RICHMOND, Va. -– Two students from Virginia Commonwealth University won the championship in a regional billiards tournament last month, making them eligible to participate in the national tournament.
First-place winner Mitch Trainham, 23, and second-place winner Mark Lacson, 25, both students from VCU, competed against each other twice in the Association of College Unions International championship round after beating 46 male college students from five states.
The regional tournament was held at the University of Tennessee from Feb. 19 to Feb. 20, where colleges from Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina competed in recreational activities such as billiards, table tennis and poker. The top five billiards players qualified for positions in the national tournament, hosted by ACUI, a national organization that aims to connect universities through the idea of community.
VCU sent eight men and four women to UT to compete in separate divisions. The competition started with 10 tables of round robin, a small tournament in which each competitor played against every other competitor at their table. This method was used to eliminate 16 players, leaving 32 players to compete on the second day.
“It was hard,” Trainham said. “Once the brackets kept getting smaller and smaller, we had to play our own teammates and we eventually knocked each other out.”
Trainham has played pool since he was 6 years old. He learned how to play from his parents, and he owns a pool table in his home.
“Poolhalls aren’t place for kids,” Trainham said. “If I didn’t have a table in my house, I probably wouldn’t have ever picked up a stick.”
Trainham’s 17 years of experience helped him at the regional tournament when he won the championship to Lacson 11-4. It was Trainham’s first ACUI tournament.
“Mark was my biggest competition,” Trainham said. “I thought he was the one person who could beat me.”
Trainham disliked playing against his teammates because he wanted both he and his teammates to win, he said.
On the other hand, Lacson saw the competition as an opportunity to have fun. A pharmacy graduate student, Lacson will not be able to attend nationals because of rotations, where he will visit different practice sites to gain medical experience.
“I was just trying to have fun because I knew I wasn’t going to go to nationals,” Lacson said. “I didn’t have anything to lose. It was just for fun.”
Amy Anderson, the regional ACUI Leisure Programs Chair, says the date and location of the national tournament has not yet been released.
While Trainham’s only goal was to make it to nationals, and Lacson only wanted to have fun, their advice for practicing is as equal as their ambitions.
“Play everyday and dedicate your time,” Trainham said. “Add pressure and challenge yourself to help yourself get better.”
“Don’t take it too seriously,” Lacson said, with a grin. “It’s just a game.”
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