Rack ‘em up, kids.
Imagine walking into a room full of pool tables and the unceasing sound of balls cracking and the dull mumur of voices.
Kids’ voices, some of whom are shorter than the cues they carry as they buzz around the tables, trying to find their next open shot.
This isn’t some smoke-filled hole in the wall on the seedy side of town — and while most of the participants aren’t old enough to drive, the next generation’s Wimpy Lassiter or Willie Mosconi just might have been lining up their next shot in the Marriott Event Center this past weekend.
The VNEA (Valley National Eight-Ball League Association) played host to a national youth tournament that drew more than 400 future pool sharks from the United States, Canada and as far away as New Zealand. The competitors ranged in age from 7 to 20 and showed off their stick skills playing in tournaments that included the traditional 8-ball singles format, doubles and three-person teams at a variety of skill levels.
“It’s their passion,” explained tournament organizer Mike Wiltse, who oversaw 80 tables spread out in the middle of the Marriott Event Center’s main floor. “Obviously, most of these kids have parents who are pool players, or maybe they picked the game up playing in their grandparents’ basement. But everybody’s got. passion and they love to play pool.”
While there are a variety of formats in pocket billiards, the focus here is on 8-ball, where play starts with 15 balls racked together in a triangular format. There are seven solid-colored balls and seven striped balls of different colors, along with the solid black 8-ball. Players must first make all seven of one set or the other before pocketing the 8-ball to win the game.
Seems like an easy game — but seeing the looks of focus as they set up a shot, the frustration when they miss and the smile of relief when they win will tell you it’s a fun and, sometimes, frustrating game to play.
Depending on certain house rules, the 8-ball can decide a winner early. Here, it comes out and is put back in play at the spot where the break occurs. If the cue ball rolls into a pocket after a shot, it comes back out and is given to the other player, known as “ball in hand,” where they can place the ball anywhere on the table for their next shot. The same rule also applies if you hit the other player’s ball before touching one of your own.
And while there are adults in traditional striped referee shirts wandering around and answering questions on potential foul situations, the kids handle the rules of the game on their own.
“The kids call their own fouls,” Witse said. “We do not allow their parents to coach during this event, which can be hard at times.”
More than 60,000 players in 12 countries are part of the VNEA, and last weekend’s tournament was one of two youth tournaments the league runs each year. The league was started by Valley-Dynamo, which makes many of the pool tables you find in bars, arcades and restaurants across the country.
Wiltse said having a nationwide tournament here in South Sioux City is a perfect location and within driving distance for most of the 400 players and families who participated in the four-day tournament.
“We have our world championships every year in Las Vegas, but having it here in South Sioux City has been great,” he said. “They’re a great host and everybody here has bent over backwards for us. It’s a great central location for people to travel to and many drive here, except for those coming from Alaska, Canada or New Zealand, so it’s a great family vacation.”
The tournament also includes some notable players in the game, including David Pearson and Shane Van Boning, who are there to showcase their skills and offer tips to the younger generation of players.
Included among those young guns is 20-year-old Haley Bennett of Sioux City, who is part of the Siouxland Youth League that plays on Saturday mornings at The Don’$ in Sioux City.
“My dad’s a pool player, so I kind of wanted to do it as a thing that I could do with him,” she said as she waited for her next match. “My dad knew Rob (Ollouette), who runs the league, and I joined the league and started playing with them.”
Bennett said she enjoys the competition and meeting other players in her age group.
“You get to meet all sorts of people from different places, and it’s nice to learn from other people,” she said.
Ollouette said the Sioux City-based league will have 30-50 kids stop by each week to pick up some lessons get a few games in. The kids play for free and can learn the rules of the game and play in a no-pressure atmosphere. More than a dozen area players were among the 400 competing here.
“It helps them understand all kinds of stuff like geometry,” he said. “It’s a game where you learn a lot about angles, which is something you’d use in construction, and the kids get to meet a lot of people from all over the world. I’ve got friends from New Zealand who come up every year and a lot of kids will start out as youth here and end up playing in international tournaments.”
Pool is also a game where you have to learn to keep your emotions in check, especially after hitting a bad shot.
“It can get very frustrating, but as long as you remember to have fun, that’s really what this is all about,” Oulouette added.
