Shooting Pool ©
I loved to watch the guys play pool at the Hub and the Orchard Café. In the early years, girls were not allowed into the pool halls so we had to be content to just watch.
Dad and Bob Wheeler were pretty good friends and sometimes when there was no one around Bob would let me into the back and Dad began to teach me to shoot pool. My Dad was a terrific pool player and had won many tournaments over the years. I guess some things are passed down because I ended up to be a pretty good pool player by the time I started working at the Legion.
I had a strange shift. I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 am to 1 am and had four days off “on call” for Saturday night.
From 11 am until about 2 pm it was pretty quiet so I would do my cleaning, get the bar ready and the cooler stocked and then I would play pool. This was my favourite time as Billy Raincock would come in by himself and he and I would play. Billy told me that next to my Dad, he was probably the next best player in town and I believed him.
We would spend hours fine tuning my game. He kept at me to improve my bank shots…I failed math so angles were “greek” to me so Billy tried another approach. There was a light over the pool table and he showed me where the light hit the balls and to take my pool cue and follow the angle. It didn’t take long and I finally got it! He also taught me to “run” the ball down the side of the table to get a difficult shot.
The first time there was a tournament Dad and Billy drew straws to see who I would be partners with and Dad won! We were pretty hot that night and ended up winning the tournament and a few bucks to boot!
For my birthday that year, the staff and some of the regular guys chipped in and bought me a fancy pool cue and hard case! I was in my glory!
Because I learned to play on the huge tables at the Orchard, the pool table at the Legion was a breeze and I played regularly in all the tournaments winning several of them. I remember the night that I FINALLY beat my Dad! The guys were all cheering and even Dad was pretty happy! I didn’t beat him very often because he was so good!
When my Uncle Bill Shaw passed away we had the reception downstairs in the Legion as he had served overseas and the Legion generously allowed us the use of their facilities even though Uncle Bill was not a member.
My sweet little cousin Kevin Shaw from Leduc, Alberta was there and was telling everyone who listened that he was going to the Pool Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada which was no small deal. His Dad, my cousin Bill suggested that Kevin ask me for a game of pool. Kevin asked me and said not to feel bad when I lose because he was the best in Alberta!
My Uncle Gordon decided to walk down and watch the game and give me some moral support. No need…I had things well in hand and part way through the game Uncle Gordon went and got Dad to come and watch because he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Kevin soon realized that I was not a beginner and by the middle of the game he knew he was in big trouble. I proceeded to clean the table and he threw his cue stick against the wall and said “Wow…I better cancel my trip to Las Vegas if a GIRL can beat me!” Poor Kevin, I think I destroyed his dream of being the best pool player in the world!!