A group of 10 women have come together, combined their talents and created a pool club for both camaraderie and friendly competition.
The women all live at Mission’s Chartwell Cedarbrooke retirement residence and decided to create the club after watching the men play the game.
“The ladies pool was established in January of 2017,” said Veronica Dearden, one of the first women to join.
“We’ve gone from two players to four, and then the interest started to develop and we went into a second team which gave us eight players. Now, we have 10,” Dearden said.
After being invited to play the game by some of the male pool players, Dearden said she looked around the room at all the ladies.
“I went table to table asking them if they wanted to join.”
She received a lot of “No” answers, but some of the ladies said they had played years ago.
The game provided players with the opportunity to make friends and get some exercise.
The ladies officially practise twice a week, but also play the game recreationally whenever they want.
They also participate in monthly tournaments.
At the end of January, they are going to compete with the men’s teams as well.
Mary Johns, 93, picked up a cue for the first time just two years ago. Now she says she loves the game.
“This is something different to me. I love it, I really do.”
Delia Murphy also loves to play, but has a little more experience than some of the other members because her husband’s family had a pool table.
“I didn’t play a lot, but I at least knew it was a pool table,” Murphy said.
She stopped playing when she moved to B.C. but picked it up again when she came to Chartwell Cedarbrooke.
“In school I liked geometry and so you get the angles. It’s not that I’m good or anything, but it does help.”
She said the game gives her something to think about and she enjoys the camaraderie.
“You move into a place like this and there are a lot of people that you don’t know. And so by playing this, you get to know more people. It’s great.”
When Sue Adair first arrived, she said none of the women were playing pool, despite the fact that the pool table was there.
“I guess they were all intimidated by the men,” she said.
“I sat here and watched the men play and I said, ‘I wonder if I could play in a wheelchair?’ They all said, ‘I don’t think so.’ So that’s enough to make me go, ‘Watch me.’ And I’ve been playing ever since.”
Adair doesn’t let her wheelchair get in the way of her having fun.
“Part of my goal now is to show other people that just because you have limitations, it doesn’t have to stop you.”
