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An important realization:

Pool doesn’t belong on TV

By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

ast Monday, after a full day
L of rehearsal here at Douglas

College for the play The Very
Ecstasy of Love (come check it out
in the Muir theater if you haven’t
done so already!), several friends
and I embarked on a hang out
session, otherwise known as “bros
night” at my humble abode. It
began as any particular bros night
would begin—what with the casual
beer in one hand and a fistful of
munchies in the other—but soon
it led to the usual combination
that always comes along with one
of these hangout sessions; great
conversations, more alcohol, the
infamous “I love you guys” phrase,
a drunken late night walk to Boston
Pizza, and of course more alcohol.

The next morning, as per

usual, came faster than what I had
hoped for and with two of my three
amigos needing to go their separate
ways early in the morning I was
forced to get myself out of bed and
face my hangover head on. Not
being a morning person to begin
with, you would think that after a
night of drinking the grumpiness
scale would be off the charts,
however on this particular morning
I found myself to be in the best of
moods.

I had hours to spare before my
one o'clock call time and, with my
third friend still passed out on the
couch, I found a sudden urge to get
things done. Cleaning the house
along with some gnarly messes
from the night before were just a
few priorities on the to do list. And
with Beach House playing in the
background and TSN Sportscentre
on mute for some visual
entertainment, I was ready to go.

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After getting the majority of the
cleaning done, my friend decided to
wake up and mosey on over to the
kitchen to take part in the listening
of “the chillest music you'll ever
hear” while at the same time trying
to manage the act of holding food
down and not letting the hangover
win the day-after battle.

Despite the pulsating headaches
and the nauseating dizziness,
things were going quite dandy...
until—cue the music—we tuned
into the aforementioned muted
Sportscentre.

A billiards (a.k.a pool)
championship game was being
played in an intimate stadium-like
venue which featured a massive
American flag on one of the walls,
nearby commentators giving a
play-by-play, and at least a couple
hundred cheering fans devoted to
watching the match between the

 

two players.

Yes, that’s right. A couple
hundred fans who actually decided
to take the time out of their day
and go to the stadium to watch two
people play pool. But it wasn’t just
the fact that there were that many
people watching the game that

caught my attention, it was the way

they were watching it.

You would think that to go to
one of these events or something
along the lines it would be out of
sheer interest to see how ridiculous
it is and how much beer you
could actually pug back before
the security guard would tell
you to leave for doing something
completely inappropriate in order
to save yourself from boredom.

But noticing how the fans were
actually reacting to these two guys
playing pool was startling to say
the least. They were completely

 

invested. Full on 100 per cent
engaged, as if they were watching
their respected loved ones undress
before their eyes. Except it was
pool.

Just two overweight guys
playing a game where they’ve
had a little too much practice
for their own good. And this is
entertainment? This is considered
a sport? Can these pool players
really call themselves athletes,
when they’re physically out of
shape? It’s more of a hobby if you
ask me. Right along the lines of
playing marbles, trading Pokemon
cards, or battling Bey Blades in the
schoolyard playground.

But hey, with not a lot going on
and not a whole lot of movement
compared to football or hockey,
it was a great way to nurse a
hangover... along with the “chillest
music you'll ever hear.”

Men’s volleyball finishes with silver at Nationals

Royals Roundup

       

   
 

   
   

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By Josh Martin, Sports Editor

he Douglas College men’s
| volleyball team finished with
a disappointing silver medal
in the CCAA Finals last Saturday
in a gold medal game against the
Humber Hawks of Humber College,
which resulted in a 3-1 decision
(25-21, 30-28, 21-25, 26-24) in the
Hawks favour.

The loss was especially
disappointing for recently appointed
CCAA Men’s Volleyball Coach of
the Year Brad Hudson, who brought

— his team to the finals this year after

having a stellar regular season with

a 19-5 record. “The kids wanted

to win, that was our goal,” said
Hudson. “You can’t invest that
much in it and not have it hurt, and
it’s my personality—it hurts to see
them hurt. It’s going to stick for a
while.”

Fifth-year senior and first team
all-star Jeff Taylor ends his Canadian
college volleyball career with a silver
medal; a tough loss for the Burnaby
native who had 17 blocks and two
service aces for the Royals.

Hudson added that “it was
important to [him] to have success
with these kids. [Their] goal was not
completely finished.”

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