Billiards club seeks to ‘pocket’ new members

Cloth-covered table. Fifteen different balls. One favorite stick. And don’t forget the chalk.

For three Hoosiers, the game of billiards has been a part of their lives since their dads first taught them how to shoot, but the game did not become significant until they came to IU.

Senior Rob Bracco, junior Sam King and sophomore Erik Schultz have more in common than spending their childhood around an eight-foot piece of wood with six pockets. Bracco, King and Schultz are the expert, president and rookie of the IU billiards club, respectively.

With an active membership of about 30 people, the billiards club meets from 7 to 9 p.m. every Monday in the Indiana Memorial Union.

“Mainly, it’s just a social thing,” Bracco said. “It’s a great game. It’s really relaxing. We take all skills levels, from competing on the team all the way down to people who just started playing.”

No matter the level, Bracco said billiards is a game of mental strategy.

“You have to map out in advance not only how you’re going to make the current shot, but how you’re going to get ready for the next shot and how you’re eventually going to finish the rack and win the match,” Bracco said.

The three club members also play for IU’s billiards team.

“Being a competitive person, I have that competitive edge about me,” Schultz said. “It’s just one-on-one with the other person. I like that type of competition. It really gets you to focus, but also I love the guys. The team is just a great group of guys to be around.”

The team, consisting of two four-member groups, practices whenever they can make time throughout the week. They also travel, competing against other college billiards teams. Most recently, the team traveled to Purdue for the Old Oaken Cue Game.

“Really we were just outmatched,” Bracco said. “We have a young team. A lot of our players, this is their first competition with the team and Purdue is just really solid. They have a deep team, deep line-up.”

Much like the Old Oaken Bucket football game, the winning school earns bragging rights and the cue for the year.

“I think it was just a cue found at the Back Alley,” King said. “We painted half of it red and half of it gold. The winner of the IU-Purdue challenge match gets to take it home every year and paint a stripe on it. Currently Purdue has won it three times and IU’s won it once.”

Although Purdue has the cue for the next year, the billiards team is looking to win the cue by welcoming new club and team members, along with having extra practices.

“Shoot with people who are better than you,” Bracco said. “That’s the No. 1 key. If you keep playing with people who are on the same level or people who are worse, you never really grow. If you’re always playing people who are beating you, you just learn so much faster. Meet new people and just play the game.”