Understand this: Philly's pool hall scene wasn't always reaching for a life vest - far from it. What happened to a game that, a short two decades ago, was a $2 billion-a-year industry that was reaching a point of " craze," not curse? End of an Era? No one has stepped in to fill either void. Tacony Billiards - debatably the most popular city-limits pool hall since Longo's - closed in 2013 (a charter school bought the real estate), and Boulevard Social and Athletic Club closed in 2007. Still, Philly's not just missing the "Seventh Heaven" pool hall that calls back to times of teens galavanting about on a Friday night in search of soda pop and their high-school crush it's also missing the type of pool hall that attracts serious pool players like Abbonizio, halls that, as of now, only exist in the suburbs in the form of Fusco's The Spot (owned by Philly professional pool player Pete Fusco) in Trevose, Bucks County, and Drexeline, in Drexel Hill, Delaware County. "And there are detriments," he added, "but they don't take away from the passion that comes with playing pool - with being a part of something." You can build hand-eye coordination it's a chess game - there are lots of positives to this." "That's something severely lacking in Philly right now: a clean place to send kids to go do something that's not only good for the mind, but the body. "I don't think there are many young people on board to play pool at a higher level," he said. He's a rare find in an age when, if you ask the average teenager to play a round, they'll likely whip out a smartphone and tap a billiards app. But Abbonizio's a bit of an anomaly as a pool player in an Internet-driven age: He's young (28), plays seriously (he hopes to win a tournament-awarded trip to Vegas) and can spot a poorly kept pool table a mile away (don't you dare sit your drink on that felt). So, he followed in his father's footsteps and signed up for a league: He first joined Philly's American Poolplayers Association league in 2008 and, for the past two years, has been joining seven teammates as representatives for Buffalo Billiards. "I found myself rooting for him, and I was suddenly like, 'Yeah, I want to do this,'" Abbonizio told. Quickly, he realized something that would later be essential to his adult life: This was exciting. He lingered in the back and watched, scene by scene - ball-tap by ball-tap - as his father shot stick with a bar-side pal at Bumpers Bar. Stephen Abbonizio was 13 when he first played pool.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |