Billiards heading to nationals

The Weber State University Billiards Club traveled to Utah State University last weekend to take part in the American College Union Incorporated (ACUI) regional billiards tournament. The club took a total of 10 players, nine men and one woman to Logan, Utah, to compete in the tournament. A total of 43 people from region 13 competed in the tournament. Other universities that took part in the competition were New Mexico State University, New Mexico Tech University, Utah State, University of Utah, Arizona State University, University of Arizona and smaller colleges in Wyoming. "Playing in the regional tournaments really help us for national ranking as well as national publicity," said Jacob "Preach" Dent, WSU Billiards President and Captain. The 'Cats had a very successful showing at the tournament with two men qualifying for the national tournament in Kentucky and one woman finished third, falling short by one point to qualify. The qualifiers were junior Charles Barker, who finished second and junior Matt Daines, who finished third. Freshman Moriah Wilhelm was the sole female from WSU to attend, who missed qualifying by a single shot. There were many firsts that happened in the tournament. It was the first time WSU has sent two players to nationals, the first time that anyone has gone to nationals in 10 years and the first time the team has placed two players in the top-three. "I am relieved, excited, fulfilled and glad I got to meet new people," Wilhelm said. "It is just a fun social activity that takes skill, concentration and focus." Charles Barker did not start playing pool until five years ago. "I played once and I liked it," Barker said. "You just have to love the game, be diligent and play people that are better than you." Daines, who started playing 10 years ago, shared a similar sentiment. Daines said he never thought he would be where he is today. "I practiced a lot," Daines said. "I am here every day for a couple of hours. I practice to perform." The tournament strained all of the competitors due to the long days. On Saturday, players played from 8 a.m. to midnight. Both Daines and Barker agreed the toughest part of the tournament was staying in the right state of mind. "It is important for tournaments like those to build a mental game," Daines said, "because it is more of a mental game rather than a physical one." Robert Sanders, or "Dr. Bob" as the players call him, has been involved with WSU Billiards for 17 years. He is a WSU professor, the coach/advisor of the team and a Billiards Congress of America (BCA) sanctioned instructor. "I am here four to five hours a week," Sanders said. "I do it because I love it and I do it for the kids." "Dr. Bob" was once a professional billiards player and has played against some of the top players in the world and he knows good players when he sees them. "Both Charlie (Barker) and Matt (Daines) have a humility about themselves," Sanders said. "They are both very coachable and welcome criticism with open arms. Charlie has grown into a great player and Matt has always been a great player. There is no doubt that they cannot become professionals." With the national tournament not arriving until June, both Barker and Daines have plenty of time to get into the billiards state of mind. Barker and Daines both plan on playing in local tournaments to keep fresh, but other than that, they plan on practicing everyday as they already do. "I have a lot of confidence that both Matt and Charlie will place in the top five at nationals," Sanders said. Daines and Barker both said they aren't worried about where they finish in the tournament, and all they want to do is play to their potential. "I think that I could get a top five finish," Barker said, "but I am just glad that I get to go out of state to play against some of the best players there are."