Central PA’s Pool Leagues
Hello all,
If anyone would have told me almost 5 months ago that we’d be forced to suspend league for more than a couple months due to the coronavirus, I would have thought they were crazy. And yet, here we are. If there was a fair way to pay out the money for the prorated session, I would do that so that we could just “start fresh” with a new session. Unfortunately, I don’t know that option exists without upsetting (justifiably) many of the teams that would think they were being “short changed”. Therefore, we will wait until the session is completed before any monies are paid out. Because so much time has elapsed, it will likely be difficult for some teams to field a team of even 4 players per week once we resume. These are very unusual times that we are in, so unusual remedies will be used to help us once league resumes. As more and more time elapses, players have changes in their lives that may make it difficult if not impossible to resume league play for those players.
When league resumes, all teams will be permitted to recycle (2) players of their own choice each week for the remainder of the 8 ball session. They must still meet the “26.0” rule and a “7.5” may not be recycled. A player can not be recycled 3 times in a given match. The recycling can be done any time during the match and a player can be recycled back to back. The recycling team will choose the player(s) they wish to recycle and they may recycle even if they have other available options of players to shoot. I have thought in depth about this and I believe it is the best way to proceed. We will likely be allowing all teams to recycle (1) player of their choosing each week when we start the new 8 ball session with the above “relaxed” rules in effect.
Thank you for your understanding and I look forward to resuming as soon as the government and bars/restaurants give us the “green light”.
Hello everyone and I hope that you all are healthy and have been weathering the storm ok. As the state is opening back up for business, I’m sure you are wondering what the plan is for a tentative “start back” date. I’ll attempt to address that question here.
The simple answer is “I don’t know yet”, but here is the longer answer to help you understand my thought process…
It is important that on our “start back” date, that all of the locations that we are playing that night have their tables open, adequate seating, and are allowing us to play league. At this time, I’m not sure exactly what will and will not be permissible by state guidelines. Even if the state is allowing the pool tables to be used, if the bar/ establishment does not want to have league, the ban on league play by the bar will override anything that the state would say regarding the permissibility of league. Knowing that Monday is the night of the week that we are the busiest and thus the most likely to have problems, I would rather have our “start back” date on a Tuesday or a Thursday. I will be attempting to contact all of the bar/establishment owners in the coming days to try to figure out the game plan going forward. In short, IF THE STATE GUIDELINES FOR COUNTIES IN THE “GREEN PHASE” ALLOWS FOR POOL TABLES IN BARS/RESTAURANTS TO BE USED, THERE IS A CHANCE THAT WE WILL START BACK UP NEXT TUESDAY OR THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. This of course would also assume that the locations for our scheduled matches all decide independently that they also will allow pool league on those nights. I know that most of you are anxious to get back to playing league and hopefully we will be “back at it” soon.
When we do start back up, all teams will be permitted to recycle one player of their own choice as long as the team does not go over the “26.0” rule and the recycled player may not be a “7.5” The recycling team will pick their own player and the player can be recycled at any time (for instance, he/she may play 1st and 2nd if they want). Any team may recycle if they wish EVEN IF THEY HAVE 5 PLAYERS AVAILABLE TO SHOOT. These are unprecedented times, so I’d rather err on the side of being too flexible instead of not flexible enough.
Hopefully this gives everyone a very general idea of what I’m thinking. More details to follow.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
As we continue to practice social distancing and take other measures to limit the spread of the virus, I wanted to give an update on how we will proceed once we get back to “normal”. Once the bars and restaurants are open, the plan is to finish the current session with some relaxation of the recycle rules as mentioned in a previous post. As long as there is enough interest, we will have an end of session tournament ( The Invitational) for those teams that qualify. With everything that is happening, it is possible that some teams might not like the idea of playing in a tournament in close proximity to many people. Much of that may depend on what we are allowed and not allowed to do by government officials. For those teams that qualify for the Invitational but don’t wish to participate, they will be given a “cash out” option. I just wanted to let everyone know what the plan was going forward as I’m sure some of you have thought about it. These are crazy times, but it appears that we may be getting close to a peak and that things will start to calm down….though not immediately. Be safe everyone and continue to take measures to limit the spread and protect others who may be at higher risk. Be part of the solution, not the problem and hopefully we get back to “normal” soon.
(Photo “stolen” from Club Med)
Out of an abundance of caution, all PACS matches will be suspended until further notice. This is not a decision that I made lightly. I know some people will think I’m being too cautious while others will welcome the decision. With other bars and restaurants in other parts of the state already being forced to close, it is likely going to happen in our area sooner than later so it’s unlikely we would be able to finish the session on time anyway. Be safe everyone, practice social distancing, and take the necessary precautions when you are out and about. Even though you may not be at risk of serious illness from the coronavirus, others around you are at higher risk or are in contact with people who are at high risk. Thanks for your understanding and hopefully the world will get back to “normal” soon.
All teams will be permitted to recycle any player of their own (not the opponents) choice at any time during the match until further notice. This applies to both 8 and 9 ball. One player per team may be recycled provided the team meets the 26.0 requirement and no team may recycle a “7.5”. This move is being made to provide flexibility for teams that are having trouble getting 5 players to the match. It is better for a player to stay home if they feel they may be contagious or at high risk of getting sick. A team may recycle even if it has already used its “allowable” 3 recycles for the session. Thanks for your understanding.
With many large events being postponed/ cancelled due to the Coronavirus, the current plan is to PROCEED with the PACS 28 Invitational in May (although I don’t have an exact date / venue yet). Of course, nobody has a crystal ball to see how much the virus will be affecting our lives two months from now. Some people are treating this like the Spanish Flu while others are treating it as the seasonal flu. The truth definitely lies somewhere in between those extremes. For those teams that qualify for the Invitational and wish not to participate, they will likely be offered some type of a “cash out” for qualifying. I can’t tell you at this time how much that payout will be, but I think treating the Invitational in this manner will offer everyone qualifying an attractive option. Thanks for your understanding.
