Imagine you’re in another ... are a pool player with red hair. You walk into the biggest pool hall in town where they are holding a national ... You think, “great, I’ll sign up.” When y
Imagine you’re in another world…You are a pool player with red hair. You walk into the biggest pool hall in town where they are holding a national tournament. You think, “great, I’ll sign up.” When you go to pay your entry fee, they say you have to choose between The Red-Head Open (only red-heads allowed) and The Open (open to players of any hair color). “The Red-Head Open” is a race to 5, with only 100 participants, and has a $75.00 entrance fee. “The Open” is a race to 7, has 200 participants and a $150.00 entry fee. Curiously, first prize for both divisions paid about the same. You ask, “Why don’t the red-heads allow the blonds and brunettes play with them?” The tournament director looks at you like you are from another planet and says, “everybody knows that the red-heads don’t have a chance against the blondes.” You don’t understand because you don’t see how the color of someone’s hair could make a difference in their pool game. You just want to beat all the competition, so you decide to enter The Open Division.
You’re practicing and someone walks by and says, “Hey you should take lessons from Chris, who taught the #1 red head player in town.” That seems like a strange comment because you don’t know what that has to do with anything. You think a good instructor or coach should be measured by their ability to take any player and help them be the best they can be no matter if they are short, tall, fat, skinny, black, brown, have red-hair or not.
Your name is called to play your first match and you shake hands with your first opponent, who asks, “why are you playing in the open division against all of these blondes and brunettes?” Is it to see how good you can do against them? Dumbfounded once again, you say, “No, I’m just here to win like any other tournament.”
Surprisingly, you look around and see that you are the only red head playing in The Open Division. Another person walks by, genuinely confused, and asks “Is this a real match going on, or are you two just practicing?”
It’s a tuff match, but you manage to win 9-6. Spectators look to you with huge eyes and say, “If you could beat that brunette, you probably could have easily won the red-headed tournament.”
Then, a reporter walks by and says, “You’ve got a lot of guts playing with those blondes!”
QUESTION #1) If you lived in this world which division would you play in?
#2) Why? Before you continue reading, please email your response to me at theangelofbilliards@yahoo.com.
Do you think this world is strange and ridiculous? So, do I.
Did you know that this is the same world we live in? Except the red-heads in the scenario are females and the majority of other players are males. The above story is from my personal experience of being the 1st female to compete in various men’s national tournaments.
This world and story gives women a false view of their ability and potential.
I have a dream…that one day, all people, male and female, will play billiards together as equals. And the person who turns in the finest performance that day will be the one applauded. If tournaments must be divided, the divisions will be based only on skill level!
In billiards, division based on sex is as silly as dividing players based on hair or the color of our skin!
‘To believe what has not occurred in history will not occur at all is to argue disbelief in the dignity of man.’ Mahatma Ghandi
‘In our time, what is at issue is the very nature of humankind, the image we have of our limits and possibilities. History is not yet done with its exploration of the limits of what it means to be human.’ C. Wright Mills
(Jackie “The Angel” Broadhurst is 2003 National BCA Champion of 8-Ball and Artistic Pool. Visit her website at www.TheAngelsofBilliards.com. She is currently training to win the U.S. Open Championships in September of 2006. Sponsorship opportunity information is available by calling 303-916-4083)
