My name is Wayne. This blog site is actually an online container for housing my final project research for the University of Wyoming's, spring of 2009, "American Folklore" course. I am currently enrolled in spring courses at U.W. and L.C.C.C. as I pursue a Bachelor's Degree. I have already attained an Associate Degree in Fine Arts through L.C.C.C., though I am not too sure anymore what my next discipline of study is going to be.
One of the main reasons why I chose pool as the subject matter for this project is because I have almost 19 years of cumulative experience as an organized pool player. Thus, my local pool environments and societies are very easily accessible to me, helping to make the "ritual of pool" my best choice here. Moreover, and as I hope this site's content proves.... the ritual activity of pool is just a highly saturated ground for conducting folklore research. As I continue to develop this project I am inspired more and more each day by what I believe might be accomplished by maintaining and expanding this site.
My Personal, Folkloric Narrative of Being a Pool Player:
Like many players, I started playing pool more seriously, and in pool leagues (by VNEA Rules - see the "Outer Links" page on this site), soon after I turned of drinking age. Basically, my older brother told me that I was going to start playing on his "bar team" when I turned twenty-one, whether I wanted to or not. So, I have to greatly thank my brother for getting me started in the pastime and keeping me enthused about it, throughout the years (amongst other friends and family members).
Honestly, I became relatively obsessed with playing the game of pool very soon after starting. After my second or third year I was usually playing on two or three teams (and nights) a week. Now, I am not nearly as competitive as I was in my 20's, though I do still love to play the game whenever I get the chance. I should confess that I never felt I was too good of a player until after I played in organized leagues for almost 10 years. Around that point is when I chose to move myself up in rank, into our charter holder's upper "A" division, even though I had not yet won any significant tournaments. My first two years in our town's "gold league" were beyond challenging and I won almost no games at all. By my third year in that division though, I felt I was one of the best players in town, and I proved it by finishing around 20th place in the "A" division. Well, that's where my personal claim to glory ends though, since I have drastically cut down on the amount of pool I play since starting college.
The image above is from a clipping from the front page of our local newspaper, around the year 2000, or so. The picture was taken as the Rocky Mountain Singles Tournament was taking place at the Holiday Inn, that year.
I was playing very well in that tournament at the time the picture was taken. Even though I just missed making it into the finals of that tournament by one win, I did win around 9 games. Certainly, this is one of the most successful tournaments that I had ever played to that point, and so, the experience also became a part of my personal narrative as a pool player. I really was dominating everyone that I played that weekend, besides the two games I lost. Yet, I don't remember any details from that tournament now, game play wise, and having my picture placed on the front page like this remains as memorable and connective as anything else.
Nonetheless, what my failing memory about that tournament (and others) might point to is the fact that our memory retention is often enhanced by extraordinary details just like the minor fame I experienced by getting my picture (of my pool persona) into the paper. Really, if you play a lot of tournaments, those memories just have a way of melding into one another. Still, I would venture a guess that if I had done just a little bit better in that tournament, such as making it into the finals by winning just one more game, then I would still now have a better recollection of that playing experience.
In relation though, I was very surprised at how many of the pool players I interviewed in my fieldwork this semester related a similar story. At least four interviewees remarked that one of their strongest memories as a pool player had to do with just missing the finals, just as I had in that tournament (and others).
