How it all began: the history of the Leisure World Pool Club, part 2
Editor’s note: This is a continuation of the LW Pool Club history article which appeared in the May 1 issue of LW Weekly.
Dave Silva
LW contributor
In early 2020, the Men’s Leisure World Pool Club of Clubhouses 2 and 3 was not only limping along with few activities, but the pool room in Clubhouse 3 had been closed due to lack of activity. The COVID- 19 pandemic put an end to many activities within the community in early 2020, but strangely enough turned out to benefit what would become the Leisure World Pool Club.
Eunis “Wildfire!” Christensen came to me with the idea to change the Men’s Pool Club into the Leisure World Pool Club. That way women could be members. I thought that was a great idea. There were rumblings from the Ladies Q Club that we were trying to steal their members. That wasn’t the intention, and, as it turned out, the inclusion of women simply allowed them to be members of both clubs.
When the pandemic subsided and the clubhouses reopened, the Recreation Director Terry DeLeon asked me to advise Leisure World Executive Director Randy Ankeny about acquiring new pool tables.
When I met with Randy Ankeny, he told me that Leisure World had saved money with the clubhouses being closed during COVID-19. He thought building a game room and refurbishing the pool room in Clubhouse 2 would be a good way to improve facilities. I wholeheartedly agreed. I told Ankeny that 9-foot Brunswick tables would be the best buy and that the pool room could accommodate six pool tables if we got rid of the defective snooker table.
With six pool tables in Clubhouse 2, that meant our club could hold monthly tournaments with 24 players. It also allowed us to have a weekly league of six teams with three players on each team.
Realizing my limitations, I looked for someone who was good at organizing things to replace me as president of the club. I asked Steve Edrich to be the club’s president and I would serve as vice-president and write the pool articles. With Edrich as president and “Wildfire!” Christensen as secretary, we formed a pool club board that included Connie Adkins and Barry Brideau. Steve and Wildfire! drew up a new set of club bylaws and we set about s chedul ing club activities that included a tournament every month.
We started our first league in September 2021, with six threeperson teams that played singles and doubles in both eight-ball and nine-ball. At the end of the season, we gave awards for the players with the best singles records.
We only charged $20 for a season and that included snacks and soft drinks, as well as returning $15 per person in prize money. When it came to forming a new league, the board looked at the results from the previous league and tried to put together six teams that were both competitive and compatible. This last season we had six teams on Monday nights and six on Wednesdays, with two more weeks for playoffs and sweepstakes at the end. In addition to the monthly tournaments and leagues, we hold a snooker tournament and a straight pool tournament yearly in Clubhouse 1 for individuals.
Steve Edrich suggested we could revive our rivalry with Laguna Woods. He contacted their club president and we scheduled a match where 18 of their players would come here and play eight-ball, with the agreement that the next match would be at Laguna Woods. This has worked out well and there is a trophy that the winning team gets to keep. They won the match 25-23 last time they came here, but we won the trophy back when we went there last year.
During my 25 years in the Pool Club, I have seen it evolve into an active club that provides entertainment and companionship for residents. -Dave Silva
