Most people know the term “pool” more commonly than “billiards”, and many people would associate the activity with the bars. However, did you know that UW-Whitewater recently added billiards to their recreational club sports? Billiards Club is affiliated with Warhawk Alley rather than the William Center. It holds practices Mondays and Wednesdays, 7-9 p.m.
“Billiards was an old club that disbanded, but my roommate and I started it back up since we would play pool in Wells to pass the time,” co-president Tyler Koney said. “The club grew bigger than my roommate and I anticipated; our first meeting had 20-30 people show up.”
Last year Koney and his roommate played 350 games of pool ranging from friendly competitions to tournaments hosted by the Warhawk Alley. They started up the club when they saw that Warhawk Alley didn’t post any tournaments this year.
“In tournaments, I feel locked in and focused on calculations of how to shoot and I always think three steps ahead,” Koney said.
Practices for the Billiards Club are very chill and fun for all of the players involved while still keeping the competitive edge to it.
“One thing that makes billiards different from other clubs is our system of analytics,” Koney said. “I programmed the system so that players can put in who lost and who won. If a lower level wins against a higher level, their points get raised significantly, but if they lose, it doesn’t change drastically. It all reflects on who you play and we include fun aspects like how many balls fall off the table.”
His favorite aspect of the club is getting together with everyone and unwinding with no major commitment. For Koney, Billiards Club is fun and a good strategy game that improves both your mental skills and knowledge of physics.
“Billiards is a fun environment that ranges in skill and is very receptive to feedback, the club is friendly while keeping that competitive drive,” event coordinator Ashton Ford said.
Ford explained how the club is very talkative while competing, but no one takes it harshly or is salty toward one another. There is a big sense of camaraderie where no one is envious and supportive of one another as they are all looking to improve their skills and knowledge in billiards.
“I have learned to manage my time and become organized through going to officer meetings and helping schedule events,” Ford said.
Ford joined the club since a friend of his was in it and soon found himself enjoying the environment of the club and seeing the improvement of his performance in billiards.
“It is very rewarding seeing intended shots being lined up on the table. I get locked in and dial in on the shot that I aim for. It is a delicate balance in billiards where your whole mind is focused on the game and you can plan your moves on the table,” Ford said.
Ford enjoys the welcoming environment where anyone can join no matter what experience you have in the sport.
“I joined the club because my boyfriend was in it, I wanted to learn more about the sport and I learned to enjoy it,” Sierra Powers said.
Powers is an active member and enjoys learning billiards and building connections within the sport that she can count on and rely on.
“The community within the club is male-dominated with two active female members, but everyone within the community is very nice,” Powers said. “It is a fun hobby that I always look forward to and have a great time with. I feel confident at times but just like everyone else, I have my good and bad days.”
Tournaments to be the best out of three, where the winner of the game stays at the table while the losing opponent rotates to the next table in rotation.
Billiards is a newer club and it is a great opportunity for new members to be a part of the officer roles. Billiards Club is a casual sport in which students can have a lot of fun, no matter what skill level they have with the sport. The next tournaments for the Billiards Club are March 31 for the April Fools Tournament, April 21 for the Doubles Tournament and May 5 for the Solos Tournament.
