Women learn finer points of billiards

By Chris Shott
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

“Sharks” are lurking in the halls of Brooksby Village.

Not the marine creatures, but an industrious group of women exploring the finer points of one of the world’s most popular games—billiards. On billiards tables in three different clubhouses at Brooksby, they meet weekly (or some, even more frequently) to hone their skills with a cue stick and to plop billiards balls into pockets.

These budding “pool sharks” live at Brooksby and have no previous experience playing the game. In weekly two-hour clinics conducted by Leonard Yanofsky, who also lives at Brooksby, they learn basic strategies of billiards and play friendly games to develop their hands-on capabilities.

“I run clinics every Tuesday year-round for people interested in learning about the game,” Yanofsky says. “When they progress beyond this stage, they move to our Thursday program, which is for more advanced players.”

How and where to strike
On a recent Tuesday morning, Yanofsky tutored six women while they played, offering advice on how and where to strike the cue ball as well as game balls. He constantly suggested shots for players and continually encouraged them.

“Billiards is a challenging game, and it’s all about angles and speeds,” Lois Leman says. “At times, it’s frustrating, but I’m determined to improve.”

“It’s a great game and I’m determined to be a champion,” fellow player Alice Flynn says. “We have a great time here.”

For novices, the women exhibited remarkable skills and touch while competing. From Yanofsky, they learned how to properly hold a cue stick, how to aim the cue ball, where to strike target balls, which pockets to target, and how to use caroms to complete successful shots.

Fun times
Although muffs and scratches were common, so were joking, ribbing, and laughing. “We don’t take it too seriously,” Leman says. “We’re here to have fun and learn how to play the game.”