searched for a place to play as well as an instructor and found both at Hard Times Billiards.

She teamed up with Barton Mahoney, a certified Billiard Congress of America (BCA) billiard instructor who teaches the techniques established by the nonprofit World Billiard Instructor's Association. "I was looking for a place to teach pool and he was looking for a medium to teach it," Davis said.

Besides going off campus to play pool and write about it, what else does the course teach these young people?

Pool is a game that deals with the fundamentals of geometry and physics and requires hand-eye coordination. It also teaches socialization, and students don't have to be athletes to play.

Mahoney couldn't agree more. "Young people appreciate the fact that the playing field is equal with no social, physical or gender barriers," he said. "Learning the physical geometry (of the body) through the application of visual geometry (of the game) is how the intricacies of pool are discovered."

Since starting the course in 1999, more than 700 students have taken the class. Marcie thinks that what sets it apart is the fact that the class has a reading and writing component. All classes at Del Campo require notebooks, and in this class, students must do peer analysis and self-analysis. The students also have assignments in which they read about a billiard personality and write an essay.

Davis sets high standards for her students in reading, writing and behavior. "If a student misbehaves they are kicked out of the class," she said. This has happened only once since the program's inception three years ago.

BCA Hall of Fame member and author Robert Byrne loves to sing the praises of the positive attributes of cue sports and what young people can learn from the game.

"It teaches advance planning; choosing the shot that gives you the chance to make additional shots before your opponent does, not the one that gives you immediate gratification," he stated.

"It also demonstrates the concept of risk versus reward and is an exercise in discipline, in which the player learns the value of emotional control."

There has been so much interest in the school program that Davis and Mahoney are collaborating on a Physical Education curriculum guide. "Bart is doing the writing and I'm doing the collaborating," laughed Marcie. "I'm not a billiard player, so I play teacher."

They plan to present it to education groups around the country.

"The program could grow to be a solid curriculum on the state and national levels," said Mahoney. "Education is a great way to bring significance to our sport and I plan to encourage other certified billiard instructors to join me in this quest. If our sport is to flourish, we must pave the way for these students they are billiards' best ambassadors."

Stephen D. Ducoff, executive director of the BCA in Colorado Springs, Colo., agrees. "The BCA developed the education committee initiative a few months ago with the goal of growing the sport nationwide," he said. "We applaud the dedicated volunteers on this committee and are pleased with its progress to date. Young people are the pool players of the future stressing the educational attributes of the game will allow us to partner with schools around the country."

Everything old is new again. The students at Del Campo are discovering a game that has been around a long time. According to Byrne, the game of pool is at least 500 years old, with only chess having been in continuous play longer.

Mozart engaged in billiard sports. In the movie "Amadeus," Mozart bounces a billiard ball from one hand to the other while trying to decide whether to go back to composing or join the guys downstairs for a game of pool. In the classic Disney cartoon entitled "Donald Duck in Magic Land," three-cushion pool was used to teach math to kids. Mark Twain was an avid player and William Shakespeare featured billiards in "Anthony and Cleopatra."

"There's a misconception that most games are played in pool halls," asserted Byrne. According to pool table sales records, more pool is played in homes, taverns come in second, and pool halls place third. He shares the fact that 150 years ago Michael Phelan, known as the father of modern American pool, is quoted as saying, "A pool table in the home keeps kids at home." So much for trouble in River City.

So, while working on the list of school items for the young person in your life, don't forget the pool cue. Sharpen their pool skills and their minds.

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