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48 | OHCC LIVING | JANUARY 2024 | e Billiard Club's annual Membership Meeting on Nov. 2 was followed by the 8-Ball Club Championship. Two 5-person groups played round-robin matches with the top two players from each group moving on to the semi-finals. All four of those players would cash out, with the winner getting $50, the runner-up $25, third $10, and fourth $5. Additional cash also was available for players who made good runs. Cal Roe and Gary Pelcher each won $1 for sinking three balls in a row, Leo Beeloo won $3 for four balls, and Charlie Payne and Peter Fiore both won $6 for five balls. Don Farmer, Gary Pelcher, Cal Roe, Bill Crosby, and Leo Beeloo were in one group. Aer four matches Gary had three wins, but Don, Cal, and Bill were all tied with two wins. e tiebreaker was a spot shot where a ball is placed on the foot spot and the player has one shot to sink the ball. e first tiebreaker did not break the tie. Nor did the second. But in the third tiebreaker round Bill made the shot and the other two missed so Bill advanced along with Gary. e other group was Charlie Payne, D.D. Smith, Keith Bogost, Peter Fiore, and Fred Ganoe. is bunch was simpler. Peter and D.D. were the only ones to win three games, so they both advanced. In the semi-finals, Gary beat Peter, and D.D. beat Bill. In the consolation match, Bill beat Peter, deciding the 3rd and 4th places. In the finals, D.D. beat Gary to win the 8-Ball Championship. Looking ahead, the new year brings good news! Aer literally years, we can finally enjoy a full schedule of Billiard Club events. We'll have an introductory Open House on urs., Jan. 18, followed in subsequent weeks by 5 Basic Lessons. Once everyone has mastered the basics, we'll continue with 7 Advanced Lessons, 7 Game Lessons, and 10 Tournaments with cash prizes! at's 30 events. Now how much would you pay? Well, our Billiard Club is still only $7, unchanged for 20 years. Sign up on Do Dues Day (Sat., Jan. 13), or steer clear of that mad rush and just hand in your check and email address at the front desk. It's fun to compete and it's great to improve your game. But we like to think that our club's real long-term value emerges when we "Play a stranger, make a friend." See you there, friend. ~ Written by: Cal Roe and Charlie Payne Billiards Mahjongg Club Happy New Year! I hope that your holiday season was safe and healthy. By the time this article is published the MahJongg club members will have had a Holiday Social organized by our Social Director Lynne Allen and her wonderful committee of volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to work with the social committee, please contact Lynne. ere are other volunteer opportunities available and your help will be much appreciated. e American MahJongg tournament will be held on March 23 this year. Our gracious organizer for this event is Ginny Koon. Ginny has acquired several committee members to assist with the 2024 tournament. She would like to establish a "shadow" committee to acquaint themselves with the planning process for the 2025 tournament. e goal is to prepare others to carry the baton next year. Please let Ginny Koon know if you are interested in serving as a "shadow" this quarter. Last but not least is the volunteer opportunity of serving as a Table Coach at one or multiple Basic Training sessions. Basic Training classes for American MahJongg will be offered on Wednesdays at 3 pm in January, April, May and October. A shout out to volunteers who participated as table coaches in 2023: Alice Robeson, Kathy Palys, Vicki Dibble, and Susan Hull-Patton. All of these members were generous with their time and patience. If you are an intermediate or seasoned player and are willing to assist, please let Dawn Edwards know. It is gratifying work that strengthens the social network of our club. e Club has room reservations for 2025. Our September survey results indicated that Club members wanted open play time in the aernoon as well as the evening. Monday aernoons from 1 to 3 pm and Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 9 pm have been reserved for Open Play for Intermediate and Seasoned players. Saturday aernoons from 1 to 4 pm will continue to be available for Novice practice games. Walk-in players of all levels are welcome on Saturdays as long as it is understood that this time is intended as a mixer of skills and Novice players do not bring a purse. In addition to knowledge, please bring patience and kindness whenever you play. ~ Written by: Dawn Edwards