January 31, 2020 | ACTIVE LIFE | By Carlton Moeller | Photo by Carlton Moeller
As an avid pool player, I’ve experienced my fair share of different pool tables at Colorado College. Though I have not tried every single one on campus, I have decided to compile a list ranking those I have played on from worst to best. Tables will be evaluated by size, condition, overall build quality, and cloth character.
Starting with the worst, at number seven on our list is the pool table in Mathias. This table used to be OK, but apparently over the most recent summer, a bunch of heavy items were stored on the table, which warped the wood underneath the cloth. An uneven table is a frustrating table for obvious reasons. Moreover, the location is poor in my opinion because of the open environment the table resides in: a walkway many Mathias residents pass through. This can lead to an increase in distractions for a player making a shot. This table gets a 3/10.
For number six, we give a posthumous nod to the CC Inn’s pool table. Though it is gone now, that is probably for the better, because it was also warped and balls tended to just roll toward one of the corner pockets. Another 3/10.
Next up is the table in the basement of Loomis. This table appears to have had many a beer spilled on its cloth and thus some areas are sticky and cause the ball to roll weirdly in that location. However, what it lacks in cloth quality it makes up for with its non-distracting environment and unwarped wood. The Loomis table receives a 5/10.
At the fourth spot on our list is the Jackson House’s table. This is where the list begins to introduce some exceptional tables. The greatest feature of this table is its location. In one of the coolest houses on campus, Jackson provides a somewhat secluded and very high-class vibe with a table to match. Made of quality wood with no warping, this table is a great choice for one’s next session.
Now, before I disclose the top three tables on campus, a word about pool cloths. They vary in the amount of friction they induce on the pool balls. When someone says that a cloth is slow, it means that the cloth sticks to the ball more readily such that one has to hit the ball harder to make it travel farther on the table. On the flip side, however, this means it is much easier to put spin on the ball (which I like). Jackson’s table is very fast, causing those who simply hit pool balls hard to have a greater chance of either scratching or pocketing a ball. Jackson’s fourth-place table receives a 7/10.
In third place is a table which has my heart, the one that once resided in the basement of McGregor. Its ease of access was as simple as climbing through a window: not so much now, however, as the table has apparently been replaced with a foosball table in the renovation creating the new B-Side Collective (R.I.P. the Tejon location). This table gets an 8/10.
The final two tables could both hold the number one spot, as they each have their merits. Both are in locations that have a piano within 15 feet to bring up the class and both tables are nearly ideal. At the number two spot, we have the best table on campus when it comes to functionality and pure table aesthetics. However, the vibe of the place is a bit too sanitary for my taste. The table in South Hall is beautiful. With opal accents for diamonds, and the cleanest and slowest cloth on campus, it is almost ideal. However, being in South Hall, the chances it is taken are high and the level of distraction regularly present causes it to fall just behind the best table on campus. The table comes in at an impressive 9.5/10.
The pool table in the German Haus is amazing. The table is perfectly sized to its somewhat secluded nook in the northwestern side of the house. This comfortable space frames an extremely well-maintained table (with a design that could almost be art deco) with a comfy couch right beside where those not shooting can relax. The table is clearly old, however, and its northeastern pocket is frustrating in the sense that when a ball hits the back of the pocket with too much force, it tends to pop out and fly across the room. While dangerous, this acts as a teacher because putting too much force on a shot often sacrifices aim. The best table on campus receives 9.7/10. For these reasons, this is my opinionated list of the top seven pool tables on campus. I should mention that I haven’t played at all the tables on campus, so this list is not comprehensive, but of those that I have experienced I feel the list is fair and complete.