By Alan Green
Contributing Writer
Blaise Pascal wrote, ``Thus so wretched is man that he would weary even without any cause for weariness... and so frivolous is he that, though full of a thousand reasons for weariness, the least thing, such as playing billiards or hitting a ball, is sufficient enough to amuse him.'' The Itaewon Pool League offers just such amusement and for many has become a Wednesday night ritual ― a mid-week break to forget about work for a few hours while ``shooting some stick.''
The league began with just eight teams back in June 2000. But over the years it has grown considerably. The last season saw 18 venues host 30 teams. Almost every bar in Itaewon, and in recent years Haebangcheon too, with a pool table has at least one team. Each team is made up of a minimum of six players.
Currently each season consists of a 20 week regular schedule followed by playoffs to determine the overall champion. The top 16 teams battle it out for the League Championship, won last season by the Nashville Sharks. The remaining teams play for the Best-of-the-Rest trophy, with Dolce Vita Sweet Life emerging victorious at the end of 2009.
While there are trophies on offer for the top teams and players, and personal rankings the league is designed to be a social affair. It is a great way to meet people and have some competitive fun. Matches are generally relaxed but there are instances when the intensity rises, especially towards the end of the season. Pride, points and old rivalries can make for some entertaining viewing.
The new season starts on January 13 and teams will be looking for fresh talent to bolster their rosters. As it is a bar league players must be of legal drinking age and is not open to professionals. The only real requirement is the ability to hold a cue and have some free time on a Wednesday night. Matches start at 7.30p.m. and usually wrap by 11p.m. but there has been the occasional pool marathon that has ended well after midnight.
The Itaewon Pool League members form a diverse mix of nationalities and backgrounds. Koreans, military personnel, English teachers and businessmen and women from all corners of the globe come together to shoot some stick, hang out and maybe sip on a beer or two.
Having fun is the main aim of the game but it takes time and commitment from the organizers of the league to ensure its smooth running. Each year a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary are elected and selflessly invest a lot of time and energy so that everyone can get the most out of the league. As well as the regular season the league holds both singles and doubles tournaments as well as hosting a banquet at the end of each season.
Each team must pay a registration fee of 300,000 won in order to play in the league. This money pays for trophies, prizes and the end of season banquet but most importantly offers a chance for the league to give something back to the community they live in. At the end of the season donations are made from the remaining funds to various local charities. The league is a long time supporter of the Red Cross but has also donated money to orphanages and other good causes. In the time the league has been running it has given over 45 million won to charity and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
Billiards has a long and noble tradition evolving from the lawn game of croquet in the 15th century. Such was Mary Queen of Scots passion for the game that when her castle was invaded she was forbidden to play. After her assassination in 1586 her invaders wrapped her headless body in the cloth from her billiard table.
Various forms of the game followed, with different numbers of balls and pockets. Some forms have no pockets at all and the idea is to ``carom'' the balls ― a version of this game is incredibly popular in Korea. The Itaewon Pool League plays eight-ball which was invented in the early 1900s.
If pool is your game you are in good company as other notable enthusiasts of the sport include Thomas Jefferson, who had to hide his billiard room as the game was illegal in Virginia at that time, as well as Mozart, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll and Theodore Roosevelt.
Whether a serious pool shark or a drinker with a pool problem you will find your niche in the Itaewon Pool League.
For more information about the Itaewon Pool League visit the Web site at www.itaewonpool.orgnm and as Shakespeare said in Anthony and Cleopatra, ``Let's to billiards.''