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Washington Evening Journal
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Pool players find community at Y
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
WASHINGTON — Tucked away in a corner on the ground floor of the Washington YMCA, one can find a pair of billiards tables, both kept in pristine condition.
Show up in the early afternoon on a weekday, and you’ll see each in use, as a handful of regulars return to the room for their daily games of pool, each with a different randomly selected partner.
“Seniors started playing pool at the old Y in 1965, so it’s been going on for a long time,” said Bill Graf, one of the players who does much of the maintenance work on the tables, and brought one of them to town from a basement in Chicago. “We’re basically just getting out of the house. It’s as much about fellowship as it is about the game of pool, we draw partners, that way it doesn’t become too competitive, and it’s pretty casual.”
Graf said members greatly appreciated support from the YMCA, not only for the space, but for the channeling of memorial money and occasional purchases to keep the game room in excellent condition.
The tables are lined with tournament-grade cloth coverings, sheets of which go for $500 apiece. The cues are well-crafted, far above the grade found in any dive bar, and each ball is sleekly polished.
“This is some of the best stuff you can buy,” Graf said. “We appreciate it very much, if we didn’t have this, we wouldn’t have a place to go.”
YMCA of Washington County CEO Amy Schulte said the organization was proud to support the daily event.
“This group of people that are coming together, they’re from different backgrounds, in different stages of their life, a lot of them, but this is an important part of their day,” she said. “That’s also a part of health and wellness, being active, being social with others, so we’re putting as much importance on that as we do our aquatic center, our fitness areas and those types of things.”
Don Hiner, another longtime pool player, said he came to the games almost every day.
“It keeps you out of the house, from sitting in the chair watching TV,” he said. “And, you know, you get a little exercise walking around the table.”
Many get involved after retiring, in search of new ways to fill their time, and a picture on the wall honors a previous roster of players, about half of whom are deceased. One of them was the late Doyle Brown, who was well-known for shooting as well as many of his peers at the age of 98.
A sign on the wall now memorializes his contributions to the club, dubbing the area the “Brown Billiard Room.”
Not everyone sinking shots is a regular, however, or even a senior. Andy Six said he showed up to the tables every few weeks, when he needed a break from his normal routine.
“I really enjoy playing pool, so I stopped down one time to see what it was all about, and they said, ‘Come on in,’” he said. “Every once in a while when I’ve got the time, I’ll sneak in for a couple hours and play.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
